What is Kata Really Worth?
Bruce Lee is the foremost proponent when it comes to killing the kata. “What is the value of forms,” was his question. And, the statement most famous, “Boards don’t fight back!”
It is too bad that Bruce was wrong. Forms can be totally amazing training tools. If they do have problems in them these shortcomings can easily be corrected.
When doing a form, first and foremost, one gets a work out. Do a form a dozen times, maybe ten minutes for an average karate form, and you will be sweating like the proverbial pig. They don’t only advocate body calisthetics, but they are a darn good cardio.
When doing a form one learns countless techniques. Some of these techniques, of course, are not for everyone. People have different bodies, after all, and different preferences, and so on.
But with so many techniques to choose from, the wealth of knowledge in a form is truly amazing. And every move has deviations and permutations and variations. It is a very easy thing, to sort through these techniques, find the ones you like, and adapt them to the imperfect playground of a battlefield.
The real blessing of kata isn’t just found in the vast array of potential techniques or body conditioning. The real blessing is something else altogether. The real blessing can be defined in a simple word labeled ‘control.’
A fight is, at heart, the defining example of out of control. A person who has gotten in a fight has lost control. Thus, to win in a fight is to have control.
The point of all this is that when one practices a kata, they are praticing controlling themselves. A person who does not train in kata is practicing to not control themselves. Yes, they may win the fight, but they have lost the war of controlling, and ultimately learning the truth about, themselves.
Tags: exercise, fitness, goju kata, karate, karate form, karate kata, kata, kenpo kata, kung fu, martial art kata, martial arts, martial arts form, shotokan kataPosted in
