Kata: What is it Good For?
At least three things, actually…
Kata (forms) has always been a staple of most traditional martial arts. Traditional practitioners will describe it as an essential combat training tool. In karate circles, it’s taught as an imaginary fight against multiple opponents. Outsiders will describe it as a “gymnastics routine” or a dance. Modern or mixed martial artists will call it a goofy waste of time.
When taught and done badly by McDojo practitioners (as you can see in the video below) you’ll probably think the same thing.
Now, while kata may seem unrealistic in terms of combat, there are actually good reasons to continue practicing them in traditional martial arts. And when you have high-level, high-quality martial artists doing kata, you get a better appreciation for what it is:
- a database of combat techniques and concepts;
- an old method of “shadow boxing”
- a physical conditioning tool
Self defense and fighting techniques database
Traditional martial artists need to stop promoting the myth that kata were developed to mimic an “imaginary fight” against multiple opponents. The purpose of creating kata (at least in the Okinawan and Japanese karate context) was to record specific combat concepts. Since the Okinawans who developed karate and kata at the time were training in secret, they couldn’t write down their fighting techniques in codified training manuals. Instead the creators decided to connect various series of combat movements and concepts together in sequences that would make it easier to remember. The kata then became a mnemonic tool that made it easier to pass techniques down to future generations.
Unfortunately, a lot of the actual applications were lost in time because the students who received the old techniques have decided to make changes to the various kata for aesthetic and stylistic purposes. So now, traditional martial artists are left with forms that are mainly judged on how “pretty” the kata looks like when performed. So, the “traditional combat” applications derived from these modified kata that really don’t make sense in real-world settings.
What needs to be done is an in-depth study of the historical context that the kata creators lived in to gain an understanding of the intended applications. I recommend checking out Bruce Clayton’s book Shotokan’s Secret and the work done by Iain Abernethy (@iainabernethy) as starting points.
Just to give you a clue, while you can use kata applications to defend against straight-line, basic karate punches or kicks, think of using them against grabs and round, looping punches and kicks. Also, the counter-attacks found in kata are not simply punches, blocks, kicks and strikes (although those are perfectly adequate for self-defense). If you look closely, you will also find throws, joint locks, neck breaking, chokes and other brutal fight finishers “hidden” in the techniques.
Of course, it’s not enough to simply “figure out” what the applications are. It’s important to drill these applications over and over with a partner and slow to medium speed to avoid injury. You can go full speed when performing the kata.
Old-school “shadow sparring”
With the understanding of kata as sequences of combat techniques, people practicing should actually not only perform moves. They should also be visualizing how their techniques are attacking, defending and counter-attacking against imaginary opponents.
This is very similar to boxers and kickboxers practicing shadow boxing. They work on their offensive and defensive combinations and their footwork without a partner or a punching bag so that they can make sure that the techniques are done correctly. It trains timing, body coordination, speed and form. Kata, when done correctly, does a similar job.
Kata as a shadow boxing also teaches you how to move and control your own body and your muscles in ways that you never really thought of doing before in a combat situation.
Physical conditioning
In the 1930s, karate was introduced to mainland Japan from Okinawa. The Japanese Imperial Army were so impressed with the physical condition of karate practitioners that they were drafting that they made karate a mandatory part of their basic training. These karateka turned soldiers were mostly using kata as their training method.
When done right, the performance of a kata usually lasts between 45 to 90 seconds. In most traditional karate styles, techniques require a combination of speed, explosive power, quick muscle contractions and relaxation. Some have acrobatic jumps and kicks. Others have some isometric slow movements that are followed by sudden explosive movements. It’s an anaerobic, whole body training method.
After practicing a single kata at full speed and full intensity, even the most physically fit practitioner is out of breath and sweating bullets. Of course, most martial artists will practice kata over and over again in a single session. This made for results that are similar to that of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Final Thoughts
In modern martial arts, there are of course more efficient ways of gaining combat skills. Controlled sparring with a partner will produce better fighters faster than doing kata over and over while visualizing what you’re doing against an opponent. Use kata to give you ideas and techniques that can be drilled with a sparring partner.
As for the physical fitness aspect, you’ll gain and retain more muscle mass from resistance training, weight training and even calisthenics. But in terms of physical conditioning, I would argue that the HIIT nature of kata training is equally beneficial when it comes to cardiovascular health and development of explosive, fast-twitch muscles (no scientific studies found, so if there are any kinesiology students or researchers out there reading this, a study would be great).
