Demystifying Kata: Key Elements and Misconceptions
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Kata and Why it is Often Misunderstood
If you read through discussions on social media Martial Arts groups, you will always find heavy debates about how useful Kata/Forms are. I had countless debates on Kata myself and it brought me to the conclusion that Kata/Forms are widely misunderstood, sometimes on purpose but most of the time just for the lack of information. In this article I will try to explain what Kata is and why it is a useful tool for training. I will only talk about Japanese and Okinawan Kata/Forms. I haven’t enough knowledge about Chinese systems and forms to give a proper explanation just yet.
What Does the Word Kata Translate to?
The word Kata is translated to form/order or pattern. In Japanese culture you can find Kata everywhere, not only in Martial Arts. In Japan a lot of things in daily life are formalized and therefore can be seen as Kata. Following patterns that once were established in social life or at work are Kata.
Let me give you some examples:
- – The Japanese Tea Ceremony
- – Traditional Music ( Kata-Uta)
- – Kabuki-Kata in Theaters
- – Kata in Management -> Process, Quality, Workflow
Think a moment about what patterns you follow in your daily life at home, at work, with friends. The way you greet people like shaking hands or waving good-bye are examples of small forms, or like the Japanese call it, Kata. If we understand that Kata is a very broad term for patterns or forms we follow, we get a lot closer to understanding kata.
Kata in Japanese Martial Arts
If we look at Karate, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Kendo, Iaido, Aikido, Kyudo, etcetera, we will find lots of Kata in these arts. There are solo Kata which are performed by a single person and Kata that are done with a partner. Karate is famous for its solo Kata while training in Jiu Jitsu you will train partner Kata.
Partner Kata are a lot easier to understand than solo Kata. The fact that you are doing the kata with a partner leaves no room for interpretations or misunderstandings of the performed techniques. Therefore you don´t see many people arguing about Partner Kata, since their purpose is obvious.
In Jiu Jitsu there are 3 main Kata, Goshin no Kata, Kime no Kata and Ju no Kata. Goshin no Kata being the youngest or most modern one focusing on self defense techniques including weapons (stick, knife and gun). I am not going to argue about the defense against knife and gun in this Kata. That we will do another time.
Solo Kata on the other hand are the ones that are the center of arguments when it comes to debates on Kata. To understand what a solo Kata is, we need to understand why and how they were designed. The solo Kata were designed from partner drills. If you don´t have a partner available, you can still train the techniques on your own. This compilation of partner drills also serves as a syllabus. It is a collection of fighting principles which are illustrated in the techniques performed in the Kata. However, Karate and its Kata are designed to deal with HAPV (Habitual Acts of Physical Violence). Anko Itosu, who brought Karate into Okinawa’s school system and designed the 5 Pinan Kata, stated in his ten precepts about Karate:
“Karate is not merely practiced for your own benefit; it can be used to protect ones family or master. It is not intended to be used against a single assailant but instead as a way of avoiding injury by using the hands and feet should one by any chance be confronted with a villain or ruffian.”
-Anko Itosu, Designer of 5 Pinan Kata
Kata is Not the Reenactment of a Fight!
Many people still think of Kata as a stupid dance that tries to reenact a fight while looking like a fight scene from a Hollywood movie. The main reason people tend to think that way is they don´t understand the directions of the Kata. Let me quote Kenwa Mabuni, founder of Shito-Ryu. He wrote in his Book ‘Kobo Kenpo Karate-do Nyumon’ (1938, Pages 139-140):
“The meaning of the directions in Kata is not well understood, and frequently mistakes are made in the interpretation of Kata techniques. In extreme cases, it is often heard that “This Kata moves in 8 directions, so it is designed to fight 8 different opponents.” or some other such nonsense. For example do not fall into the trap of thinking that just because the Kata begins to the left that the opponent is always attacking from the left. There are two ways of looking at this:
1. The Kata is defending against an attack from the left
2. The Kata is shifting to the left against a frontal attack
At first glance, both seem reasonable. However, looking only at number 1, the meaning of the Kata becomes narrow, and the Kata, wjich in reality must be able to be applied freely in any given situation, becomes awfully meager in its applications. Looking at a specific example, the 5 Pinan Kata all start to the left and then repeat the same movements to the right. Looking at interpretation 1 , the opponent must always be attacking from the left, and while fighting that opponent, another comes up from behind, so the defender turns to fight the new opponent. This type of interpretation is highly unreasonable. Looking at interpretation 2 however, the 5 Pinan show us that against an attack from the front, we can utilize Tai Sabaki (body shifting) to evade to either the left or the right to put ourselves in the most advantageous position to defend ourselves.”–Kenwa Mabuni, Founder of Shito-Ryu, ‘Kobo Kenpo Karate-do Nyumon’ 1938
In the following pictures I will try to give you an idea of what Mabui was talking about.
The turns in Kata are done without a Partner but the Kata teaches you the direction relative to the imagined opponent.
Now we use what the Kata has taught us about directions with a partner.
Karate: More Than Kicks, Punches and Blocks
When Karate reached mainland Japan it was stripped of it´s joint locks, throws, takedowns and the little ground fighting it had.
“Punching, striking and kicking are not the only methods in Karate. Throwing techniques and submission holds are included. All these techniques should be studied in basic Kata.”
-Gichin Funakoshi
When you see the typical Karate punch (Oi Zuki) with the non punching hand chambered at the hip, you see a punch. But the motion itself is just a frame. The body mechanics in this technique show you to shift your bodyweight forward/downward with one arm pushing forward and the other arm pulling back.
” The Karate that has spread to Tokyo is incomplete. Those who believe that Karate consist only kicks and punches, and think throws and joint locks are exclusive to Judo or jujutsu, have been misinformed.”
-Kenwa Mabuni
This frame can be used as the obvious punching motion.
Here is the same frame used as a throw.
Rick Clark wrote a book called ’75 Downblocks’, this book contains 75 variations for the gedan barai (down block). So there are at least 75 applications for the one frame that we call gedan barai in Karate. The following pictures show you the application of an armbar.
A quick word on the chambering hand also known as hikite. Hikite is translated as twisting or pulling hand. It is used to clear limbs to facilitate a strike, throw, or joint lock. Also, you pull your opponent off balance, weakening his structure.
There are no dead hands in Karate and the idea of holding your non striking hand at the hip instead of using it as guard is nonsense.
The Problem With Distance
Another widely misunderstood thing is the distance in which you apply your Kata techniques. As you have seen in the previous pictures, the distance was always in close range/grappling range. A lot of schools still teach applications from kickboxing distance, but this distance neglects the use of the hikite/pulling hand and reduces the techniques to just kicks, punches and blocks. Using a close range/grappling range will be true to the Kata.
Principles and Tactics
As I said before, the Kata is a collection of fighting principles and the techniques and sequences illustrate these principles.
Examples of principles in Kata:
- – Directions: Bring yourself in the most advantageous position to defend yourself and attack
- – Techniques: Clear/control limbs to facilitate an attack, pull your opponent off balance
- – Distance: Close range to be able to apply a variety of punches, strikes, kicks, joint locks and throws.
Bunkai/Oyo
When talking about Kata we have to talk about Bunkai/Oyo and what it is. Bunkai is the analysis or break down of a Kata. Looking at the direction you assume relative to your opponent, what are your hands doing, where do you shift your bodywheight to?
After the analysis process follows Oyo, the application of what we have found in the Kata.
This is often done in compliant drills progressing to more and more resistance by your partner up to free sparring using what the kata has taught.
Stages of Kata Learning
There are many ways to teach Kata. The most common way is to teach the solo form followed by bunkai (analysis), oyo drills (application), and sparring. Sadly, there are still a lot of schools that stop at teaching the solo form and there is nothing else to come. If you are ” lucky” you get to learn some applications that make use of all the errors we have already talked about.
There is also a reversed way of teaching Kata, starting with partner drills including progressing resistance and sparring. And at last you teach the solo form. At my school I currently try the reversed approach for beginners. So far it works great but there is no way to tell which way of teaching is superior here.
Why Train Kata Today?
Good question, in todays world with MMA at the top of combat sports it might seem to be useless to spend time in learning Kata and going through the whole process. And I agree with that. If your sole purpose is to be able to fight/ defend yourself you won´t need Kata as a training tool. There are even Karate teachers that don´t teach Kata anymore like Geoff Thompson (UK). There are still benefits that Kata has to offer besides a syllabus for fighting. In the solo form you can go all out with full force without the fear of hurting your partner. It is a great martial art workout. You don´t need anything except a little bit of space. Even at a high age you can still perform and train Kata. When your body ages and you don´t want to or can´t spar heavy anymore, you can still do your Kata. You don´t have to let go of a sport/art that you’ve spent decades of your lifetime with. Kata also offers therapeutic value. I use Shotokan Kata with it´s wide stances and movements for my clients with Parkinson. Or, Tekki Shodan for a paraplegic client offering core strength training. And for the nerds of us, there are loads of interesting historical reasons to still train and teach Kata.
Valid Criticism of Kata Training
I won´t neglect the criticism regarding Kata training. You will hear, ” It is a waste of time”. Yes it is when, your teacher only teaches you the solo forms and forms are only needed to progress in grading. You will also hear criticism such as, “Kata doesn´t teach you how to fight.”. Correct, the Kata itself doesn´t teach you how to fight. And just doing the solo form won´t help you to become able to defend yourself. But as I said before, when you are only taught the solo form, you are taught only a fraction of the Kata. “Kata is lazy teaching.”, correct, for schools that only teach solo forms for gradings. “You don´t need Kata to learn fighting”, yes, you don´t need Kata. It is just a way of teaching and preserving information.
Most of the criticism is based on the misunderstanding of what Kata is and how it is taught.
As pointed out there are lots of schools just teaching solo forms with no connection to the rest of the training or making use of what Kata really have to offer.
Conclusion
Kata in Martial Arts is a formulized way to transport knowledge. Each Kata is a holistic fighting system in its own right. You can train Kata everywhere and at almost every age from being a youngster to elderly. Kata training offers a lot for their practitioner. Is Kata training the best way to gain the ability to defend yourself or become a fighter? No, it is one way. A longer way in some instances but with sustaining value.
I hope we could get rid of some of the major misunderstandings about Kata.
Until next time.
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