Learning a new Kata

Recently I started dipping into Naha katas and really trying to explore other Katas outside of my Shotokan based JKA syllabus. Its been a trip to say the least. But it has gotten me thinking about how I have been learning. I had to self-learn a few of the Shotokan Kata because I used to train with a instructor that did not believe in teaching advanced Kata to brown belts (I was a kid) and he used to say that we only need know the first seven up to black belt. Now in his defense, we used to do a tone of drills and he specialized in teaching Kumite so we did not really miss out or have a dull class…ever. But we did have to learn kata on our own some times. By on my own I mean from books, this was before we had internet and google ext….and no you-tube to watch!

I had self-taught myself Empi/Enpi and Jion, as well as using books ext for reinforcement for most of the other Katas. I had transferred back to my original instructor when I started training for Shodan and he was very open about teaching Kata to who ever wanted to learn the advanced Kata. Over the years I watched Sensei Dingman teach Karate and really watched his very fundamental approach to teaching Katas to people and while it can be frustrating I learned a lot about teaching Kata to others. It’s a very basic principle but it leads to a system of thinking and learning I developed over time.

Learning Kata comes in phases. I call them “Dance, Memorization, Depth, Integration, exploration, and Adaption. Each of the steps to learning the kata fall in specific categories and NON-of the are ever skipped, even if you don’t see them clearly, they do occur! Now the method you use to learn may vary, Sensei D liked to go 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4-5-6, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 ext and so forth, Basically getting to a specific spot then restarting again until you have made it through the whole Kata. This method is great for the first phase of training….but lets look at the phases.

Phases of learning

Dance

The first phase of learning a Kata is the dance phase. This is the one were you learn the moves and basically dance through the kata. It’s a very shallow level of understanding that often does not go past the “I know what move is next” Kind of level. Training at the Dance phase means you basically can keep up with the class when they do the moves but you have no clue what you are actually doing.

The Dance phase is a very important phase, it includes a cursory understanding of the movements and little else, but you need to know you are getting the moves right! So, this phase is very important in training and should not be rushed through. Get it down so you can understand and apply the moves you are being taught.

Memorization

So you can dance, but now you need to remember the whole Kata through smoothly. This is the memorization phase. You have to think still but at least you know the finer details and you are working towards knowing the Kata. Memorization means you can “Dance” through the Kata, but without thinking, you just do it.

This is not a deep understanding this just means you remember the moves. Many people think that this is the last level of learning a Kata and to be frank most of the advanced Kata fall into this category for me and many others, and if people tell you that they know each and every kata in-depth…they lie! There is also nothing wrong with knowing all 26 Shotokan Kata at this level, with maybe four or five more deeply, its natural. How can you explore and integrate each kata deeply when there are 26 Kata and some are very very different.

Depth

So, the next step is to dig into the Kata deeper and really get to know the katas ins and outs at a deeper level. This is normally done with the first seven Kata (Before black belt level) and probably a student will learn Bassai Dai the best in the JKA of Manitoba. We focus a lot on this Kata and how it works. The Depth component means you get to really understand what you are doing and a bit of why you are doing it. You have a much deeper understanding of the Kata and its applications to say the least.

Depth sounds, well deep….but the truth is that its still not the deepest that you will get to know a Kata. Its basically the understanding of what the unique movements are, you still have not dug deeper and really gone to the next level. But most students will do this with Bassai Dai in our organization.

Integration

Beyond memorization is the integration component. Its not having to use the memory to do the Kata. You just do it, it becomes a part of you. The first five or six Kata normally get this, but we tend to skip depth with them a bit. A Black belt in our organization should be able to do Bassai Dai without thinking and apply the movements without thinking. Or at least they can do the applications they are shown.

Integration means you make the movements part of you, you train in the Kata so long that you make the Kata part of your movement skill set and you integrate it into your natural movement system. Integration takes a lot of time and tones of repetition. But it still is not the deepest depth you can go to. Bassai Dai in Our organization is done for about two years in reality.

This truly is the beauty of Kata. It can get inside of your head and wire you to react to specific things a specific way. I used to do a TONE of Tekki Shodan and I often found when I used to do Ippon Kumite that I would use Kiba Dachi and counter from that stance (turned sideways to the attacker) and I used to do the Kata so much that I could sit in Kiba Dachi through a whole half hour TV show.

Point being that when you have done a Kata long enough you will have moved beyond memorization and directly into Integration and you will start to use the moves in the Kata more fluidly and naturally.

Exploration

After integration or just before it you go through a Boredom point and I don’t want to sugar coat that. You get board of the Kata and it is natural to want to move on. Hell after a year of Bassai dai we end up wanting to leave it and move on. But if you can make it past that you can start to really explore the Kata. Sometimes you need different teachers to help you with this or someone that has dug deep before and explored, often with the help of past instructors.

Exploration means doing the Kata and using different applications, breaking down moves and using it in Kumite or just drilling in the different moves. Moving out of the accepted “Box” that we are put in when we do these Katas. The deeper you dig and explore the more you get to know the theories and ideas that are wrapped up in the Kata…note I did not say HIDDEN. That’s a false hood we end up perpetuating often, some mystical answers are not “HIDDEN” in the Kata, they are in plane site!

Exploring the Kata means looking at each movement from different angles, looking at accepted Bunaki and also working the movements into different defensive situations, you have to look at the whole Kata from different angles and really rip it apart.

Adaption

Most people may get to a point were they COULD adapt the Kata but they tend to NOT adapt the Kata. By adapt I mean make slight changes based on their own ability, preference and experience. We are taught that we need to keep things the SAME as we learned them from the masters, and the funny thing is that the masters tend to change Karate Kata OFTEN…and often for the same reasons we would change the Kata…ability and preference.

The changes and adaptions must be made for logical reasons not just because they want to. The changes and adaptions must be natural and should reflect a person and their understanding of the Kata. It takes YEARS of training to get to that point, and by years I mean YEARS in that Kata. I try not to “adapt” to much in my kata as I like to keep it relatively similar to what I learned. But often we find that we have to make some changes because of age or ability changes.

Adaption also means making radical changes to applications and after digging and researching finding new ways to apply a Kata that are far more personal than the instructors who taught it to you may have. You must learn the Kata inside and out, explore it and then apply things appropriately to specific ideas you have trained. It is very important to be more than just acquainted with the Kata and even deeper than deep before you make this Jump and to be honest, I don’t know of many people that can do this with anyone Kata let alone a whole series.

In todays sport minded environment I see this as being a dying level of training and its kind of sad that people prefer flashy acrobatics to solid basics and that some want to get to fighting and forget the Kata practice can lead to better Kumite.

Training in Kata should be a life time of repetition, exploration and if you are lucky, you might get one or two you adapt!