Kumite or Kata?

[saikyou]

w/c do you prefer? Kata or Kumite?

[Dark Blade]

Kumite is easier.
I like kata alot too though, I voted Kumite.

[Terry Matthes]

I really liked Kata. I thought it was fun and interesting to learn. My Karate school changed to a MMA school though. I could still learn the kata by going to open class on fridays, but I really liked doing it in class. It was a nice cool down exercise.

[47Ronin]

I voted kata, it is the foundation of the style that holds it up.

[thiaboxr2]

I would pick both. Where Kata can contain the movements and techniques, Kumite can release them during sparring.

[Adam]

Kumite. You can have MA without kata, you can't have MA without kumite.

[gojuman]

No. you can not have Martial arts without kata. Kumite is just a game of tag. Even full contact sparring is not reality. True, kata is not reality either, but the techniques simulated in kata are what would be devistating to an opponent in a reallity situation.

[Adam]

You can't have martial arts without kata? What about arts like kickboxing, muay thai, JKD, boxing + many others? aren't they martial arts because they have no kata?

[Knight_Errant]

sparring is a hell of a lot more 'real' than punching the air is :p
I think that to learn how to do a technique properly, it does have to be practised on an opponent. It's about distancing, timing, reach, targetting, and all those other things that kata don't teach you.

[gojuman]

Martial arts and games or sports are two different things. Kumite, boxing, kickboxing are only games. You can certainly learn a lot from sparring. I did suggest that you could not. What I said was, Kata is the real essence of a martial art because kumite is really only a game of tag. Lots of fun and I like nothing more than kumite, but it is not real.

[Knight_Errant]

Neither is kata :) in fact it's much less real because you are not practising techniques against a resisting oponent ;)

[gojuman]

It is really about your perception. In kumite you don't crush your opponents wind pipe, break their arm or gougue out their eyes. But in kata you practice those elements all the time. Kata is not just a series of meaningless dance moves. You are focusing on the internal components that create good fighters, developing poise, dexterity, flow and so on that become part of your real fighting when and if you are faced with the choice to use your martial arts

[Kenpo_Mike]

KATA!
Nuff Said

[johndoch]

wohoo another kata vs sparring thread.

[Mike Clark]

For me its the forms if having to select one or the other. Why - because I use it for inspiration in my fighting. Guess though you should do the most of whatever you want to excel at.

Regards

[Saz]

Kata's great, personally I love Kata (I voted kumite, love that more). Kata has stuff all to do with real fighting, and thats a fact. Real fighting, or even tournament fighting is never prearranged

[Knight_Errant]

This thread is getting a little lame-brained, might I say?
In kumite you don't crush your opponents wind pipe, break their arm or gougue out their eyes.
so? you can't do that in kata. Reason being, you don't have an opponent to crush his windpipe.

[gojuman]

Mr. knight,
You just don't get it , do you?

[Knight_Errant]

no, you don't :p

[teacher]

No I think he ( Knight-E) gets it.
There are limits in kumite but there are also limits in kata.
Dam ur fast Knight -E

[Saz]

We've had some extremely controversial topics in the past here, such as homosexuality, religion, good vs evil and women's place in martial arts to name but a few. All of these were discussed without anyone flaming each other, or it descending into a verbal riot.

Someone mentions Kata, and all hell breaks loose!

[Knight_Errant]

Dam ur fast Knight -E
No, I'm a geek...

[gojuman]

by your critisism of my description of kata and the meaning behind the movements I have to assume that you have not studied long enough to understand what is going on.
Once you have studied more, you will no doubt have a better come back to me than "no, you don't"

[Knight_Errant]

Once you have studied more, you will no doubt have a better come back to me than "no, you don't"
Maybe once you have grown a brain, you'll be able to say something more worthy of a good comeback than 'you just don't get it' :p

[Kenpo_Mike]

I prefer kata but both have there place...

Without kumite then none of it would be put together... You can do kata, techinques, basics ALL day long and all of it wouldnt matter without kumite.

Now on the other hand... I love kata because I use at a form of moving meditation, form of exericise, ext ext...

Both of em are wonderful but I prefer KATA!

[gojuman]

I'm done

[Andy Murray]

Originally posted by Knight_errant
Maybe once you have grown a brain, you'll be able to say something more worthy of a good comeback than 'you just don't get it' :p

Hi guys, there are several 'grown up' discussions on Kata on the forums.

Please let me know if you need the links. :rolleyes: