I've trained a few times with a karate Sensei who had the same opinion of kata and stopped teaching them. If we weren't doing karate, I'm very confused as to what it was we were doing.
every single technique in Shotokan? Are you sure? Does that mean you can perform them all? I suppose I 'know' kani basami, but I've never pulled it off...
There's no meaning poer se, what you get out of it is personal and changes over time. The Okinawan pensioners who will get up, do a kata, then maybe take a breather are doing the same art they first started 50 years ago, but for different reasons and in a different way. Mitch
by never pulled it off, in what context do you mean? unless you're required to perform it in a sparring context? (I'm not familiar with much karate stuff tbh)
Karate should be first about effectiveness IMO and this is down to your training methodology and commitment, Secondly karate is an art which you never stop refining (I never stop, even practicing soft hand movements at my desk at work or kata in the staff canteen) and Kata is a big part of that, Kata for me is more about refining movements than Bunkai as I honestly feel you can get more from padwork, sparring and randori. I do practice kata (Shotokan, Kyokushin and some CMA forms) mainly because I enjoy it and I do get glimmers of inspiration from time to time. Now go train! Osu! Dan93
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women. I'm amazed none of you guys knew that already. Very disappointing.
"Perform" yes; "fight with" no - but you can argue that about a lot of the arts I hold grades in I can do kani basami but not with any high degree of success - mainly because it knackers my already injured back too much!
are we talking about the technique banned in judo comps? (because of this apprently: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glwYurrthcc"]Yasuhiro Yamashita JPN Sumio Endo JPN Open - YouTube[/ame]) or something else?
no next they'll ban all combat sports because people might get bruised =p I've not pulled of one of those in compeition, but we do learn it quite early on in our syllabus (in my shodan syllabus it is used to counter a tai otoshi with good effect I found last night) I have pulled off a Front Scissors Throw (Sorry don't know its Japanese name) in competition before though.
Well that scissor takedown was banned in judo cos one of the current heads of the IJF sustained a big injury from it IIRC so guessing it largely a ban due to politics
As for what karate is all about, I guess the alternative is to take Funakoshi's philosophy that karate is a way of living, encompassing lots of Zen aspects about acceptance of the situation, constant training, pacifistic behaviour etc. Most people view it as a physical discipline, but the precedent is there for taking on board "karate do" as a whole philosophy of life.
[correction] As Moosey alludes to... There is also BudÅ to consider, maybe? [edit] I really must take the time to read other posts - they are better than mine!
Kata are a training tool, but they are the pivotal training tool in karate. Karate isn't a collection of punching, kicking, and throwing methods, it's a collection of katas. Otherwise, your kickboxing and throwing. That's fine, but it simply isn't karate.
