Kata

I recently updated my research page describing what kata actually is, but I never mentioned what it means to me. I remember that when I was a child practicing kata I did not like it. I never really saw the purpose of kata and I only viewed it as something extra that I had to know. I remember demonstrating a kata to my family with my father and that he was just using it to show off how much I knew and how capable I was.

When I restarted my training winter of last year, I remember how eager I was to learn the more advanced kata, techniques, etc. thinking that my training would progress quickly because of my experience as a child. It never really did and now I understand why. I can always vividly picture how I often stumble when I practice my kata. Whether my foot sticks to the floor, or I execute the wrong technique, there is always something for me to work on and improve.

Most of my training, excluding the sparring sessions with my father, solely consists of practicing kata. I never thought about how much I actually do kata in relation to everything else, but in a way I prefer it. It combines everything, the mind, the body, and the spirit. I think of it as a complicated puzzle. One that you know how to complete, but requires your full attention down to the smallest detail, otherwise mistakes, more often than not, happen.