The problem of breaking up the kata...

Kung Fu Wang

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How can you learn it if you do not train it?
Are you saying the form should be taken as an example? Like a template from which to create your own set movements? I disagree if that is the case. The movements themselves were designed for a specific purpose and so they should be practiced both in a continuous kata and as individual drills in my opinion.
You may have more faith in the form creator than I do.
 
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Bill Mattocks

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This is turning back into the same old "kata/forms are useless" versus "kata/forms are necessary" thread. It's boring. No one is going to change their mind to the best of my knowledge. If you don't think kata is useful, don't do it. If you do think it's useful, do it.

Returning to the point of renaming the kata moves to remove the stigma of calling them by a name that may in the end not be fully descriptive of what they are, I will only say that I think this is overthinking it tremendously. Any student should be fully capable of learning a move as a 'block' for example, and later come to understand that it is much more than just that; this is neither new, nor startling. People have been doing it since dot.

Everybody wants to put their personal stamp on their training, to alter things, because they are so much smarter than those ancient idiots who thought up the various styles of martial arts. I wish them all well, but I suspect that every generation of martial artist thinks they have a new insight that somehow hasn't been figured out before.

I have reached an age where I have no desire to change anything I am being taught. I accept it, learn it as best I can, and try to pass it on unchanged. My instructors are more than capable of demonstrating exactly how things work; I am never left to simply accept on faith that a given technique works; I sometimes bear the bruises of the demonstrations and I am a believer. If one's own art leaves one in such doubt of the techniques that they must rework the techniques to match their understanding, I humbly suggest that their understanding is incorrect; or their art has become incorrect over time and 'modifications' by others.

Just do kata. It works. There is no need to overthink this; just do kata. That is my opinion as a student.
 

seasoned

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A kata in traditional MA is made up of segments of combat and have accompanying drills to correspond with each kata. Kata is not one continuous battle, but as I said, segments of battles. Also if a part of the kata makes no sense, it is because the true meaning is just below the surface and needs to be looked at a little closer.
A kata in and of itself is continuous, having a beginning and an end. It is designed this way to teach us to flow from one technique to another without a break point. Since the kata has more to teach us then just the techniques within it, we need to train the kata repeatedly until our bodies are accustom to the movement of kata. It is for this reason we need to train kata not for the technique within, because the accompanying drills will do that, but to learn how to move like a martial artist.
In our everyday life we are not mindful of breath, movement and structure, which kata teaches us. If taught correctly, kata will carry over into our everyday movements.

Seasoned has just stated what I'm trying to say.
No, I did not, because it is not clear what you are trying to say.


Kata is not one continuous battle, so why train continuous? We should train "each segment of battles" separately. We should not train the whole Kata as a long sequence.
This has all been addressed above.
 

Carol

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Form are designed for teaching and learning only. It's not designed for training. By repeating Shakespeare's play 10,000 times won't make you a play writer. I don't train forms. I only train drills. I either take drills out of my forms, or I just create my own drills.

Absolutely it's designed for training, many different types of training at that. Solo practice, complex visualization, mental discipline, cardiovascular...
 

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