Can there be Karate without kata? Karate has been around for hunders of years, was there ever a period where there were no kata in karate.
No, Karate IS Kata. Without redefining karate you could not get rid of the kata and still have karate
Surely you could teach people Karate without teaching the Kata's, and that would still be Karate....? Might be wrong to still class it as a certain type of Karate.
But a lot of karate consists of training in movements, working on technique, etc. Surely if you did kihon to an advanced level it would soon just turn in to kata anyway?
So Karate is that bad then? This thread is going to turn into another kata debate with the ppl that like kata saying it must be in and the people that don't saying it doesn't.........
Nooo! Not another kata debate please!! Can't we just say some people like kata, and some people don't and live happy ever after?
I see no reason not to have this debate as long as it's conducted in a tactful fashion. Favourite kata anyone? I still like Kanku dai, but maybe I'm a fool
sure, by the way I am not against kata training. All I think is that we dont practice the right way even though the techniques have been altered. Guess that sparks off the debate!!
I am convinced that Kata is the one thing that keeps karate distinct from kickboxing, TKD, and any other kicking/punching martial art.
By taking the Kata out of Karate, you are disrespecting the founding Masters of your style. They created the katas and incorporated them into the fighting style.... and to take them out is disrepectful and detrimental to the style that you practice. Just my $0.02.
Some think theres too much honoring of people, why should we do something to honor a person when each person is only a chain in the evolution of martial arts. I'll train the way I want, I do respect the people I train with.
Without that chain of evolution of martial arts, we wouldn't be learning what we do today.... so honoring people starts with your Sensei or instructor, his instructor, and all the way back to the Masters of your style.
It is too late in the day and I am to mellow to properly formulate an answer to that one- fortunately. I honestly don't think this argument has any logical coherence or intellectual merit. I very much doubt that the originators of Karate would want their 'heirs' (accepting for the sake of argument that we are their direct heirs) to practice karate in a less than efficient way. What is so great about a long unbroken tradition of hitting people that can't be broken for the sake of efficiency and fun?
