A kata is a prearranged series of movements and techniques practiced in traditional martial arts. Currently, there are many criticisms of katas for various reasons, including their lack of realism and adaptability. However, others believe that katas contain great secrets and are essential for martial arts practice.

What do I think? I believe both sides have some truth.

Learning martial arts solely with katas is like trying to learn a language with a book of 100 basic phrases for tourists. In reality, it’s impossible. Even if you memorize 1000 or 10000 phrases, a language is much more extensive, and you would soon fall short.

On the other hand, if you only focus on learning grammar without practicing, you won’t get very far either. Or if you decide to randomly talk about different topics with strangers in a foreign language without a minimal base, progress would be extremely costly.

That’s why a set of phrases (or katas) as a starting point can be very helpful. They can be used to practice alone or with others, to improve pronunciation, intonation, or to learn useful phrases. The important thing is that you can make these phrases your own and adapt them to expand your knowledge and usefulness of the language.

For example, let’s say you learn to order a beer. It’s likely that the same structure with a slight variation can also help you order a glass of wine, peanuts, or many other things. Or perhaps you want to practice tongue twisters; although they don’t have much everyday use, they can help you gain fluency in a foreign language.

Similarly, katas can be useful for martial arts practice, not if you learn them as if they were sacred and immutable tablets, but as moldable exercises that help you practice specific aspects you want to improve. If you want to know more about how to do it, don’t hesitate to contact me.