What is kata?

The fundamental question that has a lot of replies. You can immerse themselves in historical research and find where did the kata, who thought them up, etc. But I think my dear reader and myself in a position to find out for yourself this. Much more interesting would be if to tell what they meant to me and then somehow they define now.

With the first kata in my life, I met sixteen years in karate. More precisely began systematically engage with trainers. Quite often seen in books, popular at that time, a lot of complexes but their meaning is hidden. And who they were interesting, when they were colorful diagrams correct hits and blocks. How could understand the deep philosophy to young men to compete with the big hit, after which the enemy is knocked out and you're a hero?
And after the coach explained that khat is a combination of punches and blocks, they began to have meaning for me. Actually it's not lasted long, as sparring dashed all views about the battle and the proper technique ...

The practice has become paramount. It is probably correct, and the practice should determine the technique and presentation. The only question in the correct practice, which just was not in its essence. Protectors, which should cushion, did their job exactly the opposite. Relying on the equipment, all sought to strike someone in such a case, interest protection, if a helmet? Fractures of the nose, concussion, etc. were constant companions these battles. Multiple lesions in sparring, forced again to look at the kata. That's where the real learning began.

At this time, will study the more the better. Start of the race for the number. One another and are not the result. Another publication in the sports magazine and another idea how to win. Work on Khatami, again practice, work again and so on ad infinitum - the result of another defeat. What's wrong? For so many defeats and victories, was quietly and consistently, only one - the desire to be the best. Not the most laudable desire, but to his credit that, through this persistence, and continued to do it.

Another idea that meditation, that's probably what was missing. Then the next thought, to connect the kata and meditation. Again, practice.
By that time, already withdrew from karate and became interested in taydzitsuanem. In contrast to the kata in karate, there are no transcripts of the technical, there's just movement, but for what you are using it, "invent himself." It was a very good sticks in my practice over the kata. I am constantly making complex and constantly analyze how a particular action to use in sparring.
Gradually, comes the understanding that practicing the kata can be good to train basic techniques, meditation and workout just to maintain fitness.

Martial art is not a tourist trip for health! Boy and practice still remain in first place. There is not enough to win? The rules and conventions of battlefield - that noise! As soon as they were driven back, everything fell into place. I no longer engage in training fights, as not reflecting the reality of the action, and distort it and lead to an incorrect result. Kata, or if already acquired a complex taydzitsuanya different meaning - of a real fight.

As you know everything has its beginning and its end. He was, eventually, came to the realization that I do not show my idea, and began another round improvement - the creation of a kata. Can be called, as long as it is important not to name, but what it invested in itself complex movements.

Invested must be many: the understanding of breath and energy body, the structure of the formation of movements, basic technique, single track for a fight, bush reception method of construction and strategic principles, and at the same psychological practices such as meditation. Understanding such a complex structure, a simple action is not by chance, it is probably the result of numerous discussions and the search for the answer, what is kata.

Pay attention to the internal styles Taolu Wu Shu. For them, there are no transcripts of technical operations for a specific form. Actually transcript is there, but why each button has its own? The answer is simple - do not Decrypt! I'm not contradicting myself. Just every artist sees in the movements, only the technique that suits him. That lack of explanation. makes these complexes, so rich in technical terms. Everyone can find something. On the other hand, if a pupil to show all the technical steps, it will not invest their labor in the understanding of movements. What we find in the complex movements, it becomes our knowledge gained only by us.

That's the main thing in all the kata, or complexes, the ability to see something different, something that belongs only to us and defines us, makes it possible to develop and understand itself. This is the true value of kata for me now!

Training and self study

I want to start with the old parable:

One student asked the master: "After how many years I'll be the same as you master?"
The teacher replies, "fifteen years to twenty."
"And if I'm going to do three times as much?" - Continuing student.
"Well, then, thirty years later" - responsible teacher.
-What if I do every day?
- Then, or when not become a master!


Paradox is not here. The question is not how we are doing, and what and how we learn. Any skill, especially the ability - a skill acquired by years of occupation. Any training to develop and consolidate skills. Here's how planned training, and often depends on how well and how quickly we gain the ability.

Before planning a training session, it is necessary to understand what is the skill that it such a complex?

Skill - the action generated by repeating and bringing to the automation.

Each new mode of action, proceeding initially as a separate, detailed and conscious action, then as a result of multiple repetitions can be performed in the capacity of automatically executing the component actions.


It's all clear, the more times we repeat, the better! Here, here lies the "pitfall", imagine that you repeat, what is wrong! The result is not well-formed habit! Much harder to relearn this truth all know.

How can I avoid this error? Probably need to check their ability, and appear to control the process of learning. To do this you need to understand how a skill.

Learning curve - graphical representation of the change of speed training or knowledge of a particular type of activity. As a rule, the ability to memorize new information is maximal after the first attempts to develop this activity, then the learning rate gradually decreases, which means a greater number of repetitions for mastery of the material.

Learning curve also illustrates the complexity of the original study something, and then how much to learn after the initial review.

Skill has a property to be forgotten with time, and recover all hang on the complexity of the acquired skills. The more complex the skill, the faster it is forgotten, the longer you practice, the faster he recalled. In this process of training and built - repetition.

The criterion is simple self-assessment: the speed of technical action, the correct sequence and purity of movement.

Now we can proceed to the construction of training.
training should be divided into three main parts:
1. a) Warm-up
   b) Repetition of the studied material, prior to training - self-esteem
   a) The new material should be started after sufficient development of the previous one, due to the fact, as noted above, the error in the beginning, can lead to a wrong skill.
2. Study of new material.
   a) The general pattern of motion
   b) Analysis of movement in parts and the development of the individual elements
3. Generalization of the studied material.

The same should be made, some techniques, such as moving, hitting, defense - which can be included as a rep among the main parts of your workout. What will regularly repeat the basic techniques, etc. Of course they should be included, since they have mastered.

Another important point.
I often see people who came in a close fight in freestyle or Greco-Roman wrestling in a brawl in the street, did not apply the new techniques, hitting or defense, as did the more familiar, the passage of feet, etc. Put simply used in an emergency, a fixed habit. The conclusion is simple: to retrain myself not necessary, it is important to your existing skills, add new, then your technique will become much more efficient.
And the obvious conclusion that in critical situations, works very simple, we will not remember complex combinations, our subconscious will act on the best way for him. Then we must take this into account in our training - technology should be simple!

Enso

Enso (from the Japanese "way round") - the calligraphic symbol in a circle, usually associated with Zen Buddhism.

Just as the question mark is not a letter, and ENSO is not the character for, although it can be seen of calligraphy very often.

It is believed that ENSO symbolizes the universe, enlightenment, strength, finesse, void (nothing) is just that this character can mean "real time", the endless movement, the visible energy, mirror, wheel, moon, zero, "Yin and yang "forces in their agreement - the values of this sacred symbol is more than enough.

Enso is perhaps one of the most popular characters in Japanese calligraphy - considered to be that the nature of the artist is fully manifested in how he draws a circle of ENSO, only someone who has a pure and whole in spirit, can create a real ENSO.

So if the daily practice in the picture of ENSO, drawing it every day, it turns out his first "spiritual diary", and secondly themselves ENSO-circles will be obtained with each passing day more and more harmonious. (c)