View From The Kyu: Building a Better Kata
By Rob Whapham
If you happen to be one of the few who makes it through the attrition that occurs between the "beginner" and "intermediate" ranks, you may begin to discover that you have to re-learn some of the early kata. Watch a black belt perform Chunji. It is noticeably different than when an orange belt does, but why? Is it because the black belt has practiced thousands of times more and can do it faster, facing any direction, with eyes closed, or even backward? Repetition, obviously, does play an important part, but is not the primary difference. I myself am not a black belt, nor do I consider my kata execution worthy of any note; but these are both goals that I strive toward. Perhaps that makes me qualified enough to share some of the fine points that I have learned to pay attention to when I practice.Footwork
When it comes down to it, there are four basic stances that are used throughout the beginner and intermediate kata: forward stance, back balance, horse stance, and cat stance. First, mastery of the individual stances is imperative. Without that solid foundation, the accompanying block, kick, or punch will both look and be less effective.
Because kata are not done stationary, you must be able to transition smoothly between any stances. These transitions may include half or full turns as well as moving forward or backward. Entire class periods are not spent traversing up and down the gym floor practicing stances like was done in the "good old days." But it can only help if that becomes part of your at-home training. Think of it like a game of Tae Kwon Do Twister. Spin the wheel. Back balance. Cat Stance. Forward stance. Full turn. Once the footwork becomes second nature, the hand techniques will fall into place.
From the Core
I am a pretty good sized guy. On one hand, this can be an advantage in martial arts and self-defense. It means that I can be intimidating if I choose to carry myself in that manner. It means I have greater range than many and can deliver a kick or punch when an opponent may not be in position to do either. And it means that I can "muscle" my way out of a jam if need be. However, muscle is also one of the greatest liabilities to my size that I have to work to overcome. Going back through my belt test evaluations, nearly every single one has the word "relax" written somewhere on it. A beginner may equate the "crispness" with which a black belt does forms with sheer physical strength or intensity. "If I punch and kick as hard as I can, then the kata will look better." As I have learned, through experience, this is far from the truth.
Those skilled in the martial arts have learned that the power behind most every technique comes from the "core"; from the stability your legs give you, from the force generated by a shift in your hips, and from the torque in twisting your abdomen and lower torso. Mr. Yates conveys this perfectly when demonstrating the motion of his belt while performing a technique. Punches that utilize nothing but your arm and shoulder may make the tips of your belt move, but barely, and are far weaker than those that use your core and have a leg turn and hip pivot behind them. Not using your core will cause you to tense other muscles in order to get that "little extra" behind a technique. This leads to a slower technique and early fatigue; something that is not needed when you are before the review board going through the dozen forms required for 1st Dan.
Application
We may often overlook the fact that kata are exercises that, among other things, teach us the basics that become our repertoire if we ever find ourselves in a situation requiring use of our martial arts. It follows, then, that kata can be improved through visualizing the application of the techniques in one of those situations. Mr. Yates has taught us time and time again that the study of martial arts teaches us where to strike and how to strike. Visualizing an opponent when practicing kata -- or better yet, actually having a partner to act as an opponent -- will allow you to hone several key aspects. Two of which are focus and targeting.
Focus in kata began when we were taught to first turn our heads and look before taking step one of Chunji; look before you leap. First finding your opponent is crucial to performing an effective block or strike. We have all watched martial arts movies where the hero is completely surrounded by bad guys and delivers perfect on-target techniques to unseen attackers from behind. This is not some heightened consciousness developed through years of training -- it is choreography. Yes, a martial artist should possess an awareness of his or her surroundings, but a punch to the nose requires actually seeing where the nose is. And from a purely presentational standpoint, focusing on an opponent will keep you from looking at your own hands or feet, and from being distracted by the things going on around you.
Targeting comes as a natural extension of focus and applies to strikes as well as blocks in kata. Step one of To San is a perfect example of both. Instead of simply spinning to your left while swinging a forearm to lead the way then dragging a reverse punch behind, know where you are headed and what you are attempting to do and target appropriately. In one application, an opponent to your left is about to punch you in the head. In this case, you are blocking the punch with the hammerfist, so target your block to where that punch would be. Next, you are countering with a reverse punch to the solar plexus. So, again, target your punch to where your opponent's solar plexus would be after having just blocked his punch. Being off target in kata makes you look sloppy; being off target in a real situation makes you look black and blue, or worse.
Conclusion
Each kata we practice has dozens of subtleties, and each practitioner has his or her own unique style they bring to the form; but the basics have to be mastered and the above fine points applied if you aspire to reach the "end of the beginning," as 1st Dan is often referred to. I encourage you to go back through all of your kata, re-learn them and apply these "nuances" with that very goal in mind.
- - - - -
About the Author
Rob Whapham is a Brown Belt in Nam Seo Kwan American Tae Kwon Do. He trains at the Richardson, TX YMCA under Grandmaster Keith D. Yates and Master Caroline Goodspeed.
back to articles
www.akato.org - the american karate and tae kwon do organization