How Do You Know When Your Kata Is Ready For Testing?

When you have to think about what move in a kata comes next, you are not ready for testing, when you do not have to think what move comes next and you are performing the kata on autopilot, then it’s time to test!

After learning the sequence of karate moves within a kata and understanding basic timing and rhythm, it’s time for the important part. Repetition!

The secret to getting good at karate is repetition and this repetition is essential with the shotokan kata, making sure everything is correct first, then drill that kata over and over again.

The only way to get good at a kata is to repeat over and over again, slowly, lightly, fast, just hard graft, understand the bunkai for each move, drilling the applications with a partner can help speed up the understanding of a kata, but if you have no one to partner with, it is just a case of repetition.

There is a saying, ‘The way to success has no shortcuts’ and this is so true, but the way to success can be sped up in karate if the fundamentals are mastered and repetition understood. Oss!