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Old 08-10-2005, 06:03 AM   #43
deepsoup
Dojo: Sheffield Shodokan Dojo
Location: Sheffield, UK
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 524
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Re: Kata Training and Aikido

Quote:
Joep Schuurkes wrote:
Assuming we're only talking about solo-katas
It seems to me that some are, others aren't, and a few don't know the difference. That would probably account for some of the confusion on this thread.

Quote:
Jorx wrote:
The difference is that kata is predetermined stimulus resulting in predetermined answer. The kata is something (especially the solo kata) where you endlessly perfect a given form. The drills on the other hand are usually very quickly increasing the resistance and the amount of variables and "whatever works" principle.
And yet the concept of an excercise that nominally remains the same but is practiced on different levels really isn't that unusual.

Kihon practices for example, like kihon dosa in Yoshinkan, are nominally the same excercise whether its a 5th kyu practicing them or a 5th dan. And yet you know the more experienced person is practicing that basic exercise on an entirely different level.

Its like a fractal, the closer you look (the closer you are able to look) the more detail there is to see. As you move beyond merely trying to remember the sequence of a formal paired kata, its time to get the broad body movements right. When they're down pat, you begin to realise your posture sucks, and some of the details are wrong. Spend a while correcting that, and you notice that your timing isn't quite right. And so it goes on. You see what I mean?

I guess what I'm getting at is that making a drill incrementally more complicated and 'free' is one way to push your technique forward.
Thats perfectly valid, in fact where I practice we have a quite structured approach to randori that does exactly that.

But theres also the challenge of working on essentially the same kata at incrementally higher levels of understanding.

It could be that there's a limit to that latter approach, maybe you reach a point where you understand the kata perfectly and there's nothing more to learn from it. Shu ha ri and all that.
I wouldn't know from personal experience, I don't think I train seriously enough that I'm likely to find out before I'm too old to do it any more.

Sean
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