On Kata

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It is funny how all of us in the community, the tribe that is martial karate jutsu-do, have differing perspectives as to what martial arts and karate are, where it comes from in a more metaphysical/philosophical way, and how it is too be practiced. It is all so darn confusing especially when a lot of the information comes from people of integrity who have the respect and admiration of their martial karate jutsu-do peers. A lot of what I was first taught about karate in the mid to late seventies as well as what I found myself earlier turned out to be false. 

All of this is the fuel that fires up the often heated discussions, sometimes not so communicative, about things karate and martial as to basics, kata and especially self-defense. The debate, argument and fierce rhetoric - usually one way too - simply feeds the flames and even at times changes the fuel from gas to nuclear pellets. It is a shame too because in the end all of it really doesn’t matter as to just one thing vs. all the other personalized and emotionally driven things that make up what one believes. 

Now, the next two quotes from Dave Lowry, a honored and respected and admired proponent of Koryu and Karate, tell us a story that is significant to the history and heritage of our systems or disciplines called, “Karate and Martial Arts.” One speaks to the art of kata and the other to students and their perspectives and perceptions to the same. 

“All kata of the Japanese arts are dependent on a Confucian-inspired methodology. Confucius, when he wasn’t writing epigrams for fortune cookies, explained it best: Give a student one angle, and expect him to come up with the other three angles necessary to complete the square. In other words, the student must take the initiative in his martial arts education, at least to some degree. He has to study, think and observe—and see and appreciate connections that are not immediately obvious.” - Dave Lowry, The Art of Teaching

A huge factor to teaching, learning and building on kata is that most don’t even realize the true nature of the art form. They assume that the form and pattern learned by the mechanics of physical movement is the entire, complete and comprehensive kata. In truth, to my eyes and heart and mind and spirit, it is just a tool. A very, very IMPORTANT tool for the martial artists and karate-ka but still just a tool. It teaches, it is a enhanced way of teaching things the teacher needs to transmit that encompasses the past expertise of those who survived under the use of such skills while adjusting to the more modern needs of our species especially with the technological and industrial revolutions as they apply toward war and warfare. 

Most assume kata are just about karate and Asian karate/martial arts but in truth cultures and societies both past, present and long gone into the dust’s of time all used some form of the kata to train their men to fight, to survive and to protect the tribe, clan, family collective, etc. We all too often make assumptions because of the limited information learned and provided by those who speed past the reality of things for the gratification of being labeled and seen as, “A Sensei.”Then there are the students who are crippled from the onset because our teachers are mostly not informed well and rely heavily on what they were taught while seldom seeking out truth except in the form of human confirmation bias. 

“Students are accustomed to paying for lessons, and in return, they expect the teacher to work with them until they have learned the material. If they cannot grasp something, they take it for granted that the teacher will come up with another way to get the information across. This is not the traditional way of teaching. Martial artists who enter a traditional dojo expecting a modern instructional approach will quickly become very disappointed and frustrated.” - Dave Lowry, The Art of Teaching

The above speaks heavily toward our way of life and how we have socially conditioned our students to think, act and expect certain things in certain way for specified reasons and agenda’s often not under our control (they call this profession the “Compliance Profession and Professionals.” Attitude and other such things of importance in martial arts and karate teachings is skewed by our very conditioning as citizens under our particular social cultural restrictions. Not to say this is unique to us as the Asian’s and European’s all, as a species of the human condition, have to deal with the very same things, yet different. 

It is possible incumbent on us as students of the martial arts and karate to first understand where it came from, why it existed and what drove it to the state it was in when we were first exposed at the end of the WWII (some even before lived and studied MA in Japan, etc., but that is a minority). If we fail to exercise due diligence in our research especially overcoming our need and instinct toward confirmation bias on the discipline we will always succumb to the perceptions and distinctions set by the recent rather than synthesize the history, culture and heritage of the past with our needs, beliefs, drives and requirements of the present. One of the reasons kata exist and have survived history is due to their value toward two things, survival and procreation - the two driving forces of the human existence. 

It takes a need and drive of the individual to seek out and practice a true, as close as a culture not of the heritage and culture that birthed the discipline, martial discipline with dignity, honor and respect. Look at it this way, history if we are listening has always been the keystone to human survival for not paying attention to the past puts us in a position to repeat it, both when beneficial but mostly when detrimental to our survival. All the great sages and ancient tomes of philosophical relevance and importance speak to a mutual connectivity of the past with the present while both set the tone for the future. Yet, we still ignore it all and get stuck in things that make us feel good, result in self-soothing behaviors and finally into a bias that simply feeds the monkey in an infinite loop where in the end we will simply repeat our mistakes over and over and over ad infinitum. 

So, what can we do, well first and foremost we have to accept that what we think, believe and perceive is not always as accurate as we would like and as we as a species need. We then have to shift our minds toward an openness where differing views, opinions and beliefs can lead to change, change for the better while holding to the past in deference to our ancestors and our heritage. We then must data dig and accept, analyze to remove the chaff from the wheat, hypothesize how that can work and what obstacles are involved then do both synthesis and analysis to hypothesize until a final, tentative relevant beneficial end arrives where we implement it into our lives, our beliefs, our culture and our ways all to drive our survival and ability to procreate (Ain’t SEX grand) to keep our family, our tribe, our clan and our society living and contributing throughout the ages till the end of time. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

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