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Training with a Master of
Training with Sensei Suzuki is a very deep experience. I have often thought of it as opening the pages of a book; every time you pick it up, you see something new. I am always trying to remember how training was in the old days, when nobody spoke in the dojo and the atmosphere was very business-like. In my Dojo, and others I have visited, there is a more relaxed mind set than when I started thirty years ago. These days, people have too much choice of school, so much dilution of technique has taken place. My wife and I are sticklers for correct form, and as such, we often go to seminars to be corrected and educated. We decided to start travelling round to find the original masters of Wado, and eventually found ourselves in the presence of Tatsuo Suzuki. I had often seen pictures of a severe face, very intense, and to be honest, intimidating. I had trained with many senior Shotokan Masters, and had made my mind up about that experience, now was a truly formative time for me. I recommend this method to anyone: ditch your fifth Dan belt, put on a plain black belt and go to a seminar. It is so refreshing to be a beginner again, as you have to unlearn many things, mainly your attitude! Suzuki Sensei came to my Dojo and gave us an in-depth exercise to begin with. It's not the biggest Dojo around, so he had us doing a static kick/punch combination. The real secret of his teaching method is the same as all Japanese Sensei I have encountered, do it again, do it better, and do it right. He was constantly telling us to relax, to drop the excess movement, and to let the technique come out. I recall doing the same block for around twenty minutes, the hammer fist block of Kihon one, and my shoulder was literally in shock, not responding to stimuli. Then came the "Sensei Effect", you know it; you do it right fifty times and then when the boss looks you mess up and he's straight over. I now have Suzuki Sensei in my face, his fist on my completed block, and all I have to do now is block the reverse punch. Not a chance in hell: A smooth, precise motion that only a lifetime of correct movement can produce and my ribs are now matching my shoulder in the pain stakes "Again" says Sensei, again he punches me in the same rib, I've missed by the same margin, ouch. This continues for about a minute, with me getting more tense, and Sensei repeating the treatment, not too heavily, but firmly enough. Eventually I am resigned to my fate, I even grin just a tiny bit, then it happened. I almost blocked the fist, first time I've been close; I almost block the next one as well, and eventually I brush the arm slightly, which is the best I've had yet. Sensei nods, and with a glint in his eye says "relax", pats me on the aching shoulder and moves onto the next victim. I've learned something here, and I now remember what it feels like to be a yellow belt; not because I've been treated like one, but because I've realised how much I have to learn. I then consider the pupils I have who likewise clam up and mess up. A strange thing happened then. We switched to bokken defences, and I am no stranger to the blade or the bokken, usually whistling around my head while I smile and enjoy the buzz that using weapons gives me. Sensei thrusts the Bokken at my throat, and he gets me square on; he repeats it again very easily and I smile. I constantly tell my weapons students that Karate and weapons are really inseparable at a certain level, and I actually begin to enjoy this challenge. Five out of five I block, just like with my own students, and Sensei smiles and nods. The next guy gets fully three minutes of poking with the bokken because he can't relax and act correctly. I now feel much better about myself, I have learned on a physical and a mental level. It is no coincidence that Sensei always says the same things: Again! Relax! Don't waste energy! Not like that, like this! Train hard, let the technique flow, don't add unnecessary movement, Oh and here's how it's done. The maxim in Japan was "One Kata, Three years". You couldn't sell me that gift wrapped with cashback ten years ago, right now, I realise how we should never stop learning, or trying to get better. Think how Sensei feels, you are doing it one hundred times and complaining inside, he has to WATCH you doing it one hundred times. If he's got the patience, I'll find it as well. Rob Campbell. |
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KATA |
| Kata What's it to you?
Don't switch off, it's not a history lesson! I hope that by the time you have read this you will re-evaluate the role of Kata in contemporary Martial Arts, even if only just a little. I use the Word contemporary because everything in this universe is subject to constant change. I won't give the old clichéd phrases you have heard before, like "Kata is the soul of Karate". I didn't quote them or pen them, so I won't try to steal someone's original work. I want to look at two questions: What does Kata do for the Martial Arts? What does Kata do for the image of the Martial Arts? 1. What does Kata do for the Martial Arts? What Kata is to me is different to what it is to you, but empirically, it is a collection of movements put together in a relatively fixed manner. There are variations across style, and even across clubs within styles, but often there is a certain stamp to each Kata which makes it look like Wado or Shotokan. In the past, many of the Kata were a unique product that helped define the style; others were a derivation of another style. Sensei Ohtsuka of Wado Ryu studied with Funakoshi in the style which became Shotokan, then went to Okinawa to train with Funakoshi's masters. The timing and stances of the Bassai of Shotokan is markedly different from the Bassai of Wado, although the actual moves are very similar. Some people believe that for their style to have any integrity, they must learn and perfect the oldest known or rarest variation of their Kata. In this respect, Kata is a very personal thing. I train with Suzuki Sensei as often as duty permits, and he was one of Ohtsuka Sensei's best students. I see people doing Wado Kata very differently to how we practice, but I generally can't say that our way is better, only different. Ask someone to perform a Kata four times, and mostly you'll see the same thing. Ask two people to fight four times and you may never see the same sequence reappear. A fight is measurable in terms of points scored, fouls committed, voluntary exits or knockdowns. These things change because of the random nature of sparring, but the form of a Kata is fairly fixed for each individual practitioner. Strangely enough, this repetition of sequences is how the mind and body learn best. If you practice backfist reverse fifty times until it feels smooth, then you are performing a short version akin to a Kata. So Kata is repeatable, and controllable, the conditions under which science proves or disproves its theories. Kata is also a body of knowledge which contains elements of each style that must be learned and perfected, so practice Kata and you will become good at Karate, Kung Fu or whatever style you practice. Good sound theory, but what about if you only want to fight? The best type of practice for fighting is indeed fighting, as often as possible under as many differing circumstances as possible, with as varied a selection of opponents as possible. One of our most prolific winners in Freestyle Semi-contact is originally a Wado student, now ten. The referee never has any trouble seeing his scores because his technique is so clean. Another student had a problem with balance and line in his punches, so his mum put him into the Wado class after achieving his First Dan Freestyle. His punches have straightened up, and he hardly ever hits the deck after his aerial spin kicks, as he has learned to control the torque via the precise turns needed in Kata. I have a new breed of trainer in my Dojo, you've seen them; they're on the fight team, they're on the Kata team; this year ten entrants out of fourteen made the grade by placing top three in the WKA Nationals. 2. What does Kata do for the image of the Martial Arts? Crank the music up, spin those Nunchaku and watch the crowds appear. How do we get to attract our target audience, the great British public? The list of Martial Arts film stars is full of Kata & Forms champions, Cynthia Rothrock, Jean Frenette, Eric Lee, Jet Li, Mark Dacascos, get the picture? I am pleased to see the inclusion of Kickboxing on terrestrial TV, I've got no time to watch satellite or cable. I was also pleased to see our own Chloe Bruce on one of these shows, balancing the unknown factors of the fight with the guaranteed excellence and showmanship of her musical Kata. She also injected some reality into the female element of the recent Masters of Combat series. I have worked as fight arranger and stuntman/stunt arranger on a feature film, and the types of technique we used would never be used in any sparring scenario, but the director loved it, no cuts were made, and he used all of our work in the film. Each film you see is a masterpiece of rehearsal and execution, mixed with good editing and artistic interpretation, just like a Kata. Look at the Bercy, the biggest European festival of Martial arts and a mustn't miss TV event. It has one televised fight, usually full-contact, and a whole host of Kata and pre-arranged demonstration pieces. Without the Kata element, the show would be short indeed. "Modern" Kata has become more of an art form, even in the Traditional Kata section. The Freestyle rules stop the argument of traditional authenticity of each Kata, an argument we have had ad nauseam. Korean styles can be directly compared with Japanese and Okinawan styles, and a true reflection of a competitors excellence can be seen. The creative empty hand form or weapons form is a work of art, prepared by each competitor with what they believe is their best technique. The competitor can perform acts of amazing agility and skill with no opponent to stop him or her, they can punch or kick as hard as they like without any contact, they are free to express themselves however they like. Some skills of Kata are not demonstrable by any other means than Kata: Nobody will let me beat them in the head with a six foot stick in the name of entertainment! Likewise the sword and the Nunchaku, whose full potential can only be seen as a demonstration piece. Traditional Kumite and Semi-contact share a similar premise; don't knock out your opponent or disable him, or you will be disqualified. To much of the public, this is not a real fight, as nobody gets killed or maimed, so they find it hard to follow the rules. Because Kata is mainly a solo exercise, people are more willing to accept what they see, and sometimes the public are able to see who is miles above the rest in skill. many people say that the kicks and moves are "unrealistic", "too high", but hey, wouldn't you like to be so skilled as to be able to do it too?. Kata, it's our showcase, our catwalk on which we strut the most flamboyant techniques of Martial Arts. We do stuff that Keanu Reeves was hoisted up on wires to perform, and without a safety net. Check out anything that says "extreme" on our video page and you'll see. |