...Karate Katas...
I had a very good impromptu lesson in the Korean Hard Style Karate School I attended for a couple years when I was in College. I had achieved the 'Yellow Belt' rank that was the 3rd Rank above White Belt, so I had some basic skills and was beginning to be taught more complex Katas. For those unfamiliar with the term, a 'Kata' is a series of punches, kicks, blocks that are executed one after the other. A Kata can be short, or in the school I studied in, they could take up to three minutes.
When learning a Kata, you take it very slow at the start, and then get it going faster as your muscle memory kicks in. Although, even in the VERY high ranks, you practice a Kata very slow so you can study on focusing your punches and kicks and on shifting your weight.
I had, I thought, mastered an early Kata, and was practicing it on my own at the side of a small matt, there were no classes going on. I was aware that the 'Shifu', the Master Instructor, and Owner of the Dojo, was watching, and so I did it a couple times. He came over, and said, "Do it again." I was EXCITED, I had NEVER had a lesson from him, so I did, and I thought that I did it well. I finished, holding the final position, and he came over. He gently shook my shoulder, and intensely said,
..."A Kata is meant to not only show your technique, but to show how you would fight five or six opponents who all attacked you at once. You are moving fairly well, but, you are treating it as if you are doing a DANCE! Yes, a DANCE! And, despite Hollywood and Eastern films, a REAL fight is NOT a dance! So, when you do a Kata, I want to see you focusing on opponents, and punching, blocking, and kicking as if you are trying to disable each one with one or two punches or kicks! So, when you practice, IMAGINE that you are fighting a bunch of attackers at one time!"...
He patted my shoulder, and walked away. I was floored, to say the least, and my mind was whirling, so I went to where we would meditate, and knelt on the mat and held my body straight as I focused on just what he had said, and how that would affect my practice.
It had the effect he wanted, I believe. Katas became more interesting, as I let my imagination flow as I fought imaginary opponents, and it didn't feel like I was just practicing a dance. I earned my Blue Belt, and then my Green Belt very quickly. But, other aspects of life took more importance...one was that I had to take very careful care of my hands so I could play the cello and the piano...trying to play an instrument with sprained or stiff fingers was very difficult. So, I dropped out when I was learning very advanced martial techniques that you had to master before you became a Brown Belt.
