(Approx 2 minute 30 second read)

Something someone brought up recently about kata. They were asking, “If we don’t really understand the applications, the why behind the moves, are we just wasting our time?”
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There’s no single, perfect answer to what any move in a kata is supposed to be. Even if the old masters had a specific idea, what you get out of it, how you interpret it, that’s really up to you.
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Of course, today, we don’t really ‘need’ kata; there are other ways to train, as many practitioners in MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing, and more remind us. But that’s not the point. It is there, and it is what makes karate distinct. It’s not karate, or the kata’s fault, that you don’t understand it.
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People practice kata for all sorts of reasons – fitness, the art of it, whatever works. But at its core, kata came from someone’s real-life fighting experiences. It’s a collection of techniques, principles, and ideas of an individual, born from actual combat.
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There’s a big difference between the original purpose of kata and what we use it for today. Originally, it was about preserving fighting skills, a mnemonic to remember two-person drills, providing a way to train alone. Now? It’s evolved.
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We’ve got art, sport, health benefits… and that’s all good, as long as we’re clear about what we’re aiming for. Here’s that word again: context.
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But here’s what I think we often miss: ‘Bunkai’ shouldn’t just be ‘what does this do?’ It needs to be ‘how does this actually work?’ That’s where the real exploration starts, where you get into the deeper understanding.
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Then perhaps kata will become of benefit to you.
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I think a lot of people get a surface-level view of kata because it’s often taught that way – just enough to pass a test or win a competition. But maybe, and they are, some students are okay with that?
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You know how it is, people in the West get bored very easily, everyone wants to learn something new every few months. If they’re not, they feel like they’re not progressing. But back in Okinawa, those old masters, they knew a handful of kata inside and out. They went deep, way deeper than most of us do today.
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And honestly, a lot of the confusion around applications comes from not really understanding the underlying principles of your karate. It’s not just techniques; if you don’t get the ‘why’ behind the ‘how’, you’re just going through the motions.
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When I’m teaching an application, I often use its Japanese terminology alongside English. But I also explain that the term is used for reference only, and in fact, it is not a rigid technique with only one purpose to be followed blindly. It is the movement as a whole that should be studied, including how the opposite hand and the body’s position contribute to the overall action.
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Think about that ‘discovery learning’ idea – the process of figuring things out for yourself, rather than just memorizing.
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A beginner, or an intermediate student, can walk through the kata and show the basic uses. But an advanced student? They should be flowing through it, showing all the hidden stuff they’ve uncovered – combinations, variations, everything they’ve learned through experimentation and testing.
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People see kata in different ways – exercise, art, self-expression, fighting. Me? I lean towards a more practical interpretation. But it’s all about knowing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Kata’s a rich experience, and understanding the differences is key.
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And for me at least, karate is all the better for it.
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Written by Adam Carter