Kata Lab # 3250 – Kata Within You – Intermediate

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“As a scientist I’d rather have questions I can’t answer than answers I can’t question.” – Max Tegmark, Physicist (appearing on “How The Universe Works,” Season 6, Episode 1: “Are Black Holes Real?”)

Background:

This Kata Lab builds on the concepts I set forth in Kata Lab # 2250 – Kata Within You – Introduction – https://senseijohn.me/2017/08/30/kata-lab-2250-kata-within-you-introduction/

Kata is always within you.
In fact, you intentionally train to have kata within you. If a time comes when you are confronted by an attacker, kata rises to the surface and you can successfully defend yourself. The kata sequences that you instinctively use in your defense will vary based upon a great number of circumstances. This kata lab explores that actuality.

In September 2017, had my annual visit to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. As always, I combined my vacation with training, writing and video of kata. I decided to spontaneously create a kata that would represent my feelings being on Cape Cod. As you can see in the video below, the bay that day was calm; however, the day before was windy and the bay was filled with white caps. I wanted to perform a kata to capture that feeling.

The easy choice would have naturally been Seienchin (“Calm in the storm / Storm in the calm”) but that would not have been a spontaneously created kata. I did; however want to incorporate a movement or two from Seienchin but not let it over-power the kata created. I thought I would uses sequences from Sanchin, Suparunpei and Seipai Kata to round off a symbolic kata. A deep breath and – P’Town Kata (for Provincetown where I was staying) was born. I hope you enjoy the video.

Now, how to do the – – –

Experiment: (To assist you I have a video that follows the protocols):

• Review my comments in above, use it as a guide to formulate what you hope to “accomplish” in performing the kata.
• Do not pre-select a specific kata for this lab; rather think about a few sequences from kata that you may wish to randomly group together;
• Do not “spontaneously” perform your “favorite” kata. To do so defeats the As
  you go about your day be aware of the fact that your kata is brewing
  inside you,waiting to let itself out;
• At a random point in time (you may also use a timer as in previous kata labs), let
  the kata out. Group the sequences that you had thought to combine – just let i it
  flow! For now don’t worry about symmetry or positional coincidence. Just let the
  kata flow;
• The kata that bursts forth from within you should be as random as possible based
  upon your physical and psychological needs at the time.

Conclusion:
This Kata Lab is designed to bridge te gap between the Introductory Kata Lab contained in the “Background” and a more advanced Kata Lab (which will be released at a later date).

I think it will be fun and challenging and give you a look in to my Kata Lab motto of – “Think-Sweat-Experiment” with Kata

This week’s featured video provides another example of spontaneously performing kata. It is a kata I created on cold morning during my 2013 road trip from Arizona to New Jersey. It is the first kata on the video below and was filmed by my truck’s headlights; enjoy.

Cum superiorum privilegio veniaque (“With the privilege and permission of the superiors”)

Sensei John Szmitkowski

  For information on my “no-risk”, kata seminars, please visit the seminar page using this convenient link https://senseijohn.me/seminar-kata/

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Tags: Academy of Goshin-Do Karate, Bored With Kata, Creating Kata, Goshin-Do Karate, Jiriki Kata-Do, Kata In Nature, Kata Innovation, Kata Outdoors, Kata Practice, Kata Training, Max Tegmark quotes, Okinawan Karate, Sensei John