This Online Kata session is inspired by a former student whom I’ll call Jacqui. Like most students at the Issho Dojo, Jacqui would take a break from training during the summer months. Jacqui was a good student but a bit lazy. Summer vacation also included a vacation from karate. As a result, often she would return having forgotten a kata or two. One summer was different. After a full summer at camp, she returned to the dojo. Her first night back at the Dojo, I wanted to gauge how much she forgot. While her kata were a bit awkward, I was amazed that she did not forget any kata. I told her that I was happy she found time to practice while at camp. To my surprise, she told me that she did not practice any kata the whole summer. Rather, she informed me that “lights-out” was rather early and she often laid in her bed unable to sleep and bored. To alleviate her boredom, she thought about her kata and mentally “practiced” them. With that conversation with Jacqui, the seeds of this kata lab were planted. Though Jacqui eventually stopped training, her “legacy” lives on.
You may find your schedule so busy that you do not have adequate time to practice your kata daily. During those times, you should endeavor to at least practice your kata in your mind. Like Jacqui, this practice can even occur late at night in bed. So, to get you started, I offer this “Kata of the mind – That’s OK” (Online Kata) session.
Remember, the group dynamic is not fulfilled by all of us being geographically present, rather, it is fulfilled by each of us performing our kata within the online kata session parameters.
Session Parameters:
Date: starting the week of February 1st, 2016
Time: anytime you can
Location: a quiet location would do best
Salient Points:
Find a quiet place to sit comfortably. My preference is always an outdoor location; however, the first time you try this lab, you may wish to preserve a “martial atmosphere” and do the lab in your Dojo wearing your gi. Now, mentally perform your kata as if you were performing it physically:
• Strive for technical perfection;
• Speed and power should be as appropriate within the kata;
• Timing of breath, inhalation and exhalation must be accurate;
• Kiai where called for and in the appropriate manner;
• Maintain the proper focus and mental attitude as if you were physically doing the kata.
Once you are comfortable with this kata lab, move your mental practice outdoors. Concentrate on:
• Visualize how the different terrain affects your mental kata. Should you be aware of slippery surfaces? Is the kata being visualized going up or down a hill, if so, what is the effect?
• Is the air temperature hot, cold, raining or snowing? Visualize the effect
The last requirement of this “. . . That’s OK” session is to remain in a positive physical, emotional and mental state throughout the day by way of the concept of “Zanshin” (the “remaining mind.”
Once again, you may wish to not only perform this “. . . That’s OK” session as scheduled, but may also revisit the session as a regular part of your kata practice.
I remain, keeping my kata on my mind,
Sensei John Szmitkowski
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