Stuck in Memorization - Give up your Blanky

Taika talked extensively about the 3 phases of kata.  No, it is NOT Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.  In the end, he hated those terms that he was lead to think were proper translations early in his immigration.  These were poor translations of what he was trying to say about placing advanced concepts on foundational kata.  As stated previously he did not want those terms used in the end.

Instead he wanted:

Memorization

The slow, chunky, one move one count version usually indicative of moving your feet before the hand, and rolling your eyes to the back of your head as you check the mental roll-a-dex to see what is next.  This is a state many students stay at like clutching their childhood blanket or stuffed animal.  Push them to foundation.  For some, it is extremely difficult to trust their memory and move past watching a memorization video.

Foundation

This is what most people call basic but Taika said none of the kata he taught us are basic and we should be spending our life polishing these and making them smooth.  There should be smoothness and fluidness to it with logical breaks depending on what you are visualizing.  Things like 'hands before the feet ' should replace the slow clunkiness of planting your foot then striking most of the time.  Even during the small percent of time you are planted already, hand movements should be developed where you use small heel movements for power, thus still hands before the feet.  

I hesitate to use the term phases as people will begin adding a ton more labels but polishing foundation is a process.  Trying to film the videos for students and not overwhelm them, showing semi smooth yet slow motion, is difficult.  The laws of physics apply and some things are difficult if not impossible to do slow. 

• Hands Before the Feet

This is one of the very first things I can remember Taika yelling at a Tall Oaks camp the first time I attended.  On most power based applications, your hands should land before you foot lands in application thus it needs to in kata.  He would say that if you step, plant then strike you just wasted your step.  You got closer to your opponent, thus in both parties range, but flushed your technique.   Taika would say this was one of the main things that exposes a person's weakness and understanding of kata.  He would commonly say that someone proudly announced at a tournament that they were doing Advanced Kata and they clearly didn't understand it because their feet were still going first, thus stuck two levels down at memorization.  Search YouTube for advanced kata and you will find countless tournament as well as demonstration videos this way.  This is just one example of putting calculus ahead of simple arithmetic. 

• Weapons Kata Apply

 - Bo Before Feet

As another example, Taika was extremely fond of bo and often remarked it was his favorite weapon.  Again, he would watch someone going out of their way to add muscle and power to it but still not using Bo Before the Feet.  He said bo and jo were super easy to see weaknesses like this as they amplified the weakness.  Add 2 (regrettably) to 4 feet of stick at the end of the motion and you can see they are stuck in memorization footwork.

 - Stuck in the Middle with Glue

The 2-4' (sorry metric world) comment was that so many people glue their hands to the center of the bo only leaving 2' out front.  Why not just carry one tanbo?  Taika said 'This memorization!   Hands must slide to give you reach and not just in the kata pokes.  The strikes need reach.  If your hands are stuck on the stick, your hands are stuck at the memorization level.  

These two examples among many, many more are why Taika hated the term advanced.  There were countless examples back in the day at tournaments and seminars where Taika would shake his head as a student allegedly proclaime then performed an advanced kata and their body was stuck in memorization.  In his absence I see it daily on Facebook and YouTube.

Technical Application

- I have talked about this at length but it was a long dojo and Zoom conversation with peers and students abroad last night.  Technical Application is taking the foundational, core, beautiful kata that is nowhere near basic and doing things with it.  Whether you are adding other bits to it from other kata (kumiawase or pairing) or using it to teach balance or turning with proper covers.  You are using the hammer but a crowbar with it.  You are using a screwdriver to help turn the wrench.  Taika would see a problem either with a scenario or a situation and use a well deserving non basic tool we all knew to address said problem. 

Problem: Students have poor balance

Solution: Naihanchi Shodan with Crane Stance in each cross over.

Problem: Students are pirouetting on turns instead of covering the groin with a temporary cat stance.

Solution: Naihanchi Shodan with 180 degree turns (later 45's S well).  - Thanks Steve....

Problem: This Naihanchi kata motion works well only when outside the opponents arm, not inside.

Solution: Add 2 moves from Pinan Godan if inside the two arms. (Kumiawase)

In summary, drop your wooly blanket, your favorite stuffed animal and move past foundation once the steps are memorized and then spend your life polishing but think about the motions.  Do not get stuck in the scaffolding of memorization.

- Di

#OyataTe