Kata is a set of pre-determined movements which consists of defensive and offensive techniques performed in a particular sequence. Each movement and technique in a kata is made up of selected elements suitable to circumstances of real world fighting. Katas are developed and scientifically improved over the course of time by Karate masters.

A Kata is performed alone against imaginary opponents. It serves the pupose of developing good posture, execution of techniques and mental concentration (focus). Each step of the Kata needs to be analysed and understood before the Karate practioner can apply it to real fighting. Kata embeds strategies of fighting designed to expose different parts of the opponent's body and follow-up with offensive techniques.

Now a days there is much misunderstanding of Kata. Many martial arts, including Traditional Karate people are asking what is the Kata for? It seems irrelevant for application and most instructors today don't have the answer.

The result of this ignorance is a very shallow martial art. In some non - traditional competitions or clubs, the practitioners are allowed to make up their own Katas. They are trying to make up the Kata more exciting by adding gymnastic like movement, jumping kicks and colorful outfits, and they are even performing their Kata to music. Another expression of the ignorance is Kick boxing, where they gave up the Kata all together and just practicing the external techniques of Karate and trying to immediately apply them with partner in sparring. Those are sad examples of throwing away knowledge that accumulated through generations in the form of Kata.
Kata is the heart of Karate, and everything that we know, we know through Kata.

How Is Kata so Important?

Kata is Symbol of Principle

The masters of old created Kata, as results of experience in actual fighting, they contracted certain principles in the form of Kata and we have to unlock the code that is within the Kata. Certain ideas can not be understood by verbal explanation, as much as we will explain people are going to understand it with their own judgment different from one another.

We can use science to explain the dynamic of certain technique and it's helpful but not enough, the human being is not a machine, and as much as we can imitate the technique, it will be only external but we need to get the feeling of it.

The principles that the Kata teaches us go beyond correct technique and directly to application.

An obvious example is the principle of "feeling, reaction, action, technique one after another, but all together" which mean that we don't look to analyze and than react with the proper technique but react by feeling directly through the nervous system in the spine and through accumulated training, this reaction becomes the proper body action and transmit ion into technique. So the Kata gives us both physical tools and tuning of the mind into a state of effortless alertness.

Kata is a Means of Freedom of Movement

As much as the Kata seems restricted, the goal of the Kata is freedom and we can achieve that because the Kata is teaching us to conduct our energy in different directions most efficiently, and this efficiency will eventually be brought to any line of movement at any range (we start from big to small) depending on the necessity of th application. The Kata has to become "form of No form".

Kata gives us the Ideal

With a strong stimulus like an opponent we are too busy and excited to correct habits and on the contrary our habits will be magnified.

Kata is Physical Development

"In Kata we practice big movement synchronized with breath and the body always moves as a whole unit from the ground up.
This will keep the body elasticity and strength and will keep the joints free and the body develops in harmonious ways, therefore Karate can be practiced until an old age." Master Funakoshi (The founder of Shotokan Karate practiced until near his death, at the age of 90).

Also the balanced training of both sides will ensure balance development which helps in preventing injury even though in application we naturally prefer one side over the other. In most sports, the athletes practice mostly with one side (Tennis, Golf etc.).

Kata for Well Rounded Training of All
When we practice Jiu Kumite (Free Sparring) or for competition most of us tend to have 2 or 3 techniques that are our favorite but the Kata forces us to practice many techniques that fit many self defense circumstances further than fair fight that is the case when we practice Jiu Kumite.

Another aspect of this point is that a Karate person that is limited to a few favorite techniques is incomplete and can not contribute to the development of Traditional Karate. He could not teach students according to their own natural tendencies because of his own limited understanding.

Kata as Training for Mental Control

Kata should not be considered as solely physical performance, it is the spirit of the performance that is the essence of the Kata. The right spirit must be presented in order to follow the principle of maximum efficiency. You must be in correct mental state for practice to be effective, attention can not be paid only to the mechanics of the Kata but to harmonious cooperation of mind and body.

As we develop certain reflexes we also must develop certain mental qualities to accompany those reflexes as proper spirit to each technique, as Zan-Chin which is certain alertness or full mind by which we can control the opponent and respond to him.

Kata helps us to transcend beyond merely mechanical reaction to the many circumstances we could encounter into a level of "unconscious" reaction which we don't know what our action would be while doing it.

Through Kata we can transcend techniques so that Karate becomes an "artless art", this is level of mastery.