Most young kids don’t enjoy kata. Although they may believe it’s important to karate or they might enjoy learning new katas, many newer students don’t enjoy practicing the katas themselves. This sometimes leads to students feeling burnt out or forever seeking new katas to learn. This brief article will suggest a few ways to combat such kata-fatigue.

Master Chojun Miyagi used to teach (the majority of) his students only two katas: Sanchin and one other. The other kata was chosen based on the student’s unique characteristics. This was it. For as long as that student trained, he would only work on these two katas. The student didn’t need all the katas to learn to fight or to learn the principles of karate. He only needed to look deep within and master these two katas.

I mention this for two reasons. First, students who quickly seek to learn all the katas will only get a superficial understanding of them and, therefore, develop a superficial, generalized understanding of karate itself. It’s better to deeply study fewer katas but to integrate them into your being than to memorize many katas. Second, the fact that Miyagi’s students could spend a lifetime focusing on two katas suggests that there is enough depth to keep us occupied if we explore them sincerely.

So, assuming you’ve already memorized the movements, here are a few suggestions for where to put your mind when you practice your kata:

1.) Visualization – Each technique in a kata has many potential applications. Therefore, as you’re practicing, imagine using your technique against an opponent. This probably seems obvious, but many people don’t do it. If you imagine executing a technique against an opponent, the technique will become real, and your entire body structure will shift accordingly. This way of practicing is necessary to have power. When you practice your kata, imagine applying the technique.