Tim49 wrote:Palmerston’s reply was “And if I was not born an Englishman I would want to be an Englishman”.
I feel the same about Wado.
Nice one, Tim.
I think there are all sorts of arguments that can be made about the value of kata for learning how to defend oneself, generate power, move with connected structure, and fight (note, please, that while all of these things can complement each other, they are not by any means the same thing). I would agree, however, that obviously you don't
need kata for any of that.
In fact, the whole debate about the utility of kata brings to mind Oscar Wilde's awesome "defense" of the utility of art. "All art is quite useless," he declared. Argument over and won. Tongue-partially-in-cheek, I would say that the same holds true for kata. If one tries to defend kata as
necessary for anything, one is bound to lose the argument. It
can be useful for any number of things, but it is
necessary for none.
Here are
some of the motivators for why I practice kata now:
1) Self/"spiritual"-development--that is, the search for "perfection" of character through the attempt to perfect movement. (As if I'll ever get there! lol.)
2) Exercise/fitness/strength/cardiovascular and aerobic health. Perhaps this is heresy, but one can practice kata repeatedly and with sufficient speed to meet this goal.
3) To quell general life anxiety--i.e. a kind of "moving meditation."
4) To stave off boredom.
5) To feel like I'm engaged in the "do" of Wado.
Nice thread, everyone.
Best,
Greg