Beyond the Dojo - Finding Clarity in Practice

 

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with a hereditary heart condition. Rather than give in to it, I chose to take action. At the time, my son was practising Karate, so I asked my doctor whether joining him might be beneficial. His advice was simple: go for it, but let the instructors know about any limitations. I did just that, and I’ve never looked back.

To support others facing similar health challenges, I began blogging about my journey and how Karate was helping me. Then, during a heart stress test, I was diagnosed with COPD — the result of many years spent smoking. I checked with my doctor once again, and he confirmed that Karate could aid with that too. So I continued, not only to improve my wellbeing but also to share quality time with my son. Naturally, I broadened the scope of the blog to include this new aspect.

Then came COVID. With two co-morbidities, I was classified as high-risk and required to work from home throughout the pandemic. Fortunately, my Dojo embraced modern tech and offered online lessons via Zoom — unlike many others. For two years, those sessions became a cornerstone of my home/work balance.

When restrictions lifted and I was expected to return to office work in the City, everything unravelled.

I suffered a breakdown at the prospect (having already been on medication for stress-related anxiety) and experienced suicidal thoughts.

I was prescribed stronger medication and referred for a course of online CBT. The concept of mindfulness in CBT immediately reminded me of "Mokuso" in Karate — the practice of clearing the mind. I worked that into my personal routine, combining awareness, controlled breathing, and the tension–release cycle. I documented it all in my blog, hoping it might help someone else, just as it helped me.

That shift got me over the mental hump, and I was offered a work-from-home role with my company. My condition was acknowledged as bordering on a disability by both my doctor and occupational health. Though my fear of travel and meeting strangers remains, Karate has remained a steady anchor.

When I was made redundant, I leaned hard on my Karate routine — especially to clear my head and decide on next steps. Ironically, I’ve always been willing (albeit uncomfortable) to travel familiar routes at off-peak times when needed.

In February, while contesting the redundancy, my 79-year-old sister in Sussex needed help. I took a train to see her — but at Upminster, a gang of suited teenagers boarded and surrounded my table. I nearly panicked. Yet thanks to Mokuso and CBT, I kept my composure. Controlled breathing got me through as they loudly bragged about assaults and unpaid gambling debts.

A week after returning from Sussex, I caught COVID — vindicating my fears about travel and exposure. Unfortunately, so did the rest of my family. 😞

That said, it passed within a week. I had the mildest symptoms thanks to being fully vaccinated. Now, the fear of COVID has eased for all of us, and we can venture out again. My fear of travel and strangers persists — but what’s top of the agenda? Returning to the Dojo with my now 18-year-old son, reconnecting with old friends, and rediscovering the life we once knew.

I’ve also resolved to blog consistently again — sharing how a strong, healthy focus can steady the mind and support you through the hardest of times.

Thank you for reading this far.

REY
16-07-2025

Kata, What is it Good for?

 

A series of recent conversations made me question what I do.  There was more than just Kata covered, but this is indicative of a whole train of thought.   To deal with it all in one go would be difficult, so I intend to look at the elements strand by strand, starting with Kata.

I hope that it is understood that originally Kata were developed as an aide memoire for the body to remember the moves associated with combat, developing them to a point that they become muscle memory and burning them into the subconscious to be used as a "flinch" response.  They are not necessarily intended to be pretty, their intention is to be brutal, to defend yourself as second nature.

That said, there are differing opinions on how they can be taught, and ultimately I believe what they can be used for apart from their initial intent.

How Kata is taught

So firstly I would like to consider how Kata is taught for the original purpose.  

The traditional (as I had it explained to me) mechanism is that Kata should not be taught until all the basic moves of the system you are learning are fully mastered.  This includes kicks, blocks, strikes and above all stances.  From that point you should be able to learn Kata.  This should be simply a matter of putting the elements in sequence.  The sequence can be learnt in stages, but should always be practiced at full speed and with full intent, as the moves are already ingrained.

The method by which I learnt my first kata is different.  Although Kata was not included in my first grading, the first one was included in the third grading.  The elements of the Kata were taught alongside the basics, along with an understanding of how the elements were intended to be used.  This doesn't mean that you use the strikes, blocks and kicks in the sequence drilled, but you understand what they represent.  Kata are learnt in stages, but you learn them slow at first, then build them up to full power and speed.

Learning Kata from a video gives you none of this.   However, I would suggest that if Kata are used for purposes other than the original intent, then this may be a reasonable mechanism by which to learn.  Provided of course it is backed up by other tuition in the purpose for which you are using it.

How Kata can be used

So the obvious use for a Kata is to learn techniques for self defence.  This is the traditional purpose espoused by the likes of Kung Fu and Okinawan Karate.  There are obviously other martial arts that use similar techniques but these are the two I am using as reference points.

For other uses, let's start with the big Negative if introduced as a part of school education, they can be used as a tool for mass indoctrination.  This is precisely what the Pinan or Heian Kata were developed for, to fit into the Education system and develop good soldiers for the Japanese War machine.

That said, I believe they can be effectively used as a form of physical exercise.  I worked with a couple of Sensei to develop my use of Kata as mild cardio and breathing exercise, so I believe that is a legitimate extension of their use.

Kata can also be used as a form of meditation and reflection, as I found when I undertook Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help mitigate stress and depression.  I use one Kata for feeling a sense of position, another for tensioning and a third for relaxing (same as I use for deep breathing).

Kata can be used for competition, to demonstrate physical competence in execution and if taken to the limit, artistic grace in interpretation.  Not my cup of tea, and my co-ordination is such that I couldn't perform as they do if I tried, but it is certainly beautiful to watch and takes a lot of skill and effort to perform.

Finally, I actually find it fun to try to learn new Kata (at least the framework), as it is both a mental and physical challenge to me.  

I honestly believe that you can use Kata for what you want, so long as you understand the intent and what you do is fit for the purpose you intend.  For example, sports kata are probably not worth learning if you want to learn self defence.

Any comments are much welcomed.

REY 24/09/2022