Kata Conditioning Routines - An Explanation of the Structure

Kata Conditioning Routines - An Explanation of the Structure 

I’ve been doing Karate for almost 35 years. I particularly love kata and perfecting my technique for competition and for traditional purposes. I’ve been competing for almost all of those years to some level but it wasn’t until 2005 I began to get a lot better. Up until that moment, I had been competing in kata tournaments for around eighteen years before I became, what I believe to be, a competent competitor. In the early days, I just trained my kata in the Dojo as most of us do; by doing traditional karate and practicing the kata in full, regularly. Don’t get me wrong, training traditionally is great and anyone who does that two to three times a week in the dojo will improve no end and become a good black belt. Consistency is one of the secrets of a good karate-ka. Turning up regularly with no excuses and training diligently!

I was doing well and I had won a number of tournaments over the years but it wasn’t until 2005 that everything began to change for me. A lot of things happened that coincided with my kata improving dramatically. I attended special-guest courses, I learnt a new style of kata, I competed in Slovakia, I trained in Italy, I bought DVD’s to watch and I sacrificed a lot more of my time on the study of kata. It’s hard to pinpoint just one thing that brought me success.

The following is how I began to train in my own time and how it helped to improve the standard of my kata. Below is an explanation of the structure of the kata training routines I developed, why each step is important and how they will, not only improve your kata (and karate), but will help to prevent injury and allow you to train for years to come. The workouts are intended to be done daily, with rest days, at to last for around 40 minutes. Each workout incorporates the following steps:

Warm Up

The reason for the aerobic-type warm up is to do just that. To warm up the muscles (and the body) and to get the heart rate pumping so that blood reaches all parts of the body. Thus helping to prevent pulled muscles and injuries. The warm up also helps loosen up the joints.

Basic Stretches

In addition to the aerobic warm up, the basic stretching routine helps warm up the muscles a little more, important for kata such as the hamstrings, triceps, neck, back and shoulders. This section will further reduce the possibility of injuries occurring.

Conditioning for Kata

For instance, kicks, punches, jumps, stances, turns, etc. The aim of this section is to improve aspects of kata that are often neglected or done rarely apart from when the kata is actually performed in full.

Kata

This is the section of the routine the kata is practiced. By this time, the individual will be warmed up enough to practice with speed and power. My advice is to practice the kata in broken down sequences and especially the sequences that are most difficult to do. To practice them repeatedly and to perfect parts of the kata.

It is also advised that the karate-ka practices the sequences slow making sure to engage the brain and to mentally tell the body how it wants it to react. For instance, where it wants the foot to land on a pivoting move that requires the foot to land in a perfect horseback stance. 

Also, I advise a different kata be done in addition to the kata which will be broken down so that after a month of training, you will have practiced 30 different kata as well.

Core Conditioning & Abs

This section is for extra-strength conditioning of the core and abs required for a good strong kata performance. It does not mean you have to lift heavy weights, though many people are doing this these days. It is the section you strengthen parts of the body such as the arms, back muscles, legs & abdominals that are crucial for powerful technique and good posture.

Warm Down

This section is probably the most neglected these days but, in my mind, the most important because it is the best time to stretch and improve flexibility which helps prevent injury. 

In this section, most stretches are the same every day and I advise that they are done nice and slowly with the intention of improving flexibility. Feel free to add your own favorite stretches but have an open mind to try the set of stretches I advise.

If this session is done, always, you will find that you will get less injuries, and you will need less massage therapy or osteopathy.

Additional & Recommended Steps for Improved Performance, Immune & Wellness

Massage Roller 

I recommend using a massage roller daily, even if it’s for only 30 seconds. This helps further reduce the likelihood of injuries and back pain. 

Nutrition

The final piece to the jigsaw in 2007 that helped to improve my performance, and my health, was nutrition. I started taking supplements and protein shakes along with a daily balanced and healthy diet. This helped because I found I was able to train more often due to less aches and pains, and, in turn, was ill a lot less often. If you’re a serious competitor, I would urge you to use nutrition products around your training for better performance and improved health. If you want to know what I use, just drop me a message. The products I use are recommended by Informed Sport and I have chosen because the company offer me a 25%-50% discount and are good quality. Just ask for more information.

For a FREE 30-minute 1-2-1 Zoom or FaceTime to answer any questions you may have or to help with your training, just message me on the following social media accounts.