Why are kata created as a sequence of techniques?

They are not.

They are a catalog of the techniques that may or may not be used in sequence.

When you break down(definition of Bunkai) kata, you practice the applications(definition of OYO) with a partner. They can be used individually and eventually, they show you how they might link up to an other technique from the same form or a different form.

There's no rule.

Kata helps you fuse the techniques into your nature. You are always practicing with a partner but you are also continuing the practice through kata to internalize it. You are always repeating the applications with partners but you're sealing it by training in kata.

They are in a sequence as much as the Alphabet is in a sequence, yet, you don't use the letters of the Alphabet in a sequence. Kata is the same. The same with numbers.

How do you count as opposed to how do you do arithmetic? Kata is the same.

Hi there

Basically its all down to which parts of the world the art comes from. History has shaped the forms and how they were practiced. Karate for example comes from Okinawa and its not a Japanese art but more of a chinese one. You find that the chinese arts come from the imitation of animals in battle or a re-enactment of a fight. Bundle this together with the history of banned arts in okinawa and the result is big forms. Japanese arts such as judo and jujutsu come from kobudo or koryu battlefield arts. These schools were mostly formalised after the 1500's when the fighting was all done and dusted in japan. Basically warriors that survived their experiences came back and wrote down techniques that worked for them on scrolls called densho which then became the kata and list of techniques that are practiced today.

Theres many views on sequence kata being used to hide its secrets or that it represents a fight sequence? No one other than the founders know for sure.

So really its all boils down to history, location and purpose. Theres no real answer other than that.

As for the benefits of doing them in sequence rather than singular depends on your opinions and views. Both have benefits and disadvantages but if all you do with them is memorise them and collect them then a kata libarian shall you be. The principles behind the movement are whats important not how they are strung together. Your footwork might be technically correct, your dynamic tension and breathing excellent but if you cant extract it and apply it in a variety of situations then what really is the point? Art for art sake. Yet art is creative by its very nature and not by numbers.

Learn it, extract it, use it!

Best wishes

idai

Well most Masters I know teach single moves, various combinations and Poomsae or "Kata"

The Poomsae I was taught were taught as a mock battle or as shadow fighting and of course as it is a pattern it is always the same. My Master explained that obviously no one can predict how a battle will go; however the poomsae show how various moves can be combined and the flow from one to another. These should be taken as just examples of the countless ways "techniques' can be strung together. One way to look at it may be similar to the tools in your tool box. They could be ordered nicely wrenches with wrenches in a nice orderly sequence , similarly screwdrivers, pliers and so on. For any repair project you may use them in different orders, yet a master mechanic will instinctively know which tools to grab in a hurry and know which combinations go with which task.

Instinct is gained over years of experience. Akido is amenable to short sequences of moves in very short combinations. They do not resemble the long 19, to 34 move long poomsae in something like Tae Kwan Do, though the do have a sequence that must be learned and the devil will be in the details of combining techniques over time.

a good question,

the old master only knew one or two kata, each kata was considered a ryu, so you had passai ryu, naihanchi ryu and so forth. ryu meaning style, so each kata is a separate style, giving you new techniques, tactics and soforth.

some kata are broke down into small sets the naihanchin series was once a two man kata and one entire kata not 3 kata as it is today. karate did have two man kata in the past, at least a few of them.

now a days most styles consist of 10 or more kata, but few people study each one in such detail as the old master did. the advance kata takes years to understand the techniques that are in the, its not just a simple strike or block there is a lot of grappling involved in kata.

I think I have an idea what you mean. You are basically wondering about the difference in the way Kata is practiced for Karate and those in Judo and Aikido. My guess, and I would have to guess since I'm no expert, is that it's because Karate kata originated from Okinawan karate practiced for thousands of years in the 3 ancient kingdoms that seniors like Kokoro, pugpaws2 and others have shared were Shuri, Naha and Tomari. Today, the Okinawan kingdoms no longer exist, and there are no specific written records of their martial arts in known existence, probably due to the fact that they were conquered by the Japanese and banned from martial arts training, all that's left is the Kata. These kata are the records of their art, it's not a record written on paper or stone, but a living record, recorded in the muscles and memory of it's practitioners, handed down from one generation to the next in secret. Hence the way it is practiced today as a sequence of movements, is because it is assumed that these set of movements contains all there is to know about their martial art. Judo and Aikido however did not originate from Okinawan arts. They were Japanese arts which were created only very recently, and had no need to hide it's purpose, thus the way they record their art relies more on modern recording systems like books and videos and the way they perform kata is more obvious and with a partner.

Karate kata take a glance at how to use movements in conjunction with each other. A defensive technique followed by a counter followed by a change in direction: easy to describe, hard to actually put together. You could also argue that your opponent's movements are indefinite and therefore must be accounted for by constantly moving. In Judo and similar styles, however, the end of a bout is more definite, ending with a throw or a hold.

In summation, the opponent in a Karate kata has more freedom and that freedom has to be compensated for in order to be realistic. The uke in a Judo kata doesn't have that freedom because of the way Judo is performed.

Kata is not actually a sequence if techniques. That is one of the beauty of kata. It appears as a sequence. But it is in fact one technique against one opponent. I know many have been taught incorrectly that you are fighting 4 to 6 different guy. The truth is it is against one attacker. You do the same technique on both sides. You have to be able to do everything left and right. Now here is another kicker. It is also possible that the application that you do on the right be different than the one on the left. But it looks the same. One reason for disguising the technique is not mysticism. It is to be able to train and hide the technique from other like your enemy watching. Engagement of war. Know your enemy. If they knew how you are going to attack they can devise a plan to counter. But now they assume you are doing one thing, but you are doing something totally different.

You can also think of it in term of a football play. If you watch American football. You can see a team set up one play. But in the one set they might run 6 or more plays out of it. It keeps the other team guessing as to what they are going to do. (the I formation, or Pro set, Trips right, or wishbone).

Edit:

Everything in karate or at least in our dojo starts with the basics. Kata is not the first thing taught. We teach the single applications first. Step and punch. Step and leg block. Step the high block. It can be taught without stepping. Then it is reinforced with kata. Then with basic application. Later with true applications.

Edit:

I really like how Sensei Scandal explained it.

I think of kata as a fake fight using the techniques learned in the art. When I perform kata I think it's like a real fight, so I focus and really throw those strikes with aggressive power and accuracy.

To learn to do one move after the next, in the real World one move usually is not enough to finish a situation.

ok