If you only practice the individual techniques within a kata instead of the kata as a whole, what do you lose?

You would not get the practice of flowing from one technique to another. You wouldn't have the transitional movements and stances. It would be OK to focus on one technique to closer examine it's applications, but this should not be a replacement for practicing the whole kata.

Depends if that is all you do and how you do it.

Practicing a kata without attention to the correctness of the individual postures gets you nothing. But practicing an individual technique without keeping in mind that it is only a snapshot of a larger pattern of flow also gets you nothing. A kata or pattern is your syllabus. It is not just the kata or just the individual component that is important, but the entirety.

You do need to practice the individual techniques, especially if there is one or more that is giving you trouble. To start from the beginning of a kata and go all the way to the end would not make sense in that case. The correct way is to practice those moves that is troublesome - using an abbreviated 3 step approach where you start with the move before the posture giving you trouble and finish with the next one.

You practice until you do it right, then you do the whole kata.

The idea is the whole and every component that makes up the whole. You want it all.

There are some great answers already. If someone still hasn't gotten the idea that practicing Kata is absolutely necessary I would like to add something very simple anybody should be able to understand.

When learning a new Kata there are always moves that are hard to grasp. You take them out of the Kata, practice them until you can do them and then put them back into the Kata and promptly mess them up. You take out the move, practice it some more then try to put the move back into the Kata. Only after several tries depending on the complexity of the move are you able to execute the move correctly in a sequence of other moves. Our brains are wired this way and we try to retrain ourselves when training in martial arts.

Knowing this what makes you think you will execute the move correctly when you get into a fight when you are under stress on top of everything when you know you have trouble putting the move into a simple Kata when practicing.

Our mind thinks linear. There are whole martial arts systems based on this that use this to their advantage such as Aiki. If attacked an untrained person will retreat by backing up. Martial arts teaches changing directions and you change directions often in a Kata.

This is dependent entirely on how you're taught.

Kata contain the lessons of fluidity, transition, timing... But this doesn't mean it's the only way for it to be taught. Again, many arts do not have the amount of kata in the strict sense, instead having the more one-step waza. Does this make them lesser arts? The lessons are the same in the end, complete with focus of angle, distance, timing, transitional postures, balance, and viewpoints of linearity.

There is nothing in this world that can not be approached from multiple angles. Different personalities will struggle with different approaches. That doesn't, however, necessarily make them worse.

Alternate thought – typically, the kata of an art are codified and taught one way (the stances have a specific depth, the angles are rigid, etc.). All of us know that if you use the kata specifically, you'll fail – real life is not so clear cut. But to train at all levels, to understand the transitions that come from fighting in nature, and not against it... Parts must constantly be changed, angles must alter to produce the muscle memory to maintain balance, and the heights must be adjusted. To break this down, you must extract and alter the techniques. You must come to understand them and make them your own. What then?

Then, my friend, you have only principle – the body moves in predictable patterns when force is applied. And ultimately, no matter how it's trained, your goal is to dissolve kata and techniques, and have only principle.

you loose your mind...lol jk

honestly though, you loose something...narrowing it down to what that something is...can be difficult to explain. when you practice a technique you are just practicing it; The movement. When you practice it in Kata, you engage in knowing when to breath during the transition between movement and stance. You learn about fluidity within your art. you dissect the creator's mindset...somewhat, why this movement was chosen instead of this one. Dont forget that kata engages the mind, fighting invisible opponents. Your mind, switching between this technique, stance, goes through a type of preparation. U develope muscle memory, combining those individual techniques with sequence, breathing, concentration...you get a grasp of what your art is all about. U loose transition, fluidity, intuition...i believe. Theres a part in a kata I practice that is mainly about eye movement. Its more precisely: (EYE movement, Head turn, Stance, Technique, Stance, Head turn, Eye movement). Now...lets practice these individually, not in that order... Even if I were to do them individually...the focus...the method to the madness...would be totally out of wack. I practice EYE movement all day...but within the kata, my eyes focus on the invisible target, then I look to the left, I drop to block in horse stance with an ex arm block, etc...maintaining focus...understanding why...engaging my mind. anyone could just Kick...but Kata sets the martial art apart...from others

I think you miss out on the movement being taught. I do not mean the movements involved with actually doing the techniques, but the physical positioning and re-positioning of yourself that a kata teaches. Also, it is a great way to warm up and can give you one heck of a workout and cardio if you do it at a fast pace.

You lose rhythm. Each technique has a rhythm, but when you string them together, your positioning, step, centering, speed, eye line, chamber, and recovery are affected by what comes next. without that "what comes next", your training becomes nothing more than air techniques.

You lose the transition from one technique to another. A technique can often be adjusted in terms of speed and power due to what your intentions are after a technique will be thrown.

You lose the transition from a situation that requires going from defense to offense, or vice versa.

You lose the interpretation of technique (is this "block" a block, a block used as a strike, or a block that is a throw?)

But, that doesn't mean you CAN'T or SHOULD NEVER train as a whole. In fact, beginners to a particular form SHOULD practice in this manner, at least, that's how I learn and teach forms. Once one becomes familiar with the techniques, the next step is to practice the techniques so that they move and flow and balance together.

I teach forms step by step: first get an idea of the shape of the form. Next, learn the individual techniques. Next, learn the nuances of the form. Next, begin to apply the speed and rhythm. Next, make imaginary situations - applications, if you will - out of a group of techniques.

Its good to take a kata a part to master specific areas, to give each part of it attention will benefit the whole form. Never be constrained by any aspect of martial arts if you do then take the art out of it. Once you learn it there is no harm in highlighting areas of it if you feel it deserves attention. The difference between a master and just a dude that knows forms is the masters engineer form and function by taking the forms and using them as a platform to express their own ideas.

Good Luck!

I think you do miss out on some things. Not everyone is the most coordinated person in the world with reflexes, balance, and coordination like a big tiger. Usually when they try some of those things with speed and power they lose their balance or end up off balance afterwords. Practicing kata and the movements as well as the techniques helps develop a persons coordination, balance, and ability to do things with better speed and power while still maintaining that I think. It also teaches them how their own body works and reacts to some things thereby building a better understanding of their opponent's body and how it works and reacts as well. You can also use this understanding against your opponent then sometimes to more easily dominate and overcome him I think as well.

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There are two ways to look at your question......... The individual techniques that are seen as movements each have various basic, intermediate, and advanced applications. So if you took certain techniques alone and practiced them, as well as their hidden applications, that would be useful.

BUT, the subject is much bigger than that. Often the things done just before or just after a technique, may be incorporated in some of the possible advanced applications. If you don;t study the whole Kata, you would mis out of the full potential of what is possible. Also, what many people don;t realize, is this.... People watch the movements, but not the pauses. There are many points where Kata may stop in a set stance for a fraction of a second before doing a movement. These static (non moving positions) are also techniques themselves. to expand even further, the formalities in the bowing at the beginning of Kata also have martial applications. In the version of Naihanchi I practice (The same as the Naihanchi that Seiyu Oyata does), The left hand is placed in front of the body with the hand open(Fingers together pointing up, and the palm facing your chest). Then the right hand is placed in the same position, so that the tip of the right hand is touching the tip of the left hand. At this point your feet are pointed out slightly but heels are touching. The first visible move is to pivot on the heels of your feet bringing the feet together, while bending your knees to lower your body. The hands move from pointing up to them ending with the fingers pointing down (tips of the fingers still touching). To many this looks like a preparation for the first technique. but it is actually a technique itself. There are to many different ways this can be used to explain. In Kata, there are no positions or movements that are not applications. in other words there are no (as some people think) Chambering points (positions used as a set up for the actual technique). In Heian (or Pinan) Yondan, there is a point where you bring you feet together and have both closed fist stacked on one side at your hip. Then you will execute a side kick to the other said while doing a backfist at the same time. I was taught in the late 1960's that the stacked fist and feet together stance were a chambering point before the kicks and backfist...... That is not true. It is a hidden application itself. Common sense will tell you that if you had to take time to chamber any technique, you would get creamed in a real fight...... Attackers simply do not wait for you to get into a position to fight.

One final example of hidden meaning in Kata involves wide low stances. In some Kata you will turn 90 degrees from an attacker while dropping into a wide low stance. Often these moves are thought to be you moving out of range of an attack. What is almost always happening is that you have grabbed the attackers wrist and stepped back while lowering yourself and applying a a wrist lock and elbow lock on the attacker. The step back and 90 degree turn pull the attacker forward and off balance. The dropping into a wide low stance allows you to relax, yet drop your weight into the joint locks. When you thing about this, no one would intentionally drop into a wide low stance if they did not have the attacker under control. If you did, you are asking to get your butt kicked.

Finally, I have not even begun to show the things you would miss out on by practicing only individual techniques from Kata.

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