Truth in Kata Training; Deshi's Report

I, Deshi, shall report on this week's training with the Antagonistic Buddha.

We spent much of this week focused on kata training. Few of us come here with no prior training. Many of the neophytes are already very experienced martial artists and fighters. So we are not unaware of the controversy outside our conclave surrounding kata training. Some will adhere to their vow of obedience and perform kata without complaint, others will grumble and endure kata as a rest period between randori.

The Antagonistic Buddha watched us all week without addressing the evident lack of effort. On Saturday morning, he invited two advanced students to demonstrate a bo kata we had drilled most of the week. They performed the kata flawlessly. The Great Sage nodded and invited them to do it again. They continued to repeat the kata several more times, never lessening the intensity.

Suddenly, with a sickening crack, one student's bo snapped about a foot from the end. Unfazed, the two students continued the kata. They never missed a thrust or parry; if anything, the attacker pressed his advantage. The now splintered end of the bo whistled within inches of the attacker, and the man wielding the bo adjusted his distance to the shorter weapon.

The Antagonistic Buddha called them to stop. The hall fell silent.

"When done correctly," said the Antagonistic Buddha, "Kata is a choreographed meeting with Death -- not a pre-arranged dance."

He let that settle, then continued.

"Tori is not 'doing' the technique in the kata. Uke attacks! It is Uke's job to perfect the attack. He must attack effectively -- that is, he should complete the attack if possible. Uke must learn how he is weak during the attack and seek to correct those weaknesses. Tori's first task in kata is to avoid the attack -- this is success. What keeps the two people safe is the foreknowledge of which attack and response is coming next. Even if Tori can avoid the attack and respond as prescribed, his job is not finished. Just as Uke must improve his attack through study, Tori seeks to understand why the kata's prescribed movements work. Both sides are equally active in kata."