Kaze Uta Budo Kai Forum Archive

Sean's post in the Aikido forum made me start wondering about my own perceptions of kata.

Some arts, like Jyodo, rely on kata for teaching interaction between two people when a randori form is not practical for safety reasons. Other arts, like Aikido & Judo, have randori and kata functions. Others still, like Brazilian Jujitsu, have no kata whatsoever.

How do you view kata? Is it a teaching tool? Is it the written law? Is it something you practice simply for promotion? Is it simulated combat? Is it something else?

To me, kata teaches you a set of principles that help you learn technique under the various conditions that can occur in uke... you can also get the same set of conditions through "rondori drills".... but to me its easier to teach someone techniques, use that knowledge to elaborate on the "rondori drills" and further elaborate and refine those skills through actual rondori.