On Sat, 11 Apr 1998, Rnmalvsakn wrote:

What exactly is a kata?  Here's what I THINK it is.  "A warm-up exercise
to loosen the muscles.  It's a set of basic moves intended to be repeated
over and over."  Err, obviously, I'm missing a lot of information.  I'm
pretty sure all katas aren't basic, ne?  And are they really only a
warm-up exercise, similar to stretching?  Arigatou.

well sir in my school of martial arts you are both right and wrong, yes some
kata are very simple, and yes some are very hard, but they are not only
intended for warmups, some can go on for up to 20 mins, and there are weapons
katas, as well as competition katas....it depends on what you are talkin about
^_^

Additionally, there's the purpose. A kata is a set of basic moves. It's
also a set of combinations. Each of these combinations relates directly to
some combat situation, and it's common for a kata to have over 100
different applications of this. So, any kata will serve to reinforce basic
moves and help in their application to real life.

-merde