Remarkably, I have my first grading approaching in a few weeks. If I pass, I get to trade in my white belt (called obi) for a yellow one and become 8th kyu. I get the impression that this is more a marker of staying power than skill at this stage, but I'll be pleased to be rid of the white belt. Additionally, I now know what type of karate I'm doing - Shitoryu/Shukokai. This is a big breakthrough since I can now google the combinations and kata moves I cannot remember. The internet is a wonderful resource!
Essentially, all I need to know for the grading is combinations 1-5, but I think there is a bit of pad work (punching and kicking the padded block or pad) and by now I'm expected to know pinan ninan - the first kata - and pinan shodan. Towards the end of the class the katas start. Sometimes nine or ten, one after the other, starting with the simplest first. By number three people are dropping out until only three or four people remain. The last is always spectacular with aerial turns and high kicks. As well as being good to do, kata is fantastic to watch, especially when performed simultaneously by a group. It speeds up then slows down, is powerful then graceful and always controlled. It has all the beauty of dance, but with a purpose.
Perhaps what has surprised me is that I find karate, and kata in particular, very relaxing. To an expert this may be a cardinal sign that I'm doing it wrong and I haven't confided this to anyone at the class, but it works for me. The repetitious practice of punches and kicks at the start of the class have a similar effect on me. It's like yoga with meaning. The thing with kata, at least for me, is that I really want to understand what I'm doing and why. I want to know exactly what it is my imaginary opponents are doing to direct my moves. Many people don't seem to know this and I'm amazed that they can learn a string of moves which have no apparent purpose. Most of the senior belts know and the instructor knows everything. However, talking in general is not permitted, so it's not always possible to ask. What I'd like to find on google, is a kata with the opponents fighting as well, but in slow motion - not much to ask.
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