It has been suggested that kata was created as a means of training the body to perform karate techniques in sequence. It was also a way of handing down karate moves from generation-to-generation and from teacher to student.

It has been said many times before by a wide variety of people that kata is the root of all karate. This seems to be true as you may know from doing kata bunki (the application of kata). When different section of a kata are studied, a practical application should always be found. The thing with bunki in shotokan karate is that there isn't just one set application for each move or combination. Bunki is open to interpretation and the only limit it has is that of your own imagination.

As you may have noticed, none of the kata that we study have elaborate geri-waza (kicking techniques) within them. This is probably for the simple reason that originally karate did not have them.

A good kata is one that uses strong kime (focus), good timing, controlled complimentary breathing and, of course, a strong sense of zanshin (mental focus and awareness). There are 26 katas within the modern shotokan system. Below is a list of them followed by a brief description and suggested point to work on. Please bare in mind that the suggested point to work on is by no means the only point that needs a lot of work!

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