I don't, but there's an excellent book by somebody, who has done it.

"Five Years - One Kata" by Bill Burgar, ISBN 0954446607

It's worth a read!

I’m not sure about people on this forum, but there are certainly other karateka who have a similar approach. Bill Buger’s book “Five Years, One Kata” is an interesting read on his experience of making Gojushiho his only kata;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Years-One-Kata-Putting/dp/0954446607

You may find that of interest?

All the best,

Iain

PS Welcome to the forum!

This remarkable book gives the reader a unique insight into an amazing five-year study of a single kata (Gojushiho). It shows the depth that is waiting to be discovered by the close study of kata, covering an incredible range of subjects including: * imagery * the psychology of confrontation * the common acts of physical violence * vital points and how to exploit them * the methodology for the break-down and understanding of kata * the applications of the kata * the principles of karate and how to apply them * the applications (in detail) for each of the movements of Gojushiho * the major variations of each application * objective measurements regarding their practicality * how to link the applications together The author also explains how to undertake your own study using a single kata of your choice, and how to build a training regime based on the kata. If you have ever wondered what kata is really all about then this book is for you. When karate was a secret art, practiced in the back yards of Okinawa by a few dedicated masters and their disciples, it was usual to train in a single kata for many years. A master of karate would know just one, two or possibly three kata. Through the deep study of those few kata the master karateka would possess a complete self-defence system, he would be well versed in the underlying principles of karate and he would have a memory aid which would map out his complete training regime. Over the last century the practice of a single kata has disappeared from karate practice. The deep understanding of a few kata has been replaced by the superficial understanding of many. This book shows you in great detail how to recover that understanding and how to put kata back at the heart of karate. What leaders in the field have to say about the book: "Without question this book adds to the body of knowledge in the study of karate" - Rick Clark

Marc wrote:

I don't, but there's an excellent book by somebody, who has done it.

"Five Years - One Kata" by Bill Burgar, ISBN 0954446607

It's worth a read!

You beat me to it Marc! :-)

Practicing only a single kata is quite difficult to do, these days. The vast majority of karateka are part of organizations, which have set curriculum that must be taught and maintained. It's really only the independent dojo, or the students whose Sensei are willing to ignore the curriculum, that can do this, it would seem. For that reason, I think you'll find many more people who practice a larger set of kata (our style has 18, for example), but focus on a handful (Naihanchi, Passai, Kusanku, and Seiyunchin, for me).

I don't come from a traditional karate background, so I only know two katas and I haven't practiced them for a while. Im gonna try this