Kitchen Kata!?!

I know a man who practices kata in his kitchen. It's a long, but narrow room. Fortunately the kata he trains predominantly is Naihanchi (Tekki Shodan), so it's not a problem for him.

When my son was first born it was difficult to find time to train without upsetting the wife. The way around this for me was to do the same as you. Every evening i would practice each kata twice in my kitchen. Each morning i would practice basics standing in sanchin, again in the kitchen.

Im lucky my son is older now, so i can train when ever!

I know several other people who have followed the same method.

Its true what they say, karate needs constant boiling water, other wise it soons becomes cold!

Osu!

My Kitchen is far too small for any kind of training but I do train in my not so spacious living room (with the coffee table and TV pushed to a safe distance!). When doing kata I find myself taking extra steps back so as not to go through anything and shortening the thrust on techniques a lot.

When the weather is nice enough (about 3 days a year in southern England!) I train outside in my very narrow garden and It is probably no coincidence that my best kata are naihanchi and chinto!! 

The wife is generally ok with this as long as I don't try to practice weapons kata indoors. A friend of mine from the dojo tried that and lost a lot of furniture... 

Black Tiger wrote:

So does anyone else practice their Kata in the Kitchen or any other room in the house or is it just me.

Sure do! The garage is the formal training zone that includes all the weights, bag, BOB dummy, mirrors, skipping ropes etc. The living room is occasionally used for kata (good laminated floor) and is large enough when the furniture is moved around and I shuffle a little. Running up and down the stairs is sometimes done at the end of leg / kicking workouts to finish the legs off. Training in the garden is also relatively common when the ground is dry enough,.

The kitchen is not used for formal training, but I do find myself walking through the odd kata etc when I’m waiting for the coffee to brew, toaster to pop or microwave to ping. Knife drills are also a common “force of habit” whenever I end up in the kitchen with one in my hand. It’s a problem I know, but my body has a compulsion to run through all things martial whenever it is not occupied in some other way (and I’d bet that most here have the same problem; whether they will admit to it or not is another issue).

All the best,

Iain

PS My name is Iain and it has been 4 hours since my last kata

I've been known to pracrtice kata in the kitchen when cooking and my wife has the pictures to prove it. There's one of me in a crane stance holding two spatulas. Another with me holding a frying pan and still more that I'll not discuss here.  If I'm cutting up salad veggies then knife drills just happen. Don't know why but they do. I've practiced kata in the bathroom, living room, bedroom, hall and deck. I've also found that setups done on the toliet are great for building abs. Face towards the wall instead of away, put feet firmly against the wall where it intersects with the floor then lock your arms and do setups.

I've tried ten step, three step and five step programs, but nothing seems to work. What I have learned though, is never practice nunchuack kata around the wife's china or flowers. Boy, does that bring tension into one's marriage.

Yes I admit it. My name is Mike and I'm addicted to martial arts.

Guilty... I'm a kitchen kata practicer.  Not formally, but different moves from different katas always find their way into steps, lunges, turns, etc. as I'm (as Iain said) waiting for the normal things to happen.  I'm constantly being scolded by my wife for it, but I think it's more of a ridicule for not being able to control myself. 

There are many different turns in our version of Chinto (Kobayashi Ryu), and I practice them constantly (along with many others that strike me at a given moment) on the slick wood laminate floor.  Funny part is that I catch my 13 year old son doing the same thing!  Stepping aggressively into a kosa dachi, with backfist (passai) to open the microwave, etc.  It's funny.

Good topic.  Thanks for everyone who is sharing.

I needed a good laugh.

Gary

To add, does anyone find that they tend to do things in a "karate" type way, like opening doors with an empi/hiji tsuki (elbow strike) or doing a kata whilst stood waiting for the kettle to boil? Has anyone been caught at work, in a lift, etc. practicing Karate Techniques? I know of someone who use to practice Nahanchi in the Gents toilets at work as the Mirrors were in the perfect place to see the techniques etc.

Also, It takes me about 1 hour to do all the kata properly, I get a good sweat on too. so burning calories too. I have to wait for my Baby Son to wake up for his feed so rather than going asleep then waking up an hour or so later I just do kata whilst I'm waiting. I've already bought him a Karate suit, but the smallest I can get is 100cm

AND

My name is Ken and I am addicted to practicing kata in my pyjams

Happy New Year Guys!

Glad to be in the forum.  You guys seem a mature bunch! A real treat, as a lot of the forums I've been to have been filled with young-minded-ego-driven individuals who need to prove themselves! Anyway....nuf of the rant....so, the issue "Kitchen Training" Hahaha.....well, how do you know a martial artist is a martial artist....they train in the kitchen and flick light switches off with their feet! Sure, I train in the kitchen.  The flooring is tiling though, so it's a slippery surface, if I have slippers on or socks, i'd avoid kicks, but i sometimes practice some parts of kata in the kitchen.  Otherwise, i'd shadow box for sure in the kitchen, or i'd put together some reflex drills.  Sometimes, what i do is this....

1. i'd use the kitchen counter as a wooden dummy, so before i go for a cup or dish in the high cabinet, i'd parry the counter and counter strike just below the cabinet using a variety of short blocks, and then open the cabinet door and get my cup fast.

2. i'd throw fast, short combos at my fridge door...so i'd throw a few combos, hitting the door lightly...otherwise my Fiancee would kill me....then after the last few shots, i'd slow it down, and open the door to get my things in the fridge.

3. Use the kitchen window as a mirror....throw techniques with good form and watch yourself in the window.  Your voyeaur  neighbours will simply get sensitized to your craziness!

4. Utilize your entire kitchen for target practice...say you're warming up food in the microwave or baking something....you can simply move around in the kitchen, practice your footwork, head movement, defensive postures, then lash out some controlled techniques paying attention to good form ...say lash out a front toe kick to your kitchen cabinet handle...just flick it fast and barely touch it.....when you enter the kitchen round house kick the switch on OR slowly kick the switch on...working on your proper dynamics working the flexors and quad muscles...when you leave the kitchen, axe kick the switch closed...expose your heel, this way, you'd control the distance between the switch tip and wall.....no dents please! Fixing drywall is a bitch!

....anyway....try these out....and I'm willing to bet...some of you hard core guys out there have done all this already! 

Cheers!

Chris. 

Hi All,

I too am kitchen karateka.  I tend to find myself practising all kinds of stuff whilst cooking, waiting for the kettle etc.  I'm glad to know i'm not the only one though as my fiancee always rolls her eyes when she catches me (sometimes I do use her as a practice dummy though) and my 3 year old says "are you doing karate AGAIN" followed by a barrage of punches, kicks and the occasional headbutt to my thigh!

I seem find to that an impromptu kata gives me new ideas of training drills and Bunkai which I have to write down so I can go through it properly at my next training session.

Andy

Over the years I’ve done kata in most rooms in the house . It was suggested to me once by Steve Morris that I should try it in a telephone box. Not having one to hand, I have used the smallest room in the house, not enough room to swing a Manx cat! The improvisations required to follow the form and still retain some functionality produce numerous manoeuvring, power generation and technique execution problems. Even if you practice a kata on one tatami it is difficult but by condensing the area you can explode the dynamics and tactics. The actual techniques involved produce a greater relationship to as many kata as you can think of. Food for thought maybe.

I rarely practice an entire kata now unless I use it as a personal drill sequence.

I'm guilty ok kata practice in the kitchen. Being short, my kitchen is just about wide enough to accomodate most of the Goju katas I work on...tile floor actually provides good grip for bare feet...

Er ... No.

I'm lucky I suppose in that I find it easy to 'compartmentalise'.  With rescue work, the ability to 'switch off' after a shift was essential or you'd be playing with the kids thinking about that afternoons blood-and-snot road accident.

I'm the same with training. Once I leave the dojo/gym/garage, I'm done until the next time.

Gary

I literally can't put large carving knives away in the block without doing a little heaven six or the 12 angles from Arnis.

Drives my wife nuts!

Gary Chamberlain wrote:

Er ... No.

I'm lucky I suppose in that I find it easy to 'compartmentalise'.  With rescue work, the ability to 'switch off' after a shift was essential or you'd be playing with the kids thinking about that afternoons blood-and-snot road accident.

I'm the same with training. Once I leave the dojo/gym/garage, I'm done until the next time.

Gary

So Gary,

Are you trying to tell us you're the only sane one of the bunch?

Perhaps we could get you to lead us in a twelve step recovery group?

Maybe this thread isn't such a good idea after all.

Mike

michael rosenbaum wrote:

 

So Gary,

Are you trying to tell us you're the only sane one of the bunch?

Ha Ha - not at all.

I'm simply saying we all need to maintain 'balance' and doing an hours kata every night might not be the best way to do that.  Apart from anything else, you can train long or you can train hard, but not both.  The energy you use larking around in the kitchen in your boxer shorts giving the neighbours a treat might be better used working really hard at the right time and place.

Gary

Gary Chamberlain wrote:

michael rosenbaum wrote:

 

So Gary,

Are you trying to tell us you're the only sane one of the bunch?

Ha Ha - not at all.

I'm simply saying we all need to maintain 'balance' and doing an hours kata every night might not be the best way to do that.  Apart from anything else, you can train long or you can train hard, but not both.  The energy you use larking around in the kitchen in your boxer shorts giving the neighbours a treat might be better used working really hard at the right time and place.

Gary

I'd have to disagree with that Gary.  I always found that  slow training away from an instructor (and the class) was where I got to really work on precision of movement in a way that would show benefit while training at speed. Furthermore, slow training on my own - whether physical (in the kitchen turning light switches with kicks, or in any other room doing Kata, or kicking over the bannister) or mental (sitting in an armchair visualising techniques) was where I made some of my best training breakthroughs.   For me my personal training was always the 'real' training - the stuff I did in class with the instructor was just assessment and demonstration of new things to work.

For some people doing a bit of Kata (or just training) on their own may be the perfect way to switch off from their day, work out any adrenaline from some of its stresses, while at the same time being good for their physical health.  If you do martial arts for your work that may not be the case, but the majority who don't  I can see it as a healthy way to unwind and progress.

Of course it's been years since I actually did a Kata though.  I used to spend hours on Kata, then I moved to just rehearsing my kata based drills solo visualising the other guy.

Each to their own.

I prefer fewer but more intense sessions, and at (nearly) 55 I'm way past overthinking things.  I know what I like and more to the point know what I can use effectively, so the point of my (personal) training is to keep sharp and powerful without tiring myself out.

Would I get that doing low intensity kata in the kitchen?  Nah!

A famous story about Mas Oyama was that he used to keep a pen and paper by his bed at all times, so if he dreamed up new techniques he could write them down ...

I'd rather just go back to sleep

Gary

Gary Chamberlain wrote:

A famous story about Mas Oyama was that he used to keep a pen and paper by his bed at all times, so if he dreamed up new techniques he could write them down ...

I'd rather just go back to sleep

Gary

Mmmmmmm, pen and paper by the bedside...................................

Nah, I'd rather go back to sleep too

Hi All,

This has been a most illuminating thread! It’s good to know that even though we may all be borderline insane, at least we are not alone! I also love the fact that the only person who does not suffer from this compulsion (Gary) when asked if that meant he was sane replied with, “Ha Ha - not at all”! So just another form of crazy then? ;-) Fantastic stuff! I love it.

I must admit that I don’t consider walking through a few things in the kitchen to be “training”; it’s more of a habit I have where my body likes to move through things when it’s not been used in another way. It does get me thinking about things and I occasionally use such “micro-training” to go walk through anything I’m finding technically difficult at the time, so it could have some benefit … it’s not “training” in its true sense to my mind though. I do train proper in the garage, the living room, the garden, etc. The kitchen is always a place for impromptu walk-throughs though.

All the best,

Iain

PS I just made come coffee and toast before writing this and controlled myself well enough to do nothing martial; so well done me! … I did however play hopscotch on the kitchen tiles … I have to do something to pass the time it takes the coffee to peculate ;-)

Ha Ha - I'm as mad as a box of frogs Iain, definately.

That's why I'm still pushing myself instead of joining weightwatchers and playing bowls like most pensioners.

Wouldn't have it any other way though, I'd rather wear out than go rusty.

Gary

I just made come coffee and toast before writing this and controlled myself well enough to do nothing martial; so well done me! … I did however play hopscotch on the kitchen tiles …

Sorry Iain but that sounds like it might improve your footwork to me. Still martial I'm afraid. :)

Your phrase, "kitchen kata," reminds me of an excerpt that I read back in the 70's.

Supposedly in Hong Kong (before the Red Chinese took possession) a number of instructors lived in small housing units, often no bigger than a one-bedroom or efficiency apartment. When their students would come by to train they would stockpile all of their furniture to one side, giving them room to train. This is also why in congested cities it was common to see people training on flat roof tops. There was even a story of a kung-fu stylist who used a multi-level parking garage for his dojo-kwoon. when it was nice out, they would use the top floor. But, when the weather was bad, they used one of the lower levels.

Back in the 70's I was stationed on Okinawa. I can remember seeing a number of small houses with high privacy fences. Sometimes, they would be open and you would see where the family parked their car. If you were lucky, you would see a makiwara post in a distant corner, and possibly a large wooden deck. It wasn't hard to figure out that a martial artist lived there. But, you were never allowed to watch. There were no peep holes or cracks in the fence to allow discretionary viewing.

As for myself, I've lived in several places (more than twelve in the last 15 years). Even when space was limited, I always found a way to train. However, I always kept my eyes open for the possibility of finding adequate space. Right now I've converted my two car garage into a makeshift dojo.

Enjoyed the post,

Ron

yep, im guilty of this stuff - 

naihanchi down the hall, and back again............., any kata in the kitchen (have no issues with switch stepping of course), Kihon from Naihanchi anywhere.

I also used to have a small heavy bag (for open hand striking), makiwara, steel Bo, suburi which I used proberly three times each week for about 30 mins for little workouts, but this has stopped since the arrival of our daughter,

However each day myself and Elena Rose 'do karate', she is 2 years old and we can get through -

1. Bow, with feet together and hands by sides
2. naihanchi dachi, and punch
3. hands up and kick
3. hands up and 'walk like crane'
4. Bow to finish

Which in reality makes up for the lack of home training these days!

One additional point...I had the chance of training with Tony Sandoval. During one of our workouts, I told him that I would sometimes practice kata in a stationary position: i.e. limited foot/leg movements, stepping, kicks, etc. His reply was, "that's how they did it in the old days."

I wasn't sure by what he meant, so he went into more detail. Supposedly, kicks were often "implied" when practicing kata. Meaning, that since kata was the bible-encyclopedia of a specific style, it made sense that it existed in a number of different ways or methods of training. A karate stylist might know only one kata, but he knew it so well (empty hand-blocks, punches, kicks, joint locks, throws, weapons, healing, etc.) that it was hard for him to not find almost every possible combat combination.

Going further, in studying pentjak silat I was unaware that most of the djurus (hand drills) were initially practiced from a seated position. Also, that a style of tai chi chuan-the tao style, is famous for adding a large number of kicks to its long form. For almost every step (either forwards of backwards) there is an "implied" kick being executed.

So, "kitchen Kata(s)" are indeed alive and well. Mine works well in that the tile flooring allows me to better grasp the stepping patterns I've been working on.

Ron

Guilty....

I mean you have to do something while waiting for the toast to pop....(or microwave to ping, thanks Iain.)

and not formal training as per say, but more of the figuring things out in my head, and drawing connections between theory and technique. I find that after training (sometimes hours, sometimes days) and usually after sweating on a subject for a while, at some point my brain catches up with my body for one of those ah-HA! moments, and if I happen to be in the kitchen, then out it comes. It is usually when we take our mind off of what we are deliberating, that the creativity of ingenuity comes spilling to the surface.

So I guess you could also read this as - I get distracted by toast. lol.  

I was going to suggest that all the previous posters get a life until I remembered that I'm guilty of it too. Additionally, I'll often stand in front of the TV practicing basic techniques - especially where there are nothing but adverts on.

GeoffG:

Have you ever tried using the TV as a training tool? One of Bruce Lee's early students (James DeMile) had a background in psychology and hypnotherapy. In short, he understood how the mind worked.

James DeMile's training method was to turn off the sound on the TV, then assume a fighting posture. With every scene change he would execute a punch, a kick, or block-strike combination(s). The idea is to enhance the eye-hand coordination. Your eyes perceive everything, unfortunately the process of going from seeing a threat to reacting is a lengthy process. The TV drill seeks to shorten the response time.

I've played with this TV reaction drill, and I found that it does work. Unfortunately, it's easy to get frustrated. You won't be able to always keep up with every scene change, and a short 30 minute program is exhausting. Even a good 1 minute commercial or an advertizing block of several 30 second commercials is tiring, to say the least.

Remember, different types of tv shows move at different speeds (soap operas-slow; dramas-medium; action shows-fast, etc.)

Of course, it would work even better if I had a tv in the kitchen...

That sounds like a good idea Ron. I'll have to give it a go - it'll probably just confirm to the family and neighbors that I'm nuts but it happens.

Unfortunately I wasn't involved in martial arts as a kid, but this would have been a great excuse when mum used to tell me off for watching too much tv   I can just picture it:

Mum: Geoff stop watching tv and go outside to play

Me: But mum, Sensei told me to practice my karate in front of the telly

Mum: Don't lie to me. Now get outside.

Me: Oh mum c'mon ...

I'd better not let my kids know about this.

BTW - I've done combo's to music before. It worked pretty well because the music wasn't too fast (a bit of late AC/DC). The combo was initiated everytime the drummer hit the bass drum so similar to the scene change drill. Since most AC/DC songs aren't that fast it was actually a good workout and I thought it worked well. I'm not sure it will work so well with the faster bands that I like to listen to. I think I might give it a go. If nothing else it might be a bit of fun.

Hi all,

Found myself laughing at many of the posts here because they are so amusing, and then stopping myself short when I realised that I do the same kind of thing, and with the utmost seriousness!

I have in fact just made a cup of tea and run through the five pinan kata simply as a mental refresher, and although my kitchen isn't big enough to perform the kata perfectly, I find that if I compartmentalise the kata into mini sections, I can achieve just as much in terms of self learning that I aim for whenever I train, if not more so!  By being forced to do it this way, I am able to focus on a group of tecniques or a combination in a way that I often don't when I am practising the kata as a whole "routine", as opposed to "what does this section ACTUALLY MEAN!?"  So a useful exercise for me then :-)

And on the plus side, it is a training method which develops spirit and character; I usually find my tea is cold by the time I get round to drinking it!

Hi All,

A bit of impromptu kitchen practise followed by stealthily moving across the kitchen to stop my microwave on 0:07 (heating up the milk for my morning coffee) ... I feel like James Bond! :-)

All the best,

Abernethy ... Iain Abernethy.