Why do karate styles (eg shotokan) feel the need for so many kata?

Question

I know that kata are meant to teach different skills however why so many?

in Okinawa many years ago the styles would be taught with only a few kata.

then students would go on to train with other masters to gain kata relevant for them. this would only happen when their instructors were sure they had mastered the basics and the students were senior.

Some styles today have at most 8 kata for empty hand forms.

Surely 26 is overkill?

Answer 1

kata helps the body get used to the karate moves and it helps at getting faster

Answer 2

Because traditionally the practitioners of the art did not document the art in writing.

Answer 3

Kata teach balance, strength, coordination, power, speed, flexibility, and the list goes on and on.  You can learn to kick hard and punch hard and block hard, but kata brings it all together.

As to how many kata is too many, well, can you ever be too balanced, too strong, too coordinated, too powerful, or too flexible?

The other consideration with kata is learning and practicing them is not usually every student's favorite thing.  It takes a lot of discipline to fight through that, and when you master them you've mastered yourself.

I hope that makes sense.

Answer 4

Shotokan has 26 in its total curriculumn.  However only ten are required to first degree black belt (shodan).  The others are taught at higher levels and for dan testing or are just optional.  Very few black belts unless they go to godan (5th degree) or higher learn all 26.  

Most styles including Wado-ryu, Kyokushin, etc. have a similar number in the total curriculum, but very few require more than ten to shodan.  

Answer 5

some people love kata. It is relaxing and stimulating at the same time. well it actually does a lot of things at the same time. you can learn a lot from doing it about your art and your self by doing them. some people just find it fun to do all the mental work to be able to memorize them. it is an intellectually stimulating process to take on such a task. I used to love to do it. I will love it once again when I go back. I love challenges

Answer 6

they just got collected over time. knowledge is power. the problem is that today many people study a very "wide" art. ie...a bunch of kata, without studying them very much.

for example shotokan is a very wide art...it has lots of kata, not much in depth study of bunkai. goju ryu on the other hand only has 12 "core" kata...but they study them in an extremely in depth manner.

some shito ryu schools have over 50 kata.

but each kata teaches different things. i do think there is such a thing as overkill. but each kata has much to offer.

Answer 7

Bruce lee hated the idea of katas because no one is going to attack you in a set form.However, the reasoning behind katas are that they are teaching you concepts, not muscle memory.The more katas one does, the more techniques and concepts are presented to oneself which means one is able to expand their understanding and absorbed the meaning of the techniques and translate them to self defense.  

Answer 8

JOEP gave you the best answer as secrecy was the issue 26 KATA is indeed over kill.You have to chose favorites and they shouldn't be more than 4 .CHOKI MOTOBU perhaps OKINAWA's greatest fighter who defeated boxing champions grapplers (judo jujutsu greco roman)practiced only 3 kata tho he may have known quite a few more.

He merely picked those whose inner workings complimented his personal style of fighting.While 26 may give you more selections to chose from I feel 8 to 12 should do just as well.I know the 26 kata of shotokan but my 2 favorites are from the 1st twelve I was taught I also have 2 from goju ryu  chosen from the nine I was taught.

Answer 9

Overkill would indeed be the issue. I think that the many kata and the new kata are being created mostly from people without experience.

I study Okinawa Karate and my system has 16 total kata including weapons.

Taikyoku - beginner exercises

Sanchin, Sanmitsu, Sansei - breathing/body form kata

empty hand kata -

Wunsu

Anaku

Empi s****.>
Naihanshi

Bassai Dai

Danenn s****.>
Gopei s****.>
Nan Dan s****.>
Kanku s****.>
Tensho

Ainjin Quan - qigong kata

Weapons kata -

Te Katana

Tsue s****.>
Shen Lun Quan

Event though they have their individual concepts to focus on they all have martial applications. I don't see the need to learn any more kata. However I will take further lessons emphasizing different concepts that I can incorporate in my system and it's existing kata.

EDIT-

Shurite Karate Jitsu - It stems from Shuri Ryu.