Kata motions are like tools. They each serve a different purpose. Just like you can't back out a screw with a hammer, or drive a nail with a saw, kata motions are only appropriate for specific self defense situations.
You should not slavishly apply the exact motions of kata when using them for self defense.
If I taught you the following:
1) Pick up hammer, practice hammer motion
2) Put down hammer, pick up saw. Practice sawing motion.
3) Put down saw, pick up wrench. Practice twisting wrench.
If you were then putting up a fence, and you picked up a hammer and nailed a board up, that would be completely appropriate and useful. But if you next picked up a saw and sawed the board in half, you just ruined all your previous efforts.
Kata is the same way. The motions are linked in the pattern of the kata, but don't think that's how they will ultimately be used in self defense. Pick the tool, the motion, that solves the self defense situation.
A high block works well for a punch to the face, but not so well for a kick to the groin.
Also, the kata motions are, in some ways, snapshots of the self defense motion. Sometimes you need to add something to it to make it work correctly. I can show you how to open and close pliers. But in actual use, you may wiggle them side to side when pulling a staple out. I didn't teach you incorrectly. But their are subtleties that are difficult to ascertain when just doing kata by itself.
So, the next time you do your kata, think about what you are doing! Where is my opponent standing? Research the motions. The answers you find may surprise you.
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