Stages of Patterns

Stage Three: Variation

The third stage is to vary the application of the pattern's techniques. We will react to a sudden attack as we have trained. By practicing patterns movements with no regard to their application, we train ourselves to react in a certain manner that may not be the correct reaction for a certain situation. Hironori Otsuka, founder of wado-ryu karate) wrote; “It is obvious that these kata must be trained and practiced sufficiently, but one must not be ‘stuck’ in them. One must withdraw from the kata to produce forms with no limits or else it becomes useless. It is important to alter the form of the trained kata without hesitation to produce countless other forms of training. Essentially, it is a habit – created over long periods of training. Because it is a habit, it comes to life with no hesitation – by the subconscious mind.”  Therefore, to make the technique in pattern more useful, students need to practice varying the techniques of the pattern while staying true to the principles that the techniques represent.