Well, not quite. But close.
A few random life lessons that I've learned from kata, whether it's solo training in the dojo, training in class, competing in tournaments, or teaching:
1. A story is only as exciting as the teller makes it. In other words, it's all in the telling. I can either tell a boring story with my kata ("Sheesh, my instructor said I have to do this lousy form 5 times every day and, thank God, this is the last time I have to go through these motions until tomorrow!") or I can tell an exciting story of powerful karate techniques defeating several fierce opponents.
2. Practice makes permanent. If I practice a boring kata, I'll get really good at being boring. If I practice lousy side kicks, that's what will become permanent.
3. Details, details, details. An errant thumb or a few toes pointing the wrong direction can really bring down the scores. [Even more important, it can make the technique less effective.]
4. Everything has a reason. Even if I don't know the reason, or don't understand the reason, doesn't mean a good reason does not exist. There are no wasted moves, no meaningless techniques, in kata.
5. It's OK to let them see you sweat, but never let them know you've made a mistake. Tournament competition has taught me the folly of telegraphing mistakes with sighs, eye-rolling, and "uh oh!" facial expressions.
6. You can make a "warrior face" even when you're nervous and sick to your stomach.
7. The key to success in anything is dedication.
8. It's not enough to practice: you have to practice hard, practice well, practice smart.
9. Anything worth doing is worth doing, even if you're lousy at it. It just means you have to give it your all and keep practicing until you're no longer lousy.
10. You don't really know something until you've done it at least 1000 times and made it yours.
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