Karate is a way of life, not just something you do to past the time or because it's fashionable, and that's why I love this subject.
I spent 35 years of my life training in Japanese Wado- Ryu karate under Toru Takamizawa, who was a student of the founder of the style, and gained my 3rd degree black belt before I was forced to retire due to injury, so I have a little back-ground on the subject.
The hardest part of the Martial Arts to me was always Kata.
Fighting in tournaments was easy and it came naturally to me as my fighting days started early on the mean streets of London.
I then started Boxing, Wing Chun kung-fu and ultimately Karate.
I loved the combat side of it, it was like a game of chess for me really, like trying to out-think and out-wit your opponent, but I was instinctively good at it and won many tournaments.
But Kata was a whole new animal to me, and it took me a while to grasp the concept of this fighting imaginary people, going through these whole sets of pre-determined moves where you start in one spot and do all these 24 to 80 odd moves on various Kata's and normally end up back in the same spot.
I know, I'm kinda making light of it really because it takes more focus, timing, balance, endurance, and skill that you could ever imagine.
Karate Kata isn't just a matter of going through the motions of doing techniques either.
It has to be technically correct in all of the areas of the Kata's performed.
As with any of the Martial Arts styles, they have to be done with a balance of speed, agility, power, flexibility and a precision of technical ability.
The evasion movements of your body and the type of kicks, punches and blocks must be precise to gain your grades through to black belt level and beyond.
The practice of the Karate kata as I mentioned earlier, is a great way to build the stamina it takes to be a well rounded good Karateka.
With the bending, stretching, foot positions, leg positions and body positions, your body becomes a power house of muscle as you will find out when you start doing them consistently.
To be good at any sport, you have to be proficient in all areas, and as Kata incorporates and captures the essence of Karate as a whole, you will need to be an excellent student at it.
It is normally performed by oneself and at any time or place, but you can also do it with a partner to get the realism of what each technique represents.
One final note: To learn any Martial Art, you will need professional instruction as you cannot learn Karate or kata straight from a book proficiently, so do your due-diligence and pick a good instructor.
Check their certification history and background.
Where they got their training, how long they've been doing it.
If they gained their Black Belt through a legitimate organization etc.
Talk to some of the students before you join a club and get their input.
Watch the training sessions and see whether it will suit you depending on your body type.
Different styles suit different people.
Is the instructors "GI" (karate suit) or the "Dojo" (club) clean! It may sound stupid to you, but if it's dirty and unclean, normally the instruction will be.
Finally, it takes years of dedication and practice, so don't expect to get your black belt in months, it can be 3-6 years depending on how often you train and how dedicated you are.
You have to pay every time you grade for a new belt, so If you are being graded every couple of months, you are being taken for the money only.
Good luck and above all, have fun and enjoy it.
Performing Kata with perfect precision combining all the elements is an amazing experience!