My guest today is Iain Abernethy, a well-known expert on practical karate training and kata application, and an advocate of traditional martial arts practice.

In this episode, Iain presents his own view of kata as a process of 4 inextricable stages:

1. Solo Practice
2. Functional Application
3. Principle-based Partner Practice
4. Live Partner Practice or "Kata-based" Sparring

While most other traditional martial artists view kata as a solo exercise that must be translated into practical techniques, Iain sees solo practice, application, and sparring as all one and the same process entailed by the kata system.

Iain also explains what "kata-based sparring" is, why he hates one step sparring, and the necessity of bringing modern training methods into traditional martial arts practice.

No matter who you are, this episode is simmering over with interesting and helpful discussion. So if you're excited to dive in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher now!
---
Join the Combat Learning Newsletter now: combatlearning.com/newsletter
---
Where to find Iain...

Instagram: https://instagram.com/iainabernethy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/practicalkatabunkai
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iainabernethy/
Website: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/
---
Thank you so much for listening!  

If you have any feedback, you can email me at josh@combatlearning.com or send me a message on facebook.com/combatlearning.   

Now real quick before I go -- can I ask you a huge favor? If you got value from this episode, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcasting platform. So many shows pop up and fizzle out, and we're talking about stuff that almost nobody is talking about, so leaving us a review helps us a ton!

Thanks in advance, and I'll see you on the next episode!
---
Produced by Micah Peacock

Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe