Discipline or Realism? Why I Reject the ‘Look Before You Move’ Rule in Kata - By Sensei Liam Musiak

In many karate systems, students are taught to “look in the direction you’re about to move” before turning or stepping in kata. The idea is simple: turn your head first, then let the body follow. It looks sharp, disciplined, and consistent—great for grading and performance.

But in my interpretation of kata, I take a different approach. I don’t “look first.” I teach continuous awareness, where focus never breaks and every movement remains grounded in realism rather than choreography.

🎯 1. Kata as Self Defence, Not Dance

Each sequence in kata represents a complete self defence moment—a short, close-range engagement with one opponent at a time. Once that threat is finished, the next movement symbolises a new scenario, often from another direction.

Some people claim that the “look first” motion represents searching for another attacker. But that isn’t accurate. Traditional kata were never designed for multiple attackers at once. They were created to record defensive principles against a single opponent, with the turns and angles representing tactical repositioning around that one person.

The changes of direction in kata don’t show multiple enemies—they show you shifting position, controlling distance, and taking the advantage line.

🧭 2. Understanding Embusen and Positioning

Every kata follows an embusen—the performance line or floor pattern that represents how you move in relation to your opponent, not where attackers are coming from.

If I move to the side, it doesn’t mean I’ve been attacked from that angle; it means I’ve shifted to that angle for strategic advantage—perhaps to the opponent’s blind spot, outside their power line, or to create room for the next counter.

So if I “look” before I move, I’m not being aware—I’m actually looking away from the opponent I’m dealing with. In real combat, that’s the last thing you’d want to do.

👁️ 3. The “Multiple Opponents” Misinterpretation

Kata can build skills that would help against multiple attackers—awareness, adaptability, directional flow—but the movements themselves are not literal representations of fighting several people at once.

The idea that each turn equals a new attacker is a modern simplification. In truth, kata turns symbolise tactical shifts, control, and repositioning within one continuous fight, multiple different scenario, and different options of what to do if in a self defence situation.

🧠 4. Muscle Memory vs Tactical Purpose

Now, it’s true that during kata, you’ll sometimes find yourself “looking first” purely out of muscle memory. Many practitioners do this naturally after years of repetition—it’s become ingrained from childhood training or grading habits.

But that’s different from doing it with tactical purpose. There’s no fighting reason to turn your head away before moving. That’s why I rarely do it consciously, and why I teach my students to stay connected to the opponent and move with intent, not reflex.

🥋 5. Variation Across Styles and Schools

Over the years, I’ve observed that this element varies depending on style, club, and organisation. Some teach the head turn as mandatory in every kata; others barely do it at all. Neither approach is wrong in context—it depends on what the instructor wants to emphasise.

For me, the line between traditional form and practical realism is clear: I choose what supports combat effectiveness, not choreography. If a habit exists for visual neatness but doesn’t hold up tactically, I remove it.

⚖️ 6. The Voracious Karate Standard

At Voracious Karate, kata is not about performance; it’s about function. Each direction change represents a new tactical solution to the same opponent—not a cinematic battle against ten invisible ones.We don’t “look first.” We stay aware, finish the fight, then move decisively to the next position.

Both approaches have value:

“Look first” builds structure and discipline.

“Continuous awareness” builds realism and truth.

But when the goal is real-world application, realism must always win.

🐅 Closing Thought

Kata isn’t choreography—it’s a study of mindset, positioning, and control. Discipline trains the body, but awareness trains the mind.

If your embusen shows intelligent repositioning, then looking away means looking away from your opponent—and no real fighter would ever do that.When awareness is truly continuous, there’s no need to look. You’re already ready.