Although they are few, there are still karate dojo that only practice kata, then partner up in the karate dojo and attack and defend using only the karate kata techniques.
When first learning a karate kata, practice one karate move at a time, at this stage, do not worry about the applications of each move, what we are trying to do here, is simply learn the order of the techniques in the kata and be able to string them together. get so you can slowly get through the form, try and get the karate techniques, jumps, spins and turns in the right place.
So first, try and get the pattern of the kata and everything in the right place. Some karateka, once they know the karate techniques and pattern of a karate kata, believe they know the form and can move on, but this stage is only the first stage of many.
So now you have the order of the kata, it is time to start putting groups of moves together. If you have a kick, kick, grab, punch, it is probably a kata sequence. Take these four karate moves and practice them slowly, start trying to get the moves to flow, then start to speed things up, it is at this time you should start to learn the applications of each technique.
Every kata has it's own timing and rhythm, so check to make sure you have the combination of karate techniques right.
So now you should have the sequences down and understand the applications of each karate move, so speed up and really go for it!
Once you start putting all the different kata sequences together, get it so you can get through the whole karate kata slowly, keep the pattern and rhythm of each sequence, make sure it flows before you try and speed up.
Karate kata should be strong but not rigid, flowing but not weak. Many karateka fall into one or the other to strong or to weak.
