Training is broken down into four parts, after warming up and stretching, training would normally consist of the following elements.
This is basic kick, punch, and block. Students need good basics and a real understanding of how these work and how they are applied.
These are techniques put together in order that students can move smoothly from one technique to another so as to improve their combat skills.
Working with a partner helps a student to comprehend space and distance along with a better understanding of how techniques work, and teaches the student to be able to adapt any technique when required to a given situation.
This is without doubt the hardest part of karate to understand, and even harder to explain. Simply put, katas are set combinations of techniques that have been passed down over the years. Kata allows a student to perform technique at full speed and power while teaching movement in all directions. In essence the feeling of full combat is required and can take a long time to achieve.
There are some schools that have done away with this practice choosing to stay with just fighting, putting forward the argument that kata is pointless. However, with the utmost respect to them, there are lessons in kata that cannot be taught any other way and those that do not teach kata do not teach the art of karate, for without Kata there is no Karate and no Art.
The soul of Karate is Kata.
When concluding training, a warm-down and a last stretch takes place to relieve tired muscles and joints of lactic acid so as to alleviate as much stiffness as possible.
All instruction when first starting is given both in English and Japanese, and later at a higher grade, just in Japanese. There are many clubs that have seen fit to stop teaching in Japanese. However, there are some techniques that will not translate correctly into English.
The language of Japanese Karate is Japanese (much like the language of ballet is French), therefore, should a student and instructor not speak the same language, by teaching in Japanese (the language of karate) a student, no-matter where they come from and what language they speak, will be able to understand their Instructor. This has the added advantage of thus enabling them to train anywhere in the world with a total understanding of the Art.