Benefits Of Training KATA For MMA | VLOG | Karate w/ Wonderboy

Today I bring you in on a Karate class and talk about the importance of what is known as Kata. Many folks who don't understand Kata often criticize it because it can look like the techniques executed in the Kata are useless. But that is the point. In todays training session I show you how there are many benefits to practicing Kata, even in MMA! Thank you for watching.
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[@bbrodriguez420]

Me with a busted hand: does nothing because my hand is busted. Wonderboy with a busted hand: Time for Karate

[@AliHussain-ze9dy]

I do nothing even when my hand is ok 😂 Wonderboy is the man

[@bbrodriguez420]

For me it was 3 weeks off of school. I suddenly became left handed and couldnt write

[@Q.Lawrence]

A body in motion stays in motion.

[@StatueCollecting]

This guy is killing it with his positivity. If only more of us had this positive attitude in life daily how far could humanity go?

[@INDIGE_STUDIO]

Thompson was clearly raised with love so he lives a positive life. Unlike most that live in fear and treat people like crap.

[@linhanova]

@Rukh good choices come with knowledge my friend. That mentality of make no excuses is fantastic(no irony), but for a lot of people to reach that place is virtually impossible because of the rough environment they live in. They pass the whole life in ignorance, dealing with life traps that, I suppose, you can not imagine. The choices they have are compromised by the environment and lack of knowledge. We can't generalize on subjects with so manny variables. Of course we have outstanding stories of people who beat the odds and become successful but make no mistake, they are the exception. A lot of variables are necessary to understand the individuals who excel in rough environments, Better genetics, luck, help in some level, and knowledge acquisition. They were able to choose wisely because of this variables.

[@lordisrael]

Yeah, I'm Kind of that resentful type of person it's nice to see a good postive dude, but who knows what really goes thru this dude head, he bitting people to near death for a job (nothing wrong with that) but still kinda extreme job, everyone have ups and downs and different personalities, some just know how to present themselves more positively then other to the general public and it's healthy and good for the society as a whole, but as they say don't judge the book by its cover even if it's shiny wholesome.

[@pauljohnagustin237]

It comes with the discipline of practicing martial arts

[@LECityLECLEC]

Very far, Follow Jesus fam!

[@fighttips]

New place is beautiful, WB! And as is your form 😍 Absolutely loved this video and message 🙏

[@KARATEbyJesse]

Awesome! 😍 Such an underrated topic. 🥋 Keep up the excellent videos Wonderboy sensei! 👍

[@dendaanvdb]

That was the most American karate class I've ever seen

[@JourneyToTheCage]

Daan Vanden Boer I mean it’s called American kenpo

[@nicholasnj3778]

Kempo comes from Okinawa so they should also have a Okinawan Flag

[@obowurx6625]

Nicholas NJ merica

[@sorenpx]

Nicholas NJ American Kenpo was created by Ed Parker and is a blend of traditional karate and kung fu with Parker's own twist on things.

[@nicholasnj3778]

@@sorenpx yes I know American Kempo is Ed Parker, just I'd thought they also have a Okinawan Flag, Guess Not (most Krate Dojo's have the Japanese or Okinawan Flag in addition the the American Flag)

[@ChineseAndFilipinoMartialArts]

You the man Wonderboy, keep that traditional martial arts spirit alive 👍👊

[@WonderboyMMA]

Guba Doce Pares oss 👊🏼👊🏼

[@davespringer777]

Yes! Traditional martial changed my life. The mental has helped more than the physical in the long run. I was a troubled kid. Now I'm more courteous, humble, and structured. People bag on kata, but it reinforces the basics muscle memory, and teaches self discipline.

[@kieronreilly6713]

Long live Shaolin kempo Kung Fu!!!

[@mongolchiuud8931]

Wonderboy does traditional karate training but lets be real the kata he trains in and the one his system teaches is not traditional okinawan nor japanese kata, they are recently created American kata developed post 1970s. Still cool though.

[@AyeJordan7]

@@WonderboyMMA MAN U KNOW I LOVE U ALOT MAN,i heard u used to train with Mr Seigler,plus I have some very good tips to make your Kata better and I notice Bc we say the same we are a black belt school thing😂😂❤️

[@shazamsakazaki]

It's nice to see traditional martial arts prove themselves in modern combat sport. Stephen Thompson, Lyoto Machida and Kyoji Horiguchi are my inspiration on practicing Karate

[@brentcox2961]

They only work the way you train them. Wonderboy was a pro kickboxer, and trains multiple disciplines. His fighting style has a heavy karate influence but if you train strictly Karate and don't do things like spar in a non-point fighting scenario... you are still not going to know how to fight that well. And it really depends on where you train as well. There are a lot of 'black belts' from BS Karate schools that don't even know how to fight. Karate can work for sure though, but it just really depends on many factors.

[@detetivesantos9979]

@@brentcox2961 Thompson participated in karate competitions full contact ... full contact is not kickboxer OK .

[@LgLegion]

@@detetivesantos9979 You're not a very good detective..

[@detetivesantos9979]

@@LgLegion And you don't understand anything about martial arts .

[@brandonbui4177]

Don’t forget Georges St. Pierre also came from a karate background

[@longsh00ter]

Dude this is gotta be best and wholesome channel on this crazy platform! Thank you Wonderboy and Wonderboy Senior.

[@WonderboyMMA]

🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@dukey03]

WonderDad

[@videogqmes3102]

Mom : What do you want to be when you grow up? Me : *Stephen Wonderboy Thompson*

[@davidwilliams4837]

Your mom should be proud.

[@kevinobonyo3696]

Wonderboy wore it better than Ken😭❤

[@wolfkyokushindojo1474]

Master Ken

[@JamaaLS]

Kreese: What do we study here? Students: THE WAY OF THE FIST, SIR! Kreese: And what is that way?? Students: STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY SIR!! Kreese: I can’t hear you!! Students: STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY SIR!!!

[@RMichaelHimself]

YESS

[@junodonatus4906]

Kreese: WHAT IS THE PROBLEM MR. LAWRENCE !!!

[@kieronreilly6713]

Wonderboy is a true martial artist and his dad is legit.

[@mootje1234561]

So When Are You Evolving Into Wonderman?

[@rexhinaldcuke4146]

When he becomes champ

[@biohazard724]

Level 32 with a leafstone

[@otallono]

Well he easily beat a guy who went on to be the BMF... Life never makes sense. I'd say he's the champ and BMF

[@bobbybush1750]

How would he Walk out to Wonderboy by tenacious d?

[@davidwilliams4837]

@@otallono Damn straight.

[@newgenexo7580]

Heal soon Wonderboy!! Cant wait to see you back in the Octagon !💪

[@hernan6266hc]

Ken "Wonderboy" Masters 💪👊

[@AmandaRogersarock1988]

New school looks amazing, Wonderboy! So happy for your family that your business has expanded so much! Much love and thanks as always for posting! I had a similar cast last year on my hand when I had a metacarpal fracutre on my ring finger on my right hand -- they can certainly be fun to train around!

[@CingCasper]

Thank you for opening my eyes on this form of MMA.. much love man

[@jeremymccombs1]

Also, my background is in Muay Thai and Jitz but I enjoy seeing others motivated about their styles and backgrounds. I enjoyed this video, good job.

[@frankb8288]

THIS IS THE BEST AWESOME VIDEO EVER BRA....BACK TO DA BASIC'S LOVE IT

[@trifonspartan4993]

Let's go Wonderboy Legend 🔥🔥🤙🏻

[@Mma4Life1517]

Coming from a traditional martial arts back ground, and now practicing primarily Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - I gotta say, the student creed in the beginning, and the respect shown throughout the video was MUCH appreciated. Yes, I can see the criticism that it’s seems maybe “cultish” or brain-washing, but that’s only looking at the extreme negative end of it. The truth is, it’s all about building this mind/body connection, while promoting the positive values and morals of the Martial art lifestyle. Unfortunately, in most ( but not all ) modern, heavily combat focused martial art schools, the traditional aspect of martial arts has been left behind. So thanks for this video, I really enjoyed it, and keep up with the content! 🙏

[@antrocles]

The positivity and high vibes are deeply appreciated brother. You're the best fighter in MMA in my opinion. 🙏

[@chloepankhurst9625]

Amazing! Love your dedication ☺️ I'd love to see more of these types of videos ☺️

[@fabian13333]

What a cool gym I wold love to train there

[@RedSplinter36]

Keeping the arts alive brother! You have my admiration and respect truly!!!

[@albinisenior2473]

Love these vids. My favourite youtube channel!!

[@NickRHT]

Heck, yeah thanks for this type of video wonderboy , nicely explained of knowing what your body Is doing from toe to head when it comes to katas.keep up the quality videos👍, more of this kind too please.

[@ColneCrusader]

As a karateka, I love analysing your fights and seeing you endorsing karate. Great channel too. You're a great ambassador for traditional arts! OSS!

[@dcnado8]

Wonder boy thanks for the info! this video was fire man 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 one love. Peace 🙏

[@summerblack3320]

Thanks, Wonderboy! Nice variety of videos😊😊

[@moqensen]

OSU Sensei Stephen! Thanks for sharing some traditional karate. I've been doing shotokan karate for a year now, and loving it!

[@PirateZ1]

Love Wonderboy, Wonderpops, and Wonderbro. Favorite fighting family

[@Matty8x8]

Love that y’all say the pledge, Stephen. Keep being great!

[@bigdmoment8878]

It’s amazing how many types of karates there are, yet they are essentially the same, I do goju ryu karate and the style in this video is super similar to my style

[@mpforeverunlimited]

The main difference is in sparring. Point sparring is a lot different than continuous and practicing one over the other is gonna have a big effect

[@josephhampton9497]

I thought the same and I practice Shotokan.

[@thejkyle]

A Goju Ryu karate school just opened up in my area. I’m thinking about signing up. I did TKD for years and figure I should give it a try. How do you like it?

[@josephhampton9497]

@jkyle I'm a tkd black belt and transitioned to shotokan which was a smooth transition so I imagine you'd be awesome with the goju ryu system. I say go for it!

[@dukey03]

I do Shito Ryu Karate and the kata layout he was doing is the same as we do for our Kihon Kata, just different strikes/blocks.

[@wes8424]

I train at Lyoto Machida's dojo in Lomita, California and we have a similar kata routine that we do all the time as well. I enjoy kata because as you say it teaches focus. You're making sure every movement is crisp and perfect so that come fight time your actual fluidity matches that same discipline and focus as well. His brother Chinzo tells us this all the time in regards to the importance of Kata. It's almost like a very active physical meditation. Great video as always, love the new facility, dude!

[@davidsalem2896]

Love your channel wonderboy! This was awesome to see the new gym and love the traditional style cata! Would love to see more of your Dad in your videos!

[@davidsalem2896]

Please go up to MW and beat Izzy!! 🙏

[@jakeclinton5649]

Enjoy watching you fight man refreshing seeing karate thrown in there

[@ryynoo410]

I’m from Baltimore and when I was a youngster, I went to American Kempo Karate 🥋 . I remember one of the first things I learned was the “ star block” . Also , well I’m not sure if you know him but I got to meet Jeff Speakman got his autograph etc. was pretty cool. Just thought that I’d share. Lol I’m acting like wonderboys going to see this. Haha take care y’all and whoever reads this , nothing but my best wishes for you and your future. ✌️

[@ScottSmith64]

Dude. Respect and kudos. You are a true hero

[@sabkafaizal4552]

Stephen's dad is so knowledgeable about the intricacies of the art. You can tell that the man has dedicated his life to his art. Awesome video as always!!

[@anumanuva2431]

Great vid, once again!

[@JoshBaileyKarate]

Love it! Definitely understand the benefits of kata! Want to collab with you one day in the future.

[@mattwoodroffe2366]

The gym looks sick, love that octogon!

[@wilhelmhesse1348]

I've always seen Kata as being very similar in principle to military drills, some drills might not make much sense to alot of people but what they do is instill dicispline, direction and trigger muscle memory all these clearly important in actual combat. So yes Kata is definitely cool.

[@mandag34]

This was very enjoyable. Thank you for this video

[@josephhampton9497]

Perfect explanation of why training kata is important. Awesome video and awesome kata training! From one karateka to another...OSU!

[@igorsouza2260]

Stephen your father has a fantastic teaching. Great video!!! Make a video about a ranking of karate practitioners you like, it would be very interesting.

[@carbjj]

Good stuff! I still do Kata to warm up when none of my training partners show up for BJJ open mat. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Congrats on the new gym and the win.

[@lfitzay4255]

Big up wonderboy for just being a great human being🙏🏼👊🏼

[@thelaughingphilosopher2421]

The absolute best part of this vid was the pledge and oath! God Bless! ✝

[@hydropie]

wow this video is incredibly interesting. I never had any idea kata could be useful for anything in fighting but it seems to help a ton in building body awareness and timing. Awesome stuff!

[@rahulchannan6794]

I love kata!. I am a sandan in shotokan karate in Canada. You have an amazing channel and are such an inspiration for everyone to be a better person!. Thanks for all the great videos!.

[@eyegardentx]

Thanks for the postive video. Respect .

[@Is3Abe]

You the man Wonderboy!

[@TheMdub27]

Reasons for Katas Practice form: obviously it's good for instilling muscle memory in to your movements and cleans up bad form. Medetation: everyone knows meditation is good for your brain and is healthy for you, as a fighter or athlete anything healthy for you will make you that much better. Low intensity: as a fighter or athlete, how many hours can you train a day? 2-3? Anything more than that is bad for you, you can't go 100% all day every day ESPECIALLY if your taking a beating. Katas allow you train even when you are healing. Simulating: in a fight there is no time for thinking it happens so fast, you need to develope the movements before you actually fight Katas (and sparring) develope the muscle memory and help visualize so when the fight does happen you're all ready to go Katas aren't your main method of training rather a tool to aid you when necessary. ;)

[@scarred10]

For a fighter there are zero benefits to kata training. It doesn't practise movements anything like a fight,it would instill entirely the incorrect motor patterns.

[@mjhonsun]

Great video! Thanks for explaining the purpose and benefits of katas. I believe it will mean a lot more to the general public coming from a successful UFC fighter.

[@jackwhitaker28]

Keep up your KZbin Steven best channel in my book, technique Tuesday!!!

[@erikowings6729]

Amazing new academy! Congratulations!

[@calmain13]

I love your channel, Stephen. And we share sort of a common lineage, my old longtime instructor, John Stover, and your dad trained under the same instructor long ago. Keep up the good work.

[@MrEyesof9]

Awesome!!! This shines a tiny light onto the philosophy of Karate, which I would love more of. Maybe some videos that describe the differences in other karate disciplines, Im especially interested in the philosophies compared to one another. THANKS!!!!!!!!! I love your videos!

[@makanmusty]

Sick video dude !! Makes me miss karate. I used to love doing Kata

[@alanwicker7325]

This guy is just on another level of awesome

[@RMichaelHimself]

He’s at like level 9, only way for him to reach level 10 would be if he ate orange juice on camera

[@alanwicker7325]

The Relaxed Guy kinda guy he is, he would do that because someone asked him

[@RMichaelHimself]

Alan Wicker I’m just joking dude, he’s the man. Very awesome

[@alanwicker7325]

The Relaxed Guy all good dude!! I seen it was a light hearted joke as was my response. He’s the best

[@AJScraps]

Kata for MMA is sick, Lyoto Machida still does that too 😎

[@dragon3allzdeep325]

Machida=🐐

[@scarred10]

Kata is a complete waste of time for mma,utter nonsense. Machida does kata because he is from that background, not because it helps his fighting.

[@LoveFix2558]

scarred10 you certainly don’t need Kata for fighting, period. However, Kata comes into its own as we age, great for balance, coordination and integrating breath with movement. I’ve trained since I was 16 including MMA although mostly karate and as a 61 year old health and well-being is my no. 1 priority.

[@mongolchiuud8931]

@@scarred10 He knocked out Randy couture with a jumping crane kick taught in Shotokan and Goju ryu as can be seen in Suparinpei kata(jumping and faking with one leg to catch the opponent off guard and strike them in the chin with the other). kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zqraon53o6l9jqc

[@mongolchiuud8931]

@@scarred10 also why are you ALWAYS trolling random martial arts videos? I seen you say the same thiongs in BJJ videos,Judo Videos and now Karate videos....lmao Everyone type in scarred10 in google and look at his comments. Dude has literally no life and trolls MMA styles, Traditional Martial art styles and even Muay Thai videos......lmao

[@emobuddha]

The way you and your dad describe the Kata is really cool and I understand it a lot more!

[@McMillionX]

you the man wonderboy !!!

[@KARATEatbpTV]

Good to see you in a traditional KARATE and form sir...salute for sharing this video...

[@JK-nh6jp]

This is why I became a fan of you, because from the moment I saw your channel and your sparring sessions it reminds me of that old-school martial arts mentality I grew up with. So much respect for the every-man lifestyle you are promoting for Karate.

[@orangeiceice12]

Keep that trad spirit alive Sensei! Im waking up early to do some sil nim tau when I wake up. Salute

[@lucypher8223]

It's refreshing to see this, I enjoy doing kata

[@larrycope8034]

Awesome video man.. I love doing my Kung Fu and Tai chi forms. There is only a handful in my wing Chun but there is a crap load in my seven star praying mantis and yang Tai chi. Love seeing TMA... And the same is for my Kung Fu forms as on kata. There is hiding application in them and it makes you focus and become mind and body as one... Please keep up all the great material. 👊

[@Soldier-of-God.]

This is by far one of the best explanations, on the validity of why Katas (forms/patterns) are important for any traditional martial arts style. Your father's explanation on the purpose, of Katas in terms of their bunkai (application) which more accurately means breaking down the significance of every move, stance, breathing and so forth, are the important components to prepare a fighter for combat. Not only physically, but also psychologically and spiritually. Katas teaches an individual correct posture, timing, speed, power, control, balance and also self evaluation of what one needs to improve, since perfection is humanly unattainable, yet a goal to aspire to nonetheless. Kata definitely is something often misunderstood, of which it is the reason why many, ignorant sceptics who do not understand it, or know what they are looking at, dismiss it as useless, Taichi or yoga type of exercise sequences. Yet the likes of Lyoto Machida have shown successfully Kata applications in the UFC mixed martial arts fights or in full contact, Kickboxing rules type of competitions. Your father is knowledgeable, as well such a legend, everything he says is pretty much, what other martial arts, wise masters say as well, Osu!🇲🇽🇦🇺🥋🙏

[@modern3llusion573]

This was an amazing video man, thank you. Can you make one of a full kata class with cool music on the background?

[@aminmustapha275]

Wonderboy is a true legend 💪🏻

[@ehinspections]

Thank you for sharing. Great that you can share it all with your Dad!

[@frankie7033]

Thank you for bringing up kata. It's good to learn in your martial arts journey. 🙏 oss!!

[@tylercrawford4894]

Really enjoyed listening to your dad explain kata. But love all the content wonder boy keep it up. Can't wait to see you back in the cage!

[@Seffsqautch]

One of my favorite videos yet.

[@camhurst5565]

Incredible top class gym you have developed there. The Thompsons deserve all the success with their hard work, passion and vision. Salute and respect.

[@tontopavarotti]

My Favourite fighter is Wonder Boy. Great attitude, super polite, a true gent and a fearless, lethal warrior.

[@Panda-nk4ec]

Loved this! With me being a traditional martial artist who did BJJ and boxing later, this was great!

[@duncanperry5811]

So cool to see you using kata as part of your routine . Vastly underrated and misunderstood. I'll be sharing this with my students . Very nice form too sir . Thank you 🙏😁

[@Q.Lawrence]

This is a great video! This is why I love doing Kata. I also love learning the interpretations of what each movement is for. So there it is folks! You can be good at Kata and be good at fighting! :)

[@user-hw9sc5is7y]

I train karate and I love MMA. Watch such an amazing guy like Thompson doing these two thing I love the most...is incredible

[@simoncurran6184]

That was my first ever kata. I loved knowing what you were doing.

[@gigs1167]

Love the new gym. About to start up Kempo Karate tonight!

[@ruger51995]

If its a good school u will like it, it's really dynamic style adaptive, I'm learning kempo and it's taken alot if aspects of other arts it even has some chinese element in it.

[@Mharriscreations]

@Henrick Boot American Kenpo and Kempo are essentially the same thing with just a variation of spelling. There's about five or six main branches of Kenpo/Kempo, but almost all are derived from Ed Parker's Kempo system and are similar enough that as long as you find a good trainer, you'll be getting about %90 of the same stuff across the board. So yeah, as long as the instructors are good, I'd suggest checking out the American Kenpo school because it's basically exactly the same thing but with a different spelling...And if it's a good class (has good forms, padwork, shadowboxing and regular light sparring and some heavy sparring mixed in) you should go for it.

[@pmartialartsx]

Although I don’t do Katas anymore, I remember using a kick, slide back to inside block combo in a real fight when I was like 15 and it worked perfectly. My kick didn’t really hurt the bigger opponent so he countered with a punch and I instinctually slid back into the inside block. I believe it was from either the second or third form in Taekwondo.

[@jscorbett]

Thanks for sharing! Loved it. And especially enjoyed seeing Mr. T teach. Would like to see some of your advanced katas!!! For non traditional subscribers, maybe show some of your UFC fighting techniques in the katas

[@user-bf3mh9ol2f]

Stephen you are the best bro!!!

[@ttotter100]

Osu! Keeping the Art in MMA. A true example what the martial arts should be. Keep on keeping sir wishing you a speedy recovery Osu!

[@Anten872]

Thanks for this motivation through the Umunderstsnding of the practicality of karate or what it offers to real life situations

[@blingblingboy3075]

So glad I go to this dojo. Absolutely awesome. Not only do you learn karate, but you socialize and get to have fun with games. I have Mr. Tony and he is absolutely awesome

[@SecondTigerStyle]

More content on "traditional" methods applied to combat! You the man!

[@grantmcdougall8904]

Ahhhhhhh i miss doing Kata!!! I did Karate such a long time ago. My favourite: Bassai Dai :) I was always exhausted after it! Won 2nd place in Scotland one year using Bassai Dai ;)

[@TheSweBro]

I also enjoy bassai dai, congrats on your victory

[@Squeatuses]

Osu!

[@asredeye3820]

Even though I'm a muay thai and boxing practitioner but it was so interesting when your father said : "I'm still learning". Respect, much love.

[@dusriggs]

Great stuff! Your dad's Gi is awesome! Also, I would like your expert opinion on opened hand striking (heel palm, shuto etc..) vs clenched fists in a self defense situation. Do you think there is less of a chance of hurting your hands? Maybe you could demonstrate some from kata? You have a great channel and seem like a great person. Also a great fighter. Keep up the great work.

[@tjgaffney9823]

Congrats on the win! Can u do a vid on how to do a good spinning backfist?

[@danielseth8272]

Stephen's fighting career must have done wonders for the success of the family business

[@MrRPF66]

I'm sure it helped but they have been a staple in Simpsonville for the last 25+ years and have always been very successful even before he was a world kickboxing champ and MMA fighter. Source: I've lived here my whole life and took karate from him when i was a kid

[@danielseth8272]

@@MrRPF66 oh cool

[@whenpigsfly860]

Yeah, seeing the video featuring Papa Ridgehand’s house suggests he’s been successful for a long time.

[@kennybrunton9389]

Really enjoy your videos and your fights in the octagon What I would like to see is you and Connor going skills v skills ,

[@manulabarias1474]

Wonderboy, you're amazing.

[@pkdmartialarts]

Love Karate Thanks for the Dojo tour