Synchronized Kata?

Every now and then I get a kata on my Wall, I watch because often it is something fun, interesting and educational. 

Today, on the Wall, I watched a kata called, “Hamahiga no Tunfa Dantai.” I am familiar with Hamahiga no Tuifa in my practice of Okinawan Isshinryu Karate. What caught my eye was the kata performance involved two practitioners. I wondered until it started then I realized it was “synchronized kata.” 

What I ask myself when I see this, “What possible practicable benefit comes form synchronized kata?” What I am trying to express is, “What practicable purpose does this kind of practice provide?”

The ability to keep the rhythm, timing and pattern synched up with that of another person may not involve reality as to self-defense or combatives but it does teach you to sense the others rhythm, pattern and cadence, etc., which is important in self-defense and combatives. Sensing and disrupting that rhythm, patter and cadence tends to unbalance the adversary. A simplistic answer and example but enough to get a point across. 

The point, that every bit of what folks practice and train in martial arts regardless has a benefit toward self-defense and combatives, etc. The other health, fitness and well-being, etc., benefits are already understood by all martial artists. It also has sport benefits in competition. For instance, when you are competing your under stress. Granted it is not exactly the same as a real life conflict but if feels the same or similar so learning to handle that is good. Add in the stress of synchronization with another distinct and separate practitioner adds another level to that same competitive stress and that is also a good training tool. It can be fun in practice as well and if you are serious yet having fun you learn better or the efficiency of learning is higher with greater results and benefits and so on. 

A long time ago I would have thought otherwise about the value and benefits of synchronized kata simply because I failed to realize and understand what it could do for me as a more traditional self-defense/combatives practitioner. As I progress I try to see outside my box and this is good training to do just that. See, assume, question the assumption, test the question and the assumptions and when appropriate “change my assumptions!”