Oxygen uptake, heartrate and blood lactate responses to the Chito-Ryu Seisan kata in skilled karate practitioners

To evaluate the efficacy of Seisan kata as an aerobic power training mode, four male (28.5 +/- 4.2 y) Chito-Ryu karate black belt practitioners did kata continuously for 10 min. In separate sessions the kata (formal, organized movement sequences) were done at rates of 1 (PACE) and 2 (FAST) kata "cycles" per minute. Heartrate (HR) and VO2 were monitored continuously during the sessions. VO2 during the PACE and FAST sessions averaged 73 +/- 3 and 94 +/- 2% of leg cycling VO2peak, respectively. The corresponding HRs were 93 +/- 6 and 101 +/- 3% of HRmax (leg cycle test). PACE and FAST post-exercise blood lactates were 12 +/- 4 and 22 +/- 6%, respectively, of the maximal leg cycle test values. These data indicate that karate kata can be used as an effective and specific means for training aerobic power in karate practitioners.