I agree that you need more than mastery of the movements to win a fight, but the reason exercises like kata are so valuable is that when you master the movement

I agree that you need more than mastery of the movements to win a fight, but the reason exercises like kata are so valuable is that when you master the movements your mind is free to focus on higher level problems. When I studied Mathematics in elementary school I didn't memorize all of the multiplication tables because I thought I could always use a calculator if I wanted to multiply. Years later, when learning Algebra I had to go back and memorize those tables because having to calculate simple products and quotients was slowing me down. Knowing multiplication tables isn't necessary or sufficient for being able to do Algebra well, but it sure speeds you up. I often practice my coding skill by doing problems like the algorithm problems on TopCoder. I find focusing on coding and solving problems quickly improves my work productivity in a way that doesn't come just from doing that work alone. I think these Kata will be even more useful for building the low level skills I use often in my work, so thanks to the original poster!