Your experiences with the martial arts don't coincide with mine at all. To this day I still practice my kata. Like with my code, I may never achieve perfection,

Your experiences with the martial arts don't coincide with mine at all. To this day I still practice my kata. Like with my code, I may never achieve perfection, but I will never be satisfied with my current level. I used to hate the kata, but then it started to make sense. Kata, and code kata, is about practicing. So you're ready for battle. You shouldn't be practicing when you're fighting, and you shouldn't be practicing when you are getting paid to deliver a product. This is true in anything. There are tons of "guitar" players who would rather play by ear, learn a few chords, and start a band. Then there are those musicians that spend the time to learn the boring fundamentals. And they practice those fundamentals over. And when you hear them play, you'll know they are masters. I think that holds true for coding too. Kata teaches discipline and patience. It's like learning to breath. Practicing the basics in excruciating detail over and over again ensures you don't freeze up under pressure.