I've always been a kata-type of karateka. Kata comes first, and kata comes last. No matter where I am, I can do kata, even if I can't move, I can still do kata.
But sparring brings people to the dojo. There's something visceral about the fight, even if sparring only exercises certain aspects of the fighting instinct which we try to cultivate through karate.
Also, sparring is easy. Block. Punch. Kick. There's you, and there's a very concrete bad guy. (Despite this, my hands end up getting assulted alot more than the target areas..)
Kata is hard. It's abstract. Where are you supposed to hit? Who? Why? Unlocking this puzzle is a large part of what kata is for, but enjoying that kind of challenge seems to be an acquired taste for most.
I've been working alot with my students on form. I don't push, because most of my students are kids, but I do try to come up with games and tools to bring that zenkutsu dachi into alignment; to make that gaze stay on the imaginary opponent. (The kids do love the theatrics of imaginary opponents).
So I've decided shift to being more of a sparring dojo. We'll see where it takes the students, and where it takes me. To begin with, I am going to ramp up to sparring in each class, and see how this effects the form and function of my students' technique.
Is this a cop-out? No, kata is still central for me, and it won't go away in class no matter what happens. Call this an experiment, for which the experimental out come is stronger kata, and always, stronger students.