Kata
Japanese Name
Kanji	型 or 形
Hiragana	かた
Kobudo kata with staff Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Rōmaji ローマ字 Kanji ( (help· info), literally Han characters), is the Japanese term for Chinese characters (Hanzi), the Chinese logographic writing system that is used, along with Hiragana (平仮名), Katakana (片仮名) and the Roman alphabet, to write modern Japanese. ... Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Rōmaji ローマ字 Hiragana ) are a Japanese syllabary, one of the four Japanese writing systems, along with katakana, kanji and rōmaji. ... Download high resolution version (1200x1097, 146 KB)Kazuma Nitta performs a Kubudo Kata with a staff for the judges at the Open Karate Tournament in Japan, 2004. ...

Kata (型 or 形) (literally: "form") is a Japanese word describing detailed patterns of defense-and-attack movements practiced either solo or in pairs. Kata are used by most traditional Japanese and Okinawan martial arts, such as Aikido, Iaido, Jodo, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Kendo and Karate. Other arts such as Tae Kwon Do and T'ai Chi Ch'uan feature the same kind of training, but use the respective Korean and Chinese words instead. This article is about the prefecture. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Aikido (合気道 Aikidō, also 合氣道 in an older style of kanji), literally meaning joining energy way, is a gendai budo — a modern Japanese martial art. ... Respect due to the sword (To Rei) before and after the practice Iaido (居合道 iaidō) is a sword-based Japanese martial art that trains the motions associated with drawing a katana(刀) from its sheath, striking an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana with smooth, controlled... Jodo can mean: A Japanese martial art that uses the jo, a four-foot long wooden staff, see Jojutsu. ... Judo (Japanese: 柔道, jÅ«dō; gentle way) is a martial art, sport, and philosophy originated in Japan. ... Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jitsu, ju jutsu, or jiu jitsu; from the Japanese 柔術 jūjutsu gentle/yielding/compliant Art) is a Japanese martial art. ... Kendo (剣道 Kendō) , which is the modern martial art of Japanese fencing, developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as kenjutsu. ... Karate or karate-dō is a martial art of Okinawan origin. ... Taekwondo is the Korean national sport and martial art, and is also one of the worlds most commonly practiced sports. ... Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (Chinese: 太極拳; pinyin: ; literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi, Tai Chi, or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some...

In Japanese martial arts practice, kata is often seen as an essential partner to randori training with one complimenting the other. However, the actual type and frequency of kata versus randori training varies from art to art. In Iaido, solo kata using the Japanese sword (katana) comprises almost all of the training. Whereas in Judo, kata training is de-emphasized and usually only prepared for Dan grading. Randori (乱取り) is a term used in Japanese martial arts to describe free-style practice or sparring, sometimes with multiple attackers. ... Respect due to the sword (To Rei) before and after the practice Iaido (居合道 iaidō) is a sword-based Japanese martial art that trains the motions associated with drawing a katana(刀) from its sheath, striking an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana with smooth, controlled... Katana of the 16th or 17th Century, with its saya. ... Judo (Japanese: 柔道, jūdō; gentle way) is a martial art, sport, and philosophy originated in Japan. ...

Kenjutsu paired kata at the beginners level can appear to be stilted. At higher levels serious injury is prevented only by a high sensitivity of both participants to important concepts being taught and trained for. These include timing and distance, with the kata practiced at high speed. This adjustablitity of kata training is found in other Japanese arts with roles of attacker and defender often interchanging within the sequence. Kenjutsu (Japanese: 剣術) is a classical Japanese martial art, a koryu budo. ...

Many martial arts use kata for public demonstrations and in competitions, awarding points for such aspects of technique as style, balance, timing, and verisimilitude (appearance of being real). Verisimilitude, in literature, is how fully the characters and actions in a work of fiction conform to our sense of reality. ...

Kata in Karate

The most popular image associated with kata is that of a karate practitioner performing a series of punches and kicks in the air. The kata are executed as a specified series of approximately 20 to 70 moves, generally with stepping and turning, while attempting to maintain perfect form. There are close to 100 kata in all forms of karate. The number of moves in a kata may be referred to in the name of the kata, eg. Gojushiho, which means "54 steps." The number of moves may also have links with Buddhist spirituality. The number 108 is significant in Buddhism, and kata with 54, 36, or 27 moves (divisors of 108) are common. The practitioner is generally counselled to visualize the enemy attacks, and his or her responses, as actually occurring. A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... 108 is the natural number following 107 and preceding 109. ... Buddhism (Pāli Buddhadhamma or Sanskrit Buddhadharma) is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived in the 5th century BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the ancient Indian sub-continent in the five centuries following his death, and propagated into Central, Southeast, and...

In teaching the open handed kata, most styles of Karate start with a series of five basic kata named Pinan in some systems and Heian in others. By working through this series (in order: Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yondan, Godan (except in Wado Ryu Karate, where Shodan and Nidan are reversed)) the practitioner learns all the basic stances and techniques before moving on to more advanced kata. Traditionally, kata are taught in stages. Previously learned kata are returned to in order to show more advanced techniques or ways of doing things, as beginners do not have the same knowledge and experience that practioners further up the ranks have. It is not uncommon in some styles for students testing for Shodan (first rank black belt) to have to repeat every kata they have learned from the first belt, but at a "black belt" level, for example, with better technique, power, amongst others. This system is often used for the lower grades as well. The student will perform one new kata and one or two previous ones, to demonstrate how much they have progressed and how quickly they can learn new things. Wado-ryu (和道流) is one of the worlds major karate styles. ...

Criticism of kata training

The effectiveness of kata as a training method is often debated in martial arts circles. The critics frequently make following claims:

• Kata training does not teach anything that is useful in a real situation
• A kata is just a "dead pattern", and by following a pattern one becomes bound by it.
• Kata are taught because they provide an easy source of income for the instructor
• Kata are unnecessary ritual and tradition for tradition's sake
• Sparring is a superior training method

The proponents often claim that:

• Some techniques are too dangerous for sparring, they can only be safely practised in a pre-arranged fashion
• Sparring with padded weapons is too unrealistic and limiting, kata allows for training the full range of weapon techniques
• Kata is a meaningful way of learning basic techniques and is the basis for learning practical applications
• Kata teaches proper stance, movement and balance in a controlled environment
• Practising kata is akin to moving meditation, providing increased focus, awareness and self-discipline
• Kata is an essential tradition, preserving the teachings of previous generations
• While a kata done incorrectly can become a "dead pattern", done correctly it has meaning and can help the student become more proficient in sparring
• Since most martial arts taught today are not simply fighting methods but methods for improving yourself physically and mentally, the value of katas is not limited to their value as a tool to teach fighting skills

The debate of "kata vs. sparring" is not a new one and is unlikely to be resolved soon. Nevertheless, the two methods may not be as far from each other as they may seem. Advanced students in traditional arts may diverge from the form and introduce variation while the modern martial artist might train a combination of punches in a kata-like fashion. It is important to bear in mind that in most arts, kata is just one aspect of the style's overall training regimen. Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind, often formalized into a specific routine. ...

"Kata" in the martial arts of other countries

In Korean martial arts such as Taekwondo and Tangsudo (sometimes "Tang Soo Do"), the Korean word hyong is usually employed, though in some cases other words are used, such as ITF's use of the Korean word tul, WTF's use of the Korean word Taeguk, or simply the English translations "pattern" or "form." Taekwondo (also spelled Tae Kwon Do, Taekwon-Do, or Taegwondo) is the most popular of the Korean martial arts and is the Korean national sport. ... Tangsoodo or Tang Soo Do (唐手道 / 당수도, Sino-Korean: The Way of the Tang Hand) is a traditional Korean martial art that has been largely incorporated into modern Taekwondo. ... A hyung or poomse is a martial arts form that is typically used in a Korean martial art. ... ITF may mean: International Taekwondo Federation site International Turntablist Federation site International Tennis Federation site International Transport Workers Federation site This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ... A hyung or poomse is a martial arts form that is typically used in a Korean martial art. ... WTF is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: The World Taekwondo Federation, http://www. ... Taeguk (in World Taekwondo Federation, or WTF, Taekwondo) refers to the forms used to create a foundation for the teaching of Taekwondo. ... A pattern is a form, template, or model (or, more abstractly, a set of rules) which can be used to make or to generate things or parts of a thing, especially if the things that are generated have enough in common for the underlying pattern to be inferred or discerned...

In Vietnamese martial arts, e.g., Vovinam Viet Vo Dao the Vietnamese word Quyen is used. Vovinam is a vietnamese martial art. ... Viet Vo Dao (Viêt-Võ-Dao) is the Philosophy behind many vietnamese martial arts. ... Quyen is the vietnamese word for what Karate calls a Kata. ...

See also

• Bunkai
• Embusen
• Shotokan