Kata Performance
| kirei | 綺麗 | beautiful clean, pure, tidy |
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō often says that a kata performance should be beautiful. Strange to think of beautiful in regards to an imaginary battle. However, the Japanese word for beautiful is kirei, which also means clean, pure or tidy. Until brown belt the student should practice kata slowly to develop beautiful movement – movement without extraneous moves or quirky techniques that distract from the viewer’s understanding and appreciation.
What Makes a Beautiful Kata?
A beautiful kata should demonstrate accuracy of technique and stable, balanced stances. Rhythm and flow should reflect the student’s understanding of the movements of the kata. First power and then speed increases as the student progresses. Not too surprisingly, this progression matches the progression of kata performance from shokyū to chūkyū to jōkyū. Always think of the opponent as you practice kata. Try to picture how the opponent would react to your movements. Then you will be able to get into the real meaning of the kata.
Another good image is to think like a track star. When the gun goes off you want to explode into action. This will add life to your kata. Even your eyes will become more alive. However, Speed is not the ultimate goal. There should be pauses. There should be slow and fast sections. Through kata you are talking to your audience, trying to explain just what is going on in the imaginary battle.
Should We All Look Alike?
| kata | 型 | mold |
| kata | 形 | shape appearance |
There are two kanji, 型 and 形, for kata. The first kanji (型) is the kanji traditionally used for karate kata, meaning mold. This kanji is also used to refer to the mold from which mass-produced goods are shaped. An object coming from such a mold is static and unchanging. Uechi Ryū prefers this character for kata. Their goal is to achieve a standardized form of a movement or group of movements.
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō prefers the second character for kata (形), which allows for more variability. He compares this to handcrafted dolls. While each doll is clearly recognizable as a doll, each has a character all its own. No two handcrafted dolls are exactly alike.
Don’t Try to Be Different
Don’t waste time trying to think up your own, unique style of performance. Style is not a thought process. Style is not creating some curious move that you think defines you. Style is the result of your pursuit of power and understanding. Practice a lot of bunkai. Allow your understanding of bunkai to shine through, but don’t let your kata presentation look too much like bunkai. Remember, your goal is a beautiful kata.
Levels of Kata Performance
Shokyū
| shodan | 初段 | beginner dan level |
| shokyū | 初級 | beginner level |
Shokyū is the foundation on which chūkyū and jōkyū are built. The sho of shokyū is the same as the sho of shodan. As a kanji, sho means first rank or beginner.. Shodan is the first black belt level. Shokyū is the first and most basic level of kata performance.
The goals of shokyū are:
- Order of movement
- Accuracy
The first goal of shokyū is easily attainable – memorizing the order of movement of the kata. The main goal of shokyū is to develop accuracy. This requires lots of practice and many repetitions to develop muscle memory.
Many students want to rush on to chūkyū and jōkyū. This is a mistake. The student can never leave shokyū behind. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō says that a student should spend 80% of his or her training time at the shokyū level. Kinjō Kaichō himself has been practiicing shokyū kata for 50 years.
Kurikaeshi Kurikaeshi
Repeat Repeat
Chūkyū
| chūkyū | 中級 | intermediate level |
Chūkyū is the intermediate level of kata performance.
The goals of chūkyū are:
- Power
- Control
- Dynamic body movement
The main goal is to create as much power as you possibly can. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō often says “power comes from the legs.”
The second goal of chūkyū is control. Control the opponent by grabbing his or her sleeve or arm to immobilize and prevent the use of the opponent’s weapons, the hands or feet.
Chūkyū is the intermediate way to perform a kata. There are two goals of chūkyū . The first goal is to learn to use 100% of your body strength. This requires practice and repetition. Always work to create as much power as you possibly can. The second goal of chūkyū is control.
The concept of grabbing for control of the opponent
The Block Is an Attack
| Shōtei | 掌底 | palm heel |
| Haitō | 背刀 | ridge hand |
| Shutō | 背刀 | sword hand |
| Tetsui | 手槌 | hammer fist |
The slap of kōsa uke is not always delivered shōtei, the base of the palm. There are four ways to perform kōsa uke, for all of which the “slap” is actually an attack to the opponent’s arm. Shōtei is the least painful and therefore preferred for partner work. In karate kata, the flatter appearance of haitō is preferred. Interestingly, in Kōbu no Tinaka, both haitō and tetsui are applied to great effect, using the points on either end of the small hand-held weapon.
- Shōtei
- Haitō
- Shutō
- Tetsui
Attacking from the block w/o hikite
Punch for Power
Targeting
| kyūsho | 急所 | vital points of the human body |
Strike always to the vital points of the human body like danchū, suigetsu, jinchū, etc. These are areas that can cause the most pain or injury to the opponent,
The Makiwara
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō learned his physics for a powerful punch by punching the makiwara. You can do the same. Punch until you feel you are delivering the most power possible. Remember to use your legs, too.
Grab for Control
| nigiru | 握る | to grab |
| nigiri | 握り | the grab |
| tsukamu | 掴む | to grip; to grab |
The purpose of the grab is to control the opponent. Kinjō Kaichō likens the grab of Kōburyū to a spider that imobilizes its prey so it can feast at leisure.
The defender seizes control by grabbing the opponent’s arm or clothing, negating the opponent’s ability to continue the attack. The grab acts as a trigger to launch your counterattack, like pulling the trigger on a gun. Controlling the opponent gives you the opportunity to come to a full hikite for delivery of the most powerful counterattack possible. Don’t skimp on the hikite.
In the beginning, practice the grab as three distinct movements:
- Block (hands open) and come to a full hikite in preparation for the counterattack
- Grab for control
- Launch the counterattack
The above order of events is the most basic and should be practiced until it becomes part of your muscle memory. However, like most things in Kōburyū, there is never just one way. Another variation is to grab and hikite together, combining steps 1 and 2. Again, it’s important not to skimp on the hikite.
Kinjō Kaichō can tell if a student is mentally grabbing even if the hand does not fully clench. There will be subtle movements of the thumb and little finger.
Your chosen application determines when to grab. It should be natural.
Kinjō Kaichō mentioned the image of a dragon grasping a ball. This is a common figure in China and Okinawa, but not in the US. However, try holding a ball a little large for your hand. That’s the desired appearance.
Kick for Power and Reach
| yori | to approach | 寄り |
| geri | kick | 蹴り |
Nicknamed the “slippy kick,” yori geri is a natural extension of the shokyū kick. If you kick hard the body must follow the kick. Therefore, the yori geri is not the cause of a powerful kick, but is rather the result of a truly powerful kick. Every single kick in chūkyū kata must be yori geri, even kicks off the back foot.
Misunderstanding the yori geri has been known to result in the student hopping around like a bunny. If you expend all of your power in the direction of the kick then there will be no up and down component – no hop.
The point of the kakato geri tai sabaki waza is to perfect this technique.
Power from the Legs
Chūkyū at its most basic level is power from the legs added to shokyū. Use the legs to add power to both kicks and punches.
Power flows from the legs through the hips, torso, shoulder and finally through the arm for the attack. Even the wrist can add power to the attack as it twists into the punch.
| ashi | 足 | feet/legs |
| koshi | 腰 | hips/lower back |
| karada | 体 | torso/body |
| kata | 肩 | shoulder |
| hiji | 肘 | elbow |
| tekubi | 手首 | wrist |
| kobushi -ken | 拳 | fist |
- Ashi (feet/legs)
- Koshi
- Karada
- Kata
- Hiji
- Tekubi
The fist itself does not add power. Think of it as the projectile.
Use the legs to add power to both kicks and punches. The goal is .
In Chūkyū you often do not draw back after a strike, immediately using the extended arm to begin the next block.
Chin nochi kara” means sink down.
沈 [On] chin jin [Kun] shizu.mu shizu.meru — sink
沈 [On] chin jin [Kun] shizu.mu shizu.meru — sink
後【のち or あと】 (a-no) afterwards; since then; in the future.
から from
| funbaru | 踏ん張る | to brace the legs to be rooted |
| fumikomu | 踏み込む | to step into |
| fuchin | 浮沈 | floating and sinking up and down |
Tenshin
| tenshin | 転進 | shifting position |
The safest place for a defender to be is outside the path of the attack. The opening moves of the kata, Kanshiwa, are good examples of tenshin, moving to the outside of an attack.
If your opponent is stronger that you you will need tenshin
Jōkyū
| jōkyū | 上級 | upper level |
The goals of jōkyū are:
Simultaneous Block and Attack
- Use the power of both hands to block
- Grasp the opponent and pull as you strike
Block and attack in one continuous move
Speed
- Develop sprinter-like speed
- Use the legs flexibly for explosive movement
- The feet are always moving
- Tighten the legs and lower the body on contact to deliver power effectively
Yes, speed is a goal, but it only becomes a goal once you reach jōkyū. Don’t sacrifice accuracy and power to increase speed. Simultaneous block and attack is a big part of taisabaki waza practice.
The jōkyū versions of the kata differ the most from Kōburyū’s Uechi Ryū roots. You will find efficient combinations of simultaneous block and attack. This, alone will increase speed. However, after much practice the kata can be performed with all the accuracy of shokyū, the power and control of chūkyū and the speed of jōkyū.
In Chūkyū you often do not draw back after a strike, immediately using the extended arm to begin the next block.
Moving from Shokyū to Chūkyū, to Jōkyū
Understand and internalize the differences between shokyū, chūkyū and jōkyū movement. Confusion will result if a student is allowed to move from one level to the next without mastering what came before. There is no rush. Shokyū should remain the primary level of performance. Only if shokyū looks good will Sōke Kaichō Kinjō ask to see chūkyū – even during a dan test. He does not want to see jōkyū as a dan level test requirement.
If the students become confused, the sensei should reevaluate the curriculum and testing requirements. Perhaps the requirements are too demanding. Or perhaps, for his or her own convenience, the sensei is trying to teach everybody in the class as though they were all at the same level. This is a mistake. If the sensei teaches to beginning students the rest of the class will become bored. If the sensei teaches to advanced students the rest of the class will feel stressed or ignored.
Students should not look ahead to the more advanced techniques. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō reminds us of the myth of Icarus. Icarus ignored his father’s instructions not to fly too close to the sun. The melting wax of his wings caused Icarus to plunge to his death. Icarus’s fall is a lesson in hubris. His arrogance caused him to overestimate his own capabilities. The student who begins to believe he or she is better than the other students will inevitably fail. Don’t try to fly too high too soon. Be content with walking for a while. Repetitive kata practice will pay off. Your body will remember the movement so the mind can be freed.