1 Kata to Rule Them All

[dancingalone]

Is this the Aragaki Sochin you guys are talking about?

[yt]ZbhD-GiYJvs[/yt]

Interesting display of shaking jing...

 

[Brandon Fisher]

Yes it is the one I was thinking of

 

[Grenadier]

If you're going to place a premium on one particular kata for the bulk of your students, it should be one that everyone is capable of doing. Not everyone is going to have the dexterity to pull off a dynamic kata the likes of Empi, Unsu, etc, and not everyone is going to have a set of knees that can tolerate the extended use of fudo-dachi in Sochin, or ankles and calves that can stand the extended use of neko dachi in Gojushiho Dai.

Thus, something the likes of Kanku Dai / Kusanku, Jion, etc., can be quite practical in this regards. If anything, it allows everyone to standardize their techniques (or at least as reasonably best as possible), without creating doubts about their ability to perform them.

This is why I actually like the use of Shitei kata in competition, since almost all of those 8 kata (maybe Chinto being the exception) are something that anyone can do.

 

[angrywhitepajamas]

The Uechiryu Sanchin kata,
it covers defense first, then offense, correct body alignment, breathing, gaze control.
it is also easier to teach to someone who is not in peak physical shape.