Dojo-Specific Katas, anyone else has had a similar experience than mine?

[GroovyKarateka]

Firstly for a bit of context, my sensei comes from ITKF and he is well aware about the bukai of the kata, the story of karate, tradition and he is also well-aware about MMA and other martial arts. Now, for our gradings teachers from the JKA come and check our kata, the feedback is provided via a paper containing the mistakes of our techniques, however, the kumite is WKF style. My style is shotokan and my dojo is big as it is part of a big complex where people do other sports, the compex is so big that there is a colosseum for tournaments.

So my last class we were learning heian shodan and after everyone has doing the kata alright, we did some "auxiliary katas" (that´s how he calls them), he explained to us that the kata we were going to do next do not exist in google, he made them so we could pratice individual movements of heian shodan, there are three of these katas and they are as follow:

1. Basically Heian Shodan but done in a "mirrored way" he called this variation "ura" and it´s just the same thing but instead of startubg to the left we start to the right and so we pratcice at different sides.

2.This one has the footwork as Heian Shodan but the hands are different, as we change every uke for gedan barai and afterwards we do a hammer fists, he didn´t name this but he told us he wanted us to learn the hamer fist in isolation.

3. This last one is basically heian shodan but all ukes are shuto uke and we also do kokutsu when we block.

Apart from these three kata, our version of Taikyoku Sandan is different from the katas on the internet, these katas do uchi uke and then a punch afterwards, however, in my dojo we do uchi uke, mae geri and then the punch.

Based on this I would like to ask y´all: Have you seen a smiliar thing in your dojo? Anyone knows if there is a record or an example of variation to the katas as the ones I described? I´d like to learn more, and finally, what do y´all think of this? I really like the idea of isolating moves to practice them and also, I think that involving mae geri on starter katas can help students master it earlier.

 

[isshinryuronin]

I really like the idea of isolating moves to practice them

Yes, it's called "drilling."

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Firstly for a bit of context, my sensei comes from ITKF and he is well aware about the bukai of the kata, the story of karate, tradition and he is also well-aware about MMA and other martial arts. Now, for our gradings teachers from the JKA come and check our kata, the feedback is provided via a paper containing the mistakes of our techniques, however, the kumite is WKF style. My style is shotokan and my dojo is big as it is part of a big complex where people do other sports, the compex is so big that there is a colosseum for tournaments.

So my last class we were learning heian shodan and after everyone has doing the kata alright, we did some "auxiliary katas" (that´s how he calls them), he explained to us that the kata we were going to do next do not exist in google, he made them so we could pratice individual movements of heian shodan, there are three of these katas and they are as follow:

1. Basically Heian Shodan but done in a "mirrored way" he called this variation "ura" and it´s just the same thing but instead of startubg to the left we start to the right and so we pratcice at different sides.

2.This one has the footwork as Heian Shodan but the hands are different, as we change every uke for gedan barai and afterwards we do a hammer fists, he didn´t name this but he told us he wanted us to learn the hamer fist in isolation.

3. This last one is basically heian shodan but all ukes are shuto uke and we also do kokutsu when we block.

Apart from these three kata, our version of Taikyoku Sandan is different from the katas on the internet, these katas do uchi uke and then a punch afterwards, however, in my dojo we do uchi uke, mae geri and then the punch.

Based on this I would like to ask y´all: Have you seen a smiliar thing in your dojo? Anyone knows if there is a record or an example of variation to the katas as the ones I described? I´d like to learn more, and finally, what do y´all think of this? I really like the idea of isolating moves to practice them and also, I think that involving mae geri on starter katas can help students master it earlier.

We perform Taikyoku as a dojo kata, but I don't know how it compares to anyone else's version of it. For us, it's an H-pattern kata beginning with lower body block, straight punch (our upper body exercise #5, aka geidan barai seikan tsuki) and continuing on through upper body exercise #15 (higi no ato tsuki), skipping #12 and #13, which are simply repetitions of our #5 and #6 with 5 punches instead of one.

We mostly use it as a beginner's kata to help drill the upper body kihon. I like doing it, but it's not an official part of Isshinryu.

We have a couple 'line drills' and another dojo kata that was passed on to one of our sensei's from Master Harrill, but we seldom perform them.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Yes, it's called "drilling."

A good friend of mine told me that he likes to drill 4 different moves on E-S-W-N every week. Next week he will change into 4 different drills. In case he gets into a fight, he will have 4 moves that he can use comfortably.

I like to drill combos instead. A combo contains at least 2 moves. This way I'll have at least 8 moves that I can use comfortably.

 

[GroovyKarateka]

We perform Taikyoku as a dojo kata, but I don't know how it compares to anyone else's version of it. For us, it's an H-pattern kata beginning with lower body block, straight punch (our upper body exercise #5, aka geidan barai seikan tsuki) and continuing on through upper body exercise #15 (higi no ato tsuki), skipping #12 and #13, which are simply repetitions of our #5 and #6 with 5 punches instead of one.

We mostly use it as a beginner's kata to help drill the upper body kihon. I like doing it, but it's not an official part of Isshinryu.

We have a couple 'line drills' and another dojo kata that was passed on to one of our sensei's from Master Harrill, but we seldom perform them.

That´s intresting, my taikyoku is sort of L shaped

 

[gyoja]

This occurs in TSD as well. The hyungs are different depending on the association that the particular dojang belongs to. Our second form has four different variations depending on when it was taught. Some associations even added additional forms. Gets confusing at times…

 

[EJC]

This occurs in TSD as well. The hyungs are different depending on the association that the particular dojang belongs to. Our second form has four different variations depending on when it was taught. Some associations even added additional forms. Gets confusing at times…

This is why the idea of "associations" is a bad one (and also the reason that I'll never receive another promotion even though I've been a 2nd Dan for 35 years — I absolutely refuse to join any association).

 

[gyoja]

This is why the idea of "associations" is a bad one (and also the reason that I'll never receive another promotion even though I've been a 2nd Dan for 35 years — I absolutely refuse to join any association).

Well, I guess that there are positives and negatives. The good thing is that it creates a uniform standard across a large quantity of schools. The bad thing is that it breaks with tradition. I guess it just depends on what is important to the individual.

 

[EJC]

Well, I guess that there are positives and negatives. The good thing is that it creates a uniform standard across a large quantity of schools. The bad thing is that it breaks with tradition. I guess it just depends on what is important to the individual.

I'm far more interested in tradition. Hell, when I had my dojo open, I would only take, at most, 4 or 5 students at a time — VERY traditional. Also, I tailor my instruction to each student rather than a "fixed curriculum" — again, very traditional.

 

[gyoja]

I'm far more interested in tradition. Hell, when I had my dojo open, I would only take, at most, 4 or 5 students at a time — VERY traditional. Also, I tailor my instruction to each student rather than a "fixed curriculum" — again, very traditional.

I must say that I really enjoy my small school.

 

[Cri70]

Firstly for a bit of context, my sensei comes from ITKF and he is well aware about the bukai of the kata, the story of karate, tradition and he is also well-aware about MMA and other martial arts. Now, for our gradings teachers from the JKA come and check our kata, the feedback is provided via a paper containing the mistakes of our techniques, however, the kumite is WKF style. My style is shotokan and my dojo is big as it is part of a big complex where people do other sports, the compex is so big that there is a colosseum for tournaments.

So my last class we were learning heian shodan and after everyone has doing the kata alright, we did some "auxiliary katas" (that´s how he calls them), he explained to us that the kata we were going to do next do not exist in google, he made them so we could pratice individual movements of heian shodan, there are three of these katas and they are as follow:

1. Basically Heian Shodan but done in a "mirrored way" he called this variation "ura" and it´s just the same thing but instead of startubg to the left we start to the right and so we pratcice at different sides.

2.This one has the footwork as Heian Shodan but the hands are different, as we change every uke for gedan barai and afterwards we do a hammer fists, he didn´t name this but he told us he wanted us to learn the hamer fist in isolation.

3. This last one is basically heian shodan but all ukes are shuto uke and we also do kokutsu when we block.

Apart from these three kata, our version of Taikyoku Sandan is different from the katas on the internet, these katas do uchi uke and then a punch afterwards, however, in my dojo we do uchi uke, mae geri and then the punch.

Based on this I would like to ask y´all: Have you seen a smiliar thing in your dojo? Anyone knows if there is a record or an example of variation to the katas as the ones I described? I´d like to learn more, and finally, what do y´all think of this? I really like the idea of isolating moves to practice them and also, I think that involving mae geri on starter katas can help students master it earlier.

Think sounds pretty normal, we do these as well. The "ura" versions can be really done for any kata (go right when you go left and vice versa) and I think are used to practice active control on movement and direction once you have begun to interiorize the general movements, so it doesn't stay an automatism. I think you find at least the taikyoku on youtube.

The same goes for the other drills, they are useful to create separate control of lower and upper body which tend to get associated in the brain when you first learn the kata, and I think it also helps/forces you to understand the proper ."spacing" between techniques. Only creativity limits the variations, just add any number of techniques between say a gedan barai and the subsequent chudan zuki.

Can be stressful the first times on your head!

Ideally you pratice slowly enough at home that you manage to "unbind" upper and lower body movements.

 

[Leviathan]

My first karate trainer once combined two different katas in a seminar. For what reason? No idea. After the seminar there were grade tests, so I found it quite messy to train a „wrong“ version of the kata just before the test where you would be required to perform the „right“ version of the kata. I knew my stuff very well so I didn‘t mix things at all but I found it doubtful.

Whatever, to me katas are to martial arts what blood lettings and leeches are to medicine (though I would argue that medicine has moved on on that topic).