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Kata

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For other uses, see Kata (disambiguation).
"Katas" redirects here. For a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan, see Kata
people.
"Quyen" redirects here. For the name (and a list of people with the name),
see Quyen (name).
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Kata

Solo training of kata is the primary form of practice in some martial


arts, such as iaido.

Japanese name

Kanji 1. 型

2. 形

Hiragana かた

showTranscriptions

Kata is a Japanese word (型 or 形) meaning literally "form" referring to a detailed


choreographed pattern of movements made to be practised alone, and also within
groups and in unison when training. It is practised in Japanese martial arts as a way
to memorize and perfect the movements being executed. Korean martial arts with
Japanese influence (hapkido, Tang Soo Do) use the derived term hyeong (hanja: 形)
and also the term pumsae (hanja: 品勢 hangeul: 품새).
Kata are also used in many traditional Japanese arts such as theatre forms
like kabuki and schools of tea ceremony (chadō), but are most commonly known in
the martial arts. Kata are used by most Japanese and Okinawan martial arts, such
as aikido, judo, kendo, kenpo, and karate.

Contents

 1Background
 2Japanese martial arts
o 2.1Karate
o 2.2Judo
 3Non-Japanese martial arts
 4Outside martial arts
 5See also
 6References

Background[edit]
Kata originally were teaching and training methods by which successful combat
techniques were preserved and passed on. Practising kata allowed a company of
persons to engage in a struggle using a systematic approaches, rather by practising
in a repetitive manner the learner develops the ability to execute those techniques
and movements in a natural, reflex-like manner. Systematic practice does not mean
permanently rigid. The goal is to internalize the movements and techniques of a kata
so they can be executed and adapted under different circumstances, without thought
or hesitation. A novice's actions will look uneven and difficult, while a master's
appear simple and smooth.[1]
Kata is a loanword in English, from the 1950s in reference to the judo kata due
to Jigoro Kano, and from the 1970s also of karate kata; but the word has come to be
used as a generic term for "forms" in martial arts in general, or even figuratively
applied to other fields.[2]

Japanese martial arts[edit]


In Japanese martial arts practice, kata is often seen as an essential partner
to randori training with one complementing the other.[citation needed] However, the actual
type and frequency of kata versus randori training varies from art to art.[citation
needed]
 In iaido, solo kata using the Japanese sword (katana) comprises almost all of the
training.[citation needed] Whereas in judo, kata training is de-emphasized and usually only
prepared for dan grading.[citation needed]
In kenjutsu, paired kata at the beginners level can appear to be stilted. [citation needed] At
higher levels serious injury is prevented only by a high sensitivity of both participants
to important concepts being taught and trained for. [citation needed] These include timing and
distance, with the kata practised at realistic speed. This adjustability of kata training
is found in other Japanese arts with roles of attacker and defender often
interchanging within the sequence.[3] 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). [4]
2005 cadet world karate champion [5] Emmanuelle Fumonde performing a kata.

Karate[edit]
Main article: Karate kata
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 perhaps 100 kata
across the various forms of karate, each with many minor variations. The number of
moves in a kata may be referred to in the name of the kata, e.g., Gojū Shiho, which
means "54 steps." The number of moves may also have links with Buddhist
spirituality. The number 108 is significant in Buddhism & Hinduism, 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 responses, as actually occurring,
and karateka are often told to "read" a kata, to explain the imagined events. Kata can
contain techniques beyond the superficially obvious ones. The study of the meaning
of the movements is referred to as the bunkai, meaning analysis, of the kata.[6]
One explanation of the use of kata is as a reference guide for a set of moves. Not to
be used following that "set" pattern but to keep the movements "filed". After learning
these kata, this

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