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diadicic
diadicic's picture
Advanced Kata

Which kata's do you consider to be advanced, and why?

P.S.    As opposed to beginner or intermediate

Dom

Kokoro
Kokoro's picture

Do you realize there are well over 120 kata, and some say that is way underestimated

What do you consider an advance technique, I feel is a more appropriate question.

To me the difference between beginner and advance is how you apply the technique. Most of the movies in advice kata can be found in beginning kata. There are a few exceptions. To

Many beginning kata were created after the late 1800’s after karate was being taught in schools.

So kata was made simpler to comprehend. Naihaichin is a good example it use to be one kata now its three.

Looking at the applications of even the most simplest kata they can become quite advance.

But before I get to far off into my rant. Let me get back to your list,

A short list would be

Gekisai, Taikyaku series, pinan/ heian, I would consider beginner

Naihanchi/tekki, seipei, gankanku/chinto, nijushi, gojushi, bassai/ passai, kusanku/kanku, I would consider advance kata

Mark B
Mark B's picture

Hi all,

I don't personally consider kata as beginner or advanced.

My syllabus has only five kyu grades, the kata order is Naihanchi, Passai, Seishan and Chinto up to first kyu. Naihanchi is performed on every grading up to second dan, Passai and Seishan for first and second dan also.

As a consideration if I apply an application of Shuto Uke from Pinan Shodan is it a beginners form and technique as opposed to the same from Passai being advanced, and is an application of Age Uke from Jitte more advanced than one from Pinan Nidan, of course not.

The concept of beginner and advanced forms is a modern idea. The old masters studied narrow and deep, so if they introduced a student to Seishan they would be a beginner studying that kata, they would study that form for three years or more and their understanding would ADVANCE in kind, the individual advances, the kata stays the same.

All the best

Mark 

Dale Parker
Dale Parker's picture

I'm going to answer from the current WKF Black Belt competitions...

Suparinpei, Gojushiho, Unshu, Annan, and Chatan Yara No Kushanku...

Practice each one 30 or 40 times everyday.

Th0mas
Th0mas's picture

Traditionally in shotokan the kata follow the grading path in an order based on performance complexity...

However, I think that is the wrong way to look at it (and it is a similar view to Mark B above).

If your kata practice is based on function rather than form then in most cases the path the Heians take is a good foundation for a range of fighting skills/strategies which cover a broad sweep of useful and pragmatic stand-up applications; Covering, gripping, locks, chokes, trapping and throws... which should be incorporated in to a primaritly close/medium range striking style. (long range is different and much more like the public perception of shotokan)

(I am assuming that if you are a frequent lurker on this forum then you will already be familtar with Iain's views on the function and order of Pinan/Heians)

I would suppliment the heians with Tekki (because of the emphasis on body mechanics and using your weight to gain advantage and Bassai/Passai (as it has some nice alternatives such as RNC and good escapes from headlocks etc)

.."convieniently" this nearly matches the classical shotokan grading order (although I think this not an accident as there is a core structure of application complexity in the order of "foundation" shotokan kata to 1st Dan - not that it is always recognised by the more classically minded) .

So the rest are ....Advanced kata.

This is mainly because they will be dealing with alternative approaches to the common fighting senarios and it is important for karetaka to get the foundations fully imbedded into  their own fighting habits before exploring althernatives (and there is a lot to learn with the Heian's, Tekki and Bassai).