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| Kata | |||||
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.jpg) 2005 cadet world karate champion[1]Emmanuelle Fumonde performing a kata. | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 1. 型 2. 形 | ||||
| Hiragana | かた | ||||
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Kata is a Japanese word (型 or形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailedchoreographed pattern ofmartial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced inJapanese martial arts as a way tomemorize and perfect the movements being executed. Korean martial arts with Japanese influence (hapkido,Tang Soo Do) use the derived termhyeong (hanja: 形) and also the termpumsae (hanja: 品勢 hangeul: 품새).
Kata are also used in many traditional Japanese arts such as theatre forms likekabuki and schools of tea ceremony (chadō), but are most commonly known in the martial arts. Kata are used by mostJapanese andOkinawan martial arts, such asiaido,judo,kendo,kenpo, andkarate.
Kata originally were teaching and training methods by which successful combat techniques were preserved and passed on. Practicing kata allowed a company of persons to engage in a struggle using a systematic approach, rather by practicing 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.[2]
Kata is a loanword in English, from the 1950s in reference to thejudo kata due toJigoro Kano, and from the 1970s also ofkarate 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.[3]
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In Japanese martial arts practice, kata is often seen as an essential partner torandori training with one complementing the other. However, the actual type and frequency of kata versusrandori training varies from art to art. Iniaido, solo kata using the Japanese sword (katana) comprises almost all of the training. Whereas injudo, kata training is de-emphasized and usually only prepared fordan grading.
Inkenjutsu, paired kata at the beginners level can appear to be stilted. At higher levels serious injury is prevented only by a high sensitivity of both participants to important concepts being taught and trained for. 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.[4]
Inbudō andbujutsu, there are two roles: shidachi (受太刀,lit. '"doing/receiving sword"') and uchidachi (打太刀,lit. '"striking/attacking sword"').[5][6][7][8] In modernKendoshidachi is normally written as仕太刀.[9] The shidachi is the disciple and the uchidachi their instructor.[10]
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).[citation needed]
The most popular image associated with kata is that of akarate 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 practitioner is generally counselled to visualize the enemy attacks, and his responses, as actually occurring, andkarateka 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 thebunkai, meaning analysis, of the kata.[11]
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 set of learned skills can then be used in asparring scenario (particularly without points). The main objective here is to try out different combinations of techniques in a safe environment to ultimately find out how to defeat your opponent.
Recently, with the spread of extreme martial arts, or XMA, a style of kata called CMX kata has formed. These kata are performed in tournaments and include gymnastics related elements, such as backflips, cartwheels, and splits. These kata can also be performed with weapons such as thebō staff.
Judo has several kata, mostly created in the late 19th century byKano Jigoro, the founder of judo. The judo kata involve two participants. Judo kata preserve a number of techniques that are not permitted in competition or inrandori, including punches, kicks, and the use of thekatana and other weapons. The study of kata is usually begun typically at around the green belt level. The most commonly studied judo kata isNage-no-kata, which consists of fifteen throwing techniques. TheKatame-no-kata is composed of pinning techniques, chokes, and joint locks.Kime-no-kata is a long kata consisting of self-defense techniques against both unarmed attacks, and attacks with swords and knives.[12][13]
While the Japanese term is most well known in the English language, forms are by no means exclusive to Japan. They have been recorded inChina as early as theTang dynasty, and are referred to in Mandarin astaolu.[citation needed]
South andSoutheast Asian martial arts incorporate both preset and freestyle forms. Insilat these are referred to asjurus andtari respectively. Malay folklore credits the introduction of forms to the Buddhist monkBodhidharma.[14]
InKorean martial arts such astaekwondo andTang Soo Do, the wordhyung orhyeong is usually employed, though in some cases other words are used.[citation needed] TheInternational Taekwon-Do Federation uses the wordtul, while theWorld Taekwondo Federation uses the wordpoomsae or simply the English translations "pattern" or "form."[citation needed] Taekwondo patterns have multiple variations includingPalgwe and the more popularTaeguk forms used by the WTF. Forms are included in certain taekwondo competitions and are a key element of gradings.[citation needed]
InSanskrit, forms are known either asyudhan (combat form) orpentra (tactical deployment).[citation needed] OtherAsian martial arts refer to forms by various terms specific to their respective languages, such as the Burmese wordaka, the Vietnamesequyen and the Kashmirikhawankay.[citation needed]
Inhistorical European martial arts and their modern reconstructions, there are forms, plays, drills and flourishes.[citation needed]
More recentlykata has come to be used in English in a more general or figurative sense, referring to any basic form, routine, or pattern of behavior that is practised to various levels of mastery.[15]
In Japanese languagekata (though written as 方) is a frequently used suffix meaning “way of doing,” with emphasis on the form and order of the process. Other meanings are “training method” and “formal exercise.” The goal of a painter's practising, for example, is to merge their consciousness with their brush; the potter's with their clay; the garden designer's with the materials of the garden.[peacock prose] Once such mastery is achieved, the theory goes, the doing of a thing perfectly is as easy as thinking it.[16]
Kata is a term used by some programmers in the Software Craftsmanship[17] movement. Computer programmers who call themselves "Software Craftsmen"[18] will write 'Kata'[19] - small snippets of code that they write in one sitting, sometimes repeatedly,[20] often daily, in order to build muscle memory and practise their craft.[19]
In 1999, the term was used byDave Thomas, co-author of the bookThe Pragmatic Programmer.[21] The concept was implemented byLaurent Bossavit andEmmanuel Gaillot who talked about it at XP2005 inSheffield (UK).[22] Following this conference,Robert C. Martin described the concept and initial usages in his article "The Programming Dojo".[23]
One of the things that characterize an organization's culture is its kata – its routines of thinking and practice.[24] Edgar Schein suggests an organization's culture helps it cope with its environment,[25] and one meaning ofkata is, "a way to keep two things in sync or harmony with one another." A task for leaders and managers is to create and maintain the organizational culture through consistent role modeling, teaching, and coaching, which is in many ways analogous to how kata are taught in the martial arts.
Toyota Kata is a 2009 management book byMike Rother aiming to establish a routine for establishing acontinuous improvement process.[26]
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