# Ten No Katas in Shotokan Karate



## Alhern (Oct 16, 2008)

Are there dojos out there that still make it a requirement to learn the "Ten No Kata" and the Takyoku Shodan and Sandan Katas?
My dojo does, but not many people I talk to know what I'm talking about. Mosty start out with Heain Shodan as their first Katas. Your thoughts?


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## newy085 (Oct 16, 2008)

We have a couple of kata before our pinan/heian kata. We learn happotsuki (eight direction punch), sonoba shiho tsuki (stationary four directional punch), no waza(can be anything ie tsuki no waza, etc), no kata (can be anything ie tsuki no kata, etc).

In all these kata the same thing is done on every movement, ie, block - step in punch. This I think is important as it allows beginners to focus more on the techniques and less on trying to remember the kata. Once they understand these movements then putting them into other kata will be relatively easy.


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## old sensei (Oct 17, 2008)

Old Sensei here. The Ten No Kata are excellent training, but I have not used them in training my students, because their techniques are included in kihon and in the heians, and I find that repititive for occidentals. I have no problem with their use as training, I just have not found them needful. I teach "old style" shotokan katas, not JKA style, but still believe what I believe.


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## arnisador (Oct 17, 2008)

I had to learn this when I did Goju-ryu some 20 years ago. This is disappointingly simple material for a kata, to my mind. The material contained in them is essential basics, but the arreangement of it doesn't flatter that material.


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## twendkata71 (Oct 18, 2008)

From what I have found, the schools that still teach Tennokata are more closely related to the  Shotokai.


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## MarkC (Oct 19, 2008)

Mine is a Chinese/Japanese Kempo style, but we used to do a form called Ten No Kata at the beginning of our training.


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## seasoned (Nov 15, 2008)

Ten No Kata and Ten No Kata Kumite bring back some fond memories of years gone by. I learned them back in the early 1960s when I was a white belt. By todays standards they may be a bit elementary, but years gone by they helped a student progress from stationary basics to moving basics to working with a partner then into sparring. It took time, but hey, back then we had nothing but time, compared to this fast pace world we find ourselves in today.


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## jks9199 (Nov 15, 2008)

I was looking for an example of this kata... and came across this:



> The kata called Ten no Kata, explained in this book, was created and designed under the leadership and guidance of Master Funakoshi. It is a kata unique to the Shotokai and is proudly cherished by all of us, his students.
> 
> Master Funakoshi felt that, rather than a great variety of kata, it is more important to take a limited number and practice them thoroughly and precisely, This way of thinking can be regarded as basic to the Shotokai.
> ...
> To return to Ten no Kata, it should first be noted that it is not necessarily an introductory kata and nothing more. Rather, it is meant to be both a kata and a continuous practice of basics. It is well suited to those who have practiced the traditional fifteen kata to the point where they have more or less mastered them and wish to further hone their skills.



Just thought y'all might be interested... and it might spark some discussion.


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## seasoned (Nov 19, 2008)

After spending many years in MA I have found it rather refreshing to delve back into the first teachings of my instructor to try and grasp something I may have missed while a white belt. It is funny how your eyes can be opened in a new way with old material. That quest for another kata can be quenched by taking what you already know and looking at it with a renewed enlightenment. Ten no kata was the first drill we learned along with kata Sanchin. Looking back I can safely say that these two kata were the foundation for my many years of training.


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## jnguyen (Jan 13, 2009)

As a karateka I practiced the heck out of the Taikyoku Shodan/nidan. Yes my style was Shotokan.  I believe that the tennokatas are an essential part of learning the basics, the nuances, the feel of karate for a beginner. If you do not master the basics, then you will have a poor foundation to build upon. 

When it came to sparring my nickname was bread and butter. Although i was the lowest belt in my dojo that was allowed to spar (there was no one else with the same kyu), I won many matches, even against higher belts because i knew the basics and I did them well.

I would like to think i took the time to try and understand the art through the katas. Not just speed through to a blackbelt. this is what I feel was the most valuable thing my sensei taught me.

just my 2 cents.

- Justin


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## Grenadier (Jan 13, 2009)

Back when I was with Shotokan Karate, our school taught Taikyoku kata first, and once someone had a proficiency with those, they were ready to learn the Heian series.  

We didn't use Ten No.


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