Create a Kata.

[Ironbear24]

Are you creating kata from the kenpo self defense techniques?

Mixing Kenpo techniques with Shou Shu ones in the same kata.

 

[Flying Crane]

Mixing Kenpo techniques with Shou Shu ones in the same kata.

A number of years ago I created a few kata, included kenpo SD techs that were not found in the standard kata. I was in the Tracy lineage, so it was a lot of material. Didn't end up keeping any of it, but was an interesting exercise to go thru.

 

[dancingalone]

Perhaps by reshuffling the movements and placing them in between different stances, strikes, blocks you would learn how to transition better.

Possibly.

We already have linking partner drills for that purpose though where some creativity is encouraged and of course creativity from one person necessitates adaption from the other.

 

[punisher73]

What's interesting is that if you look at a lot of the series of movements in various Okinawan katas, they are VERY similar. It's like the applications/movements were universal to what they all knew and each person took various segments and put them together into their own kata that was passed on.

As to creating your own kata, I think it is a good exercise. It goes to show what all went into creating them. Also, how they are not something mystical or magical. But at its basis what is YOUR purpose for the kata? Is it about applications? Is it about concepts? Is it about body mechanics and power generation methods?

 

[Midnight-shadow]

Pretty much every movie fight scene is technically a kata. After all, what is a kata? A kata in its simplest form is a set series of fighting movements for one or more people to act out. As for creating my own, I would love to create my own staff form but I know I will need a lot more training and studying before I am ready to do that. Maybe in 10-20 years time or so I'll create my own staff form, but until then I'll just keep training.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

There are many different reasons that you may want to create your own forms.

1. You like to bring some new techniques (or principles) into your MA system.
2. You have trained many forms and you like to combine those forms into 1 form.
3. Your style doesn't have form (such as grappling art), you want to create a form so you can train when you are alone.
4. You have many 1 move (or combo) information that's hard to remember without putting into a sequence.
5. You may want to create a form for some dancing group so they can use it for "health" purpose.
6. Personal challenge - It's not easy to create a 20 moves form that the 1st move can set up the 2nd move. the 2nd move can set up the 3rd move, ... the 19th move can set up the 20th move. You will need a very deep MA knowledge to do this task.
7. ...

The following form was created for the 3rd reason (a Chinese wrestling form) and 4th reasons (13 standing postures and a set of combos).

 

[tubby]

So long as you are not simply adding moves to meet a set total, and actually put some thought into how they link together, how you shift weight and how one move set up the next, you may find the process helps a lot with your understanding of the existing patters.

 

[Tez3]

Pretty much every movie fight scene is technically a kata. After all, what is a kata? A kata in its simplest form is a set series of fighting movements for one or more people to act out. As for creating my own, I would love to create my own staff form but I know I will need a lot more training and studying before I am ready to do that. Maybe in 10-20 years time or so I'll create my own staff form, but until then I'll just keep training.

They aren't really, kata are training movements. Think of them more as a predecessor of videos where kata show the movements possible as well as obvious. 'Acting out' kata as if you were fighting, following each movement one after the other is not the best way to look at kata, study the Bunkai and you will get a far better idea of what kata are for.Bunkai - Karate's forgotten 95% | Iain Abernethy

 

[Touch Of Death]

So long as you are not simply adding moves to meet a set total, and actually put some thought into how they link together, how you shift weight and how one move set up the next, you may find the process helps a lot with your understanding of the existing patters.

Every for should have a theme, but you can go through, and practice it for any principle of motion.

 

[oaktree]

I have never created a kata, to me it conjurer's images of fake grandmasters, and fake styles and all that elk.
I have done henka and drills and added possible interpretation and possible add on from other styles when teaching say a technique or possible variation used in the form.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I have never created a kata, to me it conjurer's images of fake grandmasters, and fake styles and all that elk.
I have done henka and drills and added possible interpretation and possible add on from other styles when teaching say a technique or possible variation used in the form.

What is fake about creating a kata? Someone did it for every kata that exists.

 

[oaktree]

What is fake about creating a kata? Someone did it for every kata that exists.

Because most kata in modern times are done by self proclaimed grandmasters who do not understand the foundation of said art they are trying to say they practice.

If you want to base a kata that was created from olden times, you have to also take in consideration that what is often seen isn't the real application of how it is done and in classical Japanese systems the kata is modified to hide the actual application.

Anyway if you want to make up kata then go for it it doesn't effect my training.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Because most kata in modern times are done by self proclaimed grandmasters who do not understand the foundation of said art they are trying to say they practice.

If you want to base a kata that was created from olden times, you have to also take in consideration that what is often seen isn't the real application of how it is done and in classical Japanese systems the kata is modified to hide the actual application.

Anyway if you want to make up kata then go for it it doesn't effect my training.

Actually, many kata are made by people simply working to understand their art better (as evidenced by comments in this thread). Perhaps most of the ones that are shared with students are created by folks who don't understand their art, but that's not the majority of the kata created.

And there are some very strong arguments I've heard for creating new kata for existing arts. Those would include making fine adjustments in movements in the kata to better reflect what has been learned since the kata were originally created. We know much more now than we did even a century ago about how the human body works, what makes it break (repetitive injuries, etc.), and what exposes us to techniques in other styles (less of a consideration in past times when styles were more insular).

 

[Touch Of Death]

I have never created a kata, to me it conjurer's images of fake grandmasters, and fake styles and all that elk.
I have done henka and drills and added possible interpretation and possible add on from other styles when teaching say a technique or possible variation used in the form.

If you believe you will never be good enough to slap a few moves together, you won't be...

 

[Tez3]

all that elk.

do deer do kata?

Because most kata in modern times are done by self proclaimed grandmasters who do not understand the foundation of said art they are trying to say they practice.

That is a massive generalisation which tars a lot of decent instructors as charlatans which they are not.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

If you're creating a kata, the first step should probably be to be clear on what exactly you see the purpose of the kata as being.

We've had a lot of argument on the forum about what the "correct" meaning of kata is. I'd say the best thing is to recognize that different arts and different practitioners use kata for different purposes.

• Some people use kata as a catalog of techniques from the system, organized in such a way as to be convenient for practice.
• Some people use kata as a form of choreography to show how one technique can or should lead naturally to another in actual combat.
• Some people use kata as a way of training certain fundamental body mechanics and movement principles. Realistic application may be indeterminate, ambiguous, or even absent.
• Some people use kata to train techniques in an exaggerated manner, either to emphasize the underlying body mechanics or for exercise purposes
• Some systems use kata with two people. In those cases, the timing and distancing of how the partners move in relationship to each other is likely to be crucial.
• Some people use kata as a form of performance or sportive competition
• Some people use kata as an expression of a given cultural tradition

I'm not going to say that any of these approaches are inherently right or wrong, but they do each require a different composition and emphasis for the kata you create. A form which is designed to isolate certain aspects of body mechanics will likely not contain the details of a realistic choreography of a combat scenario. A kata which is designed to illustrate a realistic combat sequence will probably not wow the audience or win awards at a modern tournament.

TLDR - be clear as to what the purpose of the kata will be before you begin.

 

[oaktree]

Gpseymour,
Having seen countless videos, debates on various internet forums, and self proclaimed grandmasters creating kata majority of seeing are of a low caliber, lack of understanding of the how and why a kata is created. Modification and creating are two different wording. I do one particular way of circle walking that I have modified however, I still practice the traditional way, in Japanese arts we call it henka or variation.

If you want to create your own kata with fireworks and rainbows because you discovered something that the previous grandmaster due to his ignorance then great I don't care it's your business.
And that is my final comment to you Sir on that matter.

 

[oaktree]

If you believe you will never be good enough to slap a few moves together, you won't be...

I can create a kata no problem I don't because I don't put myself in the same level as my teachers or their teachers.

 

[oaktree]

do deer do kata?



That is a massive generalisation which tars a lot of decent instructors as charlatans which they are not.

Come on tez you have been here long enough to see how many people come on this site with creating their own style,own kata, own what ever and our laughed off the site. My how martial talk has become more of a joke since Bob left, no wonder he sold this site it has become pathetic.

 

[Touch Of Death]

If you're creating a kata, the first step should probably be to be clear on what exactly you see the purpose of the kata as being.

We've had a lot of argument on the forum about what the "correct" meaning of kata is. I'd say the best thing is to recognize that different arts and different practitioners use kata for different purposes.

• Some people use kata as a catalog of techniques from the system, organized in such a way as to be convenient for practice.
• Some people use kata as a form of choreography to show how one technique can or should lead naturally to another in actual combat.
• Some people use kata as a way of training certain fundamental body mechanics and movement principles. Realistic application may be indeterminate, ambiguous, or even absent.
• Some people use kata to train techniques in an exaggerated manner, either to emphasize the underlying body mechanics or for exercise purposes
• Some systems use kata with two people. In those cases, the timing and distancing of how the partners move in relationship to each other is likely to be crucial.
• Some people use kata as a form of performance or sportive competition
• Some people use kata as an expression of a given cultural tradition

I'm not going to say that any of these approaches are inherently right or wrong, but they do each require a different composition and emphasis for the kata you create. A form which is designed to isolate certain aspects of body mechanics will likely not contain the details of a realistic choreography of a combat scenario. A kata which is designed to illustrate a realistic combat sequence will probably not wow the audience or win awards at a modern tournament.

TLDR - be clear as to what the purpose of the kata will be before you begin.

You can even group a bunch of techniques you don't like together, and call it your problem technique form. LOL