Quality of Katas on YouTube

[Tettsui]

I'm still fairly new to Kyokushin and was wondering how well executed the katas are on YouTube(The video series with the blue background/floor). I've heard some people say they are okay but not great. On a scale of 1-10 what would you rate them overall? Which katas are done the best?

[Satori]

I would give them a 7.

They're quite good as a reference for the moves to the beginner (and advanced karateka, because we all forgot sometimes :P) but the main thing that bugs me is the lack of spirit. The moves are all there, but as a kata it's unconvincing. Simple example: they tend not to look in the direction of the next move - they'll only look after they've started moving. Also, I find that most techniques aren't as sharp as they should be. Considering they were being filmed for an internation audience, I would have thought they might put a bit more effort into it.

Anyway, they're quite good to watch and you should get a lot out of them. The moves are all there, which is most important for a beginner. I still use those videos as a reference.

Those kata are taken from Matsui's Kyokushin Encyclopedia.

[nzproud]

They are 1000x better than my katas for sure. Sensei Akimoto's katas are very nice.

[kakatootoshi]

Dear Tettsui,
As you say you are new to Kyokushin I have to let you know that the video series you are referring to is from the "encyclopedia" series of Kyokushin. The demonstrators include some of the people who have written Kyokushin history. The moves are broken into counts for easy learning so if you are at an advanced Kata competition you may not get from the video the speed and some other fine points. But at your level these videos are excellent for you at picking up the kata so do not worry about what others say. On the other hand I do not think watching a Kata tournament will help you as these people have learnt all moves count by count as a beginner, perfect them over years and add their personal signature into their execution and you will not be able to appreciate what is "going between the lines" if you cannot first speak the language.

OSU!

[Tameshigiri]

OSU Tettsui.

My advise...Those KATAS are good.

But wait for your Sensei to teach you first, Don't go one step ahead.

Use the YouTube video katas jast as a reference to practice.

[seienchin]

Osu Tettsui. Excellent advice from Tameshigiri - don't rush. The knowledge in a kata is not just knowing what the moves are. The true and valuable knowedge is the movements that embed in your body from lots of repetitions, and from the understanding that you achieve by thos repetitions. Biggest mistake a learner can make is to take on a new kata before the last one is consolidated. Should generally be about one or two kata every 3 months at most.

[Olrac]

Osu Tettsui,
Be carefull watching those clips as the kata's may be slightly different for each organisation.
For Example: I've seen some variations for Gekisai dai on Youtube.

[boldbhoy]

These katas are a good guide for you as you are IKO1 and they are performed by IKO1 karateka.
Tameshigiri is correct of course, don't try to get too far ahead. You can ingrain bad habits, bad techniques etc and your instructor will get a bit annoyed at you maybe.
Let him/her be your guide, and go at their pace. They'll probably know what stage you're at better than you do!
You will also find that at least 1 or 2 of these kata are not 100% accurate as there has been slight adaptations over the years since they were filmed.
Osu!

[orisha66]

Originally Posted by Satori

I would give them a 7.
but the main thing that bugs me is the lack of spirit. The moves are all there, but as a kata it's unconvincing. Simple example: they tend not to look in the direction of the next move - they'll only look after they've started moving. Also, I find that most techniques aren't as sharp as they should be. Considering they were being filmed for an internation audience, I would have thought they might put a bit more effort into it.

Rate a 6
No spirit is the best way to say it. I use them as reference for myself but for an international audience, they could have been alot better.
I wish that the Shihans who are perfoming the kata in the intros were in the video itself. The old masters only know true spirit.

[Tettsui]

I wasn't thinking about rushing through kata, I was curious about why people thought the kata were not good. Still being a beginner, I can't see the subtleties in kata.

Maybe the better question is what makes good kata great?

Osu!

[orisha66]

Spirit, attitude, dynamics of technique.
everything that the student is supposed learn from kata practice is what should be expressed.

[kakatootoshi]

Dear Tettsui,
Oyama Sosai said "The three important things in Kata are 1.Waza no Kanyku (speed of techniques) 2.Chikara no Kyojaku (amount of force) and 3.Iki no Chosei (control of breathing)." To this day I still think they are the best advice for any serious Kata learner. And as a beginner, you should also pay extra attention to the stance, which I think is the single element most beginners do it wrong.

OSU!

[Tameshigiri]

Practicing a technique 100 times is for learning, 1000 times is for knowledge, and 10,000 times is for ownership.

1. Kime - Showing maximum application of power to a specified target
2. Kihon - Basic techniques that are the foundation of the kata
3. Bunkai - Show proper understanding of the kata techniques
4. Zanshin - Continued concentration, even after everything is finished
5. Messen - Eye Focus -Look in the direction of the technique
6. Ibuki - Breath control

[seienchin]

Originally Posted by Tettsui

I wasn't thinking about rushing through kata, I was curious about why people thought the kata were not good. Still being a beginner, I can't see the subtleties in kata.

Maybe the better question is what makes good kata great?

Osu!

You've just gottta read this post from Jap Man in another thread. I just can't say it any better.

http://www.kyokushin4life.com/forums...html#post23129

[bushido spirit]

they r good u can learn from them but not all u have to pick katas with a specefic preformar.......

[Satori]

Since this thread has been bumped anyway, I thought I'd add that after watching the shinkyokushin instructional videos I was very impressed. I thought the katas were performed masterfully (with the exception of sanchin and tensho). I'd rate the shinkyokushin katas, not including sanchin and tensho, at 9-10.

The only thing I would pick on is that they were missing personal interpretation when performed without count. That's not necessarily a bad thing since it's meant to be an instructional video not a tournament prep, but if I had to take away points it would be for that. Very minor issue though.

In conclusion: if you want to study kata from one of the video sets (IKO1 or shinkyokushin) definitely go with shinkyokushin.