The Complete Guide to GKR Karate

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What is kata?

“A Kata is like a poem from a Zen Master: compact, elegant, full of meaning, worthy of reflection.”

Kata is a Japanese term meaning mold, model, style, shape, form, or data-type. A karate kata is a set number of basic techniques arranged in order. The closest relatives of the karate kata in other sports are shadow boxing, dancing, and gymnastics floor routines.

Studied and practiced properly, kata provides a way for demonstrating and expressing various styles. While at the same time, it provides an excellent means to sharpen self-defense techniques. Kata also preserves various techniques created by the masters from the past. Kata is karate's soul. It is also the backbone that shapes karate's form, meaning and beauty.

Kata probably came from two origins: folk-dances converted to fighting and remembered battles and fighting methods. Kata evolved to be the central theme of fighting training in China and Okinawa.

Each kata has its own character. Some kata have a very heavy, solid, and robust feeling to them. Other kata have a quick, light feeling to them and require acrobatics. Some are more graceful and flowing in nature, and others are performed very slowly with great muscle tension. Each and every technique is executed as if it were the only technique to be performed - maximized to its fullest. Each kata is designed to teach a central principle or a set of common techniques. Through kata, we learn proper stance, focus and transition between techniques.

The kata may be studied in a narrow yet deep fashion where the performer's only concern is technical perfection and the expression of elegantly blending beauty and technical precision. The kata may also be studied more broadly such that the hidden powers of the kata are revealed to the performer and are bestowed upon him for his utility. The kata may also simply be used to exercise one’s body, mind and spirit.