Kata Standardization Notes

These are notes on where the current JKA/ISKF standard practice differs from what appears in the Best Karate books, or where there is an apparent internal contradiction in the texts. I also discuss differences with the "blue videos" when there is a notable issue. Of course, the general principles of kime (focus), zanchin (attention, mental focus), balance, relaxation, power, control, etc. are most important. But there is value in standardization, and it's essential for competition as well to distinguish errors in performance from differences in intended practice.

• Bassai Dai (Best Karate 6)
  • Step 6 no longer involves a low sweep and retraction of the fist to the ear before blocking. It is now performed with the fist at shoulder height throughout the movement.
  • The blocks in steps 11 and 13 are no longer so large. For a time, the practice was to retract the fist from the punch straight back to its final blocking position. Current practice is now halfway between the two, with some windup for the block. This is the same issue in Kanku Dai steps 7 and 9.
  • As with Bassai Sho, there is some confusion on step 18. The picture appears to show a shift to zenkutsu-dachi, but the text specifies an in-line stance. The video also shows a shift to zenkutsu-dachi although it appears that the back foot adjusts as well, rather than simply pivoting. Current practice is to adjust to zenkutsu-dachi. This however should result in the end point of the kata being slightly to the left of the starting point and all kata are supposed to end at the same point as they begin.
  • Current practice for steps 23-24 is to make a short stance for 23 and lengthen to a normal front stance for 24, rather than making two normal stances plus shuffling forward.
  • Step 25a is shown with a deep, long stance, described as in line, but pictured a bit wider. Current practice is to perform a normal front stance in line.
  • Steps 33-35 are done with an in-line stance in current practice and the book, although the video appears to show a wider stance.

• Bassai Sho (Best Karate 9)
  • Step 1a is now done with the hands winding up approximately 45 degrees to the rear, rather than a full 90 degrees. That does entail a different application however than what is illustrated.
  • Step 1b is now done with the hips full front facing
  • Step 2a and 2b are done with moderate speed and somewhat gently. The Best Karate description of "slow, powerfully" is not really evocative of the performance shown in the video. Also, current practice is to drop the stance lower for step 2b, which is not how the move is shown in Best Karate or the video
  • Step 16 shows a widening of the stance from kokutsu dachi to zenkutsu dachi. However, the foot chart shows just a rotation of the heels, which would entail mae hizza yaya kussu. On the other hand, the text describes the stance as zenkutsu dachi. On the other hand, the text says "same as Bassai Dai 18, 19", which indeed shows mae hizza yaya kussu. Current practice is to widen the stance in both katas to zenkutsu dachi. The video also seems to show a widening to zenkutsu dachi.
  • Step 20a and similar steps show a sweeping inside forearm block at face level. The video shows a lower block, with the fist no higher than the shoulder. Current practice is a face-level block.
  • As with steps 2a-b, the final steps 26 and 27 are a bit lighter and faster in the video than the description "slow, powerfully" would indicate. That description seems best to me for the outside wedge block in Jion for example, but this move appears to have a very different character.
  • There is a strange printer's artifact on step 27 with the final photograph in the bottom sequence for the step. The hand positions are incorrect and reversed. I'm hard pressed to figure out how this happened, since it's a different picture than any of the others and it's not a simple problem of the negative being flipped, since the feet are in the correct position with the body facing the correct position relative to the previous photos in the sequence. When correctly shown, the right hand winds up above the left.

• Chinte (Best Karate 9)
  • Best Karate has fudo-dachi indicated for steps 26 and 27, even though the pictures look like zenkutsu-dachi. It seems a good argument for zenkutsi-dachi could also be made by comparison with the other combinations in the kata where it seems to be concentrating on the power achieved in gyaku techniques by switching from fudo-dachi to zenkutsu-dachi. The video also appears to have a shift to zenkutsu-dachi, although it's done very fast and so it isn't crystal clear to me. But the weight of evidence in total appears clear, since the shift in stance is also current practice.
  • For step 18 (double down block in one legged stance), the text says that steps 16-18 should be continuous and fast, as does the tempo diagram on page 14. However, in the video it is performed slowly, as is current practice. The page 14 diagram is also a bit disappointing, in that it also lists steps 14-16 as "slow, powerfully", which although not contradicted by the text, is not confirmed by it, and is contradicted by the video, and different from current practice.

• Empi (Best Karate 7)
  • Step 35 is shown as "hizza kussu" or in-line front stance. However, the picture appears closer to Sochin stance (fudodachi) and is often taught that way. The back leg also appears bent in the video, as in fudodachi.

• Hangetsu (Best Karate 7)
  • Step 40 shows a low punch but current practice is to do a mid-level punch. The video looks like it has something between a low and mid-level punch.

• Heian Sandan (Best Karate 5)
  • Note that the kicks in 12, 14 and 16 are fumikomi (stamping kick), which is only mentioned in the details at the end of the kata, rather than in the main description.
  • Steps 19 and 20 show the fist in a diagonal orientation. At different points it has been taught as vertical or flat. I need to check on what current practice is.

• Heian Godan (Best Karate 5)
  • Step 11 is described as a middle-level punch, but the path of travel of the fist in both the video and book show what appears to be a hammer fist. I need to ask how current practice is described.
  • For step 20, the vertical distance is most important, but it is not a jump in place. In fact the horizontal distance travelled means that the right foot winds up the length of two front stances distant from its starting point. A shorter travel will entail ending at a different point on the floor from where one begins.

• Jiin (not in the Best Karate books)
  • There are many issues in this kata, since they don't appears in the Best Karate books.
  • Kanazawa does the reverse block of the blue video (and current ISKF practice) in the openning move.
  • The blue video shows a backstance at the downblock at step 8, but current practice and Kanazawa's (non-ISKF) video shows front stance.
  • Current practice for the final punch is jodan then chudan. But the blue video shows chudan, chudan.
  • The blue video and current practice is to end with the right leg withdrawing to the left, but a stance analysis clearly shows that one will wind up too far to the left. Kanazawa withdraws left foot to the right, although this still will result in a position slightly to the left of the starting point.

• Jion (Best Karate 8)
  • In step 35 current practice is to rotate the left wrist so the palm faces forward, as in a rising block. It's hard to determine what is done in the video in this step since the left fist is hidden by the right.
  • In steps 46 and 47 is current practice to have the guard hand closer to the face? I'll need to ask.

• Kanku Dai (Best Karate 6)
  • Steps 7 and 9 have the same issue as Bassai Dai steps 11 and 13. The block is now halfway between a straight retraction of the fist and a full retraction for an outside block.
  • Steps 40 and 41 look rather high for a chudan-level punch. Chudan is specified in the text and is current practice.
  • Step 44 is done in the picture, video and current practice as a lower than normal backstance. The text says "hikume", which means "low", but wasn't translated.
  • I think there is a change in current practice with step 55 but I will have to check.

• Sochin (Best Karate 10)
  • Sochin does not appear to have any clear problems in the text, or differences between the book, video, and current practice.

• Tekki Shodan (Best Karate 5)
  • Steps 9b and 23b appear to show a backfist strike, but it is described as ura-zuki (close punch). The video also appears to show strictly a downward motion, as with uraken (backfist strike), rather than any upward motion as would be the case with a close punch. The detail pictures in figure 4 at the end of the kata also strangely appear to show a backfist while describing it as a close punch. Current practice is a backfist.