Ju No Kata
So-called "Forms of Gentleness," as the ju no kata is referred to, is a grossly misinterpreted standard of Kodokan. As performed in modern-day judo,...
The Torso Method Exercises Transform One’s Taiji
The last of a series of exercises developed by Jou Tsung Hwa at the Taiji Farm, the aim of these subtle, precise, and intensive...
Tegumi – Old Style Karate’s Two Person Exercise
Tegumi or Okinawan grappling and wrestling
Just as a great dish needs a recipe or an extensive trip needs a map, so too does the...
Creativity, Culture, Power Plays and the Dao Of Movement
There are many fields of creativity in the realm of physical movement, but how serious are people in even attempting to reach the very...
10 Ways to Become a Kata Champion
There are many factors that officials look for when judging kata. Following are 10 tips from Christine Bannon-Rodrigues that should help you excel at...
The Basics of Bunkai – Part 6
In this series of articles we've been looking at the basics of "bunkai" (kata application). The purpose of these articles is to introduce the...
Nunti Bo: The bo with the sai on the end
In Isshin-ryu we have three bo (long staff) kata. About 20 years ago I was pondering a particular characteristic of one of them. Let...
Willie Lim: The Rebel Master of Kata Bunkai
Totally Tae Kwon Do magazine recently spoke to Master Willie Lim, a pioneer of the art in New Zealand and a revolutionary in the...
Tegumi – Karate’s Forgotten Range
It is believed that the native wrestling art of Tegumi, along with the Kempo systems brought to Okinawa by the Chinese, were forerunners of...
The Basics of Bunkai – Part 4
Welcome to the fourth part of the basics of bunkai series. "Bunkai" refers to the analysis and the practical application of the techniques of...
Quest For The Truth: The Origin of Tang Soo Do’s Forms
Hwang Kee, founder of Tang Soo Do, claimed to have brought the art's Pyong Ahn forms back from China in the 1930s. That was...
Are Kata Bi-Lateral?
Lately I have been involved in some discussion on why kata (forms) do not appear to be bi-lateral. If you stop and think for...
Kata and Pressure Points
By George Dillman ~ Kata can be compared to a song. The meaning of the song is stated in the lyrics and expressed in...
The Basics of Bunkai – Part 3
In this series of articles we are exploring the basics of bunkai or kata application. The aim of these articles is to open up...
Martial Art Subtleties: The Lessons Kata Teach
The kata were created in such a way that they required careful learning, training and much repetition to acquire the skill and learn the...
The Function of Kata Training
History
An elaborate code of movements of the arms and hands, and a flowing posturing of the body, "kata", meaning form, model or structure, uses...
