Good work out last night, everyone! For many of you it was your first introduction to “Kata” and you did very well. Always remember to keep an idea of realism in your kata. This helps to keep it fresh and energetic. Here are a couple of quotes from our Shintani Federation grading manual regarding kata:

“KATA Meaning – The kata is an artistic presentation in which all movement is defense and counter attack, and put together in a refined manner with no wasted effort. Karate is and concentrates on defense.”

“Adult division kata will be judged bearing in mind two qualities: Artistic Impression and Technical Merit. Technical merit will examine the fundamental concepts of the Kata, and artistic impression will examine the effort and spirit of the competitor.”

With those thoughts in mind, always perform your kata, and the other techniques during the workout, with great effort and spirit. The manner in which you train will be reflected in the way in which you defend yourself if a situation arises. Remember, practice DOES NOT make perfect. Practice makes PERMANENT! Only Perfect Practice makes Perfect. If you have a question about anything please don’t hesitate to ask a sensei. They are our teachers and they love to help.

See you next week.