Wow! Near perfect kata (video)

[ArmorOfGod]

That video is of Sandra Hess competing in one of the French Open tournaments. She is incredible!

AoG

[Cybren]

Maybe it's because i don't compete but to me that looks closer to dancing and some gymnastics than a form?

[Brandon Fisher]

That was a very nice creative form but not quite my thing. I was at national tournament this past weekend and that kind of kata competition took a back seat.

[Zatoichi]

XMA really urks me a little. People without martial arts knowledge see that and say, "WOW! I want to do that!" They join a dojo and are disappointed to see the total opposite of that. Effectiveness vs. Flashiness

XMA has it's place.... on a hollywood film set.

[Brandon Fisher]

XMA really urks me a little. People without martial arts knowledge see that and say, "WOW! I want to do that!" They join a dojo and are disappointed to see the total opposite of that. Effectiveness vs. Flashiness

XMA has it's place.... on a hollywood film set.

Exactly my feeling

[Holland]

She is athletic and crisp...but like those above me I hardly consider that a kata. That was a gymnastics routine perfomed on a spring loaded gymnastics floor.

[ps1]

I'll play devil's advocate:

Her balance was superb, her techniques were crisp, she was very focused, pace seemed point on, and she demonstrated good zanshin. I'm willing to bet she knows many classical kata and can perform them better than most of us. She's in a contemporary division, can you fault her for doing what is necessary to win? Are we to assume she doesn't know how to fight based only on watching this?

[Sohan]

I agree with pendakarshihan1 on the fact that she was very sharp and crisp and that we certainly shouldn't assume she can't fight. However, I personally don't care for musical kata nor the heavy emphasis on acrobatic gymnastics moves--most good MA practitioners would swat her down like a mosquito with some of those aerial tricks. But she is still very exciting to watch, and she certainly puts the ART in martial arts.

Here's a video demonstration put together by Sandra Hess:

Respectfully,

Sohan

[Aodhan]

There are several avenues open to competition anymore. You can stay completely on the traditional side, or you can enter the creative divisions. Currently in the creative divisions, you must do the 540's, 720s, x-outs, etc. to have a chance to win.

However, to do any techniques in the XMA style, you must first learn the basic kicks and punches in a "regular" style. I would almost guarantee that every high level XMA performer you see is also a very good traditional stylist.

For what it's worth, wushu is a very traditional art, and has many of the "flashy" kicks as basic requirements, and nobody ever said "boo" about that. It's only when it was packaged and branded by Mike Chat as "XMA" that people started saying "Whoa! THAT'S not martial arts!"

Everyone thinks that XMA is the latest thing, and will "ruin" traditional MA, but these kicks and flips, etc. have been on the open circuit for 10-15 years. Now we just have a name and a codified system for learning them.

Aodhan

[Zatoichi]

Effectiveness vs. Flashiness

Kyokushin vs. Drunken Kung Fu

XMA is all flash. There is nothing effective about doing a windmill to knock out your opponent. And I will say the same about wushu as well.

BTW Too bad Sandra Hess isn't pretty in the face, if she was she'd have a wonderful career in Holywood. The next female Van Damne?