Could This EVER Happen?

[sensei8]

Hypothetical...

Could someone, in your opinion, enter into an open tournament having less than one year of training in totality and then WIN four Kata Grand Championships in the Black Belt Division?

[Lupin1]

I think so. Some people are just really good athletes. They have a very good understanding of the human body and movement and can put together strong, precise movements quickly. I think someone like that who trained very hard every day for a year could have a decent chance at winning a black belt kata championship.

[Jeffrey]

I think so. Some people are just really good athletes. They have a very good understanding of the human body and movement and can put together strong, precise movements quickly. I think someone like that who trained very hard every day for a year could have a decent chance at winning a black belt kata championship.

I agree with Lupin1. There is nothing stopping someone from pacticing 8 hours a day or more on just Kata. I think that person would be pretty darn good at Kata.

[Toptomcat]

It also depends on the field of competitors. Just because a tournament is open doesn't mean it's particularly large.

[DWx]

They could do depends on a lot of things like whats been said.

Their background for a start. People who are used to doing sports already tend to find the transition easier. I've found people who dance can pick up kata sequences pretty quickly and can then spend their time perfecting the "routine".

Also on the quality of tournament/competitors. Grand tournament don't mean its going to be top quality.

[tallgeese]

I'd agree for all of the above reasons.

Also, that single kata might be the only thing this individual has practiced for a whole year. If it's been his priority of training, or sole training, it's entirely possible.

By the time most of us spread out our training sessions to be well rounded, we've diluted the total time spent on each aspect. Some people might not be interesed in well rounded and choose to focus on a single aspect.

[sensei8]

Good points thus far.

Lets change the hypothetical from an open tournament TO an International Tournament, i.e. ISKF or AAU, and everything else in the hypothetical remains constant...could it EVER happen....then?

At an ISKF tournament, for example, the following would have to be followed to the nth degree...

(b) Types of Kata to be performed

(i) Shitei kata: Heian Nidan, Heian Sandan, Heian Yondan, Heian Godan and Tekki Shodan.

 

(ii) Sentei kata: Bassai-dai, Kanku-dai, Enpi, and Jion

 

(iii) Tokui Kata: Choice of contestant, but may be restricted based on age and/or rank.

Could the hypothetical EVER happen?

[Toptomcat]

This isn't really a hypothetical question, is it?

[tonydee]

So much depends on the instructor. The very best instructors simplify their teaching down to the essentials, can provide very direct tailored advice, and are incredibly productive at moulding promising students into good practitioners. Kata require a lot less experience than sparring, so if the instructor directs the student exclusively towards kata their progress can be very high. That's despite kata typically involving more distinct techniques than are seen in many school's tournament sparring. I don't imagine this happening unless the instructor's trying to make a point though - proving he or she can get a students to that standard that fast - as it suggests neglecting many other aspects of the student's development and taking attention away from other students.

Cheers,

Tony

[DWx]

I can't remember the exact details (or even if its true) but my instructor once told me of a student that some guy had trained almost exclusively to break boards for competition. The student only had a yellow belt (8th gup and minimum belt needed to compete) yet they were beating blackbelts in the nationals..

If someone's being trained all day every day for a year to perfect just those kata it doesn't seem that far fetched for them to win.