Kata Tempo?

[vicotto]

I'm 54 years old this week and half way to my black belt in Shotokan. I, along with my Sensei have noticed that I'm pretty darn good in performing kata. My concern is...because of my age, I can't perform a kata at the blazing speed that seems to be the norm nowadays. Will that put me at a disadvantage when being judged? I see videos of Karate masters from 50+ years ago and they seem to have a much slower pace than now...what gives?

[Wastelander]

Young people think speed is impressive, therefore they run kata very quickly. The pace should be natural for you and for the applications you practice. The head of my system doesn't do his kata all that quickly, and it works out fine for him:

Could slower kata mean lower scores in competition? Possibly, if you have younger judges, or people who just like to see speed. If your body mechanics are correct, your technique is clean, and your focus is strong, you should be fine.

[CredoTe]

In addition to what Wastelander mentioned, I would only add that those who tend to perform kata with speed in mind tend to perform kata very sloppily and inaccurately. As an instructor and practitioner, I would much rather see a more natural paced kata that contained correct technique while all the foundational concepts were maintained (tanden, shime, gamaku, tenshin, etc)...

[CredoTe]

Young people think speed is impressive, therefore they run kata very quickly. The pace should be natural for you and for the applications you practice. The head of my system doesn't do his kata all that quickly, and it works out fine for him:

[...]

Good video Wastelander... BTW, so I take it your branch of Shorin-ryu is Shobayashi-ryu (the term used to designate between the line from Matsumura and the line continued by Chosin Chibana and his decendents)?

[Wastelander]

Young people think speed is impressive, therefore they run kata very quickly. The pace should be natural for you and for the applications you practice. The head of my system doesn't do his kata all that quickly, and it works out fine for him:

[...]

Good video Wastelander... BTW, so I take it your branch of Shorin-ryu is Shobayashi-ryu (the term used to designate between the line from Matsumura and the line continued by Chosin Chibana and his decendents)?

Kobayashi-Ryu, actually--Nakazato Sensei was a student of Chibana Sensei, and carried on his teachings.

As far as pacing goes, our "standard" pace is relatively slow, and I often have to force myself to slow down because I tend to move at application speed. Here is a video I recorded of myself running Naihanchi Shodan at our standard pace--it's much less impressive than Nakazato Sensei's demonstration, and I have a lot to fix, but it gives you the idea of how our count typically goes:

[CredoTe]

[...]

Kobayashi-Ryu, actually--Nakazato Sensei was a student of Chibana Sensei, and carried on his teachings.

As far as pacing goes, our "standard" pace is relatively slow, and I often have to force myself to slow down because I tend to move at application speed. Here is a video I recorded of myself running Naihanchi Shodan at our standard pace--it's much less impressive than Nakazato Sensei's demonstration, and I have a lot to fix, but it gives you the idea of how our count typically goes:

AH! Kobayashi-Ryu... duh! Thanks for the correction Shobayashi was Chotoku Kyan's line... I forget myself sometimes...lol

Great video share... your performance was very focused and determined...

Actually, the Te (Ti) expert that has taken me on as a student (I mentioned in other threads) has adapted his Naihanchi kata to the Kobayashi way even though his core style is Matsubayashi like me. After all, Chibana Osensei was a great Te (Ti) master...

IMHO, the Naihanchi kata are some of the most important foundational / conceptual kata in all of Shorin-ryu based systems...

[lowereastside]

When the older Master's perform - at demo's - they demo for the audience not the Judges. I much more prefer to watch the old Master's Demo - not that I don't enjoy the younger group doing their Katas - but a lot can be learned by watching the older folks perform - I look for focus - precision in the execution of techniques - breath control - transition of movement - body structure and so on......

[mal103]

Speed of executing the technique should be quick unless a slow move of couse. Speed of each move should be normal rythm. Each Shotokan kata has a time guide.

It would be fair to give older students a bit more time but i dare say when you have progressed to Shodan that you will be faster...

Watch Kanazawa Sensei for a good tempo, he's still going strong and must be near 80

[Harkon72]

Speed of execution of Kata should not increase with grade. A Kata should have its own individual rhythm; to be honest, doing a Kata slowly can be more of a challenge.

[Harlan]

There is something to be said for the idea that 'the faster the feet, the slower the hands (can be)'. But generally, I think, a kata should be as fast or slow as it needs to be to be effective. If the portion of the kata is meant for instruction, vs a complete response to violence (an entire sequence), then who is to say what the 'proper' speed is?