kata for tournaments

[student_karateka]

Hi All

I am a 4th Kyu student. I am trying to decide if I should keep Pinon Shodan as my tournament kata or move on to something more "advanced" like bassai dai. I do also like Seisan which might be considered somewhere between Pinon Shodan and Bassai Dai. My question is should I continue using Pinon Shodan now that I'm getting closer to 1st Kyu (and eventually my Sho Dan hopefully) or should I switch my tournament kata to something more complex. I really like Pinan Shodan and have won with it though it may be time to move on.

[Wastelander]

What kata are being run by your competition? You should be comparable to them, so if they're all running Pinan kata, then Pinan Shodan is fine, if it's your best kata. If they're running Seisan and Passai, then you'll probably need to step up.

[Harkon72]

It sounds obvious, but it's not the kata you do; it's how you do it. Good Luck.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Like wastelander said what kata are they specifying you can or cannot do?

are you good with Bassai Dai + Seisan? I mean do you know the full pattern for both and make them look strong and timing is good?

If Pinan Shodan is your best kata go for it. But depending on the type of tournament that you are competing in.

[sensei8]

I'm of the opinion that your kata should reflect your rank! If you're a 4th kyu, and you do Pinan Shodan, I'm going to score you quite low off the bat, and it'll be up to you to make me score you any higher. And, God forbid, if you chose to perform Pinan Shodan as a 4th kyu and don't show marked abilities for it; I'd be forced to give you either a pass or the lowest score I can muster.

[Nidan Melbourne]

I'm of the opinion that your kata should reflect your rank! If you're a 4th kyu, and you do Pinan Shodan, I'm going to score you quite low off the bat, and it'll be up to you to make me score you any higher. And, God forbid, if you chose to perform Pinan Shodan as a 4th kyu and don't show marked abilities for it; I'd be forced to give you either a pass or the lowest score I can muster.

I agree. I spoke to a friend of mine recently who is a fairly High Level (1 Below WKF Level) Referee for both Kata and Kumite and said Pinan Shodan Depending on how well it is done scores moderately but then again Bassai Dai and Seisan score higher due to the 'extra' technical requirements in both which is in relation to difficulty

[wayneshin]

I'm of the opinion that your kata should reflect your rank! If you're a 4th kyu, and you do Pinan Shodan, I'm going to score you quite low off the bat, and it'll be up to you to make me score you any higher. And, God forbid, if you chose to perform Pinan Shodan as a 4th kyu and don't show marked abilities for it; I'd be forced to give you either a pass or the lowest score I can muster.

I agree. I spoke to a friend of mine recently who is a fairly High Level (1 Below WKF Level) Referee for both Kata and Kumite and said Pinan Shodan Depending on how well it is done scores moderately but then again Bassai Dai and Seisan score higher due to the 'extra' technical requirements in both which is in relation to difficulty

Your Instructor is the best person to advise you of this because it very much depends on the tournament circuit you are entering. Nidan Melbourne is correct. “Technical Difficulty” is one of the judging criteria for kata under WKF rules. Further under WKF rules you would be wearing a blue or a red belt so the referees would not know what rank you were.

However many/most referees do not like to see a competitor performing a kata that is clearly beyond their level and abilities and will judge them accordingly.