Looking for a kata...

[LastKing]

Which is suitable to teach a 10 year old.

She's really good, the best probably I've seen in our club. But our katas are all non-standard and pretty much invented. I want her (and the rest of our club) to learn some real kata, but more specifically, I want to teach her one which is more feminine, and includes a jump. Not too long, not too complex, but pretty.

Any ideas?

[sensei8]

Some questions first...

1) What's her style??

2) Does the Kata have to be style specific??

3) What's her experience/rank??

I'm slightly at loss because I've never heard about any Kata being feminine!!

Some Kata's that have jumps...

A) Chatanyara Kusanku

B) Unsu

C) Empi

D) Pinan Godan

[P.A.L]

based on what we know about your karate club, if you gonna go ahead with Shotokan then I think Heian Godan is what you looking for. it has the grace of slow moves and the jump.

JKA has lots of videos of Heian Godan, as well as Sensei Kanazawa. the original form Pinan Godan from Okinawa doesn't have the jump.

[sensei8]

based on what we know about your karate club, if you gonna go ahead with Shotokan then I think Heian Godan is what you looking for. it has the grace of slow moves and the jump.

JKA has lots of videos of Heian Godan, as well as Sensei Kanazawa. the original form Pinan Godan from Okinawa doesn't have the jump.

No, but it does have the jump nonetheless.

[JR 137]

Pinan 3 has a jump at the end in some styles.

[LastKing]

First off, thanks guys for the suggestions, and, like the best bar-keeps, thanks for remembering me and what I was rambling on about last time I was in.

Sensei8, my club is freestyle, but based on Shotokan. We do five kata which, as far as I can tell, were taught to my sensai in the 70s, though probably messed around with before his time, though share names with actual kata.

We have two kata which, we were told by our original sensai, were feminine kata, as is, the moves were slow, graceful, and on the whole the kata were considered "soft" rather than "hard".

It's hard to say what level the girl is as the belts in our kids clubs, best I can tell, have been given for time served rather than actual ability. She's a purple belt as is, but her kata, to my mind is certainly brown belt - and probably adult brown belt to boot. She's less confident in other aspects - techniques, some kihon, but kata-wise, she is head and shoulders over anyone in the club. But then again, our styles are totally different. She has real grace, like a dancer. She lacks traditional kata snap, but has precision of movement. I think she could really excel and want to give her a kata which is recognised so can be compared outside the club. Also I'd like one which will play to her strengths, not be too daunting, and give her something new which she can get her teeth into. Hope that clears it up.

Edited October 1, 2019 by LastKing

[Chunmonchek]

Is part of your goal to improve her atemi/focus? If so, I would recommend Kata Gekisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai Dai Ni. Their benefits include:

1. They are recognized and well known kata

2. They were originally formulated to bridge the gap/give common ground to both Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu practitioners, but did not, in my mind, accomplish their original purpose.

3. While fairly simple in practice, they are very practical in nature.

4. They are a great platform to improve/enhance the "snap" in striking, blocking and kicking.

[LastKing]

Thanks for that. The best I can.put it is she has grace and poise, and she can move through her kata with ease. She hasn't quite got the speed, when required, or the atemi, though, but that will come. She quite suits our version of Pinan Nidan (Which is nothing like the actual version of P.N.), and is what I would call a feminine kata. Give me a day or so and I'll video myself doing it, just so you can see what I mean.

[Nidan Melbourne]

To be honest never really thought of kata as Masculine or Feminine. When I think of kata, I think of whether it is Hard or Soft (or a mix of the two).

Like sensei8 said, that those kata have jumps in them. but for me they should have a real sharpness to them.

But on the same token a kata like Chatanyara Kusanku is quite complex. Which you stated is not something you want to do. Although if she is as good as you say she is, you can teach her more complex kata and she should do alright.

[P.A.L]

Thanks for that. The best I can.put it is she has grace and poise, and she can move through her kata with ease. She hasn't quite got the speed, when required, or the atemi, though, but that will come. She quite suits our version of Pinan Nidan (Which is nothing like the actual version of P.N.), and is what I would call a feminine kata. Give me a day or so and I'll video myself doing it, just so you can see what I mean.

probably off topic now but when i was with Shindo jinen ryu (Ryubu kai Karate) there was a kata with feminine attributes like escaping and protecting the chest area. the kata name is SEIRYU ( not a uechi ryu kata). here is a video of Mina Yamazaki doing the kata.

same as your student We had a teenage girl who could mimic any kata in no time. later we found out that she is a great dancer. she didn't last in karate long and moved on with her dancing abilities.