The Pinan / Heian Kata Series as a Fighting System: Part 3
Welcome to part three of this series of articles. In the first part of this series we looked at the background of the Pinan...
Willie Lim Kata Training is Outside the System
When I was training in TKD I was young and eager, an like so many others, interested only in the free sparring. In my...
The Other Way of Sanchin Kata
Many karate systems teach the Sanchin kata as an external training method to strength-condition practitioners with a series of breath-controlled tensions. This mainstream understanding...
Nunti Bo: The bo with the sai on the end
In Isshin-ryu we have three bo (long staff) kata. About 20 years ago I was pondering a particular characteristic of one of them. Let...
Hyung: The Hidden Secrets of Tae Kwon Do
Many black belts and students of Tae Kwon Do don’t realize the devastating self-defense applications that are hidden within every hyung (forms) taught in...
Willie Lim Unlocks Martial Arts Truths
Willie Lim likes nothing better than to unlock martial arts truths. He is demystifying martial arts, shattering illusions that many would like to keep...
The Basics of Bunkai Part 7
This series of articles explores the basics of "bunkai" (kata application). Over the last six parts we've been discussing the fundamentals of this vitally...
10 Ways to Become a Kata Champion
There are many factors that officials look for when judging kata. Following are 10 tips from Christine Bannon-Rodrigues that should help you excel at...
The Pinan / Heian Kata Series as a Fighting System: Part 4
Welcome to part four of this Pinan / Heian Series of articles on the Pinan and Heian katas as a fighting system. In the...
The Wall of Silence: Vital Points in Kata
Prior to WW II there were several publications which discussed vital points and how they could be used to knock out or kill a...
The Function of Kata Training
History
An elaborate code of movements of the arms and hands, and a flowing posturing of the body, "kata", meaning form, model or structure, uses...
Master Willie Lim Analyzing and Interpreting Kata
Master Willie Lim is known for his expertise at analyzing and interpreting kata and he has traveled around the world making a difference in our understanding...
Katas: Closing the Skill Gap
Although they are often derided by the uninitiated for their perceived lack of practicality, the katas are the key to ensuring karate remains a...
Naihanchi’s Mook Jong Drills – Karate’s Hidden Wooden Dummy Techniques
Naihanchi or Tekki kata is one of several traditional Chinese-Okinawan karate katas whose origins have been lost over the centuries. While the Naihanchi kata...
Kata Training: Practice Kata Correctly
This translation originally appeared in Vol. 29, No. 1 of the Hiroshima University of Economics Journal of Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences.
Translator's Introduction
Over the...
Tegumi – Karate’s Forgotten Range
It is believed that the native wrestling art of Tegumi, along with the Kempo systems brought to Okinawa by the Chinese, were forerunners of...