I teach martial arts. Is it OK for someone to create their own Katas?

Question

I teach Martial arts. I have been learning since 1984, I have been teaching since 2000...I want to create new Katas to bring in something fresh/new to my students and school. My system is a hybrid of trad. Kung Fu and Kempo Karate...what is your opinions, serious replies please thanks

Answer 1

Kata were created to catalog the real applications in such a way that those watching the kata could not discern it true use. Kata allowed all the real applications to be handed down from one generation to the next.  If you do not know the bunkai (the real Bunkai) then it makes not difference if you teach the old kata or just make up some new ones.  

Best thing would be to learn the real bunkai of what you already have.

Answer 2

I think it is a great way to keep things fresh. I would use caution to not give up the traditional ones as the are the distillation of many masters experience. When making up a Kata make sure it represents a real combat situation or series of situations that naturally flow and make sense one from another. We require as part of our black belt test that the candidate make up a Kata. The Kata is judged by a panel of our instructors and graded. We sometimes invite other masters from surrounding schools to judged as well even if their art is different.

Answer 3

So, you're saying you are a Black Belt 3rd degree in Karate.

Black Belt 3rd + degree in Kung Fu.

And same for Kempo?

If you start adding your Katas, I would highly rec commend not teaching them to beginners. Only to Black Belts.

Let them master one first.

For yourself, and your own personal use, sure why not.

For yourself, to develop a new hybrid martial art, ask permission from your masters, where you trained

out of the courtesy and respect personally and for the art.

Answer 4

The purpose of Katas is to perfect your movements and form.  If you can think of ways that will help that why not create your own?  I took white tiger Kempo which is quite similar to American Kempo.  One of the things a blackbelt had to do was create an effective Kata that would help themselves and others to improve.  So in otherwords you are experienced you know what will help other's so start with one if it seems to work do more.

Answer 5

Think about the context of your students.  Everything you show them should be new to them.  If you are tired of teaching the same old stuff, the new katas would be more for you than for them.

Answer 6

Is it your system or the system you teach? Does the hybrid system itself have their own traditional katas? If they don't, I don't see a reason in throwing one in there. If they do, I would make sure the one you are adding is taught in addition to, not in place of, the traditional katas. There's a reason they are there in the first place. If it is "your" system then you don't need our approval to modify what you are teaching, now do you? Good luck man!

Answer 7

I've been learning karate for a few months, orange belt so far, apparently there are 24 kata in our particular schooling method, that's enough for me for now. But, I don't see why an advanced teacher shouldn't create new kata. Whether they'd become more widely adopted would depend on the teacher's teachers. More to the point, if you're doing hybrid arts then there aren't really any rules, it's all a mashup you can do what you will.

Answer 8

If you are a "traditionalist," I would say "no."

If you are a "modernist," I would say "Go for it!"

Instead of kata, why not create patterns, applications, sets, etc?

These could be modified at any time and in any way and then you would still instill the "importance" and respect for Kata that is a big element of traditional styles.

That is just my suggestion..but then again.... I lean more towards being a "traditionalist"...

Answer 9

That is a interesting question.  One that has been thrown around for many years.  Kata's were originally designed(years before outsiders of Okinawa)  as a method to teach movements, principles and basics.  There were not any movies, video or cameras available at that time, so kata was a method of keeping record.  One movement in kata can have many meanings or applications.  Katas do change, a little bit at a time, even without the intention of change.  Change happened when it was introduced to Japan.  (by the way,( Okinawans are not Japanese, they are an island people).  When I watch, which is not often, USKA  on television.  I see all this shouting, spinning, flashing of weapons, kiaing til the cows come home and feel sorry for the original art to have fallen so low.  While not a karateka, I have seen some of the best from Okinawa and am glad the old sensei's don't have to see what has become of their beloved art.  So in answer to your question.  Yes, change can be good but it must be carefully researched, and thought out.  It should teach a principle, purpose or meaning.  This answer is not intended to offend anyone.  There are many people in this country who mean well and truly love what they were taught.  One of the people who would be able to answer you best would be Patrick McCarthy. If you wish to get the best possible answer/assistance, in your quest.  (google him)

Answer 10

Hi there

Yes it can be a good thing but it can also be a bad one.

The key here lies in the practitioner and their experience.

Kata when broken down and trained correctly teach certain principles. They were never created to be done parrot fashion or a large series of combos slung together. That's just our lack of knowledge when we train in them. Which brings me back to my first point about experience. If you feel you can create a Kata that teaches real fighting principles that are missing in your traditional forms then its worth giving some thought. But then again why not just teach the application? If on the other hand you want to do it to make up a new routine for people to practise then there's really no point. Kata were created to hide the secrets over the ages. That's one of the reasons for their existence. Today we have no reason to hide techniques form anybody?

Generally the modern way of training kata has gone to pot and in most cases a waste of the practitioners time because their practising something without any explanation. Fighting has never been static, ridgid or perfect. Its a messy business. Extracting the principles from the forms and making them your own is what kata is really all about.

Best wishes

idai

Answer 11

Why not? As long as the sequences "make sense" and are applicable. I've been out of formal martial arts training for a long time, but I still "freestyle" or practice techniques, tactics, and exercises that I think are suited for my self defense needs.

Answer 12

Why not, especially with Kempo, which is a purely American MMA to begin with.  Out of all the Karate/TKD/Kung Fu based arts, I have always respected Kempo for it's diversity and incorporation of other styles.

Yes, Kempo has a distinct Japanese root, but so much has been made American and diverse, that incorporates new things, this is how a martial art evolves.

I teach Krav Maga, which is constantly evolving and adopting new techniques, which we make our own.  I am also a Combat SAMBO student, another MMA, based in Judo and evolved over years.  When I came to the US, I first studied Kempo, which was very good, as all Kempo teachers improvise and add their own specialties to the art.  Yes there is a base, but there is also the personal knowledge and experience of the instructor, which it is your duty to give to your students.

A martial art evolves or dies, keep your art alive, keep it moving to reflect current times and battlefield conditions.

Answer 13

My BIGGEST problem with self designed Kata's is that they are OVERDONE: either too long, too hard, too showy.

I would definitely encourage you to try, but take time to really design a kata that focus specific form, stance, attack or defense. A well balanced kata will have these and probably a few other characteristics.

Also, don't start teaching your students the new forms until you have perfected the system yourself. I think you will agree, there is nothing worse than a confused instructor.

Answer 14

Why do you need more Kata? If everyone who trained made up their own kata, before you know it, there would be hundreds of  thousands of kata. What is the purpose? It is much much better to practice one kata 10,000 times than to practice a thousand kata a few hundred times each. Only when one has fully digested the kata through many repetitions does the true meaning and value of the kata make itself manifest. 5-10 thousand times is minimum for anyone to really understand a kata and reap the rewards. Merely memorizing the moves of a kata is meaningless.

Answer 15

of course. All katas were created by someone after all. Some were well known fighters or famous people, but some were not. We can't even be sure who is responsible for some of them. maybe some unknown fishermen in a peasant village who a monk saw practising one day and then claimed it for himself.

if you think you have something to teach, teach it.

That's the calling.

Answer 16

If you want to see how much so called traditionalists have messed around with kata go to you tube and run thru the matsubayashi kata  then run thru the shotokan kata then the chito ryu kata .

When comparing them realize that pinan kata are the same as heian kata with a name change.

All these changes were made between 1890 and 1920 hardly long enough to become a "tradition" and the kata on which they are based are okinawan versions of white crane kung fu mantis kung fu and shantung black tiger kung fu forms.

So you see there isn't any tradition of keeping things as they are taught for ever and ever but each society has made changes that reflect their societys view of the art.

If you have put in the time and have the experience and understand the rules of creating good kata go ahead.A book that may help you is THE WAY OF KATA.Has all the guide lines and rules that can be applied to any system.