All Wado Karate Forum

Hi all!
I am new to this forum, used to read the old one. I guess I will discuss competion Karate most of the time.
My first opinion, - Kata-competition is a waste of time - like competing in music, wihch is better, Mozart or AC/DC?

KarateREF

Hi KarateREF,

edit: sorry karateref, I read it too quickly and guess what you were trying to say. I'm not a fan of kata comp either. However, if you approach it with a 'traditional kata' no music nothing and just do your like a dojo performance there is no harm I guess. Actually, it might be a nice test to see if your body know what to do instead of thinking ahead of the movement. If you get distracted or too nervous, perhaps the body will take over and be able to do kata?

of course, my note is on the nervous, pressure etc elements and not on the development of your kata.

AJ

Hi AJ

I hope and think it is the right forum? I am a qualified WKF Karate Referee (Kumite RefA / KataJA) but still have the opinion that it is very, very difficult to judge and compete in Kata across styles like in EKF / WKF. Almost a waste of time, just my opinion. I know Bob agree.

KarateREF

KarateREF wrote:Hi AJ

I hope and think it is the right forum? I am a qualified WKF Karate Referee (Kumite RefA / KataJA) but still have the opinion that it is very, very difficult to judge and compete in Kata across styles like in EKF / WKF. Almost a waste of time, just my opinion. I know Bob agree.

KarateREF

Hi Karateref,

please see my edited post, I was too quick and read it wrong. In school we call that "guessing reader".

AJ

No problem AJ, some time I go to quick writing and spelling English. I love to that quick in my karate technic...

KarateREF

KarateREF wrote:Hi all!
I am new to this forum, used to read the old one. I guess I will discuss competion Karate most of the time.
My first opinion, - Kata-competition is a waste of time - like competing in music, wihch is better, Mozart or AC/DC?

KarateREF

Excellent theme.

Generally I would say that Wado practitioners who put themselves up in front of a set of judges inside a competitive format probably have to end up performing in a way that betrays their training.

Who’s fault is this?
Is there a solution?

Tim

Tim49 wrote:

KarateREF wrote:Hi all!
I am new to this forum, used to read the old one. I guess I will discuss competion Karate most of the time.
My first opinion, - Kata-competition is a waste of time - like competing in music, wihch is better, Mozart or AC/DC?

KarateREF

Excellent theme.

Generally I would say that Wado practitioners who put themselves up in front of a set of judges inside a competitive format probably have to end up performing in a way that betrays their training.

Who’s fault is this?
Is there a solution?

Tim

haha Tim, exactly my thought. I tell my students that in case of any comp they should NOT betray themselves or what they have been taught. Just do what you always do. In case you lose, this is they eye of the referee...


AJ

Today's kata competition is well, competitive. How can you out Wado someone else to win? Talking about Wado kata in an all styles arena is even more of a lost cause, despite the postings on YouTube when a Wado team did quite well in a JKF tournament.

I like the point AJ makes about nerves, about whether you can control yourself. All important things to test us and can improve us in and out of the dojo.

What I think we should be doing is something that is more 'supportive' and not 'competitive'. More along the lines of 'enbu'. I am not trying to dumb things and make it all politically correct so we do have losers.

The shiai kumite arena is where people can put their competitiveness and their strategies against an opponent.

If kata, and the likes of idori, tanto dori and kihon kumite were grouped as enbu, then that would be inline with representation of ourselves and the development of Wado.

wadoka wrote:If kata, and the likes of idori, tanto dori and kihon kumite were grouped as enbu, then that would be inline with representation of ourselves and the development of Wado.

Ah, but, if I'm understanding you correctly, it would fall at the first hurdle. In fact you have three hurdles to get over:

The first is the lack of knowledge of the competitors.
The second is the lack of knowledge of the Judges, which forces the competitors to (in their own eyes) 'up their game' and give it lots of clout and drama, subtlety goes out the window.
Thirdly (the most forgotten element) the audience; who would be nonplussed as to why something with lots of overt drama, bang and thump would come second to something smaller, precise, subtle and intricate.

Tim

My angle when I was talking about enbu, was that it was non-competitive.

People just get up and show, then get off. No judges and the assumption is that this was a solely Wado day not an Open Competition.