Stylin'

My first exposure to martial arts training was in an American hybrid style called Tai Zen which was billed as a cross between karate and jiu-jitsu. I was thirteen and was way into Bruce Lee flicks and the Kung Fu TV series. I had no concept of what style meant and really couldn't care less, but the Tai Zen place was down the block from my house so that's where I began. The 'karate' portion of the class was spent practicing kicks and strikes with plenty of free-style sparring, while the 'jiu-jitsu' techniques encompassed standup self-defense drills utilizing joint locks and some throws, but no ground stuff. We trained on mats, used no protective gear for fighting and paid as we went. At that time it was $4/class - no contracts. We didn't learn anything that resembled kata, nor were there any Japanese terms used. In fact nothing in the way of Japanese etiquette existed such as bowing or kneeling in seiza. The school advocated progressive resistance training and even had a small gym in the back with lots of free weights, benches and machines. It wasn't a traditional martial arts school, but that hardly mattered.

Like new religions, martial arts styles come and go. An Isshinryu karate instructor from my area that I briefly trained with (a 6th dan) actually created his own style (with his own name in the style's title), devised forms named after local towns (e.g., "Smithtown no kun" or something similar, no kidding) and promoted himself to 10th degree black belt. Due to lack of interest he eventually called it a day and returned to Isshinryu. Another guy opened an "American" Isshinryu dojo which, among other things, featured his modified version of the style's trademark vertical punch and a set of basic exercises that differed from the founder's.

In his book Okinawan Karate, Mark Bishop catalogues twenty-one recognized karate styles, a bit superfluous considering Okinawa is an island barely larger than Brooklyn. To say nothing of the karate that has been developed on mainland Japan and elsewhere. Even Aikido, which became codified after the Second World War per the teachings of but one man, now has about thirty distinct sects. Curiously, the art of Judo - the most senior of the gendai budo (modern Japanese martial arts) - never really branched off into the myriad of substyles that exists in other arts. Judo, for the most part, remains a single style unto itself, indeed a rare distinction.

Some of the newer, American systems are downright wacky. A while back I saw a clip on something called Combat Ki, a style purported to develop imperviousness to vital area strikes.



Haven't seen any of these guys in the UFC yet. I won't hold my breath waiting.

What's 'Your' Kata?

When I used to go out to compete, I was also a spectator. Most competitors leave right after their matches, but I would stick around to get some ideas. The black belt kata competition would fascinate me, especially the advanced black belts (3rd and 4th dan). Some of the renditions of kata you'll see at this level can be very inspiring.

At some point we can figure out which kata we like to do. I had an instructor who would say, "there's white belt kata, there's black belt kata, and then there's your kata." But why do we like some forms and not others? Not that we should slack off on the kata that we think give us trouble (remember the Zen saying "the obstacle is the path"), but there's probably one you believe is best suited for you. This is true for a variety of reasons, including your level of athleticism and personality.

Here are my favorites:

• Seiuchin. This is a powerful karate form that comes from Goju-ryu. Features wide and deep shiko-dachi stance with plenty of angles and forceful breathing techniques. This ancient kata finishes with a corkscrew punch - peculiar to the Isshinryu system.

• Kusanku. An aesthetic, challenging and beautiful karate form. I never had the nerve to compete with Kusanku. The truth is, you really need to be a certain body type to pull it off, at least for a tournament. I've seen a couple of entries butcher this one. If you have a large frame or lack a degree of flexibility, the jumping crescent kick halfway through this form may lack the finesse the judges are looking for.

• Chatan Yara no sai. The sai (tri-pronged truncheon) is probably the only weapon found in Okinawan kobudo that didn't originally start off as a farming implement. The sai appears to have been developed to counter larger weapons, like the bo (long staff) and especially the sword. One reason I like the sai is because some of the techniques mimic what the hands would do in karate. If you really like the sai I would recommend getting a quality pair (like Shureido) as they are well balanced and can be handled easily.

It used to be held that every kata was the distilled essence of a fighting system. Maybe this is why the old-time masters would spend months and even years drilling their charges on a single form. Certainly they had their preferences: Choki Motobu is always depicted performing Naihanchi. Chojun Miyagi (and many others) felt that the kata Sanchin was of utmost importance.

What kata do you feel personifies you? Why?