I have been practicing shotokan karate for well over 30 years and I love it. But, since training with shito ryu master Akio Minakami 8^th Dan, I have had to re-evaluate my kata practice and I’m glad I have!

This is only my opinion, so please don’t lynch me. I believe shotokan karate has one of the best strengthening and conditioning kata programs for karateka, especially in their early development years. The shotokan kata are strong, direct, fast and focused. They develop strong minds and equally strong bodies, the kata are very dynamic and athletic.

But…………… Here we go………… This is where a lot of people will want to shoot me down and send me to karate hell. 

I have introduced several shito ryu kata into our regular dojo practice. Seipai, Haiku, Niseishi (24 steps/techniques), Lohai Shodan (?????), Seiunchin (Marching quietly or Pulling. also written as Seiyunchin) and Annan (possibly named after a pirate or sailor named Chinto, or Annan). 

These kata are very different to shotokan kata (at least the way Shihan Minakami teaches them), there are many circular movements, no Back Stance (kokutsu dachi), the moves flow from one to another, when shihan Minakami demonstrates a kata, he flows like water, but at the same time you can see and feel the power in every move. 

My older students much prefer these kata, there is definitely not as much strain on the body, the main reason for this, they have shorter stances. Sanshin dachi (Hour glass stance), Shiko dachi (squat or sumo stance) and neko ashi dachi (cat stance) are used heavily in these kata.

This is where I get shot down again, twice in one article! I have added Seipai and plan to add some more of Shihan minakami’s kata to our grading syllabus.

I thoroughly enjoy practicing these kata, so I don’t really care what any body says. All I know is, we are on this planet for a short time and if you enjoy practicing a certain kata, then you should be allowed to practice that kata, irrespective of style or association.

Anyway, there’s only two styles of karate, good karate and bad karate!

Ossu

Linden Huckle

Linden Huckle