Kendo Kata Kodachi #1-3???

[mingshi]

Question:
When should one learn Kendo Kata Kodachi #1-3?
Please supply with your reason.

For general interest, I WANT TO LEARN THEM NOW~~~

[Steve]

you technically don't need them until your sandan grading. But, the kata are also a great way to learn kendo! Waza, footwork, kamae, maai, kiai....everything. I'd say, if you have the will to learn them and somebody to teach them to you / learn them with you then go for it. Well, once you have learned 1 - 7 anyway.

[R A Sosnowski]

Kendo's three Kodachi vs. Odachi kata are required to test for Sandan and above. Prior to that you are expected to have a good handle on the seven Odachi vs. Odachi Kata.

As a general rule, the instructor begins to teach new material when you are ready for it. However, in practical terms, especially with what seems to be the general opinion of Kendo instructors who emphasize only Jigeiko, you learn them just before the exam.

However, there is nothing to stop you from learning them on your own.

HTH.

[GMason]

I think I started learning them about IkKyu, but at the time I was the only Kyu grade in the Dojo. So I was thrown in at the deep end really.

Finally starting to like Kendo Kata, Jenny ??

[Paburo]

in my dojo senseis say that, the sooner you know all the katas, the better.
so if you are ikkyuu, and you can perform (decently, or at least know the steps of) all the 10 katas, it means you have years and years to practice them until they become almost perfect for (san)dan examination.

not like some other ppl, who learn them 30 secs before test. these are the type of students that fail more often.

[nodachi]

My sensei is teaching them to me in stages before I have to leave Japan prematurely. I like that they are trying to cram as much good training into my head before I leave as I am not sure how close to a good dojo I will be when I return. They are slowly spoon feeding them to me. They are teaching me 4 to 6 now as new additions and when they think that it is at least semi good enough, then they will teach me more while perfecting the old.

I think the key is to not take on too much at once. It is easier to absorb a chapter of a book rather than the whole novel in one sitting.

Do people really have sensei who ignore teaching kata??? It seems so important to me that I am at a loss for words when people mention that they aren't practicing kata or that they see people trying to learn them the week before an exam.

[GMason]

You would be surprised how many people you see at gradings etc.... learning the Kata on the day.

I have seen some people going for Sandan/Yondan who obviously don't know the Kata's........not just the Kodachi Kata's, but Tachi as well No.3 is usually a fun one to watch.

When I was in Japan, I watched a Kata lesson at one of the Dojo's. The Kata was terrible, for anyone below Yondan (I guess that's because in general it is mainly Shiai orientated)

So I guess yes there must be alot of sensei's who do ignore Kata.

[nodachi]

The kata was terrible in Japan??? I am not saying you are wrong, but that is even more surprizing. I go to two different dojos and all I see are people who take kata very seriously. Some of them talk about the kata like they are almost sacred. Then again, two dojos doesn't mean all of Japan is this way, but wow. Scary. You sure it wasn't a fluke?

[Shoki]

I started a new thread the other day about kata without looking to see if it was being discussed, no zanshin Our sensei believes that what you learn from kata is basic to kendo. The more you know kata the better your kendo will be. At our club all 10 kata are taught right from the beginning. Paburo has the right idea, you will be years ahead of everyone else when you test.

[Charlie]

Jenny, you could get a sempai and bug him/her to meet you outside of class and teach them to you.

When I started kendo, and to this day, I organized kata practice outside of class with me and some of my mates. We'd just meet in the park or a spare racquetball court or wherever on Sunday afternoons and do them over and over to get better at them. It's important, I've always thought more people should do this.

[GMason]

Nodachi,

I'm sure there are many Dojo's in Japan, that take Kata very seriously(I know I shouldn't cast blanket statements but it wouldn't be fun if I didn't :-) ).

But the few I went too, only one practiced every lesson (I only went to about five different Dojo's so obviously don't take it as gospel)

One of my sempai's aslo spent a year or two out their studying, and he was telling me that the Kata was really bad. He was at a seminar, and was pulled up in front of the entire class and asked to demonstrate the Kata, and all the others basically got a telling off, with words to to the eftect of why is this gaijin better than you lot, why are you all so bad at Kata when this Gaijin etc.....

[nodachi]

That's really interesting. Although it is really funny when the gaijin can do better kendo than some of the other people at a kendo club. I still am learning and personally think that my kendo is very weak, but some of the people are just amazed. It is as if they think, "wow, gaijin, how can this person even hold a bokuto without swinging it like a baseball bat, and look at how well he is doing, wow..."

I would go so far as to say my kendo sucks, which makes me work harder to make it better, but they act as if it is unbelievable sometimes.

[aru-ma]

you know, honestly, I think they're surprised that you can actually hold a shinai let alone make a cut. I think its a bit like when a farmer sees a city boy working in a rice field or a farm willingly, of course they're surprised (in a positive way) it doesn't look natural to them.

does anyone know where I can d/l kata instruction with illustrations?

[nodachi]

I recommend the Nippon Kendo Kata Instruction Manual put out by the Japanese Kendo Federation. It is really good. It was a gift to me, but even if I had to buy it, I would. It is a really helpful book that just keeps on giving. It's in English, high lights the important things to focus on, and gives a lot of fine points that you may miss out on during practice.

[Shoki]

Aru-ma

The Highline Kendo Club http://www.kendo-pnw.org/highline/highline.htm in Seattle Washington, USA at one time offered the excellent Nihon Kendo Kata tape(AJKF English translation). You can contact Jeffery Marsten jmarsten@hotmail.com for more info. Just browsing around the web I found this site that sells both the book and the video http://www.buyubooks.com/product_details.cfm?id=10403