This section will help you to learn about a wide variety of martial arts katas, forms and patterns (i.e. Shotokan Karate katas and WTF Taekwondo forms). These Black Belt Wiki pages provide instructional videos, demonstration videos and/or written step-by-step instructions for the kata and forms used in martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo, Judo and Tang Soo Do. However, if you have any questions about a particular kata or form movement, please check with your instructor because kata and form instructions can vary by school and/or organization. You should also read the Black Belt Wiki section on Is Kata Useful or Useless? It discusses the pros & cons of kata & forms.
Karate Katas
- Asai Katas – Used by some Shotokan schools
- Ashihara Katas
- Chito-Ryu Katas
- Enshin Katas
- Gensei-Ryu Katas
- Goju-Ryu Katas
- Go-Kan-Ryu (GKR) Katas
- Isshin-Ryu Katas
- JKA Kata – Japan Karate Association
- Kato Katas – Used by some Shotokan schools
- KishimotoDi Kata
- Kyokushin Katas
- Shindo Jinen-Ryu Katas or Ryobu-Kai Katas
- Shito-Ryu Katas
- Shito-Ryu (alternate) – International Hayashi-ha Shito-ryu Katas
- Shorin-Ryu Katas
- Shorinji-Ryu Kenkokan Katas
- Shotokan Karate Katas
- Shudokan Katas
- Shukokai Karate Katas
- Shuri-Ryu Katas
- Uechi-Ryu Katas
- Wado-Ryu Katas
- World Oyama Karate Katas
- Yoshukai Katas
Meaning of Karate Kata
Taekwondo Forms & Patterns
- ATA Taekwondo Forms
- ITF Taekwondo Patterns
- Palgwe Taekwondo Forms – Palgwe forms are older WTF forms (pre-Taegeuk) that are still used by some Taekwondo schools.
- Taekwondo America Forms
- World Taekwondo Forms (Taegeuk Forms) – These are the Taegeuk forms. The “new” WT Taegeuk forms are the same as the “old” WTF Taegeuk forms. In 2017, the WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) simply changed its name to WT (World Taekwondo). This section covers WTF Taekwondo color-belt forms and Taekwondo black belt forms.
Meaning of Taekwondo Forms
Aikido
- Aikido Katas – Non-weapon Aikido katas.
- Aikido Jo Katas – These Aikido katas use the Jo staff.
American Kenpo
Iaido
- Iaido Katas – Seitei Iaido Katas for Bokken, Iaito, etc.
- Iaido Jo Kata – Seitei Iaido Jo Katas
Judo
Kendo
Kung Fu & Related Chinese Martial Arts
- Northern Shaolin Kung Fu Forms
- Wing Chun Forms
- Wushu Taolu – Basic taolu for international Wushu competitions.
Martial Arts Kobudo (Weapons)
- Bo Katas or Bo Staff Katas
- Weapon Katas or Kobudo Katas
Tai Chi
- Tai Chi Forms (Ch’uan)
Tang Soo Do
- Tang Soo Do Hyung
- World Tang Soo Do Association Forms – WTSDA Tang Soo Do Forms or Hyungs
- Tang Soo Do – Chil Sung Forms
Vietnamese Martial Arts
- Vovinam Forms
Wing Chun
Wushu
- Wushu Taolu – Basic taolu for international Wushu competitions.
Kata & Form Applications
Many martial arts styles use kata, forms, poomse and/or patterns in order to help students practice certain moves (i.e. kicking techniques, self-defense techniques and various strikes) as well as for improving a student’s physical conditioning, muscle memory, focus/concentration, balance, etc.
To master many of these kata, forms or poomsae, martial arts students should try to imagine that they are fighting an imaginary opponent. This allows students to practice “offensive” or “defensive” techniques (i.e. strike the imaginary opponent’s neck at the correct height and angle) versus just going through the motions in order to pass a belt test. In addition, many martial arts pull out portions of a kata or form in order to illustrate the self-defense techniques and situations that have been incorporated in that particular kata or form. This often involves two students where one is the attacker and one is the defender. In Karate and other Japanese martial arts, this kata-related technique is known as Bunkai.
In kata & form competitions and tests, most martial arts students are judged on factors such as accuracy of the pattern (i.e. Did they miss a step? Are they in the correct stance?), the power of their movements, timing/correct speed of their movements, balance, concentration, etc. Therefore, you must work on these elements (i.e. stances) in order to excel at your kata or forms.
Kata & Forms
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons via its Creative Commons license
References
- TaekwondoAnimals.com, Taekwondo WTF Forms, http://www.taekwondoanimals.com/taekwondo-forms.asp
- TaekwondoAnimals.com, Taekwondo ITF Patterns, http://www.taekwondoanimals.com/taekwondo-ITF-forms.asp
- World Taekwondo Federation, Poomsae, http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/about_taekwondo/poomsae.html
- International Judo Federation, Judo Training – Kata, http://www.intjudo.eu
- International Wushu Federation, Wushu Taolu, http://www.iwuf.org/sport_03.asp
- International Shuri-Ryu Association, Katas, http://www.shuri-ryu.com/katas.htm
- Isshin-Ryu World Karate Association, Kata, http://www.isshinryukarate.com/
- Shito-Ryu International Karate Do Kai, Shito-Ryu Kata, http://www.seitoshitoryu.com/kata.php
- Shorinjiryu Kenryukan Karate, Shorinjiryu Kata, http://www.kenryukan.com/
- Chitoryu Karatedo, System of Techniques, http://www.chitoryu.co.jp/en/what05.html