If you know, follow, or contemplate the performance of kata in the WKF format in any field, surely you have realized this and if not, you should know it.
Let's put the cards on the table, today it is possible that neither the WKF nor, therefore, any organization, association, club, or individual that accepts and participates in this dynamic, meet the criteria for performing kata that they themselves mark. Well, as we will see in this article, in most cases, these criteria are so abstract and not very concise that they leave the interpretation to chance of what each arbitrator or judge wants to say. And that when they are not omitted or contrary to what is exposed inside the tatami. If after this exposition you want to refute it, accompany your arguments with reasons and examples and not with feelings and emotions, as I am going to do myself in this exposition. We try to be objective and impartial.
It is known by every serious practitioner of Karate, and I say Karate and not Karatedo, that the WKF competition kata are a readapted and modified invention of the true Karate kata, from the Ryu-ha of Okinawan Karate. But it is that not even they (WKF) meet the rules of their own game, so what is that? If you want to participate you have to accept the rules of the game, but when you stick to them, you discover that you are out of the game, because you are not following the trend. Can you imagine? It is as if a declared constitutionalist did not know the articles of the constitution and when they were appointed, he did not accept them. Ladies and gentlemen of the WKF, the rest of us realized that the game is made so that you always win (the referees or judges will always have the last word based on their own personal criteria). If those who must ensure that the rules of the game (evaluation criteria of a kata) do not do so, they ignore, omit, or interpret quite abstract rules at will, thus leaving the evaluation in a subjective and relative personal interpretation, the game is rigged. It is no longer about impartiality, it is about omission or free and personal interpretation of criteria and that is contrary to objectivity, equanimity, and impartiality. And yet, the purpose of having a regulation is the unification of criteria itself.
But this game is already invented, it is not from now, in book I of Plato's Republic (427-347 BC), there is a dialogue between Socrates and Thrasymachus, in which Thrasymachus maintains that justice is the means of It is worth the one who commands to obtain the benefit of the one who obeys; justice is nothing more than what is most convenient for the strongest, which gets the dominated to assume the values and proposals of the dominator as their own. Socrates, agreeing, clarifies that sometimes the very will of the strongest is impossible to fulfil for the same author and beneficiary of the situation.
The question here will then be to see what came first, the chicken or the egg. Are the criteria for conducting WKF kata not followed by the competitors because they are unaware of them or simply ignore them, thus creating a tendency that the referees assume and accept, or are the referees the ones who consent and do not penalize non-compliance with the criteria because are they unaware of them or simply ignore them, thus creating behavioural tendencies? I wish the exposition of criteria for the evaluation of WKF kata could be half as clear and defined as the evaluation of criteria to award points or penalize a performance in kumite, exercise an official protest or the type of clothing that referees and competitors must wear. Well, the part of the WKF regulations dedicated to kata (from page 31 to page 44, articles 5 and 6 in its Spanish version) is notably less extensive and explanatory than any other aspect of the regulations, leaving room for a subjectivity so doubtful, intrinsic, and relative, for a discipline, that of kata, which not long ago aspired to continue being Olympic. (Reference: https://www.wkf.net/structure-statutes-rules).
And this is curious, because to be a discipline that claimed to be Olympic, we are light years away in many aspects from others that are. For example, let's take sports gymnastics as a reference where there is an exhibition of truly athletic exercises (not the exhibition of a kata). In this discipline, gymnasts present a series of exercises in each apparatus which already start with an assessment (estimation) in a scoring scale. The gymnast already knows in advance that, if the exercise is perfect, what score can he aspire to. It will depend on the mastery of the skills, that the gymnast presents one or the other exercises. If the exercise is perfect, he will obtain the score to which he aspires, but as he makes mistakes, tenths will be subtracted from his exercises. So that the gymnast does not specialize in just a few exercises, these are reviewed and changed in the scale of scores every Olympic cycle, every four years. Thus, the gymnast must become complete and versatile in a wide range of exercises included in each apparatus. The evaluation and consideration of the exercises or routines that should be better or worse scored, are reviewed and considered by a commission composed of judges and competitors, who understand, from all aspects, said exercises. On the other hand, for the most part, the arbitration panel is usually made up of former competitors. Could we say the same today in the WKF refereeing squad? Can you imagine that each kata started with a score according to its level of difficulty and from there tenths were deducted for failure? The competitor would already know how far he could aspire based on his work and mastery of the exercise. Can you imagine that these scales according to the kata were changed every two-year cycle (world championships) to prevent a competitor from specializing only in a series of exercises (kata), thereby seeking the best performer, regardless of style or type of cat? Another advantage that a sports gymnastics referee or judge has for assessing him, at least in an Olympics, is the use of slow motion for a better assessment and application of criteria. Do you want to know what happens when you put the videos of an elite kata competitor in slow motion? I do know what happens. Try to do it and you will confirm everything I tell you here. Do not force me to put examples here, I could do it….
But in order not to add fuel to the fire, let us base ourselves solely and exclusively on what we have, the WKF Karate Competition Regulations themselves, which come into force as of 1.1.2020 and is revised on January 17, 2022, including updates communicated via rule bulletins. Published by the same official website of the WKF and indicated above.
ARTICLE 5: CRITERIOS FOR THE ASSESSMENT (SPANISH VERSION)
1. OFFICIAL LIST OF KATA
Only Katas from the official list may be performed:
Here is an official list of 102 kata that have been increasing in number exponentially in less than a decade, from 2012 to 2020. Look at Andreas Quast's article published in 2020: https://ryukyu-bugei.com/? p=8991
At the bottom of the grid that exposes the 102 official and recognized kata there is a note that says the following:
<<The names of some Katas are duplicated due to variations in the uses of Romanesque transcription. In various cases, a Kata may be known under different names of one style (Ryu-ha) to another and in exceptional cases an identical name may be a different Kata from one style to another.>>
However, the WKF eliminates the style cataloguing in January 2013. Several events of remarkable importance have even been created in Okinawa itself since then. This fact directly opens the doors to the participation of practitioners of Okinawan styles. This reason should be an incentive for greater learning and knowledge of those in charge of making the kata criteria prevail. They are paid for it, they are supposed to be professionals, so learning, absolute knowledge of the regulations and continuous recycling should be mandatory. And the regulations, therefore, should be as objective, impartial, neutral, fair, and honest as possible. But for this you need great professionalism.
But, if a Shōrin Ryu practitioner of the Kobayashi lineage [Chibana Choshin] announces the Bassai Dai (6) kata, the referees could immediately disqualify him on the grounds that he has made a mistake in the enunciation of the kata (article 6.a Disqualifications) upon seeing exhibited a kata with identical characteristics to Matsumura Bassai (52). However, historically it is not very difficult to find out that Chibana Choshin (1885-1969) was one of the main and outstanding students of Itosu Anko and that Chibana himself learns Itosu's version of Passai (Bassai) which he calls Passai Sho, and the Dai version is the one that Chibana learns from Tawada Megantou himself (father or son, who was a contemporary of Chibana) which Chibana calls Passai Dai (Tawada no Passai). It is said that Mabuni Kenwa studied with Itosu and with Tawada, but nowhere is it specified that Mabuni learned the Passai from Tawada (Note 1) and if so, who could be sure that it is the Matsumura version? Matsumura Shokun himself does not leave any writing about which kata he transmits, so, referring to the statements described by his direct students (Chotoku Kyan, Yoshimura Udun or Choki Motobu), Matsumura only teaches Naihanchi (Naifuanchi), Gojushiho (Useishi) and Kushanku (Koshokun). All other catalogues of kata with the prefix of “Matsumura” are interpretations of the ryu-ha themselves (for more information read the following article: https://ameblo.jp/motoburyu/entry-12240251330.html). So based on this, the Shōrin Ryu practitioner would be correct and should not be disqualified. The same happens if a Shōrin Ryu practitioner of the Matsubayashi lineage [Nagamine Shoshin] announces the Rohai kata (75) and the referees see a kata with identical characteristics to the Matsumura Rohai (53), as it is catalogued in Shito Ryu. This would also happen with a Pinan Shodan kata of a Shōrin Ryu practitioner that showed the original order, and this was taken for the changed order of Shito Ryu.
Article 6. Disqualification:
a. Execution of the wrong Kata or announcement of the wrong Kata.
In other words, in 2013 the cataloging of the styles was eliminated but the cataloging of the kata of the four representative styles from the WUKO era was not eliminated.
And yet, as we said, since 2012 new kata and their catalogues have been added to the game board (Ohan 2013, Ohan Dai 2019, Anan Dai 2020??, etc.), in an endless race in search of new proposals, this includes kata masterfully taken from the manga or readapted and modified kata (Kishimoto Kushanku, Chibana Kushanku) from Okinawa Karate schools such as Shōrin Ryu, in an attempt to reproduce the highly acclaimed Yokoyama Kushanku kata (Chatan Yara Kushanku) copied and reimagined by Hisami Yokoyama in 1994 World Cup in Malaysia. (Read Andreas Quast at: https://ryukyu-bugei.com/?p=5077).
What happens then with section g of article 5.5 (Criteria for evaluation), which says: Conformity: Consistency in the performance of the KIHON of the style (Ryu-Ha) in the Kata? So, what do you think Higa Kiyohiko sensei, eldest son of Higa Seitoku and president of Bugei no Kai, might think when they see the sad imitation of Kishimoto Kushanku that we see today in competition? Or what would Nagamine Shoshin think of Matsubayashi Ryu, who first exposed (1969) the Chatan Yara Kushanku kata upon seeing the reinvention of Japanese competitor Hisami Yokoyama? Luckily, Nagamine, when he died a few years later, would not get to see how all that string of new kata are added to Shito's repertoire by skilled individuals who offer you the same Anan Dai seminars that promote a book where Mabuni Ken himself -ei adds the Chatan Yara Kushanku to the Shito Ryu kata list (Shito-Ryu Karate-Do by Mabuni Ken-ei Kata. Edited 2010).
Conformity (acceptance): Consistency in performing the KIHON of the style (Ryu-Ha) in the Kata. Which style is it referring to, the original style the kata came from or the style of the practitioner adapting the kata? We must understand that it refers to the original style of the kata because previously, on page 38 (Spanish version of the Regulations) it says: A slight variation is allowed according to the contestant's Karate style (Ryu-Ha). Do they perhaps think that there is conformity in a KIHON of the same kata that each contestant varies, modifies, and adapts to their own whim over time? I have been an elite WKF competitor and nowadays I find it difficult to recognize the kata Chatan Yara Kushanku, which I used to compete with it. It is simply not the same kata that we used back then. Do they think that the Annan we see today is the same one that Tsugo Sakumoto shows in 1984 in Maastricht, Holland, at the 7th World Championship?
I don't see Sakumoto endlessly gesticulating, endlessly guttural yelling, stamping his feet, slapping his body, bobbing his head when he moves, breathing heavily, lifting the tail of his karategi, or making long stops within the kata. Honestly, all that props and much more has stopped sounding like Karate.
Article 5.1 The Kata is not a dance or a theatrical performance. You must keep the traditional values and principles. You must be realistic about the match and demonstrate concentration, power, and potential impact in your techniques. You must demonstrate strength, power, and speed as well as harmony, rhythm and balance.
Master Paco de Lucía, one of the best guitarists in the world, used to say: “boy, put in whatever chords you want, but let it sound flamenco”. Today's WKF kata doesn't sound realistic to me, I don't see a fight, it doesn't sound like Karate to me. Do not be upset when the external people see in the kata nothing more than a theatrical performance. He is not watching a fight. Everything is imposed, studied and false. Let alone the Bunkai. What do you think of the section that says: Bunkai will be given the same importance as Kata? Do those who execute those Bunkai, in true Kurosawa samurai movie style, really think that what they do has something to do with the actual fight? Doesn't article 5.1 say that the kata must be realistic as far as the match is concerned? Honestly, to prepare a Bunkai for competition we should learn more from the Wushu. Put to be fantastic, that is indeed an exhibition of athletic abilities...
We will return later to article 5.1 but now, let's continue with the assessment.
2. Assessment
When evaluating a contestant or a team the Judges will evaluate their execution based on the two main criteria (technical level and athletic level). And further on: It will also calculate the total score, which is weighted 70% by technical level and 30% by athletic level.
It is not necessary to be very savvy to realize that without a certain mastery of physical abilities, called athletics, it will not be possible to access certain technical levels. For example, any gymnast knows that if he is not able to open in a split and his upper body muscles (pectoralis major and minor, triceps, deltoids, and serratus, mainly) are not prepared, he will not be able to perform a strict "Olympic" no matter how much you know the technique step by step. How many WKF kata competitors are using technical levels (kata) that they are not prepared for? Don't force me to publish references and examples, I can do it...
5. Criteria for evaluation:
Technical level
We have just said that without a certain mastery of physical and athletic abilities, it is impossible to access certain technical levels, right? What can you tell me then about the limited displacement capacity, the exaggerated impulse taking to face a jump (which is not executed from the initial position and that we are not talking about Ray Zapata's double front somersault plank with a turn and a half?...), of the lack of power (and not force), of cutting the movements and even omitting them when execution speed is lacking that allows us to go through each position and complete the transition of the technique, of hitting the body or stomping to Hide the lack of power in the technique and so on?
a. positions
Again, I refer you to the use of slow motion (don't force me to give an example here, I could do it in a very specific way...) When you do it you can see that in most cases the same position is different in the same performer (different form and measure), when the position is interspersed in a transition movement or when it is executed at the end of a line or a technique. Note, for example, the transition of the shiko dachi as they are occurring in sequence between the first shuto uchi of the Chatan Yara kata and note the same position when stopping in it with the arms in the juji uke stance. You can see that it does not look like the same position, and yet, yes, it is supposedly the same. The competitor could claim that it is not the same, but then you should confirm what other position it is. So, what about the article that talks about KIHON conformity? To me, however, what that makes me think is that competing is shortening the movements due to lack of speed. A speed that does not allow him to define each of the techniques. The competitor thinks that he is faster than he really is. And it is that the problem here is that an excessively low position does not allow a fast and energetic mobility (range of movement and dynamic flexibility). So, if a position does not allow active and dynamic mobility, why is it done? On the other hand, if a competitor cannot move quickly, dynamically, and actively from a low position and therefore varies or deforms it, isn't that a lack of skills?
In Section 7 reference to faults, it says: According to the above criteria, the following faults must be considered in the evaluation:
b) Performing a move incorrectly or incompletely, such as missing a block completely or punching off target.
And as for lack of skills and postural deformity (joint misalignment and neuromuscular bad recruitment), stop YouTube videos on the neko ashi dachi position of any elite competitor. Do you observe the joint misalignment between levers in the main support leg, from the foot, passing through the ankle, the internal rotation of the internal rotation of the leg, forcing the knee to a totally damaging internal lateral distension, the pelvic retroversion that compensate for the lack of strength in the hamstring, abdominal and gluteal muscles, the inclination of the torso and consequently the increase in the distance between feet of the position? Here you will understand all the knee, ankle, pelvic and lumbar injuries suffered by competitors. It's not just how harmful this completely misaligned position is and maintained for many years, it's also inefficient physically speaking. Imagine that an Olympic lifter could get up from a squat with his knees tucked in? Do you think the Olympic lifter didn't consider the distance of his femur to improve his squat technique? Do you think a pelvic retroversion squat could be done efficiently?
So, after this couple of examples, regarding section a. Positions, do you mean static positions that are not well understood or dynamic positions that are not well executed?
b. Techniques
I understand that the technique implies the strict and concise practice of certain movements and attending to certain patterns, to achieve an execution like the ideal model, which is tended to. If the techniques are more complex, they should be better valued. Therefore, performing all kata with the same level and technical complexity should also be penalized. Since I imagine that this section does not refer to quantity, nor to subjective beauty. Let us remember that technique is the set of procedures and resources that an art or science uses to carry out its own activities. And the sports technique consists of the routine procedures to solve sports motor tasks according to the situation that is required. (Article 5.1 The Kata is not a dance or a theatrical performance. It must keep the traditional values and principles. It must be realistic regarding the match and demonstrate concentration, power, and potential impact in its techniques. It must demonstrate strength, power, and speed as well as harmony, rhythm, and balance).
I am not going to go into the clear ignorance here that both referees, coaches and competitors seem to present on some technical aspects, but do you think that the execution of all the techniques of a competition kata are conducted with a minimum of force, speed, and balance? These aspects are valued in what the WKF Regulations call Athletic Level. I could show here images of unfinished techniques, open thumbs in what is supposed to be a clenched fist, keri sin hiki ashi techniques and much more.
Again Section 7 referring to faults:
b) Performing a move incorrectly or incompletely, such as missing a block completely or punching off target.
c. transition movements
We could talk here about the unmarked positions, the blows to the body with the hands, the shortened transitions of the techniques, etc. All in favour of a non-existent speed. Speed is so important that it is detrimental to technique. And what do we do when we don't reach that speed we need? We shorten the movement. A clear example, in the Chatan Yara kata, itself, is at the beginning, when the lateral positions are executed with teisho and age uke, can you define what position it is? And if they can, are they really defined within the kata? If we go a little further in the same kata, during the shuto uke sequence that goes into neko ashi dachi, are all neko ashi dachi really marked the same way?
Once again, Section 7 regarding faults says:
c) Non-synchronized movement, such as performing a technique before completing the body transition
I can't imagine a self-respecting Olympic swimmer skipping halfway through their lane in the water, it would be seen as a cheat. Or for example, that speed runner who raises his arms as a sign of arrival and victory before finishing his lane. I also can't imagine a pole vaulted going under the bar in the transition of his jump.
d. Timing
If we look for the definition of timing, we will find that it is the organization or forecast of the time corresponding to various phases of execution of a task or action.
With the concept of "timing" applied to the Karate action, I imagine that anyone would understand that it refers to choosing the right moment. I am not going to expand here, since it is neither the case nor the place, about what the brain's information reception mechanisms are and how long-term memory acts to reduce the response time in this process. But what is evident is that in the execution of the kata, where there is no external opposition, the timing is always, and I mean “always”, controlled voluntarily by the performer.
If, on the other hand, with the concept of "timing" they refer to the simultaneous execution that after the transition is made of the position with the technique and even, only sometimes, also with the gaze, again they err every time they I see some competitor or team of competitors moving, hitting the ground with the heel of the rear leg after executing the arm technique (use slow motion again in the Annan or Annan ni kata videos). Unless the concept is to strike in the air, as would happen in kumite or Olympic fencing. The difference is that we do not have a foil in hand and to hit efficiently, purely by physics, we must be settled beforehand. Do you think that a hitter does not settle and establish his position to hit before, a golfer or a boxer? It is evident that the techniques performed in kata are not the techniques used in kumite. That's kendo, remember?
Again, in Section 7 regarding Fouls:
c) actions such as stamping the feet, slapping the chest, arms or karate-gi, or inadequate breathing, will be considered very serious fouls by the Judges in their assessment of the performance of the kata, at the same level as a temporary loss of balance would be penalized.
But most likely referring to "timing" is that they refer to the use of rhythm (hyoshi), speed and pauses that, as in artistic branches such as music, theatre and literature, achieve a dramatic effect. But let us remember again that according to Article 5.1 Kata is not a dance or a theatrical performance. That is why some competitors stop the execution of the kata for up to 4 seconds after a long and dramatic guttural kiai (adding a time of 7-8 seconds of stopping the execution). We will remember here Article 6 Disqualification: c. Unequivocal pause or stop in the execution.
e. correct breathing
Already in my time as a competitor, it was clear to me that forced and audible breathing was not inherent to the technique, but rather a kind of acoustic command that simulated more “force”, to name it in some way.
Article 7. Fouls: d) The use of acoustic commands (from any other person, including other members of the team)… and later: or inadequate breathing, will be considered very serious fouls by the Judges in their evaluation of the performance of the kata
Now you imagine what breath a sprinter could take in the 100-meter race. Any runner knows, whether they are a sprinter or a long-distance runner, which breathing must be rhythmic, without changes and in a natural way and through conscious control. Any experienced athlete knows that when performing a moderate exercise, such as the execution of a kata that can last several minutes, if we inhale by opening our mouth, we can absorb a greater amount of oxygen than if we do it through the nose, oxygen is essential for those internal chemical processes, such as combustion, occur correctly, releasing the necessary energy in our body. But it is also necessary to do it in small doses, because that way it enters more quickly. If we, do it all at once, long inspirations, the process is slower, and it can also cause small apnoea. However, by repeatedly varying the cadence with the changes of rhythm and stops in the kata, thus breaking the iki no hyoshi (continuous cadence of rhythm), it makes the exercise like that of a weightlifter. In this case, the air should be inhaled through the nose in a quick thrust, but as deeply as possible, with a small pause during the cycle of movement before exhaling. But of course, if all the air has not been released and we immediately continue with another quick action and another inhalation process, it is not possible to optimize the respiratory volume during the time that the kata lasts, several minutes. That is why fatigue appears. And although there are different theories about in which phase the air should be expelled, we must bear in mind that our body establishes its own cadence. As an example, if we consider a swimmer in short distance competitions (100 meters), the tendency is to complete the first 50 meters with a shorter cycle of breathing (every 4 or 6 strokes), since the oxygen deficit is less; and the last 50, with a higher breath cycle (every 2 strokes).
The truth is that inadequate breathing can contract the diaphragm, producing abdominal pain, and the way to release it is with an abdominal cry, not a guttural cry. The well-known Kiai that becomes more and more extensive and guttural, followed by a broken expression of rage and uncontrollable rage, adding a little more props and theatrics to the exercise. Well, the Kiai was always defined as a sudden expulsion of air through abdominal pressure and that produced a dry and short blow of the voice (look at the definitions of Kiai offered by the JKA). Try to cough by placing your hands on your sides, between the floating ribs and the hip, do you notice the abdominal contraction? Do you think you could maintain that contraction for a long time, several seconds, without the air running out and your voice fading? If the answer is no, everything else is just a guttural scream. Again, more theatrics.
Artículo 7. Faltas:
f) Pérdida de tiempo, incluyendo prolongar la marcha, demasiados saludos o una pausa prolongada antes de empezar la ejecución.
fArticle 7. Fouls:
f) Loss of time, including prolonging the march, too many salutes or a long pause before starting the performance.
F. Concentration (KIME)
If we try to find the meaning of the word Kime we can find it as concentration, power (interior), adjustment or maximum strength now of contact, optimum use of physical and mental energy or even concentration of internal and physical energies. However, Kime (極め) if taken as the contraction of the word kimeru (決める) "conclusion/decision/end" is a term used exclusively in Japanese Karatedo to refer to energy, strength, or power. It is a concept that is not used in Okinawan Karate, you will rarely hear an Okinawan master refer to Kime and yet its acceptances are also present in Okinawan Karate kata [energy/気 Ki; strength/力強さ Chikara; power/勢 Zei].
However, they should start by clearly defining what they mean by the word Kime, since without a doubt, the word Kime has become a good way to define everything that some do not know how to define.
g. Conformity: Consistency in performing the KIHON of the style (Ryu-ha) in the Kata
And it is curious that concepts exclusive to Japanese Karate continue to be used in the Regulations when at least about a dozen of the kata on the official list belong exclusively to purely Okinawan schools. Look at most of the kata that are done today in the finals stands.
And it is not that Okinawan Karate styles cannot be adapted to WKF kata standards. It is that the WKF uses Okinawan style kata without considering their principles and concepts: gammaku, chinkuchi, muchimi, meotode, komamuishi, etc.
Athletic level
a. Force
Do not confuse with muscle volume, please. The type of force referred to here, since to some extent everything is force, is the component of the function P(t) = F x v. That is, in sports activity, mechanical power is the ability to transform physical energy into force quickly and depending on the amount of ATP production per unit of time. And it must be able to be applied in its maximum range of motion. They imagine a gymnast, he is strong and flexible at the same time, he is agile. This is not about a bodybuilder; we are doing a fight and we need to move in a wide and greater range of motion.
Observe the poor movement capacity exhibited in the displacements. They are short and slow.
b. Speed
Once again, the misunderstood speed that does not allow us to finish the movements or execute them completely. That is not speed.
c. Balance
In section 5.1. referring to Kata, it says: It must show strength, power, and speed as well as harmony, rhythm, and balance.
In Section 7. Faults: According to the above criteria, the following faults must be considered in the evaluation:
a) A small loss of balance.
And at the end of section d) it says: very serious faults will be considered by the Judges in their evaluation of the performance of the kata, at the same level that a temporary loss of balance would be penalized.
As you can see in various sections of the regulations reference is made to balance (rhythm and balance; a small loss of balance; a temporary loss of balance). But no reference is made to the fact that balance can be viewed mainly in two ways, and both are important in the performance of kata: static and dynamic balance. And curiously, as we will now explain, most of the time, during certain actions of the WKF kata, neither one nor the other is fulfilled.
Go once again to slow motion, it is not necessary very slow, and stop the image just in the execution of the lateral mae geri, just before the displacement in neko ashi dachi, of the Kushanku kata and you will observe that most competitors not only lift the supporting foot, but rather misalign the structure of their supporting leg as if they were running behind the foot. That is a momentary lack of stability and balance during the action [a small loss of balance; a temporary loss of balance], because if his target were to change and he had to rectify his movement at that precise moment, it would be completely impossible for him.
Another position that should be understood as unbalanced, even if the upright posture is maintained, is when the position of the neko ashi dachi is lowered so much that the hip, the trunk, and with it, the centre of mass, remain outside the stability polygon established between both feet. Physically, that body would be said to be out of balance. Remember that to exert a potentially efficient force the body must be stable. Do you think you could fight efficiently while staying in positions of instability?
Section 5.1 The Kata: You must be realistic about the match and demonstrate concentration, power, and potential impact in your techniques.
CONCLUSION.
First, let's start by concluding that systematically poor execution by elite competitors causes those below them, including those of younger ages, to decline and deteriorate in technical level more and more over the years. All that emptiness that we leave to future generations, especially when they are children, will be filled first with what comes to their imagination. Second, the lack of objectivity due to lack of knowledge, both regulations and of those who must enforce them, also acts to the detriment of the technical level and, above all, of the impartiality and honesty with which every sporting event must assert itself. Third, the kata was far from resembling an Olympic discipline and for the brief period that it was, it was clearly far from being the perfect kata. Fourth, although the form and methods have changed slightly since the WUKO era, the abstract system of evaluation of the WKF kata remains the same, bare, poor, and abstract and yet has evolved towards the external form to the detriment of the substance. Competitors prepare physically in a way that their physique is more important than the abilities they are going to exhibit within the kata.
Ladies and gentlemen WKF, you will ignore this text, and nothing will change in this regard, but at least whoever reads it may have a different opinion based on reasoning and experience. It's just common sense.
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