Kata Competition

By Dan Smith 

·      Captivate…

o   Your kata movements need to capture the judge’s attention

o   They must be unique and compelling so the judges will continue to watch you throughout the kata

o   As a judge, if the competitor did not capture my attention and compel me to watch them throughout the entire kata, I would generally give them an average score

·      Flags

o   Even more important to captivate, compel and urge the judge to continue to watch you since you are performing next to your opponent

o   You are competing for mindshare

o   You only have 1-1/2 to 2 minutes and you want more than your fair share of the judgement time

o   During head-to-head competition you want to capture more of the judgement time to be focused on your performance

o   Compel the judge to compare the other opponent to you rather than you to the other competitor

·      Match competition is different than the point format

o   Win one match at a time

o   Watch the competitors and, if needed, change your kata or kata delivery to match or exceed what your opponent has done previously

o   It all boils down to captivating and compelling the judge to continue watching you

o   Make the judge feel like he needs or has to look at you and not the other competitor

o   Make the judge want to continue watching you to see what you are doing next

·      Focus on the kata judgement criteria

o   Intention - each kata has an intention in the techniques or theme of the kata

o   Precision - each movement should be performed with precision and exactness. Similar movements in the kata should be performed with precision so as to give a look of symmetry and perfection

o   Timing - each kata has a certain rhythm or timing of one sequence to another. Ensure that your timing provides a continuous movement in the kata. Never stop moving.

o   Speed - speed is above all else but with the above as a basis

o   Strength – without strength with flexibility the kata is empty

·      The above is a quick view of how I try to develop gold medal kata performances.

·      The above is based on my thoughts on sales and marketing that I transferred to kata competition. The focusing on gaining mind share in all aspects of interaction helps you achieve the goal of managing situations in your favor. As a consultant to many national and international wireless entities I attempt to accomplish:

o   how to get the share of mind that you need to sell your ideas

o   captivate the particular audience’s interest

o   present a compelling and unique story

o   insure in your relationship that you continue to hold their interest based on satisfying an explicit need of their company. 

·      The particular explicit need of a kata judge is to pick the best competitor…the entire focus of a judge is to watch…so dominate their “watching” time.