Articles
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.