Kata Practice

Each kata or form has an associated line of movement or "embu sen". This is basic path that the form follows. If the kata were to be viewed from above, the student would follow this pattern. There are six basic paths that all the kata follow:

Horizontal Line The kata moves in straight line from side to side. All Tekki kata follow this pattern.	Vertical Line The kata moves in line from front to back. Gankaku follows this path.	I The kata follows a straight line from front to back. At the furthest points forward and behind, the kata then moves side to side. Heians 1 and 2 (shodan and nidan) follow this path.
T The kata follows a straight line from to back At the farthest point behind, the kata moves from side to side. Bassai follows this path.	Plus/Minus The kata follows a straight line from front to back. At the furthest point forward, the kata moves from side to side. The kata also moves side to side behind, but not at the furthest point. Kwanku follows this path.	Cross The kata follows a straight line from front to back. Somewhere along this line (but not at either end) the kata moves from side to side. Jitte follows this path.

Beginning/Ending Position
When practicing/performing the kata, the starting point and ending point are always the same. There is a reason for this. The kata are laid out so that you must take a similar number of steps in each different direction. This forces the student to develop a consistancy in their stances. A step taken forward should be a long and wide as step taken backward. If you finish the kata where you started, it is safe to say that your stances were of similar size throughout the kata.

Speed of Kata
When practicing/performing the kata, it is important to follow the proper speed/pacing of the form. The kata was designed with a rhythm in mind. There are parts of the kata that are meant to be performed fast, as there are sequences meant to be done slowly. Do not rush through the kata, nor do it to slowly*.

*: Note that at advanced levels the kata can and should be practiced at both very fast speeds and very slow speeds. This is so the student gains additional insight into the form. However, these types of "speed kata" should only be performed once the student knows the proper timing!