Kata

Kata, in Japanese, means ‘form’. Karate kata are executed as a specified series of a variety of moves, with stepping and turning, while attempting to maintain perfect form. The kata is not intended as a literal depiction of a mock fight, but as a display of transition and flow from one posture and movement to another, teaching the student proper form and position, and encouraging them to visualize different scenarios for the use of each motion and technique. Karateka “read” a kata in order to explain the imagined events, a practice known as bunkai.