Kata

Judo Alberta Kata Committee Structure

The Provincial Kata Committee’s mission is to increase the awareness and practice of Kata in Alberta by providing education and support for all.

Education and Grassroots Development	Athlete Development	Judge Development	Competitions	Administration and Communication
– Kata support to clubs – On-line clinics and videos – Drop in sessions Youth kata	– Athlete Handbook – Clinics – Practice demonstrations – Financial support	– Active judges list – Pathway for judge’s development – Certification clinics	– Calendar of kata events – Provincial and National Championships – Demonstration events	– Kata website – Kata promotion – Provincial relationships – Meeting minutes – Budget management

Kata Committee Members

Gord Okamura (Chair)
Wesley Enns
Jennifer Parker
An Chhay
Scott Allan
Jeff Hoi

Goals and Plans for 2025/26 Season

Overall Goals:

The Provincial Kata Committee’s overall goals are to increase the awareness and practice of Kata in Alberta, and to provide education and support for club leaders and athletes.

Current Program Streams:

Education and Grassroots Development
Athlete Development
Judges Development
Competitions
Administration and Communication

2025/2026 Strategic Priority:

In 2025/26, the priority will be Education and Grassroots Development with the intent to expand the number of kata practitioners, regardless of age or rank or whether you are a student or sensei. It is for anyone wanting to do kata and offers an alternative to shiai.
The other priority area will be social media for communicating and promoting kata.
The other program streams will continue as secondary priorities.

Action Plan:

To achieve the above goals, action items include:

Support the Clubs

1. Contact all club Sensei to inform them about kata and the available resources and the opportunities
2. Offer support to clubs who don’t offer kata instruction or don’t have the expertise by having a kata instructor come to their dojo and present kata in their class; in other words, kata comes to them
3. Identify set times and locations where anyone can drop in and practice kata.
4. Offer kata clinics online for remote access
5. Introduce kodomo no kata where kids can enjoy another way of being active in judo
6. Offer kata promotional materials to create excitement for kata

Enhance Communication

1. 1. Update the Judo Alberta website
  2. Post calendar of kata events including out of province
  3. Post pictures and stories of kata events
  4. Create branding for Judo Alberta kata / Information campaign

Kata Development

1. Conduct at least two formal in-person clinics
2. Conduct on-line training sessions where participants can sign into a live kata session (with recording)
3. Hold kata training clinics in conjunction with provincial training camps
4. Hold practice tournaments
5. Provide some subsidies to kata athletes attending high level competitions

Kata Judge Development

1. Coordinate a kata judges certification clinic
2. Post notices of out-of-province kata judges certification clinics
3. Post the Judges Handbook and Kata Competition Criteria for Evaluation

Competitions

1. Conduct kata competitions at the Edmonton International and Provincials
2. Post the Kata Athlete Handbook and Kata Competition Criteria for Evaluation
3. Post notices of kata training camps

To keep up to date on all the national and international events, subscribe to the Judo Canada Kata google calendar below!

Subscribe Here

Kata Tuesdays

The Provincial Kata Committee will be offering instructions in kata on Tuesdays starting at 6:00pm MST sharp and ending at 7:25pm. Each session will build on the previous one.

If any questions, contact: Gord Okamura email address: gyokamura@gmail.com

How: In-person sessions but also broadcast online on Google Meet and recorded: https://meet.google.com/jar-eeyx-hoe

Where: Tokugawa Dojo, 9647-62 Avenue, Edmonton

Contents: Introductory level.

Which kata:

October Kata Tuesdays – Ju no Kata on October 7, 21, 28
November Kata Tuesdays – Nage no Kata on November 4, 18, 25
December Kata Tuesdays – Itsutsu no Kata on December 9, 16
January Kata Tuesdays – Katame no Kata on January 6, 13, 20

Kata Video Library

Kata Tuesdays, October 2024 – Kodokan Goshin Jutsu

Kata Tuesdays – Kodokan Goshin Jutsu
The Provincial Kata Committee offered instructions in Kodokan Goshin Jutsu to anyone interested in the kata. This in-person session was recorded and available for you to rewatch.

Kata Tuesdays, November 2024 – Kime no kata

The Provincial Kata Committee offered instructions in Kime no kata to anyone interested in the kata. This in-person session was recorded and available for you to rewatch.

Kata Tuesdays, January 2025 – Katame no kata

The Provincial Kata Committee offered instructions in Katame no kata to anyone interested in this kata. This in-person session was recorded.

What is Kata?

Jigoro Kano Shihan, the founder of judo, explains there are essentially two ways of practicing judo: randori (with its variant in competition) and kata. Kata literally means “form”. Kata is practiced according to a pre-established system of codified movements, while randori is practiced freely.

The goal of kata is therefore to learn and practice the fundamental principals and techniques of judo. It is important for the student and teacher to incorporate kata in their training.

For more information, please consult the VETERAN & KATA HANDBOOK

Kata Selection Criteria – World Kata Championships (Sept 13/14, 2021 Krakow, Poland)

Judging Kata

If you are interested in judging Kata events, know that Judo Canada uses the same Kata Evaluation rules as the International Judo Federation. Judo Canada also offers training and evaluation clinics for potential Kata judges. For further information, go to https://judocanada.org/kata-judging/