Team Sport Karate East participates in two main events throughout the sporting calendar. These are the kata or patterns events and the kumite or sparring events, the competition elements of karate are optional to participate in.
Kata In a kata tournament, you will perform your kata [pattern] in front of a panel of judges. Depending on the type of event, the kata can either be one that you choose or one that the competition rules dictate. You will always know which kata you will be demonstrating well in advance.
The judges will be looking for qualities like spirit, timing, good technique and correctness of form. Each judge will identify a winner by raising a red or blue flag, no ties are permitted. The competitor, who receives the majority of votes, from the judges will be declared the winner by the announcer.
Kata competition takes the form of individual and team matches. The individual Kata matches consist of separate male and female divisions.
Team Kata matches consist of competition between three person teams, each team is exclusively male, or exclusively female. In the finals of team Kata competitions, the two finalist teams will perform their chosen Kata and they will then perform a demonstration of the application of the Kata (Bunkai).
Kata
World Karate Championships - Mexico
Bunkai
World Karate Championships - Mexico
Kumite Football is usually recognised as being an easy sport to understand. After all, one team attacks and tries to score a goal while the opposition defends, but also tries to win possession of the ball in order to counter-attack.
Kumite is equally simple. Both competitors look for openings; when one attacks looking to score points [like a goal in football] the other evades the attack and tries to counter-strike. However, as it is one-on-one, there is a more psychological battle going on as well, which is why it has often been labelled “a physical game of chess”. There are three ways of attacking and defending, they are punching, kicking and sweeping.
In a kumite competition, you will be playing against people who are roughly the same experience and weight as you. Again like kata the categories are further split into three groups: children, youths and adults.
The Kumite competition may be further divided into the team match and the individual match.
The duration of the bouts are typically three minutes for adults and two minutes for children and youths.
In kumite, the World Karate Federation [WKF] rules require that techniques used must be appropriately controlled with regard to the area being attacked. Points are awarded for clean and accurate techniques.
The bouts are usually performed as qualifiers, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. The winner is the athlete or the team who gets through the whole event undefeated.
Kumite
World Karate Championships - Mexico
Overview – Athletes Programme
“Sport Karate East” is a World Karate Federation [WKF] competition team who are devoted to training students to be the best athletes they can become, in local, national and international events.
Training with Team Sport Karate East is by invitation only. To get an invitation you must work hard in your normal classes and show great commitment to the sport of Karate.
The main quality we look for in our team members is dedication. Good attendance and continuous training are a must for a successful athlete. Students who train with us year round and make it to class on a regular basis will almost always succeed with their goals.
Good team members are also those students who don't give up. You will never become a champion if you lack perseverance.
Becoming proficient at WKF competition karate is an extremely difficult task; you will most likely be learning your entire career. Those who dedicate themselves to Karate and to their own goals are those who will eventually succeed.
If you feel you have the qualities necessary to make a good team member and have not as yet received an invitation, please don't hesitate to speak to a member of our coaching staff who will be more than happy to address any questions you may have about getting involved with the team.
