TEACHING KATA
ONE-ON-ONE FOR THE FIRST TIME
When talking about teaching kata, I like to use Kanshiwa as the model. The chances of a new instructor teaching a beginner student Sanchin for the first time are remote. That responsibility is usually handled by a more experienced instructor. Kanshiwa, however, is often the first kata a newer instructor may be asked to help a student learn.
Students learning Kanshiwa for the first time usually have three common attributes.
They are nervous.
They have very little knowledge of Uechiryu. Yes, you may have a student who has studied another style, but his or her knowledge of our style will still be limited.
Their Sanchin will be limited at best. Even if they are able to go through the whole kata, their footwork, body posture, and hand position will still be in the early stages of development.
That last point is important. When teaching Kanshiwa for the first time, you are not only teaching a new kata. You are also reinforcing the basic ideas of Sanchin: posture, stepping, turning, hand position, balance, and focus. The student is not ready for every detail yet. The goal is to help the student take the next successful step.
With that in mind, here is the approach I recommend the most.
First, start by talking to your student about themselves. Remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Asking them how they have been enjoying their training, or what questions they may have, is a good way to start any training session. However, do not let this go too long. In my experience, anything longer than a minute usually gets people too far off track.
From there, make the purpose of the lesson clear. A student should know what they are trying to accomplish. They should also know that they are not expected to master the whole kata in one lesson.
Now would be a good time to employ two of my favorite teaching methods: D-E-C-R and the Three Times Rule.
D-E-C-R stands for Demonstration, Explanation, Correction, and Repetition.
Start with a quick explanation:
“So today we’re going to work on your second kata. It is called Kanshiwa. This kata shows a slightly more practical way of utilizing Sanchin. I’ll show it to you very quickly, and then we’ll get started.”
Proceed with a quick demonstration of the whole kata. To save time, include a short explanation with each move, but do not let the demonstration last more than a minute. It is very easy to make a new student more nervous than they already are. A long explanation may impress them, but it probably will not help them.
Once the demonstration and explanation are done, put the student’s fears at ease by saying:
“That is the whole thing. Today we’re just going to work on the first six moves.”
To anyone, learning six moves feels a lot easier than learning an entire sequence.
From here, I recommend standing to the left of the student. Since the first movement in Kanshiwa involves the student pivoting to the left, you can do the kata side-by-side with the student and stay in their view. This matters. When a beginner is learning, they are usually trying to copy your movement, listen to your words, remember the sequence, and manage their nerves all at the same time. Standing in the right place makes their job easier.
Now we employ the Three Times Rule.
Guide the student through the kata and stop at the third punch.
That’s right. Stop right there.
Unless the student is the next Kanei Uechi, you have already given them enough information. Ask if they have any quick questions, then reset. Start the kata again from the beginning.
Guide the student through the kata and stop at the third punch.
That’s right. Again.
Reset and begin the kata for the third time. This time, continue through the two side kicks. The side kicks are more complicated than the punches, but now that the student feels more comfortable with the punching sequence, their mind is more prepared for the next challenge.
Repeat this another two times, then move into the horse stance sequence. After another repetition or two, depending on the situation, it may be helpful to have them go through the whole kata once. However, make it clear that the purpose is to give the student a sense of continuity, not to memorize the entire kata that day.
At the time of your choosing, or based on your comfort level, you may opt to stay side-by-side with the student or move in front of them. I usually recommend staying side-by-side until the student has gone through the side kicks at least once. After that, moving in front may help you see their posture, direction, and hand position more clearly.
A very important reminder: do not over-correct.
A beginner does not need ten corrections at once. They need the right correction at the right time. In the first lesson, I usually recommend focusing on sequence, direction, and basic posture. If they turn the right way, step reasonably well, and remember the general order, that is a successful first lesson.
There will be plenty of time later to clean up the height of the hands, the angle of the elbows, the quality of the stance, the timing of the turn, and the details of the strike. If you try to fix everything on day one, the student may leave feeling like they failed. If you give them a clear path forward, they leave feeling like they are learning.
That is the real goal.
The beauty of teaching kata this way is that your student should be able to go home and remember the first three punches. Think about it. If you followed the sequence correctly, the student will have gone through the punching portion several times. They have seen it, heard it, practiced it, corrected it, and repeated it.
That gives the student something to sink their teeth into at home. It also gives you something solid to build on the next time they come down.
The first time teaching a kata is not about perfection. It is about confidence, structure, and progress. If the student leaves knowing more than when they walked in, feeling good about the process, and wanting to come back and learn more, you accomplished something spectacular.
Marcus Traynor