Criteria

Counting the moves	With basic count With multiple steps per count Without count
Speed	Very Slow Slow Normal Fast Very Fast
Tension	Soft Normal Hard
Stance	Short Normal Long
Sight	Eyes Open Eyes Closed (tojiru me) for spatial and positional awareness
Partners	Without With (becomes bunkai q.v. under forms of kumite)
Kiai	Without With kiai at specific points as in the punching exercise With kiai on every strike and ibuki on every block, (or not).

Changing the order of progression

• Eyes - feet - hands
• Eyes - hands - feet

Bunkai

• Basic beginner level (Shoden) Block/punch theory
• Intermediate (Chuden) Releasing, counter and escape
• Advanced (Okuden oyo) Joint-nerve manipulation (tuite) and vital point strikes (kyusho) evasion and body shifting (tai-sabaki) and staying with the assailant at close range (muchimi)
• Kakushite (hidden moves) are probably better categorised under Advanced Bunkai although there is never any firmly fixed point in any of this in our dojo. Beginners will learn about evasion and some vital point strikes for example, very early in their training.

Ushiro ni

Backwards.

Kagami yoni

Mirror image, starting right not left or left not right - Migi hajime (start to the right).

Special count or sequence

• Two-step
• One-step
• Two moves forward, one move back
• In a kata where the count is known precisely such as in the Kata Shinsei Undo - calling out the random number of a move.

Kihon

Basic form - relatively long stances, bold exaggerated hand movements, each move by the count, kiai at a couple of points in the kata

Ritsudo

Rhythmic form - grouping of techniques into defensive units according to a pre-determined plan. Simulating reality but with perfect form.

Shinkokyu

Breathing form - slow (Tai Ch'i speed), quiet deep breathing, for perfect form, balance, strength, fluidity.

Hayaku

Speed form - flat out in part as a test for spontaneity and an ability to perform the kata without thought.

Tensio

Dynamic muscular tensioning form - slow, focusing breathing, tensioning of all the appropriate musculature of the body, but not in a hard rigid destructive way - rather, with a strong, firm but pliable tensioning creating a hard shell around a soft interior.

Qi Gung

Light fast - focus at end - breath exhalation form - standard Shorin Ryu form.

Soft art

Internal light fast -no force or effort form.

Random turn command

Add the complication of turning 90 degrees (or some amount) and resuming on a signal (when you are all doing different forms and scattered about the room).

Power form

Pause between techniques, but execute with explosive power i.e. your absolute maximum. The pauses in between allow for correction etc. Length of pause can be varied too depending on needs of the karate-ka.

Visualisation

Visualisations are a fundamental and essential part of any kata practise. Specific topics may be selected for contemplation such as stance, posture, deportment, balance, receiving, countering, breathing, tension/relaxation, expansion/contraction, fast/slow, linear/circular, hard/soft etc. ad infinitum.

Shinseido elemental model

• Earth/horse - Slow hard
• Water/snake - Slow soft (calm, flowing)
• Fire/tiger - Fast hard (fierce and destructive)
• Air/crane - Fast soft
• Ether/dragon - Full integrated

Ancient Elements (Traditional Medicine) approach

• Earth
  Stances, rootedness, balance, good basic techniques. First one must learn the stances as nothing the upper body does works unless the stances are well formed.

• Wind
  Breathing, lightness, directions of movement. After earth one must learn to breath at the right moments, breathing is essential.

• Fire
  Speed, power, focus. Once the movements are ingrained, one can begin to add power and speed.

• Water
  Flow, lowness, searching out, giving and receiving, adaptability, bunkai. Now it is time to leave speed behind and learn the deeper meanings of each part. Then it is time to start all over again with the beginner's mind, examining the stances and attention to the basics.

  Without any environmental distraction
  In a totally disruptive environment

No mind (mushin) mode

Visualisation of specific applications according to the above criteria (basic, intermediate and advanced) - also visualising several applications superimposed at the same time…

Visualisation of emotional states

• High Energy
  Emotional expression = Volatile tension, expressive anger
  Corresponding movements = vigorous, strong explosive, Instinctive.

• High Energy
  Emotional expression = Internal Tension, non-expressive anger
  Corresponding movements = dynamic tension, strong and restrained, conscious and deliberate.

• Medium Energy
  Emotional expression = Formal
  Corresponding movements = Firm, Restrained & firm, Conscious and Deliberate

• Low Energy
  Emotional expression = Relaxed, Buoyant
  Corresponding movements =Light/fast, Unrestrained, Soft & fast, Instinctive
• Low Energy
  Emotional expression: Sedate, At ease
  Corresponding movements = Relaxed, Passive Unrestrained, Soft & slow, Conscious and Deliberate

Various

1. Use only one hand. This is excellent for helping memory. It is also practical in the sense that you never know when or how you might be injured in a fight. It can also help to stimulate thought on new applications (bunkai) of a technique you might not have thought enough about.

2. Change the pattern of breathing.

3. Change the applications from strikes to throws.

4. Change the bridges into strikes (a rising block becomes a forearm strike to the neck).

Ura

Replace every step forward with a 180 degree turn. If you were stepping forward from a zenkutsu dachi (front leaning stance) position with your left leg front, rather than moving your right leg forward you would move it behind you to your left in a half circle.