I don't particularly like Kata's, I find them incredibly boring to be honest. Sparring I love.

Hello Harlan:

I refuse to believe the answer to this question is gender based. Love or loathe kata does not depend on ones apparatus, rather our brains hardwiring... and definately how it is presented.

IMHO-IMHE I have uniformly found women young or old learn the ideas, principles of the art typically far better, easier and more thoroughly than men solely because they do not force their way through it. They learn the kata, and rarely depend on their awesome strength or mass to achieve the desired result. Hense, understand what a kata tells us far better.

Merely my opinion, I could surely be mistaken,
Jeff

It's just a question...and there is no 'right or wrong' answer. Nor did I imply that it was gender 'based'...only if there was a gender 'preference'...which as you pointed out can lay in social conditioning and possible differences in hard wiring.

'Preferences' change over time...so this is just an unscientific snapshot. Personally, I kinda expect things to even out and both sections to be predominately in the middle. As to why anybody likes kata...that is a different question.

I could point to the overwhelming success of TKD and female participation/retention and contrast it to a 'hard' MA like karate, which doesn't seem to have the same success in attracting/retaining females...and if kata was the single factor in appealing/retaining women then why the disparity? Obviously, one size does not fit all...male or female.

I think TKD has such success with women is because of their variety of kicking techniques. Many women don't have confidence in their upper body strength and view their lower body strength and flexibility as a strong asset. This goes well with the large focus on kicking in TKD.

I was torn which way to vote cause I love kata but I also love sparring. In the end I went for I like kata a lot. I have always enjoyed kata since not long after I first began grading.

With the other women at my dojo I think there would be a fairly mixed response. But I think most overall enjoy kata.

Hello Harlan:

Pssssst, TKD IS A "hard style"....

Jeff

Hello Harlan:

A good teacher, finds our "wavelength" and communicates clearly. If the messages are clear ones, its always simple choice.. gender regardless.

One of the...amusing things I've always found, if you take the generic art of Ueshiba (Aiki-) the large majority of its first generation seem to have already been martial artists, and... not "soft" in the least... for many it still was and is still not now, despite its "higher-ground" technique and philosophy....

Jeff

No offense meant to the TKDers. I think that the popular image of TKD, the kind that most women are familiar with, is that it is a more approachable art.

Quote:

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Pssssst, TKD IS A "hard style"....

Jeff

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Currently:

female 14: 5/7/2
I like kata...36%. Interesting that the male responses at around the same number (16, below) were still way lower.

male 24: 2/20/2
I like kata...8%

Quote:

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female reponses 8: 4/3/1
I like kata: 50%

male responses 16: 1/14/1
I like kata: 6%

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BTW: this poll is open to everyone that practices MA...not just those in styles with forms/kata.

Thanks for the interesting replies.

bump...looks like the poll has tapped out of responses.

To date:

female reponses 14: 5/7/2
I like kata: 36%

male responses 25: 2/21/2
I like kata: 8%

Not a lot to go on, and not 'scientific'...but still...male/female ratios are different in preference.