Theatrics is over the top. Island in the storm calm can be good, and unnerving to an attacker, but I feel that letting it roll naturally helps a lot.

And Ed, I do remember NIC at night. Clearly. I was exhausted afterward. And yes, I do remember tracer rounds and star clusters.

"Mike Chat XMA Form – Lots of poses, gymnastics and not one punch that I’d be afraid to be hit with. His punches are hardly pushes. The judges are totally bankrupt in understanding what a martial arts potential could become"

I agree. Something that was once told to me in my younger training days, was that when performing a kata, a person who is watching should be afraid to be in front of your techniques. This can be achieved WITHOUT wrenching your face. Quite frankly, If I was sparring with someone making faces like this, it would be really hard not to conceal my laughter. I am all about the calm, focused, poker face. Zanshin should be expressed in your kata, and it cant be done when you are screaming.

[quote ...Performing a Kata with a "calm face" tell me that you are not executing that sequence with full power and have not fully connected to what you are doing...

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On the contrary, a contorted face tells me some of your energy and probably a great deal of your focus is going to your face - the part of the body I prefer to be attacked with.

Consider this: you get in a fight with 2 guys. The first blasts you without showing emotion, the second one is snarling and drooling. They may each have hit you with everything they had, but you're more convinced the first guy may have something worse to hand out, so you're more likely to find a peaceful end to that confrontation. You continue to fight the second guy, because you figure you've already taken his best shot.

I probably unconciously downgrade the scores of those who over dramatize their katas.

I have a student who makes strange 'gestures' with his mouth during performing the kata. I have to chuckle in side as I am sure he is unaware of himself doing it.

Interesting comment. I've been guilty of being 'readable' during kata, and it's worse with bunkai. Teacher has laughingly remarked that the expression on my face makes him feel guilty.

Quote:

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I have a student who makes strange 'gestures' with his mouth during performing the kata. I have to chuckle in side as I am sure he is unaware of himself doing it.

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I used to train with a guy who always made strange faces and would look sharply in unexpected directions whilst training. It later turned out he was schitzophrenic and was seeing people or things. I didn't enjoy training with him much...

B.

How many Instructors have Students which would fit a Police Profiler's resume as a Serial Killer, I got 1 lol

Osu

In Manchester I am surprised you do not have a classful! No disrespect intended, I lived there until I was 17...

Old Mancunian joke: What do you call an Ardvark that walks away from a fight? A Vark.

B.