(bits own tounge off) thanks for your opnions

actually, no i can't let that slide. your saying that a decades long student of a world famous and rekown technition is making a "fatal mistake"? sensei nishiyama is the one who, in the early days of martial arts migrition to the west was the one who spent the majority of his time learning and explaining the fine points of power generation and technique (acording to modern physical science) to his students. this is the way we do it, obvisouly wrong to your views, however the leg is ment to have that degree of bend in it to allow the hip joint to maintain a suppleness that allows for fluid power transfer from the floor to the target.. thank goodness you hold no monoply on proper body dynamics, neither do we. you do it your way for a reason, we do it our way for our reasons, next time try asking why instead of getting your ass up on that horse and telling it "like it is"

"In my opinion the videos posted show the kind of movement, technique and practice that gives Shotokan a bad name."

sensei rokah is a damn fine example of ITKF shotokan karate, i can't speak for any other organization only what i understand of the one i train.

In KATA (not in sparring or fighting) the rear leg must remain strait. This is not a matter of 1 style's opinion vs. another. It's the way Nishiyama taught.

Maybe I'll have to ask Frank Smith. ("Who" you ask? ...He's only the best fighter out of Nishiyama's camp in the '60's & '70's before tournament competition became a game of padded tag).

Back leg strait for zenkutsu-dachi...anyone else out there disagree? Look it up.

kata is kumite is kihon, to be correct. and if your asking who im asking you can quote michelle critch, a personal choice of hishiyama sensei for 3 years in a row now to rerresent traditional karate as a whole out of the entire world. she is also a world champion competerot and regularaly attands all of sensei's training camps and comps for the last 20 years. some what mroe current then the 70's eh?

our reason for having a certin degree of bend in the back leg is because with your bakc leg straight, it pulls on the hip flexor, in tuen pulling in on your lower back, causeing a foward lunbar flexion of the spine, this out ward flexion destroys power transfer between the upper and lower body, and places a huge ammount of force to the low back area, making it prone to long term damage. heving a small bend is more natural and allows your body to accept and redirect force to the proper locations that are equiped to deal with it. bend the knee a bit, just a bit. is this bend worth this kind of venom?

Is it worth the venom probably not.

comming from a system that shares similar masters in the lineage of Shotokan we keep the back leg straight in kata.

yes, the backleg straight is a fundamental.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m3GHzVq-QQ

I think there should always be moderation. The back leg can't be bent too much, or it will not be a front stance. However, if it is "locked" out then you are losing alot in the way of proper body dynamics to transfer relaxed power. I would say that just a bent back leg does not proper or relaxed power generation make. I say this because the videos you posted contain no relaxed power generation or fluidity at all.