The Idea of Musical Form competition

** this is Gary and his brother George Michak **

I remember a time back in the early 1980 when musical kata became a division. And at times people did kata that had nothing to do with the music, jhoon Rhee had a team that did forms to classical kata. The best one I ever saw was Gary Michak who did a created musical form timed to Superman. Unfortunately I know of no movie or viideo of his performance. But I can remember that performance.

He performed it at the 2nd youth karate tournament I held. He volunteered to do it for the kids. They went wild, for his leg rose perfectly in time with the music, hither and higher his round kicks went, Finally his last round kick was straight up then he rotatated a quarter circle each time with another vertical round kick while facing a new direction. The whole thing was perfectly timed to the movie Superman theme. Awesome for what it was.

What us real karate has changed over time.

For example before my time Hidy Ochiai of Wahin-Ryu was a tournament forms champion…and his forms often had a trademark back flip as part of his forms. I know he was a skilled technician. Years later I competed at his tournaments in Binghamton NY, trained a bit with one of his students, and was there on the day his students first competed with bo (which was new for them at that time). His students kata was different from his personal competition forms, more in line what you would think of as traditional Japanese forms (no back flips)

 

He used to permit his youth students to attend my youth tournaments, All of his students at every level  were extremely disciplined and solid karate-ka. However I understand in time his son did include back-flips in his forms.

 

So the question of what is real karate is of course a mystery.

 

Then step back and think of China. Many of the Northern Chinese systems incorporate many gymnastic maneuvers in their arts. Cartwheels, kips, All of them to use against a variety of different attacks in their origins.’

 

The Chinese then built upon their own traditions and created modern Whshu, creating superb athletes, with dynamic routines of often incredible complexity. Not designed for combat.. however the existence does not detract from their traditional arts performance….The Chinese government seems to have realized WuShu was far more important for China, because of what that training could add to their youths lives and pushed the development of Wushu.

 

When I started karate, whatever stepped on the tournament floor was karate, While there must have been private discussion about what others were doing, those discussions were kept to one’s friends.

 

Much of the solid karate performance in kata, kobudo and kumite likely would not pass the sniff tests of many today. But they trained very hard. And were skilled performed also. They represented many different arts.

 

When I was a yellow belt Sensei prepared a yellow belt demonstration team for a local demonstration. We were drilled rigorously on kata Seiunchin done to the music of the Hustle. I realize that should absurd today, but the form was 100% the way we were taught the form then. In fact for over 20 years that remained my favorite kata. And even today when I tun the form I hear the Hustle playing in the background.

 

Sw when around I first saw musical kata at regional tournaments I did not freak out.  Some I did not care for, some I found enjoyable. Then I saw Gary Michak perform a kata he created, core graphed with the Music from Superman. It literally was the best musical form I ever had seen. Each movement was from his art, a bit dramatized but that did not bother me.

 

Another competitor from the same time was Canada’s Jean Frenette musical kata somewhat similar to Gary’s

Perhaps from personal bias, I preferred Gary’s for more.

 

 

Musical forms also came out of the Jhoon Rhee system. Such as John Chungs performance of Exodus.  

These are but two examples from those years.

 

I also knew of one youth instructor in Pa. who was creating dynamic form s for his students in kata competition. I later heard he had he kids also enrolling in gymnastics classes. Surely a precursor of what was coming to music forms.

 

I really stopped most tournaments about 1984 when I moved to New Hampshire.  While I attended a few tournaments in Massachusetts, most of what I would call traditional karate schools did not attend. I was less than impressed at what I observed the judges performance standards. And choose not to participate there.

I did go to several NH tournaments for years. One year I saw there was to be a musical form competition at the tournament. I like to have fun and seriously wanted my brown belts to enter the division. I saw them competing with a traditional stick form as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, wearing boxes painted as turtle shells. I would have been fun to see the judges faces. Alas I could not offer any inducement for them to do so. Sometimes being Sensei is not enough I guess.

 

Of course it was not traditional kata, but the division was what was. Perhaps more to appeal to the audience who had another thing to be wild about after sitting in the stands for a very long day. It helped the tournament  promoter to make money, and for the performers another division to score a potential win it.

I haven’t paid attention to whatever came next.