Well, here’s a Youtube video of a brother and sister (they were around 10 and 6 years old at the time of filming) practicing the Heian Katas and Tekki Shodan.  Sensei Peter and I thought you might find it interesting since the majority of our group is practicing one of these half a dozen katas (Shotokan actually encompasses 26-30 katas, depending upon the dojo, so you can imagine that it does take a while to learn them all).   At the same time, we thought you might find it inspiring as the two siblings have good basics, form and speed.  They’re very serious students from Japan.  Since they practice the Shotokan style of Karate-Do, you should find the movements the same as ours with a few very minor differences.  These children (Mahiro and Masaki) likely spend time practicing their karate on a daily basis, which is a big reason that they are so accomplished in the art.  We don’t expect you to do that, but just think how much better you could be if you practiced your techniques with this intensity for a couple of hours every day.

Please note that there is no extra movement – they quickly thrust and lock into each step with precision and kime.  They perform with a sureness that is the product of countless renditions of these katas.  Fortunately, we don’t expect our students to practice kata and kihon on a daily basis  but watching these children can serve as an inspiration as to what is possible, for even our youngest members.  Enjoy!