kata.

Kata is often described as a set sequence of karate moves organized into a pre-arranged fight against imaginary opponents.The kata consists of blocks,punches,kicks,strikes,sweeps and throws.Body movement in various kata includes stepping,twisting,turning,dropping to the ground and jumping.In kata is not a performance or a demonstration,but is for individual karateka to practice full techniques-with every technique potentially a killing blow ( ikken hisatsu )-while paying particular attention to from and timing ( rhythm ).As the karateka grows older,more emphasis is placed on the health benefist of practicing kata,promoting fitneess while keeping the body soft,supple and agile.There are perhaps 100 kata across the various forms of karate, each with many minor variations. The number of moves in a kata may be referred to in the name of the kata. The ultimate Gōjū-ryū kata, Suparinpei, literally translates to 108. Suparinpei is the Chinese pronunciation of the number 108,while gojushi of Gojūshiho is the Japanese pronunciation of the number 54. The other Gōjū-ryū kata, Sanseru (meaning “36”) and Seipai (“18”) are factors of the number 108. The number of moves may also have links with Buddhist spirituality.The number 108 is significant in Buddhism, and kata with 54, 36, or 27 moves (divisors of108) are common. The practitioner is generally counselled to visualize the enemy attacks, and his responses, as actually occurring, and karateka are often told to a kata, to explain the imagined events. The study of the meaning of the movements is referred to as the bunkai, meaning analysis, of the kata.