Contents
The five contested kata (IJF programme)
Nage-no-kata (forms of throwing) · Katame-no-kata (forms of control) · Ju-no-kata (forms of gentleness) · Kime-no-kata (forms of decision) · Kodokan Goshin-jutsu (modern self-defence). Koshiki-no-kata and Itsutsu-no-kata are not on the IJF programme. The weapons of Kime-no-kata and Goshin-jutsu are wood, never metal, and the Kime-no-kata sword carries a tsuba. The kata competition surface is 8×8 m.
The judging system (IJF criteria, January 2025 edition)
| Mechanism | The rule |
|---|---|
| The panel | Five judges; per technique, the highest and lowest marks are dropped: three remain |
| The mark | Per technique: maximum 10, minimum 1 when there is no omission or major mistake; a judge may adjust by ±0.5 |
| The zero | Only for a forgotten technique or a major mistake, and if the judges agree, the pair's total is halved, once only (not again for a further error of the same kind) |
| Mistake classes | Major (F) · big (B) · medium (M) · small (S), from an omitted technique to an imperfection |
| Also scored | The opening and closing ceremonies; in Nage-no-kata, right and left are evaluated together (one mark); Katame-no-kata concludes at the kyoshi posture |
| The spirit | Behaviour contrary to the spirit of judo disqualifies |
Kata « match analysis » is deduction control: marks are lost quietly in the transitions, the ma-ai (distance) and the ceremony as much as in the techniques: that is where the repetition goes.
The France Judo programme by category (2025/2026)
| Category | Kata required | Minimum grade |
|---|---|---|
| Minimes | Nage-no-kata, 3 series | orange belt |
| Cadets | Nage-no-kata, 3 series | green belt |
| Juniors | Full Nage-no-kata + full Katame-no-kata + Ju-no-kata 1st & 2nd series | blue belt |
| Seniors | All five kata, complete | black belt (≥ 18) |
Judged by three judges minimum in FIJ notation, on 8×8 m. This programme is also the backbone of the dan examination's kata requirements. See The belt-by-belt programme.
How to train a kata
| Mechanism | What it is |
|---|---|
| Segmentation | One technique or one series at a time: form is repaired at the segment, not the whole |
| Role work | Uke and tori are two jobs: uke's committed attack is what makes tori's technique judgeable; a soft uke empties the kata |
| Criteria-focused repetition | Repeating against the published points: correct kuzushi-tsukuri-kake, correct ma-ai, correct reishiki, efficiency, realism, fluidity |
Never route a kata through the shiai tracker: kata is judged on criteria and deductions, not counted in ippon. Two registers, two models.
FAQ
At what age to start kata?
Does uke's role count in the mark?
Do two omissions halve the total twice?
Sources
IJF Kata Commission: Kata Competition, Criteria for the evaluation, January 2025 edition (the five-judge panel, the 1–10 scale, the zero-and-halving rule, mistake classes, wooden weapons) and « How to Judge Kata » (ijf.org); France Judo: Textes Officiels 2025/2026 (the kata programme by category, minimum grades, the 8×8 m surface, three judges minimum). Paak judo corpus, files 01 §6 (kata), 03 (pedagogy) and 04 (deduction control), verified September 2026.