Respect · Tradition · Practice
Philosophy
SKN exists to support students between lessons, never to replace the dojo, the sensei, or the lineage.
Traditional learning first
Kata is not a diagram. It is breath, timing, posture, and intention, taught through demonstration, correction, and years of practice. Spatial Kata Notation cannot carry that. It only carries the skeleton: where you face, how you step, what technique is named, and what you want to remember.
Rule of deference: If your sensei’s teaching and an SKN sheet disagree, the sensei is correct. Update the sheet.
What this notation is for
- Remembering embusen after class
- Reviewing sequence before training alone
- Sharing a draft with training partners for discussion
- Annotating one possible bunkai reading beside a move
What this notation is not
- A replacement for dojo instruction
- A claim of style orthodoxy across ryuha
- A grading tool or “correct form” certificate
- A substitute for bunkai taught by your teacher
Humility in writing
Every sheet should name the style or school reading it follows (for example Shito-Ryu, dojo-specific). Kata names travel widely; details do not. Write the version you were taught, and leave room for correction.
Practice more, argue less
The goal is simple: spend less time reconstructing the map of the kata, and more time polishing the kata itself. Notation serves memory. The floor serves mastery. The sensei serves transmission.