I was in Judo for about 4 years when I lived at home and wanted to continue but when I had to leave home for nursing school the school had a ju jitsu school instead, which is close to judo, but is what judo was before it was turned into a sport. I found it was more fun even than judo and stayed with it. (This was also where I met my husband, who is a sandan in the art.)I've been in Dan Zan Ru ju jitsu ever since. I was only in Karate for about six months, when I moved to San Diego. Then I discovered that I was pregnant with my first child and had to quit <sigh>. I did enjoy it but after you have kids it's a lot harder to do the "fun" stuff when you want to. <g>
Anyway, "kata" is used both in Karate and ju jitsu, and means "forms", or "arts" which is how we refer to the various throws, chokes, holds and other techniques we learn in ju jitsu. Ju jitsu is practiced as an art, not as a competition, unlike Judo which is a competition sport.
This is also why Judo has a fair number of injuries -- unavoidable when you're competing. Ju jitsu, on the other hand, while not free of injuries has relatively few, and they are usually due to someone violating the safety rules on the mat.
Sorry to stray off subject, Elizabeth.
Nan
