Karl Tamai and Diane Jackson demonstrating Nage No Kata, 2014 World Judo Kata Championships, Malaga, Spain
The following documents detail the Kata Competition Criteria for evaluation and are useful as a guide for kata judges and for competitors at the national and international level. These documents assume a high level of proficiency with the kata and are not suitable as learning material for those just beginning their kata study. The United States has fully adopted the IJF standards.
IJF Standards*
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IJF Kata Competition: Criteria for Evaluation (January 2025)
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IJF Kata Competition: Judges Guidelines (January 2020)
*Please check the International Judo Federation website for potential updates.
Basic Learning Resources
Kata Document Archive
The following is historical material that may be of use in understanding the current international criteria and the transition from the USA National Kata Standards to the IJF Standards. These documents include correlation guides between the different standards and training materials developed when the IJF Standards adoption began.
US Standards Transition
The following are the combined US and IJF kata standards, adopted as a transition document for 2015 and 2016 in the US:
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Nage-no-kata
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Ju no Kata
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Katame No Kata
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Kime No Kata
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Goshinjitsu
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Presentation on US standards and IJF judging evaluation criteria – November 2015, Seattle, WA
Previous IJF Standards and Documents
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IJF Kata Evaluation Criteria-2015
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IJF Competition Rules – 2015
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IJF Kata Commission – 2009 Analysis of Official Kodokan Video
EJU Kata Documents
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Nage No Kata – EJU Judge’s Guide (2015)
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Katame No Kata- EJU Judge’s Guide (2015)
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Ju No Kata- EJU Judge’s Guide (2015)
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Kodokan Goshinjutsu- EJU Judge’s Guide (2015)
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Kime No Kata- EJU Judge’s Guide (2015)
