How to perform Kata Saifa

Kata Saifa is the third kata you will normally learn in the Go Kan Ryu Karate style. The form is thought to have originated from ancient chinese martial artists which could have been monk boxing. The kata is primarily practised nowadays in the GoJu style of karate and is typical of the Hard / Soft approach with delicated close quarter grappling techniques exploding into fast powerful attacking motions. Kata Saifa uses stances such as Sanchin Dachi and Shiko Dachi alongside such strikes of Tetsui, the Hammer Fist blow. Students are also introduced to simple open handed techniques like the inside haito block of Kake Uke.

From your Heiko Dachi ready stance, the kata goes like this...

01. Turn left 90, step your right foot two shoulders lengths wide of your left foot then slide your left foot up beside your right foot. Look ahead and pull your right arm back with a closed fist with the palm side facing your body. Moving your left arm across your entire body and placing the opened palm against the front of your right fist.

02. Look to the right and pull back your left arm, keep the hand open. Then move your right arm across the body to twist your right fist into the left palm so the back of the fist faces up. Next you need move your left foot back two shoulders lengths into the sumo stance of Shiko Dachi and perform a left downward circle Teisho Uke. Follow this up with an right hand Ura Uchi Back fist to the right.

03. Pivot on the right foot to turn yourself around 180 and step your left foot out two shoulders length to your left, Then slide the right foot up beside the other. Looking ahead, pull the left arm back with a clenched fist. Move your right arm across the body and place the opened palm at the front of your left fist.

04. Looking left, pull the right arm back and keep your hand open. Moving the left arm passed the body and twisting the left fist into the right palm with the fist facing up. Move your right foot out into a Shiko Dachi and again perform a right Teisho Uke over and done in a circular path past the nose and down by your left side. Deliver the left hand Ura Uchi to the left.

05. Pivot on your left foot, turn around 180 and step the right foot two shoulders lengths out. Then bring the left foot up back up to meet the right, Looking ahead pull the right arm back with the a clenched fist with the palm facing towards your body. Take the left arm past your body and place the opened palm at the front of your right fist.

06. Look to the right and pull the left arm back, keep your hand open and move the right arm pass the yourself twisting your right fist into the other palm making sure the fists back faces upwards. Next move the left foot out into Shiko Dachi and perform the circular Teisho Uke. Follow up this with the right hand Ura Uchi.

07. Turn right 90 to the front, drop the left hand down by your side while moving your left foot up to the right one, slide the foot in then back out one shoulders length to the left, lifting the right foot to your left knee. Perform a inside Haito or Kake Uke with the left hand and drop your right hand down to a Teisho Uke. Look right.

08. Look forward and kick Mae Geri with the right foot. Step the right foot one and a half shoulder widths to the right and lift your left foot to your right knee while performing a inside Haito or Kake Uke with your right hand and drop the left hand down to a Teisho Uke. Look left.

09. Look ahead and kick Mae Geri with the left foot, drop the left foot back behind you into a Zenkutsu Dachi while reaching out with both hands to grab at neck level, crossing the right hand over the left one. Snap back the hands to pull in, uncrossing the arms during the motion then fast double punch to the collar bone. Leave the arms out.

10. Open the left hand and move it out in a circular motion in front of the groin while bringing the right clenched fist in a circular motion to strike the opened left hand palm.

11. Mawate turn 180 by stepping right foot one shoulder width to the left of the left foot in a Zenkutsu Dachi. Reach out both arms to grab the collar area, crossing the right hand over the left. Snap back the hands back to the hips, and uncross as you go. Strike out fast double punch to the collar bones leaving the arms out.

12. Open up the right hand and move it in a circular motion to the front of your groin while moving your left clenched fist in a circular motion on to strike into the opened right hand palm.

13. Raise the right arm up and over your head bending the elbow touching the top of your head with the forearm. At the same time, pass the left arm over the body and lift your right foot to your left knee. Pivot round 180 degrees on your left foot and step into Sanchin Dachi performing a downward Jodan Tetsui with the right arm, kiai.

14. Open the right hand up with the palm facing down, grab. Retract the right hand back to your waist, with facing palm downwards keep the hand open in a grab shape. Perform a Shita Tsuki with the left hand.

15. Raise the left arm up and over the head with the elbow bent in, palm of the fist should be facing forwards. With the forearm touching the top of your head, cross the right arm over your body and lift your left foot to your right knee. Pivot round 180 degrees on the right foot and drop into Sanchin Dachi performing a downwards Jodan Tetsui with your left, kiai.

16. Open up the left hand and grab, retracting the left hand back to the waist, palm downwards. Perform a Shita Tsuki with the right hand.

17. Close the left hand into a tight fist with your palm facing downwards and extend your right hand into aChoku Tsuki, moving the right leg forwards into a Sanchin Dachi.

18. Gyaku Tsuki with your left hand.

19. Pivoting on the right foot to turn your body and right foot to the front. Bring the left foot up into Reverse Nekoashi Dachi. Extend the hand out in front of you until the left hand reaches the right hand, the right hand moves forward with it.

20. Stepping back with the left foot into Zenkutsu Dachi, and quickly drag the right foot back into Nekoashi Dachi. Pull both hands back to the left side of the chest, at a heads width, the right hand should be uppermost pointing backwards. The left hand pointing forward. Move both hands to the front of your body, rotate the hands in a circular neck snapping motion. Push arms outwards with tension a to the front.