To me Naifanchi is but a tool to prepare for a real kata study.

 

. That of Chinto, and once that is entered, Naifanchi becomes far less useful.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2O8NoAdHkE

 

Victor Donald Smith In my study everything in naifanchi is building technique that later is reflected in Chinto, and once that study matures, there is less focus on the earlier simpler kata.

 

Charles B. Stanley Really.... ??? only a tool to prepare for real kata study.....??? Not as I see it. My similar kata is a Ryukyu version of Naihanchi Shodan. without counting the number of moves I'll guess it is about 35-36 total moves. And then dividing that in half (because everything is done left and right) means there are about 17-18 different things. I have a list of realistic self defense applications taken directly out of the kata and the list is 52 applications and growing. For some moves I have not even found an applications. Most I have 1 to 3 and some I have as many as 5. Bottom line here is I have barely scratched the surface of Naihanchi Shodan at this point. There could be many more applications for the techniques I have applications for and no telling how many applications for the few moves I have not got any applications for yet. I feel that any kata even ones that are simpler than Naihanchi has more to teach us than we are likely to ever learn. NOTE: Funakoshi Sensei once said that if a Karate-Ka only learned one kata but knew all it had to teach he would be a deadly fighter.

 

Victor Donald Smith Apparently each of us stand on different mountain tops. But after a 40 year climb up mine, I stand by what I say. This is not about applications per sae, I found many times many for naifanchi, it is more about what Chinto says to me. And in my lineage I did not start with Funakoshi. I do understand what he said, just again not my starting point.

 

ERozmin-Sensei Lakan Dalawa Victor Donald Smith and to many and I , after my 50 year climb, Chinto is no better or worse in value it is another view from the same mountain with differing benefits. ... Rei

 

Victor Donald Smith I guess it depends on what you see chinto representing. It does not bother me in the least others see it differently. I came from an era where there was no discussion of the application potential for kata. When I worked out an underlying principle behind my chinto, I could see where naifanchi was a building block for that, and the totality from my chinto was much more a focus for me. There are many different chinto;s after all, and many different starting points. That I believe in mine does not mean I don't believe in yours. Then again I was shown Shotokan from an Indonesian perspective, where the instructors father had studied under Funakoshi, but it became an entirely different perspective of what other Shotokan is. We each walk in our own shoes.

 

Victor Donald Smith I wonder if anyone has really master a kata. Probably depends on your viewpoint. To me the issue is not mastering a kata, but being able to actually use it's principles under conditions extremis. We all are constantly changing, improving, declining an all the rest, but upon which principles we use becomes our art.

 

John Kerker Chinto Kata is Big Boy Karate....Naihanchi is to Shorin Ryu as Sanchin is to Goju Ryu....there is a reason each kata only uses one simple stance throughout.....One Advantage of Isshinryu is were lucky enough to have both in our syllabus.....

 

Mark Radunz Harrill Sensei lit us all up in more ways than I can remember with Naihanchi. I don't consider it any less than any other kata. It has plenty of combat applications that are nothing short of f&^k you up bad, quickly.

 

John Kerker Mark Radunz, not saying it is less.....and yes I will Naihanchi till the cows come home.....there's a reason it's the third Kata in the system it's simpler to teach the Gokui of Naihanchi for many reasons....Chinto is head and shoulders above Naihanchi in it's possibilities....most people couldn't comprehend Mr Harrill's Naihanchi....let alone what he did with Chinto......

 

Mark Radunz Agreed. I just feel Naihanchi is over looked and often times just the movements are learned to get to the next belt.

 

John Kerker Mark Radunz in some Dojo yes....in Isshinryu dojo it's often neglected that Naihanchi is to the Shorin Ryu system what Sanchin is to Goju Ryu....we are blessed to have both....the fact that each of these kata only use one stance throughout is compelling and an extremely important part of why the Gokui of each is so important and bleeds into everything else in the syllabus......