Saifa Bunkai: Basic to Advanced for Goju Ryu

[@barrettokarate]

You find that movement 5:55 in Bassai-Dai (shotokan and shito-ryu), Matsumura no Bassai (shorin-ryu), Itosu no Bassai (shorin-ryu) and Ishimine Bassai (shito-ryu) and depending on how each schools counts, about 4 to 5 movements in. The other kata would be kanku-dai (shotokan), Kushanku-Dai (shorin-ryu), Kosonku-Dai (shito-ryu) and Shiho Kosokun (shito-ryu). Depending on how you interpret the movements, the ending of Chatan Yara Kusanku (shorin-ryu and shito-ryu) could be seen as a similar movement.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Ah, this is such a great slice of karate knowledge, thank you! Always a delight to hear from our cousins in other styles 🥋

[@ikigaido]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre It is called Sukui Dome

[@andresvalenzuela6786]

hola. Me gusta mucho este KATA. Yo pertenezco a una escuela de estilo ken shin ryu. La mayoría de los ataques a los que podemos estar expuestos son fundamentalmente golpes a la cara, por ello, me gustaría mucho ver bunkai con relación a este tipo de ataques.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Thank you so much for this lovely comment! This is definitely a valuable aspect of bunkai to consider. We have many videos on bunkai but we will look at one doing high attacks only. Thank you for watching!

[@GiC7]

Thank you sir, you make karate to so alive and to understand the kata and bunkai. Thank you and blessings to you, your family and Brian. Because you are working with Brian and showing the practical kata it motivate me to not give up on karate. You are the drive for me not to stop with karate. Thanks a lot.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

This beautiful message is proof to us that we are on the right track with what we put out in the world. We are grateful to play a role in your karate, and we believe your journey will be long and rewarding 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

[@koshinryukempo3570]

True Budo spirit! Gratitude... the Mother of all virtue. Accountability, the Father. Beautiful comment.

[@koshinryukempo3570]

Another insightful gem from GRKC! Apart from the wonderful bunkai, what's inspiring is Ché Sensei's sheer exuberance when he gets into the flow-state! (a neck crank as "fun and games"!!!. Aaah, kata... the beautiful, brutal poetry of violence; classical bunkai...dance of death!) And,(given he was waxing enthusiastic as the video progressed from hyomengi to oyo), how fortunate for Brian deshi that this was a short one... another 10-15 minutes and Brian would have been in serious trouble😅. CobraKai-ropractics! Can just hear Ché whispering in the ear of an assailant "Sir, you seem to be in need of attitude adjustment... i'm here to help."

[@chejagger1]

Thanks Jed Sensei

[@markfisher2683]

Brilliant play on words- nice!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Brian filmed the Geki 1 and 2 bunkai before this one - that video is 30 minutes of him being chucked around 🤣 we decided to refilm it because the livestream was so glitchy, and the material was worth saving and doing again. Luckily, he has medical insurance and Ché has excellent control 😉

[@koshinryukempo3570]

@@markfisher2683 all credit to Sensei Zoë... CobraKai-ropractics is her pun

[@NotEbugaming]

This is such a good video. I love watching Jesse Enkamp and Ian Abernathy. I think I just found another favorite!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Ah, thank you so much! That's big company for us to join, with our tiny little channel :) Thank you so much for watching and commenting 🙇🏻‍♀️!

[@sbeveridge]

Saifa is one of my favourite kata for bunkai. Thank you for another perspective on the applications that can be derived. Good stuff as always, guys.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

We realized our first Saifa bunkai video needed a revamp - it was filmed right at the beginning of our YT journey; no mic, old phone, zero production value. We're amazed that people subscribed to that and stayed with us this long as we got better at making videos! I didn't like Saifa for the longest time; it wasn't until I learned the bunkai that I started to appreciate it and all its subtle glory. Thank you so much for the lovely comment, Steve! We're glad you're here 🙇🏻‍♀️

[@markfisher2683]

Ha! It’s so funny ( and fun) to see how much joy is to be had with all the possible devastation 🤣🤣👊🏻😱! Props to Brian for literally taking it on the chin ( and almost everywhere ELSE;) day after day! Future bragging rights for sure! Great video ( and great jokes and info too, Zoe, Sensei;), as USUAL. I had JUST practiced bunkai basics, and “ other worldly” applications for the first 4 kata about an hour ago- this video was a perfect way to conclude said session! Cheers! Thank you ALL!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Ché is the bunkai equivalent of a pyromanic, sometimes 😂 Luckily, his control is excellent, and like a true deshi, Brian is there to make it look good 🤣 he does get food and board in exchange for his suffering, so at least he eats and learns well. If he ever does travel to another dojo one day, he can point to this channel as his CV. Thank you for the kind words for the editing and jokes - it's my little way of making editing more fun for myself (luckily it is starting to get easier and faster with each video). We love your comments, and we appreciate the time you take to write them 🙏

[@markfisher2683]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre Revisiting… ( your videos are the gift that keep on giving🤗😉🤓👊🏻)-👍

[@matthews1082]

Oh nice! Short but sweet, Very much agree with all the Bunkai, very much within the realms of Okinawan Goju tradition, including the advanced variations - especially the Chinen variations, bringing back good memories. The head twist after the double hand punch technique 8:15-8:19 shows the more subtle aspects of Goju-Kata whereby things like close quarter takedowns and throws are hidden between the small movements that transition us from one part of the Kata to the next. Nicely done. 8:44-8:55 used to be my Sensei's favourite move, except sometimes he'd pull the head back and strike the exposed neck before the collar take-down - I said to him the takedown would be an overkill after the neck chop and he replied, one might miss the neck, or the collar take-down might not go smoothly, but you've got to be quite unlucky to screw up both! 😂 Anyway I really enjoyed this video!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

It's like that military saying, two is one, one is none - always got to have a back-up plan! Your Sensei was indeed wise in that regard 🦉 Every kata is a layer cake, and the more we know, the better the cake gets. So glad you enjoyed the video, and that the bunkai wasn't too far out there!

[@koshinryukempo3570]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre kata is a layer cake... fantastic!

[@sernalu1965]

Thanks for your demonstration of Bunkai in Saifa Kata.... really very clear..you inspire many of us for continue training hard and with continuity....I am learning Goju-Ryu Shodokan. Greetings from Colombia Sensei.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

It's my pleasure to help you on your karate journey! Keep up the hard work - in Goju Ryu, hard work brings amazing results 💪

[@olaffoyarzun1268]

Gracias por tu importante y generosa labor de difundir el Karate Goju Ryu... Gracias... Sensei... Desde Chile un gran saludo... REI

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

¡Ah, muchas gracias por este comentario verdaderamente amable y generoso! Nos sentimos honrados de transmitir el conocimiento que hemos tenido la suerte de recibir. Nos paramos sobre los hombros de gigantes, y esperamos poder mantener nuestro estilo vivo y en crecimiento. Gracias por tomarse el tiempo para mirar y comentar, ¡realmente lo apreciamos!

[@barbarba7]

Thank you Sensei and Brian for the video. Was a good watch. Thank you Sensei Zoë for the great editing. Love the intro music... Wel done

[@barbarba7]

Wonder if poor Brian knew what he signed up for ... Always feel sorry for him whahahahaha. Brilliant

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Oh, Brian knew what he was signing up for - he gets a world-class karate education in exchange for food, board, and crash test dummy duties 🤣

[@barbarba7]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre brilliant

[@JuanAMota-pu5zx]

Thanks to Brian for having the patience of a saint hehe. This is very useful, thank you!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Ah, poor Brian! But what a karate education he has had :) Thank you for this lovely comment, and apologies for the appallingly late response 😅

[@JuanAMota-pu5zx]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre Don´t worry Sensei. I hope you guys are doing fine. Greetings from Málaga, Spain.

[@tinotrivino]

Nice bunkai, but its kihon bunkai (basic aplication against dojo attacks.) Still nice hugs from Spain Edit: its nice that you wrote It on the title. ❤

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Hello! Got to play that youtube game, unfortunately - only advanced students like you know these names, but most people search for 'basic bunkai', so we have to use it for SEO. Hugs from South Africa!

[@tinotrivino]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre I like your Country been there two times. South Africa is the best amigo. Hugs again from Spain (yes i know that a lot of karatekas dont know things) :) ♥

[@terrysanders2817]

Maegeri to kosoto gari! Brilliant!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, said Leonardo Da Vinci - we love it when a bunkai comes together 💛

[@karatemom24RedHawk]

I learned Saifa along with Chungdokwon training with Kyoshi Muhammad in Kansas City. It was slightly different from the traditional and I'm learning so much with your assistance. Thanks!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Interesting lineage! So glad our video is helping you with this deceptively difficult kata :D

[@Jameskeith1972]

Fantastic! Covering everything.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Thank you so much for the kind words, and for taking the time to watch and comment 🙇🏻‍♀️

[@micheledannunzio5592]

Thanks Sensei, really interesting and useful!

[@tlprincipe]

Great video Sensei, if you ever come to Canada love to see you!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Maybe one day! We would love to visit Canada - we have students who have emigrated there, and there are some amazing Goju instructors we'd love to train with. Thank you for the kind words, and for taking the time to watch and comment :)

[@toninhade164]

Muito proveitoso. Sensacional! Gratidão 🙏Oss.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Ah, thank you so much for these kind words! We appreciate the time you took to watch and comment :)

[@labocinadephilihq6397]

That is a good bunkai sensei. Thankyou very much.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Thank you so much for this lovely comment! We are so glad you enjoyed the video 🙇🏻‍♀️

[@lelandv1969]

"deep lifting circular movement" - in shotokan -- "Chinte" uses similar technique in a few places. The ending of Kanku-Dai has the large turning circular movement also (When you said "at the end", you're probably referring to the end of Kanku-Dai). Bassai-Dai has one, but depending on "school" (JKA, JKS, etc.) they may or may not be as pronounced.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Thank you for sharing, It’s great to see the overlap, In the end. We all cover the same concepts, just a different ratios

[@tombob641]

He is simply the best

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Too kind! Thank you so much for this lovely comment 🙇🏻‍♀️

[@pezoya]

In our dojo we work in the same way and draw similar conclusions. With your permission I'll write down a couple of things to try them. Gran trabajo!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

We would be honoured! Thank you for the comment, and for taking the time to watch - we appreciate it 🙇🏻‍♀️

[@ilovekaratemartialarts6818]

The Shotokan Kata You are talking about is the Kata Kanku Dai's Last Moment ........Osu Sensei 🙏

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

What a beautiful kata it is! Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment :)

[@ilovekaratemartialarts6818]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre Thanks to you sesei for guiding us with your awesome bunkias Specially your Take downs locks and throwing techniques are really amazing 🙏

[@john9409]

6 mins in you ask for shotokan ideas. Bassai dai, we do a sedan barai straight into a solo uke starting position, we can use that to block a kick and capture it. My sensei would then just lift your ankle over your head til you hit the floor

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

That sounds about right! Also, your Sensei sounds like a bad-ass ✌️Thank you so much for the feedback! We appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment 🤗

[@sbeveridge]

Shitoryu Shukokai here! The scooping throw appears at the end of Matsukaze and Kosokun (kushanku, kanku) katas.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

We always delight in hearing from our Shitoryu cousins! Thank you for commenting on it! And it's nice to know that people are watching far enough into the video

[@winstonmcleish9602]

Shotokan kata reference was Kanku Dai

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Thank you! It would be cool to learn a few shotokan kata some day

[@johnpjones1775]

I have no problems with slow demonstrations of techniques, but why not include examples of the techniques being pressure tested? After 21 years in goju, experience in combat sports as well as working a job where I’ve regularly had to get hands on with people in what most would term ‘real world’ situations, I can fairly confidently state few if any of these would be techniques or combos that would work. For example if someone is grabbing your leg for a tackle or single leg takedown, a hammer fist to the head probably isn’t going to stop them.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Definitely! We take more time with this idea in our randori and Kakie videos, but we do want to film some dojo kumite at some point. We just have to figure out how we're going to do the sound, since a lapel mic will obviously get damaged. So please do watch this space, and thank you so much for commenting 🙇🏻‍♀️

[@chrishepler3107]

The hammerfist-sandwich move is immediately followed by what I would categorize as the neck wrench. Regrettably, while that's a technique with some very final stopping power, I probably don't have to tell you that pressure-testing it is dangerous even under controlled circumstances. And it's not a great move to use in competition, which bars most neck attacks. And using it in a no-rules situation is an invitation for jail time. Still, it says quite a bit about the old Okinawan answers to someone trying to get you onto the ground... especially for a kata taught to fairly beginner students...

[@dritakonci346]

Questo sport sempre mi ha piaciuto molto.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

We are so glad to hear that 🤗

[@alanwood9822]

Hi, Why does the head turn in the section with the raised knee and front kick? Thankyou

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Great question! In our first Saifa bunkai video we did ages ago we talk about it, but the one idea that seems to have the most credence is that you are actually just off the line of attack, so turning your head to look at the person as you step to their side. But I've seen learned karate people argue about this for days 😅 - Zoë

[@h.e.troiani1678]

Note the difference with Bubishi. In the drawing the one Who grabs the leg is outside.

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Ah, well spotted! Thank you for the correction 🙏

[@h.e.troiani1678]

Not a correction. Just an idea.

[@noelsouza6930]

Bravo oss 👍

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Hai! Domo arigato gozaimasu 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

[@lonelywolf2185]

At 5;46 , it's not o soto gari but o uchi gari !!!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Thanks for the correction.

[@NagaRaju-oe4uq]

Nice sir

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

🙇🙇🙇🙇

[@anthonyvesona5531]

Thanks!

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Ah, thank you so much for the super thanks! We are always so grateful to receive these 🙇

[@anthonyvesona5531]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre thank you for the awesome instructions!! ♥️

[@sandra-hc9yi]

🥇🥇💪💪💣💣

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

[@oldschoolkarate-5o]

🙏🏽

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

🙏🏼

[@oldschoolkarate-5o]

@Goju Ryu Karate Centre I learn something new on all of these bunkai videos . thanks

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Thanks for always commenting Glad that we are gelping

[@jonasjpm1989]

👍👏😀

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Domo arigato, Jonas!

[@Burvedys]

Chojun Miyagi's excuse for practicing his crane kung-fu like in a saifa was "sorry, I've got big fists".

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

😆😆😆😆

[@chrisvvuuren552]

The kata is kanku dai, depending on version / variation (last move) ... and a variation in bassai dai 😂

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

There we have an answer! Imagine, bunkai for Kanku Dai ;)

[@sbeveridge]

You beat me to it, Chris.

[@chrisvvuuren552]

@@GojuRyuKarateCentre it's got everything from a jujitsu style leg take down to framing, to the final throw or if you're feeling particularly athletic the double jump kick

[@Pifagorass]

I thing there’s quite a lot of overlap with Japanese Ju-jitsu …

[@GojuRyuKarateCentre]

Absolutely! One of the many sources in our karate, and one we would love to delve into more :)