Saifa
砕破 · Saifa
Literally: „To smash and tear“
Also known as: Saiha
A kata from Okinawan Naha, whose name 砕破 means to smash and tear. It is practiced in Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu and Kyokushin; it is dominated by the back fist and the hammer fist.
Quick Facts
About the kata
Saifa is a kata from Okinawan Naha, practiced alongside Goju-ryu also by Shito-ryu and Kyokushin. It is one of the shorter kata: GKR Karate, which practices the Japanese Goju version, counts it at 20 beats and writes that it has a simpler embusen. It is dominated by closed-fist techniques, chiefly the back fist uraken and the hammer fist tettsui, combined with fast swinging movements. Jaap Kooman breaks the Kyokushin version down into 21 numbered steps. It begins in fudo dachi and musubi dachi with mokuso; the single kiai sounds on the downward hammer strike to the face (tettsui oroshi ganmen uchi), and before the final return to musubi dachi comes the shuto mae mawashi uke block with ibuki breathing. How the counts differ in other schools is covered under the differences between styles. Saifa appears early in the curricula. According to the English Wikipedia, the International Okinawan Goju-ryu and Meibukan traditions teach it as the third kata, after Gekisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai Dai Ni and before Sanchin; GKR Karate places it at the 6th kyu green belt. In WUKF competitions it is among the required shitei kata in Goju-ryu, and among the optional sentei kata in Shito-ryu and Kyokushin.
The kata in different styles
| Style | Name in the style | Movements | Kiai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyokushin | Saiha | 21 | 1 |
Meaning of the name
The name is written with the characters 砕破, in katakana サイファ. According to Jaap Kooman, sai means to smash or destroy and the second, read fa or ha, means to tear; goju.co.uk notes sai is the same character as in the name of Gekisai. The English Wikipedia gives three translations – to tear and rend, to strike and crush, to tear and break the ground – and suggests the name points to closed-fist strikes and simple grappling. In Kyokushin the kata is called Saiha.
Creator and history
We have not been able to establish with certainty who created Saifa; the English Wikipedia lists both origin and author as unknown. According to Kooman and GKR Karate, many agree it was brought to Okinawa by Higaonna Kanryo, who left in 1867 to study martial arts in southern China and, after thirteen years, returned and founded Naha-te. Goju.co.uk adds he learned it in Fuzhou from Ryu Ryu Ko, and mentions the view that its roots reach back to the lion systems of Fujian. Other researchers attribute it to Miyagi Chojun, founder of Goju-ryu, said to have developed it after studying the white crane style in Fuzhou following his teacher's death. Wikipedia bases this version on the fact that Saifa is unknown in Toon-ryu, founded by another of Higaonna's students. According to Kumade Karate, before the Second World War it was among the very first kata of Goju-ryu; today it is usually taught as the second or third.
Differences between styles
According to Kooman, Kyokushin classes Saiha among the so-called southern kata and took it over from Masutatsu Oyama's training under So Nei-Chu, the best pupil of Gogen Yamaguchi in Japan. Oyama's version emphasizes the elbow in the movement usually called releasing from a grip. GKR Karate practices the Japanese Goju version, not the Okinawan one, which it calls more Chinese-looking. The counts differ by school and by way of counting: GKR gives 20 beats, Kooman gives 21 steps with one kiai in the Kyokushin version, and Kumade Karate of the English Karate Organisation gives two kiai, without stating for which style.
Bunkai – applications
GKR Karate sees Saifa as an answer to a grip: while most kata, in their view, deal with defense against being grabbed by turning it into a lock, Saifa repeatedly shows how to tear free of the attacker's grip and counter immediately with a punch, a back fist or a hammer fist. Kooman adds the principle the kata rests on: stepping off the line the opponent's main force is aimed at, while closing the distance.
Competition status
- Sport karate (WKF) — Official kata list · valid from 1/1/2026 ↗
- WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Goju-ryu — Shitei (compulsory) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
- WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Kyokushin — Sentei (selected) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
- WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Nanbudo — Tokui (free choice) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
- WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Sankukai — Tokui (free choice) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
- WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) – Shito-ryu — Sentei (selected) · valid from 4/26/2024 ↗
In grading syllabi
- IKO grading (traditional honbu): 1st Kyu – Brown belt with black stripe
Key Tip
Practice it first very slowly, then at medium speed, and only then at normal tempo – according to GKR Karate, speed and explosiveness have no point until the technical habits are in order.