Saifa #2 - Core principles and techniques
This is my own current understanding of what is going on in saifa, based on my experience of it solo and the bunkai I have learned from it. I haven't had a chance to talk about any of this with my instructor yet, so in a later post, I may change my views (or maybe not - I can be quite stubborn at times). Saifa can be broken down into 6 (7 with the mawashi uke at the end) technique sequences. The first is the initial angled shift forwards, rotating the elbow out and stepping back into shikodachi with a backfist strike. Sequence #2 is the up-down open hands with a kick Sequence #3 is the double leopard-fist strike and circular fist-to-open hand motion Sequence #4 is the turn, hammerfist and short rip. Sequence #5 is the deflection and punch Sequence #6 is the kosa-dachi, pivot and bringing the right arm in front of the body. Technically, the mawashi-uke at the end would be sequence #7, but I haven't learned a saifa-specific bunkai for it, and it could fit in with the f...