Lessons from Sanchin and Naihanchi

[karate guy232]

I have heard that Sanchin is the Naha version of Naihanchi and that they teach essential principles which is why they were practiced for years back then, so naturally I'm curious!

What principles do Sanchin and Naihanchi teach?

Are they meant for different things?

Why don't Shuri and Tomari styles practice Sanchin?

Why don't Naha styles practice Naihanchi?

How can I apply the principles of Naihanchi in my practice of Goju ryu?

Thanks!

[Nidan Melbourne]

Being a Goju person myself, i have seen some schools (Goju based) include Naihanchi into their syllabus.

They are definitely designed to teach different things. As far as Naihanchi blatently has several foot sweeps, whereas goju katas dont really utilise such a technique in their katas.

But when you compare it to Sanchin, which heavily focuses on the breathing and the tension. but Naihanchi is more relaxed and has more fluid rotation.

Shuri and Tomari Styles might not practice Sanchin because their teachers either weren't taught the kata. or the "Founders" didn't find that it fit within' the scope of what they were teaching at the time.

Applying Naihanchi to your training in Goju, it is quite easy. Break it down, understand the movements and techniques that it teaches.

I found when learning it and performing it, that it sits quite nicely within' the world of goju. It just has some movements that we don't have in other kata - namely the lateral movements.

And Yes I do teach the kata to all my students, as so they can understand the importance of their centre of gravity and how to move.

[Wastelander]

I have heard that Sanchin is the Naha version of Naihanchi and that they teach essential principles which is why they were practiced for years back then, so naturally I'm curious!

I wouldn't say that Sanchin is necessarily the Naha version of Naihanchi, but they definitely do both act as fundamental kata for teaching structure and mechanics. Naihanchi is more directly combative than Sanchin, while Sanchin focuses much more on structure and mechanics than direct combative applications. In Naha-Te systems, they have a saying: "Do not look for applications in your Sanchin. Look for Sanchin in your applications." Conversely, in Shorin-Ryu, we say "Karate begins and ends with Naihanchi," because it is both structural/mechanical and combative.

What principles do Sanchin and Naihanchi teach?

As I mentioned, the big things are structures and mechanics. Modern Shorin-Ryu Naihanchi has more in common with Sanchin than older versions, because Itosu Anko incorporated Naha-Te methodologies into his Shuri-Te. Either way, you're going to learn rooting and stance/stepping fundamentals, strong angles and positions of the joints of the body (chinkuchi), and power generation (rotation, sinking/rising, spinal whip, etc.).

Are they meant for different things?

They share what I mentioned, above. The big difference is that Naihanchi explores a great assortment of combative techniques, while Sanchin focuses on a much smaller collection of combative techniques so it can emphasize everything else in greater depth.

Why don't Shuri and Tomari styles practice Sanchin?

Some Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te practitioners actually do practice Sanchin. In Motobu Udundi, they practice Mutudi or Shuri-Te Sanchin, which is similar to the Naha-Te versions, but not quite the same. The versions I've seen from other Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te lineages tend to be more like Goju-Ryu Sanchin. The version of Sanchin practices in Uechi-Ryu is more like the Chinese versions, because Uechi-Ryu is really the Sam Chien form from Pangainoon kung fu.

Why don't Naha styles practice Naihanchi?

Supposedly, Miyagi Chojun (founder of Goju-Ryu) actually did practice and teach Naihanchi. I suspect it fell out of favor simply because it wasn't a Naha-Te kata, and after Miyagi's death, his students reconstructed his style, because he didn't teach the same material to every student. It isn't in Uechi-Ryu because Uechi-Ryu is really Pangainoon kung fu, which doesn't contain Naihanchi. It's a "style purity" thing.

How can I apply the principles of Naihanchi in my practice of Goju ryu?

Depends on the version of Naihanchi you're practicing. If it's a modern Shorin-Ryu version, the stance is basically the same as Sanchin-dachi, just oriented straight side-to-side instead of at an angle. This means you can really incorporate the rotational power generation of Naihanchi into your Sanchin, and explore how that can provide power to the techniques you're doing in Sanchin. You can also carry over applications for some of the similar postures, such as chudan-uke and the mawashi-zuki.