Thanks for your demonstration and thoughts on Saifa kata as you practice/teach it. I think the important thing to remember about all karate kata is that they are not, and never have been, fixed. Every kata has changed over time, and rightly so. They are, after all, there to facilitate the discovery and practice of combative principles, not specific techniques. Therefore the personal discoveries we make during the study of kata will bring about change. Our age, physical condition, and depth of understanding, also bring about change. It was always this way. Kata only became 'fixed' when karate became arranged into organisations and they required uniformity in order to maintain their authority. Away from the smoke and mirrors of organisations and their demands that kata be done strictly according to 'their' way (until they change something), kata, if studied deeply, reveal important fighting principles such as spatial awareness, supportive angles, timing, optimal distancing, and so on. If remembering the embusen is all one does with kata, they are of no practical use at all. Bunkai, perhaps a better word would be oyo, is a deeply misunderstood concept in the West. The application of the principles found in kata are not set answers to specific questions, he punched like that, so I reacted like this. It's impossible to fight that way. If oyo is not spontaneous it has little chance of success. Spontaneity stems from a deep familiarity with the kata, and that can only come from constant polishing - training. The kata are used to gain control of yourself, physically and mentally, and when that's in place, the possibility of controlling someone else becomes possible. This, in my view, is the importance of kata training. Lastly, each kata is a conversation between the karateka and their karate. Although the topic (kata) might differ, the language (principles) remain the same. Saifa, as I understand it, is about the use of angles to wrong-foot an adversary, making it difficult for them to launch a persistent attack. It's use of targeting weak points like the elbows, groin, etc, make it possible for a smaller person to control someone much stronger then them. Of course, none of the above is possible if a person has poor karate skills, i.e....spatial awareness, timing, etc. Anyway, you did mention you'd like to get my thoughts on the kata, so here are a few off the top of my head, sorry to have taken up so much space.
I agree Mike. And the Oyo/Bunkai thing will go on as the words seem to be used interchangeably even though, as you point out, the meaning is a bit different. When I use the words in Japanese I stick to using bunkai as a verb, and oyo as a noun. Makes it easier to clarify. Thanks for your fantastic input here. Such great wisdom.
