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I'm curious about the teaching order of katas in goju-ryu. I looked up most of the forms and did some reading, so I assume Sanchin and Tensho would be taught pretty early considering their importance, but couldn't find anything about the rest of the katas.
The two basic kata learnt right at the begining as forms of exercise and body development are
Geki Dai Sai Ichi
Geki Dai Sai Ni
The english translation is "To attack and destroy" and takes in the basic defensive down and up blocks and attacks, equal in form and function as well as teaching time to the Shui-Tsuki-Ichi and Shui-Tsuki-Ni in Shukokai.
Next learnt depends on the individual sensei, and organisation as diffrent organisations and sensei have diffrent priorities, but from what I know the next taught kata are (In order)
Saifa
Sanchin
Seiyuchin
Shisochin
Sanseru
Sepai
Seisan
Kururonfa
Suparinpei
and Tensho
Although I am not a Goju-Ryu practitioner so may have gotten the order wrong.
It would seem weird to teach Tensho so far along the curve when it is supposed to represent the fundamental soft side of the style :/ Especially with Suparinpei being the ridiculously long and advanced kata it is.
But as a karate-ka I am sure you recognise the diffrence between "Teaching a kata" and "TEACHING A KATA"
the teaching of a kata is the learning of the movements, then the gearing, the pacing, the muscle actions, and the meaning.
This usualy has to be delayed until a student knows the movements inherent in the kata or take time so the student can learn the movements within the kata.
I would guess the kata are taught in the basic movement sense and then Tensho is focused on once the movements of the kata have been memories, developing and working on the "Calm" movements.
((On a side note, I use the term calm because in my opinion it is the closest translation to the rather etheral term Ju, which can be easily confused when the term Slow or Soft, is used because the Ju movements can be done quickly and with force, although they do tend to be slower than the Go movements. The rather impossible to translate term Ju, more means, Calm or Progressive Force, rather than slow or soft.))
I sure do recognize the difference, I got a taste of that last week. Being hit with seemingly effortless techniques from a man 40 kgs lighter and almost collapsing was fun
It is so much fun when the skilled lads do that. Especially when they look little and wiry so you really don't expect it to come out of them with that force.
My own style Shukokai is a daughter style of Goju-ryu, our creator Sensei Tani Chojiro trained in Goju-ryu when he was younger.
So we have Kururunfa, Saifa, Seipai, Sanchin, Seiinchin, Suprainpai and Shisochin in our style as well.
Infact the first kata we introduce Ibuki breathing properly into a students Kata performance is Saifa when they are 5th-3rd kyu, and then Seiinchin when they reach Shodan-ho.
The guy who did it to me is a sturdy 80kg dude, I'm just big
And recently I got interested in learning some goju katas, that was the reason for my question. Guess I'll just have to go to a dojo and put on my good old white belt.
When I took it many years ago, my instructor taught the hard(blocks, strikes, & Breathing) techniques first. then after about a year, we were introduced to the soft techniques. IMO, learning the soft first or at the same time as the harder techniques could get very confusing and/or get the practicioner injured. A foundation of of the hard techniques is probably needed first for the incorporation of the soft. Like mentioned above I am using "soft" and "hard" in relative terms.
When I took it many years ago, my instructor taught the hard(blocks, strikes, & Breathing) techniques first. then after about a year, we were introduced to the soft techniques. IMO, learning the soft first or at the same time as the harder techniques could get very confusing and/or get the practicioner injured. A foundation of of the hard techniques is probably needed first for the incorporation of the soft. Like mentioned above I am using "soft" and "hard" in relative terms.
Which explains why Tensho is so late on the list of kata, as far as I am aware Tensho almost exclusively focuses upon the Ju movements.
Goju-ryu question
enjoy going to another dojo.
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