Hidden Teachings

At Taika's dojo in Okinawa, beginner students would be instructed to practice Exercise One. A student might perform only this exercise for several classes.
This exercise contains a series of fundamental upper body movements found in the art of RyuTe.

Perform the movements until they are memorized and become natural movements. Later, once you've received instruction on the significance of each movement, can you apply the correct mental and physical emphasis with each movement.

By learning these movements, you are building a foundation which will speed up your overall learning process. If you already know the movements, return to this exercise regularly to condition your body and study the defense.

Naihanchi Shodan is the first of twelve empty hand kata we teach students. Once you have learned the movements of Exercise One, you can easily begin learning Naihanchi Shodan.

While it may seem like an simple kata, it is deceptively complex. Within it are contained a great deal of life protection applications and is a kata that should be studied carefully.

As a beginning student, it is not expected that you do the kata perfectly, rather, that you get the basic memorization down so that you can free your mind to then focus on corrections offered by the instructor. After your corrections have been made, you will be taught the life protection applications found in the kata. With this information, you will then begin to practice kata properly.