It is believed that Saifa was introduced to Okinawa by Kanryo Higaonna after he spent several years studying in the Fukien province of China between 1870 and 1881. Like many old Okinawan kata, particularly Goju-Ryu kata, Saifa has strong ties to Chinese White Crane. Saifa was the first kata taught before the Gekisai kata were introduced into the Goju-Ryu system.

Saifa loosely translates as "to smash and tear" and these principles form the foundations of the bunkai. An understanding of Chin Na, together with human pressure points, would certainly help to form realistic applications of the bunkai of Saifa.

Another core principle of Saifa is generating power from the ground. This requires a firm rooted stance but with a pliable spring in the legs. When working on the bunkai one should visualize seizing and tearing tissue and muscle. Saifa also teaches whipping and leverage principles to collapse the joints of your opponent (consider the opening movements of the kata).

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