In the "pick one" thread I noticed alot of members picked Naihanchi. Apparently goju doesn't have a version of Naihanchi,but with all the good techniques in such a short kata I think it might be worth while for me to learn.
Which variation of Naihanchi should I learn?

Naihanchi is the basic tanrenho exercise for shuri te/tomari te styles of shorin ryu. Much like sanchin is for naha te, it is the basis for developing in karate. It teaches the basic inside fighting techniques of karate, which is the key for developing an effective fighting system. The kata is also a bridge to advanced fighting principles and power generation. Although other katas are necessary to truly develop an effective karate fighter, it is the basic exercise. Naihanchi Shodan is the best place to begin.

When people speak of Naihnachi, they are speaking of Shodan. Although there are three Naihanchi kata, some styles only do Shodan. They are all fairly similar. Check out Iain Abernethy's video on Naihanchi, he talks about stylistic differences.

It would be a superb addition to any okinawan karate practioners arsenal in fact to any martial artists.

I am primarily a shorin practioner but practise goju sanchin without hesitation.

these 2 kata are foundations of good okinawan karate IMO. for very different reasons.

Hi All

Kata are complete fighting systems.

If you 'know' a kata, you dont need any more.

Everything is in Naihanchi, If you know where and how to look.

MF

Naihanchi is probably one of my favorites.

I have heard that many Okinawan masters, when asked what kata is most important, have said naihanchi.

Learning Naihanchi can only help.

Page

Thanks everyone for your replies. Right now I study Sanchin,Tensho,Seiyunchin,and Sanseru. I think Naihanchi will be a good addition to my kata study in the future.

Naihanchi would be a great addition to your arsenal. It may round you out a bit. My style includes both Naihanchi and Sanchin, but I picked up Seipai earlier this year, which I have learned a lot from. A good thing to do to broaden one's karate horizons.

I don't know how you are plannng on learning it, but I recommend you hook up with a Shorin ryu-ha instructor to teach you. Shorin Ryu (Kobayashi) Shorinkan, Matsubayashi Ryu, Shobayashi Ryu, or Matsamura Seito would be great. You could learn it on your own, but the mechanics are different from Goju kata, so you might find that tricky.

Naihanchi has encountered less "drift" than other classical kata, with the main difference being the stance which, when deepened for aesthetics and training, upsets the mechanics of the kata. Differences in movement, however, are minor and mostly irrelevent. Enjoy!

Thankyou Alejandro,
I actually have a friend that is Sandan in Shorin-Ryu.