武道全般においては，練るべき形と練りたい形があると思う。空手，特に糸東流でいえば，練るべき形はサイチンとナイファンチである。サンチンとナイファンチによって，空手的身体，すなわち，空手という武術の身体操作の原則を体得する。サンチンとナイファンチは，日頃より常に練り続けることで，空手的身体の上昇へと結びつく。究極的には，サンチンとナイファンチのみを練り続けることも一つのアプローチであろう。これに加えて，練るべき形としては例えば，パッサイ，セイエンチン辺りであろうか。これらも当然，練り続けることが肝要であり，完成ということは死ぬまであり得ない。空手に終わりはない。すなわち，マスターする（修行を完遂する）ということはない。したがって，練るべき形は死ぬまでひたすらに練り続ける。糸東流には40以上の形が伝承されているが，一人の糸東流修行者がこれらすべての形を万遍なく練り続けることは物理的に不可能である。となれば，練るべき形と，残りは練りたい形を練り続けるしかない。練りたい形とは何か。それはおそらく，自身の身体の筋に合う形ではないだろうか。いくつもの形を練っていれば，自然と，自分の身体とフィットする形というものが見つかる。その手がかりは自身の身体感覚である。しかれば，限られた時間の中で，練るべき形を厳選し，練りたい形を厳選し，出来る限りそれらを練り続けることが，空手修行者に求められるだろう。練るべき形は師が示す一方で，練りたい形は自身が決めるしかない。
I think that there may be two kinds of kata in the whole budo; katas that we HAVE TO polish and ones that we WANT TO polish. As for karate, especially shito-ryu, it is sanchin and naifanchi that have to be polished. We learn the karate-formulated body, that is, the principles of body manipulation in the martial art karate, through sanchin and naifanchi. Continuing to polish sanchin and naifanchi in everyday life leads to ascent in karate-formulated body. Ultimately, it is one of the approaches to the essense of karate that keeping on polishing only both sanchin and naifanchi is. In addition to these katas, are the ones that we have to polish passai and seienchin, aren't they? As a matter of course, it is important to continue to polish them, and there is no possibility that we will finish or master them until we die. Karate has no end. That is, we do not absolutely master or complete the practice of karate. Then, we eternally continue to polish katas that we should polish. Forty and more katas has been passed down in shito-ryu, and it is physically impossible for a practitioner of shito-ryu to continue to polish these all katas equally. If so, what we can do would be to continue to polish only both katas that we have to and ones that we want to. What is kata that we want to? It may be the one that fits the suji (suji in Japanese here means something like nearly muscles and bones, or lines or streams of power) of our own body. If we polish various katas, we will be able to naturally find katas that fit our own body. The cue is our own somatic sensation. Therefore, it will be hoped that karate practitioners select carefully katas that they both want to and have to, and continue to polish katas as long as possible during their limited life time. While katas that we HAVE TO polish are identified by our master, katas that we WANT TO polish must be determined by ourselves.
