). Anyway, he told me he had interviewed my old okinawan sensei about what the training was like back when they started. He was told that back then there weren't any separate kihon exercises, but they would start straight with kata. Sensei would show maybe one move and then the application to it. They would then practise those. Next time sensei might show the next move in kata and again the applications and so on. The kihon and other exercises came later on. Granted, I think he was saying that he heard this from some Uechi ryu 10. dan (can't remember his name anymore), but I think this kind of thinking/practising was prevalent with Kyan also. For example, I read somewhere that Zenryo sensei would start new students with Seisan.Dead thread, I know, but let's see if we can revive this
Last year I was visiting the chief instructor for Seibukan Europe, Measara sensei and I was discussing history with him (well, ok, he did most of the talking, I just listened and nodded my head every once in a while
) and stepping, then kata and finally kumite. Also in Seibukan and in Nakazato Joen's style Shorinji ryu Kyudokan there are basic technique exercises that are done in place (we call them Kihon renshu) and moving back and forth (zenshin kotai). However, this similarity between these two styles could also be because Joen Nakazato and Zenryo Shimabukuro trained together, but as they both were Kyan's students, they could've "inherited" these kind of exercises from their teacher. 
