How/what is GKR karate?

[ShotoKarate 10]

Fairly sure that the gojuu of gojuuryuu is actually 五十　meaning 'fifty.' (five tens, hence the same character as in 'five senses')

 

From wikipedia --- for all thats worth

 

After much consideration Chojun Miyagi decided on the name Gojū-Ryū (hard and soft school) as a name for his style.

[price 10]

Fairly sure that the gojuu of gojuuryuu is actually 五十　meaning 'fifty.' (five tens, hence the same character as in 'five senses')

 

Go is "hard" as in punches, strikes etc. Ju means "soft" as in ju-do,ju-jitsu. Therefore you have Goju the name given to Naha- te by Miyagi Chojun Sensei to enable this particular Okinawan style to be promoted and spread in mainland Japan in the 1930's. Okinawans never bothered with special names as there were only 3 "styles" anyway. it was of no interest to them locally. They didn't bother with Gi's. They, and the belt system were only introduced after 1953, when Miyagi Sensei died.

Gokan is purported to be an amalgamation of these styles. Kan is from Shotokan. Shoto being the "pen name" of Gichin Funokoshi who was, I'm told a poet as well as a Martial Artist, and Kan meaning club, as in organisation, therefore Shoto's Club. I'm reliably informed by a Japanese friend Gokan also means rape.

[RobbyBrown 10]

One of my Master Instructors, German Champion Helmut Arseparter has also got a number of up and coming seminars coming up. All very expensive, from which you will learn absolutly bugger all.

 

He was asked to demonstrate how to deal with an attack by someone armed with a knife.

 

He pulled out a gun.....

[leapy78 10]

Hi

 

Several yrs ago I did GKR Karate for over a year. I had several different instructors and it was obvious to me that their level of skills varied a lot and as you can imagine some were much better than others.

 

From my experience within GKR I pretty much came to the conclusion that there are good instructors who have obviously spent years doing MA but whether you actually get to train with them is another thing entirely. Some you see only for gradings or if/when you go to competitions. And its pretty much hit or miss whether you actually get someone who can teach you anything worthwhile without leaving you wondering if you were wasting your time by going along!

 

GKR is a worldwide club and I got the impression that its much better oganised with better instructors in some areas than it is in others. For example I think its better organised in Newcastle than it is in Sheffield.

 

It is much better for families who want to learn a MA together in one class. It is very much family orientated and in some cases its very limiting for individuals who want to take it seriously.

 

Yes, i would say I did get quite a lot from it whilst I was there. Everyone was fairly friendly, it was fun and I learnt a lot from the instructors who obviously did know a thing or two, but like I said, it did have its limitations and I thought they were pretty easy to spot.

[chefkicker 11]

Hi

 

Several yrs ago I did GKR Karate for over a year. I had several different instructors and it was obvious to me that their level of skills varied a lot and as you can imagine some were much better than others.

 

From my experience within GKR I pretty much came to the conclusion that there are good instructors who have obviously spent years doing MA but whether you actually get to train with them is another thing entirely. Some you see only for gradings or if/when you go to competitions. And its pretty much hit or miss whether you actually get someone who can teach you anything worthwhile without leaving you wondering if you were wasting your time by going along!

 

GKR is a worldwide club and I got the impression that its much better oganised with better instructors in some areas than it is in others. For example I think its better organised in Newcastle than it is in Sheffield.

 

It is much better for families who want to learn a MA together in one class. It is very much family orientated and in some cases its very limiting for individuals who want to take it seriously.

 

Yes, i would say I did get quite a lot from it whilst I was there. Everyone was fairly friendly, it was fun and I learnt a lot from the instructors who obviously did know a thing or two, but like I said, it did have its limitations and I thought they were pretty easy to spot.

 

Very balanced set of views there Leapy78. It is possible to have good instructors in any discipline.

Now this is the thing with a lot of martial arts clubs. One or two very competent martial artists and the rest are awful.

[dave13 10]

Hi

I agree with leapy 78 in that GKR are very family orientated, I have been doing GKR for a year and our sensei is a black belt who has practiced other styles and is very knowledgeable on how and why we do certain things. He is also strict on grading's and will not put you through just because you have the right amount of lesson's or month's done as is the sensei's instructor or regional manager . I try train twice a week with him when work allow's with the wife and kid's. I also go to other classes, a lot of the other class sensei's have previous MA experience in shotokan.

We also have had 2 chap's who were/are BB in Gojeru, one came from japan. They are brilliant at karate and in kumite they help you heaps with quickening up block's and strikes.

I read somewhere that they (gkr) are pushy and try to get you to buy their products but I haven't had that in my area and purchase my equipment outside of the club.Nobody bat's and eyelid at this.

With regards to getting a black belt in a short period of time I have been told it will take me minimum 5 years, but knowing my abilities if it takes me twice that then so be it, I will just enjoy the ride and the training I'm not hung up on getting my next belt just on improving my training. It's definately helped with my combination's as my co-ordination was terrible at first, its now begun to improve.

I understand that some area's will be better than other's as will training, I know nothing about SDC'S other than I was signed up by one who wasn't pushy and didn't come out with any tall stories on classes he just told it as it is.

With regards to non-contact, as said before it's a family club and some of the kid's are extremely young and if they began belting each other in kumite then I doubt if a lot of parent's would bring their children back if they came out with a bust nose or black eye.My kid's wouldn't. I have a friend who does kick boxing and has represented britain and they have seen the black eyes and bruises and they don't fancy any of that. That said the further you go up the grade's then contact does happen and it's accepted it will, I've been clonked plenty and the point someone made of it quickening your block's is very true as a smack on the nose or chin makes you concentrate a whole lot more as is countering quickly.

Maybe I will try another style of MA in future years as an add on to GKR or even something new. One of my mate's at work does some other form of MA and has his own club ( couldn't tell you exactly what he does but he has done this for donkey's years he is some form of master who is something like a sixth dan) so I might try his style in future, I might even try kick boxing but in my line of work turning up for work with black eyes is frowned upon.

I take on board and respect other people's points and I don't get upset by them but for me if the GKR door knocker hadn't knocked I doubt I would have got involved in MA at all and it's improved my fitness no end. I have had a great time at the competitions they organise as have the kid's and we have made loads of new friends as a result so for me it's all positive and at the moment can't fault GKR or it's training.

This is just my view on thing's and I hope people won't give me too much of a kicking for sticking up for GKR.

[Protekt 10]

Again, without contact you are doing basically boxercise don`t kid yourself its a martial art.

[berry580 10]

Hi people, my name is Barry, I’ve trained in GKR in Australia for about 3 years since I 1st started, although its been on & off due to education commitments & holidays, so to be more accurate I’ve trained for about one year 1-2time/s a week 1.5 hrs each time. I’m currently a green belt 6th ryu.

 

As far as I’m concerned, GKR does have “self defence consultants” (i.e. salesmen for gkr), but that doesn’t make it a “mc dojo”.

It’s inevitable that a dojo has good quality and bad quality practitioners, it’s the way things are, and I can assure you that good quality practitioners DO exist.

 

Let me try answer some of your questions.

 

AUD$2.3 approx =1 pound

All prices below are in AUD

 

How much do you charge per lesson or per month?

$9 per lesson (you pay each lesson) OR

Its $49.5 per month if its direct debit.

 

Is there a joining fee?

$48 for a trial membership or $160 for full membership

 

How much is a licence?

No licence for anything.

 

What hidden expenses are there that aren't known about until a licence is obtained?

Nothing. This “licence” don’t even exist.

 

Do karate suits or equipment have to be bought through the club?

No. Even one of my instructor wears his MMA uniform to his GKR dojo... lol

 

How long is it between gradings ,say up to blue belt, (based on attendance of twice a week) ditto from blue to blackbelt?

It depends, but I think it averages about 2 years from white to blue.

Don’t know for from blue to black belt, but probably a few ‘big’ years… lol

 

What is the lowest grade of any GKR instructor in Sheffield?

I don’t live in UK, no idea.

 

What grade is the instructor who grades brown and black belt students?

There are a lot of instructors who grades brown and black belts, I don’t know all of them, but my instructor is one of them. His name is Craig Lennox (2003 NAS Champion of champions), a 2nd dan

[i wasn't allowed to post links corz im new ]

 

Does that instructor attend specific Dan training classes him/herself?

Where, how often and who with?

 

To my best knowledge, our instructors regularly trains with my regional instructor, he’s 3rd dan I think, and he occasionally trains with Kancho Sullivan along with other regional instructors.

Don’t know where or frequency.

 

What grade is that instructor?

Kancho Sullivan a 7th dan.

 

As a traditional martial art there must be some lineage back to it's founder, could you publish that lineage i.e. fom founder to present day?

 

No idea.

 

Is GKR registered as a Traditional Martial Art with the Japanese controlling body?

I'm told GO -KAN is part GOju-ryu and ShotoKAN, how did your founder become so proficient in both Martial Arts in so short a time, that they were able to establish their own style?

 

No idea.

But, I think Kancho Sullivan learned some useful elements from those styles and incorporated it into GKR, I personally think that’s not impossible.

 

Did this founder ask permission of any one of the heads of any of these styles permission to do so? Not that he needed to, but as a matter of good manners which, as you know, is part and parcel of Karate.do

 

Don’t know.

 

Something must have gone belly-up in GKR Sheffield, for I know of at least six people that are now training in a more established style. Would you care to comment on this ,please?

 

People has is allowed to make his/her own choice, its normal for practitioners to learn other styles too, nothing wrong with that.

 

To sum things up, GKR might not be the most traditional/exotic style, but it definitely has its qualities and not “the biggest mc dojo” like how some people put it to be.

[berry580 10]

pzk89,

Thou speakest utter twaddle. For pity's sake, how can you not have contact in karate? Karate was evolved for close quarter civilian combat between a trained karateka and an untrained assailant e.g. robber ( we'd say "mugger" nowadays). It should involve at least close quarter combat, upright grappling and groundwork, not as sophisticated as judo etc, but enough to get you on your feet a.s.a.p. If it doesn't involve any of these then it ain't original karate. Mr Sullivan "one of the best in the World" don't talk wet! Put your obvious enthusiasm to a better Martial Art endeavour, you deserve better.

There is so much misunderstanding, I don't know where to start from.

 

GKR is "semi-contact". That means non-contact for lower grades and semi-contact for higher grades.

i.e. there IS contact, but our instructors encourage us to control out attacks, that means ideally to put your hip in, and be able to go through the target if we want, but stop just in front of the target if we want.

Anyone knows how to throw a punch, but the important abit is whether you can control it. Remember traditional karate isn't just about fighting, its about the etiquette too.

[Protekt 10]

There is so much misunderstanding, I don't know where to start from.

 

GKR is "semi-contact". That means non-contact for lower grades and semi-contact for higher grades.

i.e. there IS contact, but our instructors encourage us to control out attacks, that means ideally to put your hip in, and be able to go through the target if we want, but stop just in front of the target if we want.

Anyone knows how to throw a punch, but the important abit is whether you can control it. Remember traditional karate isn't just about fighting, its about the etiquette too.

 

Probably best shows how confused GKR students are.

1. GKR claims to be non-contact regardless of grade, all tournaments are non-contact.

2. "ideally to put your hip in" The use of the hips is to generate power and extend reach, nothing to do with control.

3. "Anyone knows how to throw a punch" yeah right !!

4. "Remember traditional karate isn`t just about fighting,its about the etiquette too" You want to learn about etiquette go to a ballroom dancing class. I want to fight and learn to fight, thats why i do a martial art I observe the traditions of my style and pay my opponents the uttmost respect BUT IT IS ABOUT FIGHTING.

GKR students and instructors can come on her with reasons for this and that, proclaiming the Aussie guy is one of the best in the world:loopy: but you will always be a laughing stock among the serious martial arts community:hihi: As the comments on this thread prove.

 

You want to train GKR fine get on with it and enjoy, you pay your money and take your choice. But please don`t try telling proper martial artists how wonderful it is. As for self defence, you really are having laugh... probably at the expense of some over confident, brain washed GKR student who thinks he can defend him/her self on the street.

[Carcass 10]

Anyone knows how to throw a punch

The collection of title holding kickboxers and coaches on here (like Chefkicker) would beg to differ.

[chefkicker 11]

The collection of title holding kickboxers and coaches on here (like Chefkicker) would beg to differ.

 

Anyone knows how to punch??? I would say the opposite! Many (and i do mean a large majority) of martial arts black belts , do NOT know how to punch.

I have been in kickboxing for over a decade and I would call my punching ability perhaps above average ? (comparing myself to a decent level boxer that is)

Now when we get a lot of high graded martial artists, theyre kicking is ok, they can sometimes throw one or two of other techniques, they can be taught how to clinch or elbow but when it comes to the boxing skills or even boxing defence now that is hard work!

I have had to take them apart , dissect them and then reassamble them to have them punching correctly , so not anyone can throw a punch.

Comments like that show ignorance.