How/what is GKR karate?

[Joseph M]

A few years ago two G.K.R. Instructors attended the Sheffield Shotokan Dojo in Hillsborough and asked to watch, they were made quite welcome and sat on the side line. The Sensei noticed them take out drinks and something to eat and watched them as they chatted at the back of the class, after they had eaten they left the Dojo went downstairs and canvassed the front of the building as people were attending the Wednesday night slimming world group downstairs. When the Sensei found out about this he was furious.

 

A couple of years passed when one night the Sensei got a knock on his door to be offered self defence lessons by a young man who was one of the group. The young man was asked in and taken down to the Senseis private Dojo. There was a look of horror on the face of the young man when the Sensei entered into a karate history lesson, the young man was very honest and told the Sensei that he needed a job and saw the job advertised in the job centre and thought it would get him into sales. Both parted with a better understanding of each others aims!

 

Mas Oyama said , please feel free to train where ever you like if you do not come back I have failed you. A good Sensei will not try to take ownership of his students but will embrace them as familly , when all said and done the Dojo is a home to many and a sanctuary to some.

 

http://www.karatesheffield.org.uk

[.spike.]

i have worked for gkr for around two months

seem like a dream job get paid learn karate meet new friends

very disappointed with the company theirs several things that made me leave working for them. but here are the main two

1... you only got paid when you signed up a new member - to do this knocked on doors making appointments to drop off some information. only you never had anything to drop off only a display pack of witch you had to show them in there house.

after showing them you went into a sales pitch of the membership details. and they was allways the same offer on but we had to say it was for tonight only

memberships normally 80 pounds

but theres and offer on so it makes it 40 pounds

but for you only if you sign up right now 25 pounds

5 pounds went to the gkr for administration and 20 in my pocket

 

2... after going to these seminars and seeing instructors in black/white stripe belt and other instructors in just black belt made me think what does this black/white stripe belt mean - well i can tell you after about a month and a half my sensi told me i was ready to go on an instructor course. yes and instructor course that would last two weeks and after completion i would get a black/white stripe belt and my own class to train.

 

really how can anyone who's only been doing it nearly two months teach a full class

 

i left gkr and would advise people to stay a way there classes are run by people who shouldn't and in cheap places that they hire out

[Joseph M]

Thanks for your honesty, Its due to the tactics such as these that the pedigree clubs that have been in Organisations such as the K.U.G.B. and S.K.I. headed by Japanese and organised by Senior well trained English Senseis have fallen into decline.

 

In Hillsborogh alone we had world ranked competitors such as Paul Whitaker, Anna Moskovitch , who had allegence to Sensei Eddie Deroech who was also a legitimate European champion.

 

Sheffield was a Japanese dominated karate city, with also visiting Senior legitimate world renowned British Senseis.

 

To acheive a black belt in my day you fought every member of the Dojo and rigorously worked on your basics under close scrutiny by your local Sensei before meeting the Japaneses Sensei for a weekend Black Belt grading.

 

Karate was a private affair and not to be sold like a double glazing product.

 

In the 70s I can remember my Sensei asking newcomers to the Dojo for a legitimate reason for taking up karate.

 

The most upsetting thing for me is that people assume that I am in the same calibre as the apprentice salesman you spoke about, and everytime someone says to me "I used to do karate" with that look of it was rubbish and boring, our club never got the chance to even get in the game!

 

Once again thank you for your honesty!

 

http://www.karatesheffield.org.uk

[servius]

I was in Bradford recently and saw a couple of guys pick on another older guy. when one went to hit him he finished the guy off big time. The second attempted to kicked him (foolishly) and I thought the older guy had broken his leg. I was well impressed and asked him what martial art he used. He stated he trained with GKR. He was a tourist and not from this area. He did not state what belt he was and did not make it a big deal. So I believe a lot of this blogging against GKR is on the web is a reaction to the fact that they are a big organisation and also because they make money from martial arts. All of you watch too much movie martial arts and honor ****. Their is nothing wrong with making money. They do if this guy as stated is from GKR train people properly. I say get the snobbery out of martial arts and let people enjoy a bit of family association and confidence building. Hiring places cost money, uniforms cost money, liability insurance cost money. Whether you like it or not GKR are all over the world and are still very much financially viable. They are pro active at selling karate. Get over it and get a life and find something productive to say instead of sniping.

[onewheeldave]

I was in Bradford recently and saw a couple of guys pick on another older guy. when one went to hit him he finished the guy off big time. The second attempted to kicked him (foolishly) and I thought the older guy had broken his leg. I was well impressed and asked him what martial art he used. He stated he trained with GKR. He was a tourist and not from this area. He did not state what belt he was and did not make it a big deal. So I believe a lot of this blogging against GKR is on the web is a reaction to the fact that they are a big organisation and also because they make money from martial arts. All of you watch too much movie martial arts and honor ****. Their is nothing wrong with making money. They do if this guy as stated is from GKR train people properly. I say get the snobbery out of martial arts and let people enjoy a bit of family association and confidence building. Hiring places cost money, uniforms cost money, liability insurance cost money. Whether you like it or not GKR are all over the world and are still very much financially viable. They are pro active at selling karate. Get over it and get a life and find something productive to say instead of sniping.

 

People are critisisng GKR for the (many) reasons covered in previous posts in this thread.

 

The fact that you claim to have witnessed a GKR practitioner take down 2 people is fairly irrelevant when it comes to the shady business practices of GKR, or it's effectiveness.

 

The guy could simply have been a good fighter (many people who are good at street fighting have had no training in martial arts, they are simply people who come from hard areas where fighting is a way of life from school age upwards).

 

He could have trained in any number of martial arts (e.g. Muay Thai, karate, boxing etc, etc) prior to joining GKR.

 

It's also entirely possible that the above post is from a GKR practitioner- it would certainly make good business sense for GKR to monitor these threads and post accordingly: not that I'm saying that is the case- just that it's possible, especially when the poster has a total of one posting on this board

[servius]

lol That is just typical isn't conspiracy theories eh. Listen mate I decided to go on google and see any critism of GKR and found some. To reply I had to join the forum and that is all. Everyone starts with a first comment. This happened to be mine. So believe what you want.

 

'You can convince a man against his will, but he will be of the same opinion still.'

 

Having looked at the GKR Organization with the view of neutrality and researched their organization. They are a legal organization in many countries and growing. They pay plenty of tax. They are of substance and cannot be viewed as pyramid as it is illegal to run pyramid schemes.

 

Any way whatever do and say what you want.

 

Just thought I would add my experience. Will not comment again. Enjoy your conspiracy theories.

[onewheeldave]

lol That is just typical isn't conspiracy theories eh. Listen mate I decided to go on google and see any critism of GKR and found some. To reply I had to join the forum and that is all. Everyone starts with a first comment. This happened to be mine. So believe what you want.

 

'You can convince a man against his will, but he will be of the same opinion still.'

 

Having looked at the GKR Organization with the view of neutrality and researched their organization. They are a legal organization in many countries and growing. They pay plenty of tax. They are of substance and cannot be viewed as pyramid as it is illegal to run pyramid schemes.

 

Any way whatever do and say what you want.

 

Just thought I would add my experience. Will not comment again. Enjoy your conspiracy theories.

 

Well, on this thread alone, there's a lot of people posting their actual experiences of GKR, which would be useful as a part of any 'research' on the company.

 

No-ones denying it's a legal organisation, or a growing one, or that they pay tax.

 

But when it comes to looking for a martial arts group for your child to go to- the fact that they pay a lot of tax is not of particular relevance- any company that earns lots of money will, of course, be paying a lot of tax, it does not make them a good martial arts option.

 

The relevant factors are going to be quality of tuition and, an absence of hard 'pressure selling' and no long term contracts that tie you into paying for months at a time.

 

And that's where GKR fails as a good option for your childs martial arts tuition.

 

I'd suggest that if you want to challenge the current highly negative reputation of GKR, you be best actually addressing those points and trying to show they are wrong, rather than posting an anecdote about a GKR practitioner beating up 2 guys and then coming up with a list of points that are a)irrelevant and b)things that no-ones denied (or even mentioned) in the first place (tax etc).

[1KravMaga]

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