Go Kan Ryu

[bushido_man96]

There are several styles out there where you learn good contact levels, good muscle memory, and learn to push through when your body tells you to quit. Styles like Muay Thai, MMA, Kyokushin...lots of these practitioners become good, tough fighters. They also train smart, and know that blasting someone's mouth into pieces on the first day probably isn't the best training idea out there. But through time and training they become tougher, more confident, and are able to maintain their training throughout the years because they have good training methods. Many of them also train bag work along side their other drills, and it serves their purposes very well.

[Nidan Melbourne]

The thing is how effective IS GKR against other styles, I have NEVER heard of a GKR practitioner winning an Open (that is not just GKR - other styles as well) Championship. I believe the sparing is not even semi contact - I practice Full contact knockdown Karate. “Tippy Tappy Bouncy Bouncy” will NOT work on the street. Man, if someone who is not used to hitting someone full force does they'll break their hand (it is medically proven that the average person upon hitting the face of an attacker will break their hand within 3 strikes), unless they train correctly for it.

And to be called Sensei and not be a Yudansha is insulting to those who have worked hard to get where they are. I may take a Yoga class for 3 months then open my own class it’s just the same.

Right I feel better now where's my hug and my teddy

go through the latest NAS results - in australia or the UK and you will see that GKR students regularly achieve outstanding results....

http://www.nationalallstyles.com.au/media/nas/pdfs/tournament-reports/nationals/2010/national-titles-2010.pdf

What about WKF Championships? And since you mentioned Australia what about at any of the AKF Tournaments?

[Nabil Kazama]

I thought Shotokan and Goju Ryu combined was Kyokushin?

[bushido_man96]

I thought Shotokan and Goju Ryu combined was Kyokushin?

I don't think its fair to consider Kyokushin merely a combination of two styles. Its more than that. Those may be the styles that Oyama previously studied, but Kyokushin is more than just these two styles combined. Its a different training methodology and approach altogether.

[Nabil Kazama]

I thought Shotokan and Goju Ryu combined was Kyokushin?

I don't think its fair to consider Kyokushin merely a combination of two styles. Its more than that. Those may be the styles that Oyama previously studied, but Kyokushin is more than just these two styles combined. Its a different training methodology and approach altogether.

Ah I see now. I'm ignorant when it comes to other styles apart from Shotokan, but it's amazing how so many variations of Karate exist today, it's almost to the point where new people are alienated by having so many styles. It's mind blowing.

[Harkon72]

It can be a lottery to which style you can practice, especially here in the UK. In Wales, Shotokan is popular, with some Wado Ryu too. There are two styles of Shukokai; Kimura Shukokai and Shito Ryu based Shukokai. To practice Kyokoshin or Goju Ryu you have to travel away to England or South Wales. It depends most on the Sensei, but all Karate has something to offer.

[Nabil Kazama]

It can be a lottery to which style you can practice, especially here in the UK. In Wales, Shotokan is popular, with some Wado Ryu too. There are two styles of Shukokai; Kimura Shukokai and Shito Ryu based Shukokai. To practice Kyokoshin or Goju Ryu you have to travel away to England or South Wales. It depends most on the Sensei, but all Karate has something to offer.

I'm fortunate in the South East, there's a Kyokushin Dojo, Shotokan, GKR and Wado Ryu.

[bushido_man96]

It can be a lottery to which style you can practice, especially here in the UK. In Wales, Shotokan is popular, with some Wado Ryu too. There are two styles of Shukokai; Kimura Shukokai and Shito Ryu based Shukokai. To practice Kyokoshin or Goju Ryu you have to travel away to England or South Wales. It depends most on the Sensei, but all Karate has something to offer.

I'm fortunate in the South East, there's a Kyokushin Dojo, Shotokan, GKR and Wado Ryu.

You are lucky. That's quite a few choices.

[Nabil Kazama]

It can be a lottery to which style you can practice, especially here in the UK. In Wales, Shotokan is popular, with some Wado Ryu too. There are two styles of Shukokai; Kimura Shukokai and Shito Ryu based Shukokai. To practice Kyokoshin or Goju Ryu you have to travel away to England or South Wales. It depends most on the Sensei, but all Karate has something to offer.

I'm fortunate in the South East, there's a Kyokushin Dojo, Shotokan, GKR and Wado Ryu.

You are lucky. That's quite a few choices.

The Wado Ryu place is a McDojo unfortunately, I tried Kyokushin but decided it wasn't for me and not only that but I kept confusing their techniques with Shotokan. GKR was easy to adapt to for some reason.

[kensei]

I think of myself as being rather insulated from some of the weird and wacky things in martial arts, living in the dead center of Canada we tend not to attract those that are looking for LOTS of funds and bigger organizations. The one experience I have with a GKR stylist was about 4 years back when someone from that group moved to my city.

Now we have a Gracie Academy guy here who teaches and owns his own club and is just a blue belt but he admits to his level of understanding and aside from some "rougher than needed" allegations the guy is pretty upfront that he is a newbie and trains hard to be better

Now the gent that came in from GKR tried to open a small club about four years ago and made the rounds meeting with instructors from different clubs. The first thing that I did NOT like was he called us and asked if he could drop by for a class, we did not know who or what he was at the time and told him to come out and train, the first week is always free so come on down.

He shows up and tells me and my instructor he is a senior level “sensei” in a different but similar style, he did not say GKR or I would have asked how long he had been training. He said he would be able to more than keep up and wondered if we wanted to hear what he had learned training one on one with his instructor….we said if something came up in class go ahead and throw your hand up!

Okay, so the guy straps on a black belt with a white stripe down it and we right away knew something was up! A European cut gi with the jacket looking a bit like the bottom end of bleached kilt and he had pads that he wanted to wear for Kumite…which thankfully we said he could keep on a desk in the gym if we started sparring we would let him know to go throw them on.

Basics are basics right…not if this guy has anything to say about them. First off he wanted to “present” us with his “Wisdom” on each move we were doing…but he looked like a white belt that managed to study a book and was really excited to share….and it was drivel!

Next was Kata, he was…well horrible! The guy screwed up Heian Shodan and forgot parts of Heian Nidan…we worked our way up to Bassai Dai and he was lost but tried to play along. Now we were kind of talking during short rest breaks, my instructor and I, and we said it must be because he was from some other organization and style and the fact that he could “play along” was good.

By half way through class he was sucking wind and actually gave up. He raised his hand and asked to go for water, when he came back he was looking kind of sick and we had not gotten to the Kumite yet. He asked to sit out for a tad to catch his breath and just sat for the rest of class.

After class we talked for a bit and as it turned out he had less than two years of training and after three months entered the “Sensei’s” Program and had not really trained much since. He had NO martial arts experience since then and after I asked WTF is a “Sensei Program” he asked how I got my Sensei level….After a long blank look I told him that you don’t take a course to become a Sensei , you train your rump off and after a good long time you start teaching, if your students consider you a Sensei…then you are one!

He did not come back but later I found out through a mutual friend that he threw in the towel and joined a Muay Thai club and just works out for fun.

I read up on GKR after that and to be frank I am very glad I live in the middle of Canada in a place that they probably wont come to. It looks like a pyramid system and shady as all get out. I know they have some great sport Karate people, but my feeling is that they are very physically gifted people that would do well in any system. The structure and frame work of the group is scary and shady at the same time.

That’s is just my experience with them, but I have had some good and bad ones with lots of different kinds of people.