Goju Ryu books/DvDs

[Zaine]

I'm sorry I have a problem with this. D.V.D's and 'youtube' should never be used to learn kata ! These are good ways for academic research etc, but to learn kata you must have a teacher to lead and correct. You'll be in for a nasty shock when you turn up at a Goju Ryu Dojo and ask them .'What do you think of my kata, learned it off a DVD ?' This is based on what happened in the '80's and 90's when instructional videos first appeared.

I understand and respect your opinion. However, I believe there is a difference between someone with no martial arts experience trying to learn kata from books and DvDs someone with several years of experience style trying to branch out a little bit.

I'm inclined to agree with you here. I don't see the problem with a martial artist with a few years under their belts learning katas and techniques off the internet.

[davehale]

Martial Walrus,

I'm inclined to agree with what andym wrote. Videos and Youtube should never be a primary source for learning kata. You should always seek a credible sensei. However I also understand the difficulties of finding one and credible videos can be helpful, but not a substitute. I would also point out that your about four years of practicing Tae Kwon Do could also be a hindrance in learning a different style. Just a friendly heads up.

Since I can't see your skill level and can only go on what you say (about four years of practice), I would recommend the kata Saifa/Saifua. Don't let the simplicity fool you, there are solid techniques in there.

[deckerdude]

Im with andym on this one.

One cannot learn the correct 'Kime', or focus, from a dvd/youtube video.

Nor 'Ki', or inner power-spirit. Neither can one learn 'Mokuso', or 'Ma-ai', meditation and distancing respectively.

These things have to be taught by a Sempai, (Senior), or a Sensei, (teacher) to get the best out of you and to put the goodness of Karate INTO you.

Please dont take me wrong here! I love watching the old masters at work in their Kata on youtube, and i have a shed load of books devoted to my favoured Karate style BUT.....they are for notes for reference only and are really no substitute for real, practicle training from a trained practitioner!

Hey, welcome to the forum and your first post, big up to you too for wanting to learn!!

[Martial Walrus]

Martial Walrus,

I'm inclined to agree with what andym wrote. Videos and Youtube should never be a primary source for learning kata. You should always seek a credible sensei. However I also understand the difficulties of finding one and credible videos can be helpful, but not a substitute. I would also point out that your about four years of practicing Tae Kwon Do could also be a hindrance in learning a different style. Just a friendly heads up.

Since I can't see your skill level and can only go on what you say (about four years of practice), I would recommend the kata Saifa/Saifua. Don't let the simplicity fool you, there are solid techniques in there.

I agree that books and videos are not the best way to learn. If I had an instructor in Goju Ryu available, I would see him for advice. I would very much like to study at a Goju Dojo eventually, but that is not an option at the moment.

Yes, Taekwondo is a bit different than Goju. I come from a very traditional school that focuses more on basic techniques, forms, and application than the sport Taekwondo schools that are so common in America. Techniques in Taekwondo are mostly hard and linear. Although the hard techniques are more or less the same, the soft techniques are more difficult for me. However, I also have some experience with Taekkyeon, a very soft style similar to Tai chi and Capoeira. So soft techniques are not entirely alien to me, but still difficult. But thats why I'm interested in Goju Kata, they are more of a challenge for me.

As for kata, right now I am working Gekisai Dai Ich, since it is the most basic, and Tensho, because I like the flowing movements.

Im with andym on this one.

One cannot learn the correct 'Kime', or focus, from a dvd/youtube video.

Nor 'Ki', or inner power-spirit. Neither can one learn 'Mokuso', or 'Ma-ai', meditation and distancing respectively.

These things have to be taught by a Sempai, (Senior), or a Sensei, (teacher) to get the best out of you and to put the goodness of Karate INTO you.

Please dont take me wrong here! I love watching the old masters at work in their Kata on youtube, and i have a shed load of books devoted to my favoured Karate style BUT.....they are for notes for reference only and are really no substitute for real, practicle training from a trained practitioner!

Hey, welcome to the forum and your first post, big up to you too for wanting to learn!!

I agree that one cannot learn focus, distance, and meditation from videos. However, I am already familiar with all of these. My instructor emphasizes the importance of proper breathing and muscle contraction during a technique to develop focus. We use one, two, and three step sparring drills, as well as free sparring, to learn distance and timing. Meditation is a regular part of class. As I have said, I am not someone without experience trying to learn a few techniques and calling myself a karate-ka. I am an experienced martial artist who wants to learn some techniques from another style, but I recognize that I will not master them until I learn from someone else.

[Zaine]

I really that that both dave and decker are missing Martial's point. You're mistaking him for saying that it is as good as an instructor who you can go to, when really he's saying that if you're experienced and you're familiar with the techniques in a particular kata, there is nothing wrong with learning that kata online or from a book, that's what videos and books are made for: so that experienced martial artists can read it, evaluate it and learn some new things about a different (or same) system.

[Martial Walrus]

I really that that both dave and decker are missing Martial's point. You're mistaking him for saying that it is as good as an instructor who you can go to, when really he's saying that if you're experienced and you're familiar with the techniques in a particular kata, there is nothing wrong with learning that kata online or from a book, that's what videos and books are made for: so that experienced martial artists can read it, evaluate it and learn some new things about a different (or same) system.

You said it very well.

[shinobitribe]

Hi Martial ,

Just a suggestion.Before doing Geksai katas..it might be a good idea to take a look at Taikyoku Jodan Uke, Chudan Uke & Gedan Uke, Khake uke and Mawashi uke katas.These katas will give you an idea of the basics, movements and the H pattern of Goju... This way you will be more efficient,appreciate and learn the higher katas faster.....

Edited January 18, 2012 by shinobitribe

[davehale]

Zaine,

I did not miss Martial Walrus' point. But we're strangers, I know nothing about this person. I just wanted to give him a friendly, clear reminder that a credible sensei should be number one, especially if you're attempting a different style.

Martial Walrus,

Gekisai is a good start. Tensho is a personal favorite of mine. I usually start and end my practice with Sanchin and Tensho. Best of luck in your learning!

[bobo]

DVD's by Teru Chinen "okinawan goju ryu" are really good & easy to learn from as it repeats the Kata's slow & from different angles, breaking it down etc.. It's about as "authentic" to the real way of doing them as you're going to get. However , his bunkai is a little crazy. It's good, but alot of the techniques are so improvised that it's hard to see any correlation between them & the movements in the kata.

[JohnASE]

Tsunami Productions has very good instructional DVDs for Goju by Morio Higaonna.

http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Tsunami/Pages/section1.htm

This is not a link to our website, so I'm NOT promoting our company, but I do want to mention that we've been selling them for many years to demonstrate that I know a little about these videos even though I've never viewed them. By the way, they're not listed on our site.

By far, the most popular title is GOJU RYU KARATE KATA (not quite halfway down the page). From what I hear, the others are newer, better quality, and cover the material more in depth, but GOJU RYU KARATE KATA is a great overview.