Chito-Ryu Karate vs Go Kan Ryu

[Safroot]

Hi All,

I want to start Karate training but I have very limited info about the martial arts.

Close to my home there are 2 different institutes doing Adult Karate classes with 2 different styles (Chito-Ryu & Go Kan Ryu) I want to know what is the difference between them and which is better ? if both are not good what would be the best style and why?

I want to do it for fitness and self-defense and I am 30 years old. Thank you

[Nidan Melbourne]

I would go for Chito-Ryu personally. Because it is more focussed on Karate and Self-Defense.

Go-Kan-Ryu (GKR for short) isn't that good of a school. it is a very closed off style of karate because you don't really get an opportunity to compete against other styles (Something you probably won't want to do). it is more family oriented and won't really get you kick started with fitness and self defense.

But Goju-Ryu is also really good to do (coming from personal experience).

Winner: Chito-Ryu

[andym]

Don't go anywhere near Go-Kan-Ryu ! GKR are to my mind the epitome of a McDojo organisation (look it up). How can you train for self defense in a 'non-contact environment ' (? !); which is what GKR promote. As to Chito Ryu, it is an authentic Okinawan Karate style (not a dubious sales organisation). There isn't any over here in GB, so I can't give advice from experience, other than to say it has a good reputation given what is written about it. All the best in your studies.

[Harkon72]

I'm an advocate of Okinawan Karate, go for the Chito Ryu! I'm very biased of course. But this family of styles of Karate has contributed to my development of Body, Mind and Spirit for most of my life. If you want to pay for your belts, pass your grades regardless of your skill and be taught the bare minimum, I recommend the commercial business option. It depends on the Sensei, but if the Karate comes from the Heart and not the Pocket then you are blessed indeed.

[Kusotare]

I'm an advocate of Okinawan Karate, go for the Chito Ryu! I'm very biased of course. But this family of styles of Karate has contributed to my development of Body, Mind and Spirit for most of my life.

Have you practiced Chito-ryu Harkon72?

K.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Kusotare

[Club quotNAHAquot K]

Here are some websites on each

Chito Ryu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chito-ryu

Go Kan ryu: http://www.ilovegkr.com/pages/aboutgkr/about.html

[Harkon72]

No I haven't, it's unheard of in these lands. We have Shito Ryu, but that is as close as it gets phonetically. I read this ;

Chitō-ryū is generally classified as a Japanese style because Chitose formulated and founded Chitō-ryū principally while living in Kumamoto, Japan. However, some modern practitioners feel it is better categorized as an Okinawan style given that its roots and techniques are firmly grounded in and derived from traditional Okinawan Tōde (唐手). This belief is warranted since the style's founder, Tsuyoshi Chitose, received first the rank of Judan, in 1958,[6] and then the rank of Hanshi, in 1968, from the Zen Okinawa Karate Kobudo Rengo Kai (All Okinawa Union of Karate-do and Kobu-do).

I find it correlates well with my experience of Karatedo.

[Kusotare]

I've met a couple of Chito-ryu guys.

Solid Karate as I understand it!

Not sure how widely practiced it is in Japan (or Okinawa for that matter), but it seems to be more popular in North America (the guys I met were from Canada I think).

K.

[cheesefrysamurai]

Chito ryu all the way!!

Keep us updated!

[Safroot]

Thank you all so much for your comments. while I was browsing the internet I found many negative feedbacks about GKR. I wonder how these guys are popular in Australia and have large number of members?!

I met the "sales rep." of GKR and she was trying to push me by all means to join them on that night, she wasn't a very professional rep anyway