Go Kan Ryu/GKR (yes...the door to door ppl...)

i think you are pretty dead on here. It pains me to see such schools like that too. No one will earn a black belt at our dojo in less than 5 years and minimum 3days/week training. Most take 6 years of consistent training.

 

If I may intervene, I just want to state that I study a system called goken-ryu kempo, with 'goken' meaning hard fist. I mention this so as to not be associated with the aforementioned group in the event of future discussions with this forum. Thank you

 

the videos? people hardly use them anymore, and though 2 years ago i did watch one, i did prefer to learn in class. i will admit the retro 70's mullets did make me giggle! in regards to the level of kata in class, my dojo practices Taigyoku Shodan, Taigyoku Nidan, Saifa, Bassai- Dai, Seiunchin, Empi and i have recently been taught Sepai. a lot of time is devoted to these, however, depending on the grades of the students will determine which kata are taught. as grades increase, students learn higher grade kata. whats the point in trying to teach a beginner say, a 4th and 3rd kyu kata? its good to know the patterns of these, but is it not better to get your grade kata down before you think about perfecting higher ones? in reference to the post about gkr in the usa, they have recently opened a class in Huston, Texas. come to think of it, it is gkr's national tournament this sunday at the sheffield institute of sport- if any of you are in the area, check it out. 6 of my class including myself (really nervous) will be competing there. you might change your minds! have a good day!

 

In my class many blue belts know stuff that a person 5 grades higher should know. My class encourages people to know more than they know because you get brown belts with the experience of a blue tag and so on.

 

im not saying that lower grades cant learn higher kata, but they probably wont know the basics well enough to get it right, if you know what i mean. i remember when i first started out that i wanted to know all the kata, and i only ended up in an **** when i couldnt do it but now i sort of feel like ive got a reasonable anount of confidence in my basics to get the kata down

 

There is a world of difference between knowing the sequence of moves in a kata (or even being able to perform them competently) and actually understanding what the moves are for.

Without a correct understanding I find it hard to see the point of practising the moves.

Mike

 

Hello,
Going back to some ot the "technical aspects " in GKR, well, there are none!
You have to start at the base. What's GKR? Is it a style, a martial art, a system, a joke?
When the head instructor allegedly only reached a Shodan Ho level in Goju Kai, and a "misterious" Nidan in some Shotokan style (you can find this information in their own website) then you cannot call yourself Head of an style, full stop.
Kancho's as they were, have spent a lifetime training, researching and developing a system of self defence which is in turn brought before a panel of Grand Masters at the Dai Nippon Butokukai Kan in Tokyo, Japan.
At this point you haven't been bestowed the title of Kancho as yet, and it will take many more years before that takes place. Example: Shimabukuro Sensei, Kancho of Isshinryu, had to wait until 1995 before the system was officially accepted by the Butokukai, and its now fully recognised by all and sundry.
We are talking about a Master of a well recognised Martial Arts here, not a guy with little knowledge of Goju Kai and maybe even less of Shotokan, whom all of the sudden "sees" the light and "creates" another Martial Art!!!
If this person would have had an inch of imagination, as far as the Arts of Fighting is concerned, he would have never "blend" two styles which are as far apart as he is from say Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei!
One straight and lineal, and the other circular with the hard and soft bit, give me a break!
Now it seems, this so called "style" is a "evolving" one isn't it? It changes every so many many months or so. I have been watching them since 1994, and the changes never end. In the beginning they didn't know where to put the Kata, because it was causing concern the fact some very low grade practitioners were "playing" with very advanced Kata of the two major Karate styles before mentioned.
So they moved them around and around, took one off and added another one, and then changed them again and so on an so on. And you call this a style of Karate? In the beginning, Mr Sullivan himself didn't know what a Bunkai or Goshin Jutsu technique was, until he surrounded himself with people from other styles and who were in fact higher in grade than him on paper, but not at the time because he had already self promote to dizzy heights, (huh??) and then proceeded to "add up" these techniques to his own repertoire. Do I make sense?
Not to the GKR hardliners I don't. They still believe in fairies and swear they are learning the "real" thing.Not!
Real martial arts are recognised by their peers. They haven't got a chance in the world. As you probably know, they haven't even been recognised by the Australian governning body!
What the have been recognised as is a very different kettle of fish. MacDojo, cheats, bullies (legal) Karaways (from Amways) TupperKarate (from Tupperware) door knockers, pyramid selling scammers, commercialised, no hoppers, fraudsters and so many other accolades they are too long to mention.
There's no excuse for a "master" to run yearly events where the principal aim is to sell Karate like Tupperware parties. That's not Martial Arts. You don't have to take your "executives" to a Hotel auditorium and present then with a screen full of helicopters and Ferraris, and mottos like: "you can also own one of these"
Is that a joke or the way Martial Arts were intended to be sold? Did I say sold? My own Master, Yamaguchi Gogen never sold me anything nor wanted anything from me, except that I would follow his steps one day, and that I would be a better person tomorrow.
He didn't come to see me in a helicopter yet he had more than 2000000 followers worldwide (just a few more than GKR), and never ever asked me to go out and knock on doors for him so that he could buy a cruiser.
There's a link to a very good Yahoo group run by an ex GKR Manager and I would suggest you have a look at it. There's plenty to see I can assure you, and most won't be dissapointed:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/gokanryukaratesucks/
The name says it all, doesn't it?

Have a good day

 

With all due respect, I do think that some people really need to shut up about GKR. Let us get on with it, and as for the ex manager on that GKR Sucks forum, how sad. i mean come on, this constant slagging off is getting way out of hand and i for one am very offended by the comments made, as are all of my fellow students that have seen this. ive already been told to open my eyes, go somewhere else etc, and i have taken these comments onboard and respected them. but as far as martial artists go, some people really need to start respecting other people or just leave them alone because i think that it is disgusting the way some talk about it. go on then, im waiting for the backlash.

 

Dear Emma,
Are you into pyramid selling schemes? Is that why you are so offended? Does the truth offend you as well?
You see, you didn't come up with anything to the contrary, which only proves the allegations are true, or you haven't seen the helicopters yet? Mmmmm I don't think the man has wondered to the UK in his choppers as yet!
You bring a smile to my face because in the past I have found so many who like you felt so offended, only to dissapear into the night a few months later after "discovering" the facts for themselves. Let me assure you,... you will be there as well.
And if you don't believe me, ask the people at Shinkukai, ot the thousands who have left in disgust ( I have heaps in my own school)
40000 can't be wrong, but they are not right either!! When you get sick of being taught rubbish by people who learnt what to teach you on the weekend before, or when you realise you are a nobody in the Martial Arts world, you'll remember these words.
It is known the life span of a GKR student is two years. I hope you haven't done longer than that because the fall will be heard well south of Staffordshire!

Keep dreaming

 

Sorry Emma but I hate to say this.

I have no respect for GKR practioners because very very few have any ability what so ever and have no clue about the essance of karate. I won't advertise my karate as superior but I will tell you this; I doubt you will find one Wado Ryu Instructor who has not got plenty of skill, ability and competance on top of experience.

Go Kan Ryu appears to be a cheap sales gimik for money, not a martial art. Martial arts are for people who want to learn, for people who looked for a dojo. They are not for people who were schemed by a cheap door to door salesman who claims you'll be bruce lee in a year (It made me chuckle)

 

I rest my case Emma. Cobra speaks the truth and it hurts sometimes, but as I always say; "you don't have to accept the truth willingly, but it will eventually stick to you"

Have a nice day

 

Had to be said sometime

 

I dont know any thing about Go Kan Ryu, and I'm not going to get involved in all manner of debates around the running of the organisation.
However;
What gives you two the God dam right to put down what Emma W has worked for? If you dont agree with whats happening, thats fine, you're not part of the organisation so it doesnt affect you. Turn the other cheek.
But you are BANG OUT OF ORDER to knock it if Emma (and presumably many others) feel they are getting something out of it.

EDIT: And GojuMaster, I find your attitude incredibly unnecessary. There is absolutely no need for you to imply that everything that Emma W has worked for is a load of the other. With your attitude, regardless of techniques learnt, I find you to be "A nobody in martial arts". To me, Emma W is a somebody, because she is sticking with what she does, inspite of the aggressive attitudes of obnoxious people such as yourself.

 

If they are actually learning something then fair enough, if they actualyl know something about karate then thats kool, well done.

If they dont then my point stands

Like I said before though what they consider they are working towards might not actually be very much compared to other MAs....

 

Who are you to judge?
Have you been to Emma's Dojo? For all you know, Emma W could be a great martial artist. Your just grabbing onto a preconception, and hiding behind it. And I would suggest you learn something about Karate. In the two styles i've studied, Tolerance is a highly praised trait.

 

I have learnt much about karate BUT from what I have read GKR isnt the most reliable style

 

From what you've read. Then you definatly have no right to be degrading this girls achievements. No matter what your opinions are, NOTHING gives you the right to put a downer on someone elses learning.

 

Although I can hear GojuMaster's axe grinding from here too - I must say that, based on 1st hand experience, GKR is a McDojo/Scam/Rip off of the highest order. The sooner Emma wakes up to that and gets instruction in a bona fide system the better.

She may well have trained very hard - and it is certainly not her fault that she and others like her have been duped by this lot. But that does not change the situation.

 

Yoda, can you say that ALL GKR Dojo's are the same low quality? I've no doubt that there are more than there should be, but how can you all be so certain that EVERY school is bad, just because of a few bad cases, and a scheme of organisation politics that you dont agree with?
I think, if she feels she is getting something worthwhile out of it, then she is. And no-one has the right to take that away from her.

 

Why would the others be any different? I would like to see someone with open-minded experience in many other arts present the name of a decent GKR dojo, because I doubt there actually are any.