scoobmj

iTrader: (3)

anybody on here with GKR.?

finalzero

GoKanRu Karate, yeah most commonly taught version of Karate.

Good for fitness and discipline (and building confidence) but it's not a stand up fighting style so don't expect to do much contact training or full contact sparring (but depends on the teacher).

If you want something that is more hands on and imediate, comparable to something like Muay Thai (what I practice, very brutal and full-on e.g. we do full contact bare knuckle training etc), then I recommend KyuShinKai Karate.

They basically teach you an aggressive full contact form of Karate that focuses on toughening up your limbs and teach you to do powerful (and damaging) strikes. The local dojo in my city teach the european version which mixes up Ju-Jitsu style grapples to provide a more complete fighting system (stand up and ground fighting).

But its not for everyone, from experience, expect to get bruised as a minimum and a bloody nose so can be a bit overwhelming for beginners.

If you just want to do martial arts without the drama then GKR Karate is good, if you are quite agile and like more stylised fighting forms (like in movies) then tai kwon do is a good one, lots of acrobatic work and various kicking techniques (mostly focuses on leg strikes).

My experience: 4 years traditional muay thai, 2 years ju-jitsu/roman greko wrestling and more recently training for a cage fight aka MMA (fought amateur in a ring but its a bit crap).

Links:
Kyokushin kaikan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taekwondo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

StiX

iTrader: (4)

I have never heard of it - and I am 1st kyu brown belt Kyokushinkai going for 1st Dan black in November?

I would say Shotokan is the most common form of Karate, followed by Kyokushinkai - in the UK anyway.

StiX

iTrader: (4)

Did a bit of research on GKR karate, and it was founded in 1984 in Australia.

The syllabus looks like a very cut down syllabus of Shotokan/Kyokushinkai.

For e.g. there are only 4 kicks.

There are 17 kicks in Kyokushinkai, if you ignore the different levels and include the jumping kicks as different kicks.

Oh, and as finalzero mentioned there is no contact at all, so quite different obviously.

I have had several injuries sparring in Kyokushinkai - dislocated/broken fingers/knuckles and toes mainly. Normally only bruises/cuts though, the dislocated finger was my fault really - bad technique!

scoobmj

iTrader: (3)

the reason i asked is because i want to know...if anybody does it....WHY?

here comes my semi rant!......

no offense but its quotes like this "GoKanRu Karate, yeah most commonly taught version of Karate." that make me laugh.

If it is the most commonly taught martial art then its because its run like a franchise.

its a total joke as far a traditional martial arts go even the founder 'SELF GRADED' Himself up to 7th dan and as far as starting your own club goes you only have to be doing gkr for a year before you can become an instructor! IMO the whole thing is wrong
and people are just getting ripped off!

the majority of there new clubs and allot of existing clubs are run by novices who are not even black belts.

OK now let me tell you why i am Pi$$ed, I am a certified black belt instructor and my style is Renshinkai (which is a mix of kyokushinkai, Wado Ryu, Gojo Ryu, Shotokan and aki jujitsu) last night i finished teaching my class, on my way out there was a GKR 'instructor' standing outside the hall that i teach in inviting MY students to his new club!!

if anybody can try and justify GKR i would love to hear what you have to say.

StiX

iTrader: (4)

AH - now I understand.

No, I am not going to justify it as before today I had never even heard of it!!

Sounds crap.

I have spent 4.5yrs to get to 1st kyu let alone 1st dan, and worked goddamn hard every week - so I understand why you are pissed about this type of 'martial art'.

scoobmj

iTrader: (3)

i started training in the early 90's and since then have worked bloody hard especially when it came to passing my dan grade.

as far as my club goes it took me a while to build up a resonable size and layal group, so it really irritated me to find some idiot with a clipboard standing out side waiting for my students.

i am just glad he moved on, when i asked him (very politly) to do so.

still ranting

dazdavies

iTrader: (22)

I'd have kicked this guys ****, thus proving your martial art of choice is far superior to his cut down beginners version

Pretty disrespectful to what he did outside someone elses Dojo to be honest.

Alec

GKR is complete joke as a martial art, howvere it does appear to be quite a succesfull business.

Just like the car you drive or the house you live in, you pay your money and take your choice. I feel little for those who join, a quick google would put them right. Caveat emptor!

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

I've been doign Shotokan for a couple of years, am a member of 2 clubs and the differences in even basic techniques between the two keep me on my toes LOL

Matteeboy

Anyone do/doing Krav Maga (I think)? Looks pretty effective.

Did Shotokan to brown belt as a nipper then had a break and took up kickboxing in Bristol. Did it for 6 years and did quite well in a couple of national competitions then moved to Cornwall - the ONLY thing I miss about Bristol is the martial arts opportunities. I just cannot find a good club down here. I did Win Chun for 6 weeks but it bored me to tears and was about as good a workout as sleeping despite being quite effective when mastered. Apart from that I can't find any decent local clubs to train at home with a heavy bag (plus do circuit type weights and tonnes of cardio) but do miss the buzz of training.

Oh well!

WRX_Dazza

Pretty damn stupid to do this if his own style is a non-contact paperfolding method too!!!!

I'm sure the people in your classes are there for a reason and won't be interested in this other group.

finalzero

I didn't defend it as you saw in my post, when I said "GoKanRu Karate, yeah most commonly taught version of Karate." I pretty much meant that:

"common"

I don't rate it at all, like you said, it's made a joke out of Karate so the real deal forms like Kyu and others are simply ignored or not known unless you happend to encounter them in private circles (I only came across KyuShinKai after sparring with an MMA fighter from Holland who started talking about it).

But that's out of order, he shouldn't be poaching your students - as a way to build confidence in your students to stick with you, offer this bloke a one-on-one, full or semi-contact bought to prove who has the superior style.

If he makes up an excuse then slap him up like a biatch in-front of everyone because he is nothing more than a handbag warrior.

We have loads of these guys popping up round my area, I took my son to one of em thinking it would be a good step into martial arts for him but I wasn't impressed.

I got this sales pitch from the main 'black belt' guy so I offered to a single round there in the dojo (school gym) in front of everyone, he made some health-n-safety excuse up.

skid11

iTrader: (1)

GKR are just interested in the money.Instuctors are low graded promoted to black and white belts to become instructors..
Stay well clear .There are plent of decent "trad" karate schools or other martial arts clubs out there .
They sell door to door and the guys are on comissision only.Expensive classes as well

j4ckos mate

My lad has just passed a tab tonight
hes only 7 and a bit too young to keep going up belt and belt, so they tab it,

is that what normally happens.?

scoobmj

iTrader: (3)

well done to your son mate....different styles/clubs have different grading syllabus so its not unusual to have 'tabs' between gradings mainly for lower grades

if its gkr your sons goes to my advice would be to find a local traditional club that don't see a price tag on people but instead recognize potential and nurture abilities.

skid11

iTrader: (1)

Tabs are ok but GKR will make you pay and the instructors are low grades

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Indeed, well done to you boy

My (Suffolk) club use tags for those under 10, the idea being that in theory you could have 10/11 yr old black belts and that they lack the maturity/power to go with the grade. Therefore its tags up to 10 (3 gradings per belt) then normal thereafter.

Will

Id whoop all your ases black belt or not, i am a SN cage fighter! Hadoken!

Power Junkie

iTrader: (1)

I have done a good few arts, but now im doing streetcombatsystem have a look, it is a mix but in the real world it does work very well. we train hard with full contact and some bare knuckle practice too,

scoobmj

iTrader: (3)

no mate your a gimp...now get back in ya cage

Neil @ Scoobyworld

well I've never heard of GKR Karate and i've studied various styles and disciplines since i was in my teens and i'm now 37 (styles include Muay Thai, Wadoryu, Bujinkhan, Lau Gar Kung Fu, Seike Juku, and now a first dan in a very traditional Shotohan school (taken me 6 years)and also pretty well read in Japanese Karate traditions and history.

There may be some great GKR schools around, just never heard of that style before, which I guess I should have by now.

However, in my view, the style (whether it be any form of karate, kung fu, JKD, etc etc) makes very little difference, what you want to look for is one that teaches the skills in a safe but realistic way, not simply how to get the next belt / kyu etc. At the end of the day what colour belt you wear in the dojo wont make a blind bit of difference in the street. IMHO theres far too many schools out there simply in it for the money - 'McDojos' as they are known.

But then again, depends what you are wanting to get out of the training - if its simply body conditioning and fitness, then most schools / clubs will provide that, if its the practice of the traditional aspects of Karate then find a proper traditional school, and this should also offer the self defence side too.

Jackos mate - well done to your son - mine is learning TKD at the mo and got his second grade coming up sometime soon.

Neil

skid11

iTrader: (1)

GKR is just a brand name.Came from Australia by a guy called Robert Sullivan.His background is ??? Style is a sort of shotokan/goju ryu mix and the katas are a similar mixed bag
My problem with them is the fact the club is interested in money making first and the deception of passing their instuctors off as black belts when they are nothing like that
It is pyramid selling of martial arts.Very dubious selling tactics and recruitment of instructors is very dodgy.
Stick to traditional or well established clubs of whatever martial art takes your fancy or you enjoy
Avoid GKR