How/what is GKR karate?

[Ginger ninja]

Hi Chris,

A couple of points, I'll look further into the grades, but as you know, anything above 5th dan no longer represents an improvement in skill but instead a measure of the input you have had into the sport. Judging from what Kancho has achieved, with excellent tournament success and taking a club from nothing into one of the largest in the world, I would have thought there was an argument for recognition of his input with higher grades.

 

And I'm not trying to sell it. Why would I? I'm not even from your country so certainly can't solicit people to join my dojo and wouldn't want to even if I could. I have more than enough pupils already. What disturbs me however is ill informed comment feeding onto more ill informed comment.

 

If GKR is so terrible, why did they clean up all the other karate styles three years running in Australia, and win both the men and womans national all styles event held in the UK in 2007? I'm not saying it is the best style or even a great one, but I certainly am saying that for someone to totally disregard it as worthless does not necessarily reflect well on them.

 

Regarding the black and white belt instructors, it is not so hard to see the practicality of this when you consider GKR uses just a few moves (about 40 in all) and focuses on perfecting them. This is opposed to the several hundred moves in many other martial art styles, so teaching these basics does not place as high a requirement on instructor skill in the initial stages, although I completely agree to progress up above about green you have to be taught by very good brown to black belts.

 

I also have to agree with you on the expense thing. In NZ it is very different, in fact it is one of the cheapest martial arts to learn. (For example, joining fee is $80 while most other clubs charge up to $300).

 

Take care

[Cyclone]

I don't know anything about the australian tournaments, but in the UK GKR only enter tournaments that they set up where they decide who can fight. It's no real surprise then when they win these tournaments.

[ShotoKarate]

Some of my opinions about GKR which I may or may not add to as time goes on. I'll start by saying that I'm no great expert in karate! I've practiced for 20+ years and feel as though I have some understanding but in no way have I mastered it!

 

Now:

1 I have a friend who goes with his son and daughter to a GKR class in Sheffield and he thoroughly enjoys it! Who am I to say anything about that?

2 They are obviously tapping a market as the 'brand' is an ever growing threat to the traditional clubs.

3 I wouldn't call it a traditional Japanese style. It is obvioulsy a western blend of Goju and Shotokan. (If it was a traditional style - the founder would have made sure the name couldn't be mis translated!) HOWEVER - there a loads of western styles ranging from ShotoRyu (a style created by Vivian Nash and is a mixture of Shoto Kai and boxing AFAIK) and even Ticky Donovan's IsshinRyu etc etc.

4 From what I've seen of you tube clips of GKR tournaments, I've been fairly impressed. Clean techniques in kata and kumite - no more than that.

 

BUT what I find distasteful about it is:

1 The marketing - purely and simply based on numbers and not quality. A number of times, I've had the track suits come round to my house and as soon as I mention my karate bacground they run away! There must be a reason for this. I know my theories - others can come up with their own. One 'Self Defence Consultant' (possibly the most distasteful thing about GKR) knocked on one of current instructors door. He was shown round the purpoae built dojo in his back garden and given a description of his background. The SDC was very bashful and gave a full description of what GKR (the organisation not the style) expected him to do. It was out of the Amway book of pyramid selling! That - to me and many - is distasteful!

2 The tournament claims! - Can't speak for Australia - so I won't. However - this claim from one contributor:

I would say that NZ and Australia did send a contingent to the recent all styles championships held in the UK (which incidently NZ and Australia won several categories in). I was interested to read the UK appraisal of how our team had done. They commented that the NZ and Australian teams seemed much sharper, faster and with a great deal more power and that the UK teams should look at how we train down here. (They added rather facetiously that perhaps our plane could crash on the way back with the weight of the medals!) So some of the criticisms of some GKR schools in the UK could be entirely valid, I simply don't know enough to comment. But a good GKR school in my experience is as good as any other martial art.

As far as I am aware - GKR UK is a member of NAKMAS - a multi style organisation which in itself is a big body. But it only represents a fraction of those people practicing karate in the UK today. A national team from NZ/Aus sent to compete against in such a tournament??? I'll leave you to ponder. There might be balances..... I have my doubts.

3 The teaching/coaching - my friend who I mentioned earlier, was asked to train as an instructor after just 2 gradings! You can argue all you like about trainee instructors/sempais/black&white belt ect - but that, if it reflects GKR nationally, is clearly a disgrace and IMHO cheats people out of their money given in all honesty and trust!

 

I don't know much about the style itself so I won't criticise it. However, some of the practices of the organisation that drives the style are IMHO dishonest and dishonourable! It's a pity they distract us from getting to know the style better. The only way to get respect IMHO is to show yourself in a positive light!

 

Lecture over. I've tried to be balanced - don't know if that is possible. But there you go!

[Davemantis]

A number of times, I've had the track suits come round to my house and as soon as I mention my karate bacground they run away! There must be a reason for this.

 

:hihi::hihi::hihi: lol

[maddog577]

Hi I have been reading these treads with interest I am a GKR Instructor

Who in fact started as a yellow belt? Which at the time seemed strange let me tell you my story and shred some light on this matter.

I started with GKR when the Door to Door SDC came round and thought yer id like to have a go at this so I paid my £25 and signed up i started going to my local dojo @ £5.50 a session I did two then three lessons a week and in twelve weeks the minimum length of time I achieved my yellow belt.

Buy this time I had paid for 3 months bulk payment of £125 and was training 6 days a week which works out pretty cheap after i had been training for around 6 months I was asked if I would like to train as a instructor and i thought yes why not after I completed training all instruction and special event and seminars would be free so I attended instructor training for around 12 weeks did a written exam had my CRB check and did the first aid course and achieved my Black/white belt.

Normal public grading cost £15 and run once a month but instructors train and grade on a separate parallel system grading once every three months with is free, it takes around 5 to 6 years to get your provisional black belt.

Because i qualified for entry into the GKR world Cup having won a silver medal for Kata in the central region Qualifiers doing Kata i had to compete as a yellow belt I had to wait until that was finished before i could go for grading ad so in total i did 108 lessons as a yellow belt over around 8 months before finally getting my orange belt now around four months later i have achieved my green belt.

i now assist teaching at Mansfield and train 3 days a week at the senior instructor classes where i am probably the lowest grade there training is very hard and full on and we now have around 15 black belts who have recently graded and there are plenty of experienced people to train with my karate has improved no end.

Where i assist teaching our students are mostly kids with two adults with none above Yellow Belt i have no problem following the class format as taught to me the grading is done by the reginal instrutor 1st Dan not by me and all grading above red belt have to be reassessed by the senior instructor and black belts and above are assessed buy the still more advanced central region chief instructor once a year.

Because of the way GKR recruit the Nottingham R30 has around 950 active members and about 150 instructors 2 to each dojo the membership is for life and can be used to train in any GKR Dojo in The world nottm has around 5 full time SDC who do the door to door Knocking every time a dojo numbers fall below a critical number they go knocking and we get a flood of new students big established dojo's have 30 or so every class all grades to black our new class has around 12 all beginners.

When i went to the world cup at the Birmingham indoor arena there was over 4000 competitors from around the world GKR is a big organisation and i think is here to stay

[Protekt]

GKR is to karate what McDonalds is to fine dining.

[maddog577]

Would like to answer your questions if I can

 

v It is £6 per lesson with discounts for bulk payment or more than one member training.

v yes it is £80 for life although the SDC discount it to £25 for a temp 3 moths upgrade to the lifetime upon achieving your yellow belt.

v It is included in the lifetime membership.

v None various seminars are available through the year that you can attend for around £10 £15.

v No but you must wear the club badge which is £5 basic suite cost £17 kids £22 adult, tournament heavy (top Quality) cost £52 mitts and pads cost £17

v Belt v Min number of classes v Min time req

v Yellow 8Kyu v 12 v 6 weeks

v Orange 7Kyu v 24 v 12 weeks

v Green 6Kyu v 32 v 4 months

v Blue 5Kyu v 40 v 5 months

v Red 4Kyu v 40 v 5 months

v Brown 3Kyu v 50 v 6 months

v Brown 2Kyu v 50 v 6 months

v Brown 1Kyu v 50 v 6 months

v Black (prov) shodan Ho 50 6 months

v Black shodan 100 12 months

v Don’t know but it could be a yellow belt.

v The senior regional instructors 2nd Dan or above normally there are at least 6 or more senior instructors from around the country and these special grading are held once a year by special invitation only.

v The senior instructors who run each region train us the instructors they in turn train regularly with there instructors higher up they also train at special seminars and have gone at least once to Japan to train with certain masters don’t know who though.

v There is a linage on the unofficle web site.

v Kancho sullavan is over 60 now and had done various styles of karate before setting up on his own.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

[Protekt]

Its been said on here before, but just to re-cap for your benift. You may like GKR and believe in it. But just about the entire martial arts community outside GKR think it is over-priced crap.

[Crayfish]

So can I enter a competition with GKR people? I'm curious to see now after all this rumouration.

[mr_busdriver]

 

the entire martial arts community outside GKR think it is over-priced crap.[

 

 

/QUOTE]

 

 

 

 

...... but apart from that GKR is very popular with the Martial Artists who post on SF