Hey everyone.

Now I am an accomplished martial artist when it comes to Japanese karate, I want to say something about GKR karate...don't ever consider practicing it and if you are practicing it, quit.

This style is a McDojo and a bad one at that because it doesn't even deliver on its promises. I was more or less told when I got to brown belt that I was not allowed to progress any further unless I became an instructor. They didn't just flat out say that but they said "You cannot progress unless you go to the advanced class, and only "sensei's" are allowed to the advanced class.

I used to train with a guy that became an instructor at orange belt. This is not acceptable.

The even more unacceptable thing is this, http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/Internet/viewVacancy.do?selectedVacancy=1&ref=SEA/31376
. Job for a trainee karate instructor, "no experience necessary". How is this good martial arts? Its not even good business for a style that claims to be "a traditional Japanese style of karate" http://www.gkrkarate.com/about_gkr/gokanryu.asp , because bad instructors, make bad students.

You are a lie Go Kan Ryu, and I hate the fact that I trained with you for so long and was eventually told that the name Go Kan Ryu was a joke created by the Australian founder because it is an anagram of Kan Go Ryu .

This is a McDojo, a martial business and you bring dishonor on the heads of EVERYONE that practices "traditional Japanese karate."

Now I am a black belt in traditional Japanese karate and was judged by Supreme Master Otsuka, one of the 4 supreme masters of Japan, I am now qualified to say, you are a lie.

I wish things could have been different.

That's odd timing Tony! I had noticed you had GKR on your profile and it surprised me. I have only ever heard dodgy things about them , with their door knocking and questionable practise regarding teachers!

How long did you train under that system?

I trained from being a high school student in December 1999 to starting univerity in September 2003. The only reason I learned anything in that time is because my main instructor was a hardcore ex marine. After my training in GKR I could not beat him yet after 1 year of training in TKD I was about evenly matched. I trained for one summer after I started TKD but as I progressed there, I realized I was being held back. Real martial arts don't hold people back.

I believe with my experience in GKR karate and my experience in real karate I am qualified to declare bullshit. It is not like I just tried it for a week, I lived it for years.

WOW!

On a positive note, do you think GKR is what has driven you to train in the way you are doing now?

On a positive note, it sparked an interest. I may not be here today practicing karate if it want for GKR but saying that, I may not have started martial arts unless I had asthma and was picked on as a kid. Sometimes bad things are good for us, but only bad things you don't like. Not Macdonald's or McDojos.

Hi Tony,

I have heard this a lot about GKR and did a little research on the art via the 'net plus there was a club under the hall I hired at one stage. Any chance I could interview you? It is for my book.

I would be more than happy to help.

Thanks, mate. Please could you PM me your email address or, if you would prefer, I could just do it via PM. Your interview will be quite specific, relating to what you are discussing in this topic.

Tony Swain wrote:
After my training in GKR I could not beat him yet after 1 year of training in TKD I was about evenly matched. I trained for one summer after I started TKD but as I progressed there, I realized I was being held back. Real martial arts don't hold people back.

Maybe your TKD instructors were really good rather than GKR being bad

We have a GKR club that started at our dojo on a Thursday night. I used to train with some people who had been in GKR and I even met breifly a guy named Rod who was an Aussie and was one of the top dogs at GKR. When I went to aus with my gf (who is an aussie) we was in Perth and we went to see her old boss, who used to practise Karate and did a bit with GKR, who happened to also know this guy Rod! I was like man it's a small world because I met this guy way before I met my girlfriend!

He was an OK guy, but the person I used to train with at my old club used to train with this Rod and they had a falling out because he made people go door knocking and forced them to recruit students. Also orange belts teaching classes etc as said before.
Suffice to say this guy and Rod in the same place stewed up a little tension but they ignored each other really.

This rod guy did know some stuff, I mean I only even saw a few bits he did with at the time a very in experianced eye so it coulda been crap! The reason he came to my club was because we had a good Iaido teacher teaching a class at the same dojo before our Aikido class.

This Rod also claimed he was Brain May's second cousin.... yes the guy from queen, and also claimed he played a gig with him once... I don't know if this was true to this day.

We also had one of our juniors go to this GKR club (this junior was a 3rd kyu then) and the GKR guys were very impressed with his technique and tried to get him to commit to there club. Luckily he didn't by into their crap! but the first thing they did was present forms to his Dad!

I am tempted to go there to see for myself what they teach as I have never entered a Dojo of theirs and I would like to make my own mind up about it, although from what I have herd I am sure the Mcdojo label will stand true.

I worked with a guy who did GKR for a while. He had been doing it for about 18 months, and had a green belt, which he kept telling me "qualified" him as a "sensei".
Once he found out I did MA, he would ask to spar and kept telling me that GKR Karate was for "hard-core fighting".
We did spar on one occasion - he never asked to again.

And, I've since visited a couple of GKR classes as a guest, and have been less than impressed with what I've seen. That and they seem to try and poach martial artists from other styles into teaching their crap, which they then claim has always been part of "traditional karate".

Go Kan Ryu? Stick it.

SteveBruce wrote:
Tony Swain wrote:
After my training in GKR I could not beat him yet after 1 year of training in TKD I was about evenly matched. I trained for one summer after I started TKD but as I progressed there, I realized I was being held back. Real martial arts don't hold people back.

Maybe your TKD instructors were really good rather than GKR being bad

Maybe a little from column A, a little from column B

I don't want to slate my old instructors because they were very good but were restrained by the style.

On the other side I don't want to devalue my TKD instructors because you guys were/are awesome.

Put it this way, I give credit for the hole that was dug by strong diggers that didn't give a crap to my GKR instructors, the filling in planning and framework on my TKD instructors (which also would have finished it off if it wasn't for me moving), and the final construction to my current dojo. I still have to put a marble and gold finish on everything, build an extension and keep up to the garden before I am happy with it though.