http://www.southwestlondonkarate.co.uk/index.php

I wouldn't mind getting a few different opinions. The website is informative and tells you the clubs lineage, focus, training methods, etc.

Thank you

I looked through the whole website, then looked around for some videos of them training and couldn't find any.

Honestly, I'm torn on it. While being connected with both Morio Higaonna and Anichi Miyagi is pretty goddamn impressive, there was a small mention of "ground fighting" and "FIGHT NIGHT" in big bold letters in varying places.

Do you know someone who trains there or train there yourself?

Disclaimer - I practice Uechiryu, not Goju, but I'd offer the following:

- They couldn't be any more up front about who they are and what they do. Full lineage, bio, discussion of what they do and don't do. +1

- Appears to be a very traditional school - the hojoundo equipment is out and out old school with chiishi and everything. +1 (but only if that's what you want)

- They make it clear you will not spar to begin with, and there is a little bit of the 'too deadly to use' language in the FAQ. Again, from my limited experience this is as much an indication that they are 'traditional' as anything, but honestly at least they're saying so up front and you can decide if it's for you.

If it's not hard to get to, contact them and go see a class. I'd say try to see a beginner class, but also go watch on their 'every second Thurs is fight night' so you can see where it's all going to take you.

My 2c. Hope it helps.

I would definitely go down and check them out if I were you. The lineage is impressive as Craig has already stated. Any school that actively uses Hojo Undo in their training can't be too bad. Seriously though, the only footage I've found are the links located on the site of Marchant and 2 others running a self defense routine. Not a big selling point for me. Since they seem to be proud of their fight nights I would check that out. Is it pillowhands nonsense or do they do something along the lines of Bogu Kumite or even if you're extremely lucky some full contact.

Keep us posted, I love to see the traditional and classical forms flourish.

- Shogun

I would definitely go down and check them out if I were you. The lineage is impressive as Craig has already stated.

If you were paying any attention to anything I said you would have dropped a line after I ran all over to get you an answer on LI dojos.

If you were paying any attention to anything I said you would have dropped a line after I ran all over to get you an answer on LI dojos.

Craig - I e-mailed you yesterday. Check your spam box maybe. I put Uechi-Ryu in the subject line.

DNR - try again or post your email - I checked, what I posted was right, and no spam. I just dont want to post the guys email and name in the thread - no url to offer.

Kregna - seriously no reason to not have a look if you are looking for traditional karate. Really depends on your goals (usually the first question I ask when people ask this sort of thing). I don't know if you are new in or have some background in one thing or another, which might help with a reco. Let us know.

I don't know that lineage too well (other than C. Miyagi and Hiagona obviously) as I came from Motoo Yamakura and Gogen Yamaguchi, but I would say its worth at least a look.

I wouldn't be too put off by non-traditional events at a traditional school. My old GoJu school did aikido and judo for a few years and we also had get-together nights to just basically put on 5oz gloves and scrap...although we didn't announce it.

I'd visit that dojo if I was traveling through the area.

Best of luck

I'm a nidan in Goju Ryu, but not with IOGKF. I've spent a lot of classes punching air at my first 2 dojos and ended up having a nasty surprise when I switched to a dojo that trained with the heavy bags and real contact. There is mention pad work though, so I'll add a vote for "check it out".

Perhaps the place where I train is less traditional, and less focussed on kata, but I'm not a fan of the self defense demos. It's just not my cup of tea. But you can't tell much from a web site and a 2 minute video of a demo.

Wow, thanks for the FAST replies!

To answer some of your questions...

I've been studying Jujutsu for about a year now, but we didn't train realistically (so I'm definitely going to be looking for that in my next school).

Yep, I'm after a traditional school that has realistic defence drills, kata - where the combat applications are shown, etiquette, etc.

Is ground work something to be bothered by, though? I've been led to believe by experienced martial artists (30+ years), that Karate does include it (perhaps in kata).

Some great answers, everyone. Thank you. I'll definitely be checking it out in a week or so (right now I'm staying at my dad's far away), and will let you all know what I find! In the mean time I might drop them an email... :biggrin:

Is ground work something to be bothered by, though? I've been led to believe by experienced martial artists (30+ years), that Karate does include it (perhaps in kata).


I think you're more likely to find takedowns than actual groundwork within karate. Having said that, the school may have supplemented karate with something else.

Check with 2Groggy - he will know better for Goju

Like others said: the school is very traditional. Unlike the others, I see that as a negative point. Usually (at least in shito ryu and shotokan) traditional means lots of kata, lots of kihon and less jiyu kumite.

Training under a former World Champion, though I don't know which organisation, is impressive so that's a plus.

I'm neutral about the hojo undo training. Yes it's nice but a fitness gym would work better.

The video's they posted aren't bad but don't really give a lot of information either.

I think they deffinately have the technical parts down and it is probably a good school if you're looking for a traditional club with emphasis on kata and kihon istead of kumité. If that is what you're searching for than I don't think you can do wrong with that club.

I train traditional style and we kumite pretty much every class, not to mention one-steps, and some pad drills. In my view traditional training usually goes through kata very slowly, some students spending a couple rank studying just one kata before learning the next. Anyway, don't dismiss too much without seeing it for yourself. But you do want to find a place where they have some good sparring (dojo sparring, sport sparring), as many dojo do fall into the category others have mentioned where they just don't spar much (could be lack of interest in the teacher, lack of good people to partner up with, etc).

You didn't do much "alive" training in jujitsu? I don't understand what you guys would have done in class?

I train traditional style and we kumite pretty much every class, not to mention one-steps, and some pad drills. In my view traditional training usually goes through kata very slowly, some students spending a couple rank studying just one kata before learning the next. Anyway, don't dismiss too much without seeing it for yourself. But you do want to find a place where they have some good sparring (dojo sparring, sport sparring), as many dojo do fall into the category others have mentioned where they just don't spar much (could be lack of interest in the teacher, lack of good people to partner up with, etc).

You didn't do much "alive" training in jujitsu? I don't understand what you guys would have done in class?

Well I still want a class that spars and does realistic training, but I believe you can get a lot out of kata if you're shown its combat applications properly.

As for the jujutsu, the class was basically trained as judo with some crap striking. We practised randori with small joint manipulation, but when we did defence drills, we never did it with any resistance. The punches were doing very slowly (I know they have to be to start with, but this was the same for the higher ups in my class), etc.

That's odd Krenga, where did you train jujitsu/judo at? My school combines the two...with a focus on judo mondays and focus on jujitsu weds. Both days we always do conditioning to begin (shrimping, core work, ukemi drills, etc), then we do at least a few techniques of the non-focused style, then both classes always finish class with several 5-minute randori sessions, usually starting from the standing clinch.

Anyway, I'm a big fan of kata..but don't want to get into it as there are one or two threads that are discussing that now...or at least in the last month. Bunkai is critically important aspect of kata and is the primary reason I started training martial styles outside of karate...to enhance "free" bunkai techniques where we could choose our own interpretations of the moves (kata with mawashiuke in it, kata saifa, tensho, seiunchin, suparinpei etc all have great examples of techniques that could be interpreted many ways).

Craig - I e-mailed you yesterday. Check your spam box maybe. I put Uechi-Ryu in the subject line.

Craig - Second e-mail sent.