Go Kan Ryu, the rape of Karate

**Wounded Ronin** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 8:14am

Oh my god. Just goes to show what happens when people who don't know the damn language try to use it. Goukan ryu indeed. :wrestlerc

EDIT: http://www.gkrkarate.org/pages/career/careerl.html

The stances in the instructor class are sloppy.

EDIT:

Since it says "goukan", the logo makes me think of fisting.

**Zeddy** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 8:21am

Originally Posted by DubhGhaill

The kanji for Go and Kan seperately don't mean rape. But Gokan (different kanji, same pronounciation) means rape.

Go and gou are pronounced differently.

That's beside the point anyway. As far as I experienced, it is a full on mcdojo. Bullshido is left to the individual instructor's discretion.

Why are you pulling this up anyway? They don't even operate in Brasil.

**Zeddy** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 8:23am

Originally Posted by Wounded Ronin

For the record, that says go kan ryu (left) karate do (right). The fist I believe is kind of a variant of goju ryu, since the techniques are basically an offshoot of it.

**Ronin** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 8:29am

Hmmm,

How would you say,

" school of the hard cock" ?

**Zeddy** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 8:39am

"Bokki Ryu" is pretty close, unless you mean the morning variety in which case "Asadachi Ryu".

Thinking of starting a school?

**DubhGhaill** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 9:05am

Zeddy,
since you spent several years with GKR, would you be so kind as to tell us about the training?

**Ronin** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 9:06am

Originally Posted by Zeddy

"Bokki Ryu" is pretty close, unless you mean the morning variety in which case "Asadachi Ryu".

Thinking of starting a school?

Considering appropriate names:

So far I have :

Flaming asshole and now, Hard Cock....

Next up:

Wet *****.

**Zeddy** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 9:25am

Originally Posted by DubhGhaill

Zeddy,
since you spent several years with GKR, would you be so kind as to tell us about the training?

Keep in mind I last trained there five years or so ago. I trained there up to 4th kyu I think (almost halfway up the rank ladder to black) before moving to another goju club to continue training. It is possible harder contact sessions existed, particularly in their tournament teams, but I can't say.

The session is usually started off with a warm up. Swinging arms in circles, rotating knees, etc.

Basics were drilled a lot when I was there. All the basics are performed while standing in a line in grade order against the air. No focus mitts, pads, bags, etc were provided by the club. If you were lucky enough to use a kick pad, that came from the instructor's own pocket.

Second part usually consisted of combinations and moving up and down the dojo in stance. Kicks, punches, blocks, everything was done against the air.

The final part usually is kata or sparring. Kata has a fairly high amount of emphasis there despite the relatively low number performed. Occassionally we'd do some "self defence" which in retrospect I wouldn't touch with a long pole.

Sparring is strictly non-contact striking. I recall being sat out once when someone grabbed me and I did a clumsy osoto gari. GKR did compete in tournaments, the NAS in particular. This is a tournament where you try to get a clean strike in, kiai, then restart if the point is recognised.

Edit: I think GKR is best suited for people with no interest in practical application and people in the low teens. I would recommend it as a starting place for people in their low teens, but since I think I damaged some joints striking full power into the air, I can't really do that.

**Zeddy** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 9:31am

Instruction was commonly carried out by people well below 1st dan. I recall my last "sensei" at GKR wore the instructor's black and white belt when she had her blue or red. That is to say, she was one or two ranks above me.

For that matter, I was approached by the state head following one grading session and asked if I was interested in a "career in karate" aka doorknocking for GKR. I was I think an orange belt (3rd kyu?) at the time and in my mid teens.

In retrospect it was more than 5 years ago. I'd say between 7.5 and 10, so it's been quite a while. I still have my lifetime membership card sitting around somewhere though.

**Alhazred** · Posted On: 7/08/2005 9:55am

Krap like this is why I pick and choose my words carefully when someone asks me about my martial arts training...the word "karate" has such a stigma with it thanks to Hollywood and the silly McDojos, I never use it in conversation unless I mention my style is Uechi-Ryu four or five times and then tack on "Oh, yeah, it's a style of Karate."

Edit: I think GKR is best suited for people with no interest in practical application and people in the low teens. I would recommend it as a starting place for people in their low teens, but since I think I damaged some joints striking full power into the air, I can't really do that.

Were you instructed to make your strikes by fully extending the limb and locking the joints? My understanding of how the body works (which is, admittedly, limited,) says that a good full-power strike without doing that won't really strain the joint. It's also pretty silly, considering how easy it is for the arm to be grabbed and snapped like a twig if you lock it.

I can't say the ranking seems totally rediculous, but in context, certainly looks like it...I'm going to be testing for brown belt in September or December, after only 6-8 months, but I go to class so much that 3 months for me is the amount of training and instruction most people take a year to do. Their minimum number of classes seems rather...small for every rank.