Go Kan Ryu is a Pyramid Scheme!!!

**RabidStoat** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 10:40am

Originally Posted by FickleFingerOfFate

....but will they still respect me in the morning?

Only if you pay them

**FickleFingerOfFate** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 10:42am

Originally Posted by RabidStoat

Only if you pay them

Damn, I still have to pay for it.

I wouldnt be surprised to find out that AMWAY is the business model for GKR.

Right down to the sales and distribution of Gi and training equipment.

**sochin101** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 10:44am

Originally Posted by RabidStoat

Hate to say it - most of their instructors don't have black belts - they give them black and white stripped belts. That way you can't tell that your instructure just has an orange or yellow belt......

Just go along for a couple of lessons and you too could be a sensei

True... at two clubs in my area you have a red belt sensei (senior instructor) running each, and mainly green belt sempais. There's also at least one orange belt sempai.
This information is generally confidential.

If you go to a GKR club, you'll usually see very few higher grades (blue, red, brown etc) as they're mainly assimilated into the hive brain and become sempais/senseis if they stay for longer than a year. Or 5 minutes.

LOW GRADE TEACHERS WEARING BLACK & WHITE BELTS TO LULL YOU INTO THINKING YOU'RE GETTING QUALITY INSTRUCTION.

NON-CONTACT KARATE.

**sochin101** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 10:46am

Originally Posted by FickleFingerOfFate

Damn, I still have to pay for it.

I wouldnt be surprised to find out that AMWAY is the business model for GKR.

Right down to the sales and distribution of Gi and training equipment.

Actually, the guy who started the style had lived in America, and it's believed he picked up the marketing angle from seeing pyramid schemes over there, before returing to Australia and founding this ancient art.
In 1984.

**FickleFingerOfFate** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 10:50am

Originally Posted by sochin101

Actually, the guy who started the style had lived in America, and it's believed he picked up the marketing angle from seeing pyramid schemes over there, before returing to Australia and founding this ancient art.
In 1984.

That long ago,

Hmmm,

Does he claim a longer lineage

or that he had an epiphany and (invented) founded a brand new art combined of older arts and greater than the sumof its parts?

**RabidStoat** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 10:51am

Originally Posted by sochin101

There's also at least one orange belt sempai.
This information is generally confidential.

The club I saw was originally set up by a brown belt "sensai" (he wore the black and white belt - only admitted his real grade after some probing - he might have lied). He appeared to run a number of clubs in the Thames Valley area. What he did was to get the more promising students to attend a "seniors" class and got them to be sempai's after one grading. From what I gather he then took a back seat letting these barely grading sempai's/sensei's run the clubs. I presume he then got a cut of the money.

Yep - a pyramid like Amway. Although I think that this is a bit disrespectful to Amway. At least their products like soap powder work.

**FickleFingerOfFate** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 10:57am

Originally Posted by RabidStoat

The club I saw was originally set up by a brown belt "sensai" (he wore the black and white belt - only admitted his real grade after some probing - he might have lied). He appeared to run a number of clubs in the Thames Valley area. What he did was to get the more promising students to attend a "seniors" class and got them to be sempai's after one grading. From what I gather he then took a back seat letting these barely grading sempai's/sensei's run the clubs. I presume he then got a cut of the money.

Yep - a pyramid like Amway. Although I think that this is a bit disrespectful to Amway. At least their products like soap powder work.

Yes, but thats because they actually have to touch the things they are working on.

unlike, NO TOUCH KARATE!

Sorry to step on your gimmick Sochin.

**shmuel** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 2:09pm

Why haven't these scam artists been hanged yet?

**sochin101** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 2:26pm

Originally Posted by shmuel

Why haven't these scam artists been hanged yet?

Unfortunately, life doesn't seem to be fair...
For some reason, their members never complain about the fact they're being taught ineffectual techniques by barely qualified instructors... nor do they seem to mind the "seat-of-your-pants accidents-aren't-covered" insurance.
Maybe it's the lure of the wonderful black/white belt that you can get with just a few months training under your belt ( and I defy a GKR practitioner to prove me wrong in this )...
Maybe there's a section of society that want to train poorly and pretend to be an instructor and be called sempai.
I don't know why these people are even in business any more.

My biggest beef (and I have some pretty major beefs) with the GKR thing is the "self defence" aspect of their training.
I don't see how love and kisses, mutual respect and loyalty, and punching in the general direction of another GKRer is going to help on the street in a self defence situation.

NON-CONTACT KARATE.
BARELY PROFICIENT INSTRUCTORS DRESSED UP TO LOOK LIKE BLACK BELTS.
FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES IN SELLING FALSE CONFIDENCE.

**sochin101** · Posted On: 5/01/2007 2:43pm

Originally Posted by FickleFingerOfFate

That long ago,

Hmmm,

Does he claim a longer lineage

or that he had an epiphany and (invented) founded a brand new art combined of older arts and greater than the sumof its parts?

From the GKR website:

Go-Kan-Ryu Karate is a traditional Japanese style of karate. The style was founded by Robert Sullivan in 1984 in Adelaide, South Australia – Australia.

A friend of mine was "sold" GKR as a blend of Shotokan and Goju Ryu... GKR wasn't mentioned in the initial sales pitch.
Luckily, I persuaded him to just wish to never be in a street situation... this is equally effective as GKR.