GKR - GO KAN RYU - Instructor qualifications.

**mrgoshthereturn** · Posted On: 7/13/2009 6:34am

A work collegue started GKR the same time i started shotokai, after a year she was an instructor, being "Fast tracked" for grades. She had about 2 lessons a week, same as me. At the time i was a 5th kyu out of 7. Which taken me about a year. She had gone from 10th kyu to about 4th, as had her husband and her friend who she trained with. All were instructors.

Naturally their kids trained too, and they were a karate family. This scared me enough. When i asked about kata, kumite and a few other things, though she had some knowledge, she was not of the standard of 4th kyu's i'd met from (for example) the local kugb clubs.

GKR scares me on how it spreads, and the relative ease of becoming an instructor. It's seems like the biggest balck belt academy in Britain.

**sochin101** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 5:08am

This was provided by Iscariot, a former (and much missed - at least by me) Bullshido poster. Iscariot saw it in a Job Centre, and got a print out. Cheers, Isco.

As you can see, the job advertises £400 + per week, which is a decent wage for someone who is unqualified, and far, far exceeds our UK National Wage. Learning karate, management, leadership, achieving an instructor's qualification while being paid? All looks very attractive.
UK min wage for someone 22 and over is £5.73, so 40 hours worked at that = £229.20.

NOTE- Alterations to the original: The print out was larger than my scanner, so had to be scanned in 2 sections. These were reduced in size and joined in a ham-fisted manner. Also blocked out are contact details for the GKR guy who advertised.
The original/s can be made available to staff for scrutiny upon request.

**sochin101** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 5:23am

Also, apparently, I could have saved time and my contacts could have avoided walking around asking colleagues their grades... we could just have logged into Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?r...67&topic=10431

This post sums up what's wrong with GKR:

I am 7th Kyu and I was invited onto the STP a little earlier this year, along with my girlfriend who is 4th Kyu, whilst I was 8th Kyu. We were awarded the black and white belts at the end of May. I train in Manchester, England and the regional instructor is Sensei Neil Thomas. I currently Sempai at three classes a week with my girlfriend and there is a lot to be said for becoming a Sensei.

You will be expected to train at least once a week with other senseis in your region, and it's different to a regular class, quite often you will spend time doing nothing but kumite, and at other times nothing but kata.

I had my doubts about it when I was first asked, but like yourself, honoured at the same time. Personally I would recommend it, there is a real sense of togetherness amongst the senseis, more so than amongst the students - everyone is pulling in the same direction, all with a common goal - to inspire the students, make them believe they can do it, and build confidence.

Good luck!

**sochin101** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 6:11am

Another thing wrong with GKR is the "Non-contact" aspect.
This seems to contradict the very point of a martial art... and indeed, how can anything be 'martial' without contact?

So, with this in mind, I 'acquired' a flyer distributed within GKR circles advertising a non-contact tournament.
After reading this contradictory information, I was filled with consternation and confusion, I thought I'd best email GKR themselves and get the 'official' word.

My queries are first, followed by his replies.

Originally Posted by Me

Hello,

A few months ago I emailed you and you answered my questions regarding insurance.
I've left the emails below, they may jog your memory.

I was talking online to someone and they said that GKR has non-contact competitions.
How is this possible? How do you score points if you aren't allowed to make contact?
Also, I've highlighted the portion from our previous email where you said any contact is accidental/not deliberate. In competition, surely you are deliberately trying to hit someone?
Does this mean your competitions aren't insured?

Thanks for your attention

Originally Posted by GKR

Hi Alan,
A non contact tournament means just that. In order to score points you have to have the techniques land within the scoring zone. The fight remains non-contact as contact is penalised. These tournaments are based on controlled techniques being delivered so it stops prior to making contact with the opponents body. With regards to insurance, with a tournament there is a higher percentage chance of being accidentally hit. We still carry the public liability insurances etc, however there is no cover for personal injury and all competitors sign a waver when submitting an entry form.

Regards,
Jason Wright

Originally Posted by Me

Hi Jason,

Thank you for the speedy reply.

Forgive me if it seems I'm being dense, but it seems like there is contact. If the "techniques land within the scoring zone", there must be contact?

Are you saying that non-contact (in your art's definition) means minimal contact? Or the classic point-sparring 'touch and away' sort of contact? Or something else?

I'm sure you can see how ambiguous this is. The GKR web-site states that it's a non-contact martial art, and in your previous replies you say that any contact should be accidental, and yet if techniques 'land', there must be contact?

Clarification of this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for your time

Alan

Originally Posted by GKR

Hi again,
During a tournament it is ok to "just touch", however most points are scored without touch. it is very difficult to explain without seeing a tournament in action. Our tournaments are run and judged as per traditional non contact karate tournaments from Japan. These types of tournaments have been running for a very long time, so it's not just GKR that runs these types. There are also semi contact and full contact tournaments.

Regards,
Jason Wright

Originally Posted by Me

Hi Jason,

So would you say that "non-contact" is a little bit of a misnomer, if a touch is allowed? Again, if, as you've written previously " In order to score points you have to have the techniques land within the scoring zone ", 'land' seems to insinuate that contact is purposeful and required to score points.

I notice you mentioned contact is penalised. Do you feel that not training with contact makes it more likely that mistakes in distance/focus are made in the heat of competition?

I will research traditional Japanese non-contact tournaments.

I will take your advice and visit one of these tournaments. Region 31 has one in Hull on the last Sunday in July, I believe. It will be worth the £5 spectator fee to see this in action, as it seems to defy explanation.

Again, I appreciate your time explaining this.

Alan

Sadly, Jason chose not to reply to this. I do intend to visit this tournament. I will re-email him with my thoughts.
Oh, the flyer? Please note, this is a GKR only tournament.

Spoiler:

**bassai** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 6:15am

I've heard similar stuff from an ex gkr guy that joined us , what i can't get is if the black belt classes are so awsome why doesn't it reflect in the normal classes?

**sochin101** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 7:06am

Originally Posted by bassai

I've heard similar stuff from an ex gkr guy that joined us , what i can't get is if the black belt classes are so awsome why doesn't it reflect in the normal classes?

Well, the consensus is that what's good about the STP 'black belt' classes are less rigid, more in depth and there's contact.
Incidentally, these are three things that can't be brought into the normal classes because of the rigid class structure the instructor is obliged to follow.
There's also the constant ego-stroking, team-building and indoctrination.
But mainly indoctrination.

**Rask** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 9:03am

Come to Melbourne sometime Sochin, and we can raid some GKR dojos. I've wanted to do that for a very long time, even before I started BJJ and Judo.

Anyway, great work for finding that 'evidence', the list of the actual grades of the instructors at those schools. Is there any way to alert the students of those clubs what their instructors' actual grades are? Just like how McDonald's sales went down when nutritional infomation was printed on the boxes/wrappers of their food, GKR enrolment would go down if the true grades of the instructors were revealed to the students.

As for the e-mails, I suspect that Mr Wright didn't respond to your third e-mail because it became apparent that you weren't interested in involvement but were trying to make a point.

Really good work though. Please keep it up as I resent GKR and enjoy reading about your efforts to destroy them. :D

**sochin101** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 9:27am

Originally Posted by Rask

Come to Melbourne sometime Sochin, and we can raid some GKR dojos. I've wanted to do that for a very long time, even before I started BJJ and Judo.

Direct action is Phase Three.

Anyway, great work for finding that 'evidence', the list of the actual grades of the instructors at those schools. Is there any way to alert the students of those clubs what their instructors' actual grades are? Just like how McDonald's sales went down when nutritional infomation was printed on the boxes/wrappers of their food, GKR enrolment would go down if the true grades of the instructors were revealed to the students.

This would be awesome.
Problem is, the SDCs sign the majority of newbs up before the newb's even had a sniff of the inside of a dojo. The direct selling is a problem that only education of the consumer can solve.
I'm hoping that with enough evidence of dodgy practices, a consumer report TV show like your ACA would be interested.
I'm a long way off from that, though.

As for the e-mails, I suspect that Mr Wright didn't respond to your third e-mail because it became apparent that you weren't interested in involvement but were trying to make a point.

:-) You think? LOL.
Seriously, I got to a point where I needed him to stop prevaricating and say "It's not non-contact really, we just get cheaper insurance that way". I knew he was never going to write that, so I decided to have some fun.

**Nefron** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 2:21pm

Holy ****!Classes being run by orange belts...

**Snake Plissken** · Posted On: 7/18/2009 3:05pm

Originally Posted by sochin101

Well, the consensus is that what's good about the STP 'black belt' classes are less rigid, more in depth and there's contact.
Incidentally, these are three things that can't be brought into the normal classes because of the rigid class structure the instructor is obliged to follow.
There's also the constant ego-stroking, team-building and indoctrination.
But mainly indoctrination.

Are you of the opinion that "Black belt" classes offer contact but "normal" classes are non-contact because:

"normal" classes are being run by lower ranked and lesser qualified instructors that don't possess enough control themselves to be able to teach other students how to control the contact?