GKR - GO KAN RYU - Instructor qualifications.

[sochin101]

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?

First answer I got back was "Yes there's more contact, but I don't know why - I'll ask."

I checked with another contact and they said that because they all still wear the black&white belt for closed-doors training with the regional manager, some people try to show some sort of dominance over the 'lower' belts.
This is particularly true in situations of brown belts sparring with lower coloured belts. In GKR, brown belts are allowed to use foot-sweeping techniques, but lower belts are not permitted. The higher belt is supposed to spar to the level of technique the lower belt has attained, but using a 'higher-level' technique such as a foot-sweep (which is laughable in itself) is used as a demonstration of rank.

An example of this is one particular brown belt will use sweeps as a get-out-of-jail card when sparring lower belts. He'll use the technique that the lower belts aren't permitted to use, and then apologise, claiming to have forgotten what colour belt his opponent really is.

Anyway, here are some job adds aiming to recruit for UK McDojos:

Thanks for those links. Much appreciated.

[socratic]

I've corresponded with you about this before I think Sochin, but I'll do my bit and reiterate that indeed 'lower ranks' are recruited to teaching positions even if the level of experience or technical prowess of the student is not 'instructor level'. A close friend of mine taught classes yet only ranked yellow belt in the standard stream of learning; he just happens to be one of those strong freaks who's good at scrapping.

I can also add my anecdotal two cents that 'instructor classes' are higher levels of contact than lower levels [the lower perhaps not having any contact at all, with higher levels having varying degrees]; again my friend tells me that Instructor classes were entirely different than lower classes: far more intense cardio, technique work, and hard sparring. Not all instructors were talented or fit enough for this level of work but I doubt this disqualified them from teaching.

[sochin101]

It's nice to hear accounts from the GKR Fatherland ;-)

From the instructors I've seen, cardio doesn't seem to be the primary focus of the GKR BB sessions over here.

It used to be laughed off as the kind of thing happens occasionally when GKR gets someone coming from another style, or if they're athletically gifted... that's when you get lower belts teaching.

One of the people I'm conversing with about this stuff started in December 08 with NO previous martial arts experience and qualified as an instructor in May '09.

It seems to be the norm rather than the exception.

[honesty]

So, worth submitting to Watchdog?

[sochin101]

So, worth submitting to Watchdog?

I've mailed them previously, with no response.

Does anyone know anyone at the BBC?

Watchdog is very mass-market, so the more people that email them, the better.
A handful of people emailing about a group with 5000 'satisfied' customers may not be newsworthy.

I think we'd have to demonstrate that their customers (students) are being mislead, or that the product/service provided (the krotty) is not fit for the intended/advertised purpose.

I have some work to do on the advertised "Self-Defence" to this end.

[bassai]

Maybe link to some of the hundreds of threads and posts from unhappy ex students?

[syberia]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GKR_Karate

Sorry for linking a Wiki article, but they state one only needs a Yellow belt to be invited to attend thier 6-12 week program to become an instructor or helper. I dont know who wrote the wiki article, But its fairly honest about thier invovement in the NAS. And mentions they have a student on the Aus Refs bored.

It would need citation, though.

Also, they make claim to one Anthony Perosh, who started in GKR before UFC1. The man quickly changed out to study BJJ and other MA's

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles...Undercard-6419

Heres a pictorial thorught thier grading. I will point out that a few of thier belts are 'no additional requirements' (do they charge for gradings?)

http://www.ilovegkr.com/pages/gradeinf/gradef.html

[sochin101]

The Wikipedia article is pretty much an advert for GKR. There used to be a section on there labeled "Controversies", which detailed the low-ranked instructors, the useless insurance etc, but that's no longer there.

My favourite version of that page is the original wiki article from 2005, which was a polar opposite in tone to the current Advertisement Wikipedia Article:

GKR stands for Gokan-Ryu which literally translates to 'Rape-System' GKR is a modern manufactured style of Karate and was founded by Kancho Robert Sullivan in 1984 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Since then, it has spread throught Australia, to New_Zealand, all around the UK and is currently having trouble starting up in the USA. GKR is a non-contact form of aerobics which makes it a very family-orientated club, with children as young as 5 being allowed to train. There is a strong emphasis on basics in GKR such as standing around and spending money. According to the GKR website, GKR is one of the largest karate organisations in the world with over 40,000 students training every week, over 15 instructors and over 4 full time personnel. The managing director of the organisation, Shihan Adrian Sclanders, a close "friend" of Robert Sullivan more recently had a huge falling out with his master over percentage cuts and therefore quit the organisation, starting up his own schools called 'Kenshukai' in australia and more recently the U.K. These schools teach GKR Karate in an equally boring way, appealing to not many, this frustrates Robert Sullivan... ==History== GKR Karate was founded by Robert Sullivan after 3 years of training in 2 traditional Karate styles, being tought by some guys at the local PCYC.

[syberia]

GKR is a non-contact form of aerobics
...
There is a strong emphasis on basics in GKR such as standing around and spending money.

I Lol'd, hilarious. Awesome. Someone is sore...

Is there any actual citation of the kanchos rank? He is obviously self graded in GKR, but he mentions other people who graded him to 2nd dan.

Tony Chew had graded Robert to 1st Dan in 1969, and in 1970 Takasaka (Masayuki) graded Robert to 1st Dan in Keishinkan...
--
Master Masanao Takazawa. Robert received his 2nd Dan and Referees Diploma under the Keishinkan banner.

I'm assuming they're legit.

[syberia]

I'm assuming they're legit.

Actually, what kind of records do Karate systems usually keep? Do they record everyone they grade up to black, or is just when they get to instructors?

Just wondering

As in, is his ranks here worth checking out? Or should we leave sleeping beasts lie?