Go Kan Ryu?
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Go Kan Ryu?
What is it? Anyone here study it?
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Stryke
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Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
Go Kan Ryu is very basic, generic, hard-style Japanese karate.
Here are some references.
About Go Kan Ryu
Kata
The main website is at gkrkarate.org
- Bill
Here are some references.
About Go Kan Ryu
Kata
The main website is at gkrkarate.org
- Bill
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Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
I don't personally know anyone who teaches this, Karateka. However, it's an Australian spinoff of generic Japanese karate, and very basic karate at that. And most Japanese karate is a spinoff of the original kata that they learned from Okinawa.
It's hard to tell a lot about Sullivan, the founder. But he doesn't appear to be any Funakoshi.
GKR appears to be something that you can learn and then turn around and teach very, very quickly. From their major website, they appear to be wanting to recruit people to teach. I suppose you could spend a year learning it, get some accreditation, hang a shingle, and start making money off of suburban kids pretty quickly. This is what the TKD people did. The Koreans sure know how to run a business and make money. Now TKD is everywhere... Are folks looking for good training in a broad range of martial skills getting their due? Good question.
The soccer moms don't seem to care. Some of us do. I understand the sniping.
- Bill
It's hard to tell a lot about Sullivan, the founder. But he doesn't appear to be any Funakoshi.
GKR appears to be something that you can learn and then turn around and teach very, very quickly. From their major website, they appear to be wanting to recruit people to teach. I suppose you could spend a year learning it, get some accreditation, hang a shingle, and start making money off of suburban kids pretty quickly. This is what the TKD people did. The Koreans sure know how to run a business and make money. Now TKD is everywhere... Are folks looking for good training in a broad range of martial skills getting their due? Good question.
The soccer moms don't seem to care. Some of us do. I understand the sniping.- Bill
Hi Bill,Bill Glasheen wrote:I don't personally know anyone who teaches this, Karateka. However, it's an Australian spinoff of generic Japanese karate, and very basic karate at that. And most Japanese karate is a spinoff of the original kata that they learned from Okinawa.
- Bill
Thanks for the help but I'm not sure I understand you comment on "generic Japanese karate." Wouldn't that be like a kung fu sifu saying, "Okinawa karate is generic kung fu. After all most Okinawan kata are spinoffs of original kung fu forms."
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Stryke
I have had experience with some of there people , hence I wont comment on them , becuase I dont know all of them , draw your own conclusions from that as you will
Quote
Thanks for the help but I'm not sure I understand you comment on "generic Japanese karate." Wouldn't that be like a kung fu sifu saying, "Okinawa karate is generic kung fu. After all most Okinawan kata are spinoffs of original kung fu forms."
* heh , Sensei Galsheen has his biases like the rest of us
, and it is an Uechi forum , If I did Uechi I`d agree with him , I dislike generic karate too , whatever it is . 
Quote
Thanks for the help but I'm not sure I understand you comment on "generic Japanese karate." Wouldn't that be like a kung fu sifu saying, "Okinawa karate is generic kung fu. After all most Okinawan kata are spinoffs of original kung fu forms."
* heh , Sensei Galsheen has his biases like the rest of us
, and it is an Uechi forum , If I did Uechi I`d agree with him , I dislike generic karate too , whatever it is . -
Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
Actually you may think my biases are showing, but I really have "been there, done that." My first style was "generic Japanese karate." Nevertheless, Karateka's question is fair.
What do I mean by "generic Japanese karate?"
1) The teacher says something like "[name your style] is a traditional martial arts style that draws from the best of a number of martial arts styles." Wanna know what's funny? Mat Broomfield copyrighted that text on the GKR website. Try copying that very text here. But he really can't copyright one of the oldest lines in the "Chop Suey" martial arts book.
2) The kata are legit kata. A few can be found here. More can be found there.
3) The "collection" of material is a hodgepodge. Very little original material, which gives them the right to call it "traditional" I suppose.
However the total is less than the sum of the parts, because there is no common theme.
4) You go visit headquarters 5 years from now, and they have a different collection of kata that are part of [name your style]. That's because Master Hotstuff went back to Japan and studied more under "a number of now-famous Japanese martial arts founders." Ahhh.... Everyone gets to put their own style together. And they get to change the cirriculum each year. Just get the JKA to bless it, and you are good to go.
5) The (Australian, American, etc., etc.) who puts his own "taditional" style together from all these pieces and parts, uses Japanese characters to describe the style. Why? It looks cool, and everyone thinks it's traditional. (Note - At least my instructor was born and bred in Japan. And he could kick a*ss too.).
Need I say more?
- Bill
P.S. I'm being a little sarcastic here. One of my dear friends is an American who is a walking encyclopedia of Japanese and Okinawan kata. He teaches, and his rank is certified and blessed by Japan. His origin is the same as my own.
What do I mean by "generic Japanese karate?"
1) The teacher says something like "[name your style] is a traditional martial arts style that draws from the best of a number of martial arts styles." Wanna know what's funny? Mat Broomfield copyrighted that text on the GKR website. Try copying that very text here. But he really can't copyright one of the oldest lines in the "Chop Suey" martial arts book.
2) The kata are legit kata. A few can be found here. More can be found there.
3) The "collection" of material is a hodgepodge. Very little original material, which gives them the right to call it "traditional" I suppose.
However the total is less than the sum of the parts, because there is no common theme.4) You go visit headquarters 5 years from now, and they have a different collection of kata that are part of [name your style]. That's because Master Hotstuff went back to Japan and studied more under "a number of now-famous Japanese martial arts founders."
Ahhh.... Everyone gets to put their own style together. And they get to change the cirriculum each year. Just get the JKA to bless it, and you are good to go.5) The (Australian, American, etc., etc.) who puts his own "taditional" style together from all these pieces and parts, uses Japanese characters to describe the style. Why? It looks cool, and everyone thinks it's traditional. (Note - At least my instructor was born and bred in Japan. And he could kick a*ss too.).
Need I say more?
- Bill
P.S. I'm being a little sarcastic here. One of my dear friends is an American who is a walking encyclopedia of Japanese and Okinawan kata. He teaches, and his rank is certified and blessed by Japan. His origin is the same as my own.
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Chris McCracken
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2003 4:25 am
I can't believe I missed this.
Robert Sullivan's rank and qualifications are genuine. He was on of Australia's very earliest black belts in Goju Ryu. His current ranking is genuine and I believe is well sanctioned in Japan.
As for the style, I've seen it fairly often. GKR stylists seem to dominate the National All Styles tournaments here. It is a bit of a phenomenon and, if nothing else, can be considered a stroke of marketing genius.
I can't comment on how traditional the teaching is, but it seems to be fairly standard Japanese Goju and Shotokan kata. I understand that the system is marketed more to the teen market and older people looking for a start (don't quote me - just looking at the marketing I see).
I'm not sure a 7th Dan qualifies you to start your own art, but in this case I'm glad it's Sullivan and not some 20 year old with a dubious history.
Robert Sullivan's rank and qualifications are genuine. He was on of Australia's very earliest black belts in Goju Ryu. His current ranking is genuine and I believe is well sanctioned in Japan.
As for the style, I've seen it fairly often. GKR stylists seem to dominate the National All Styles tournaments here. It is a bit of a phenomenon and, if nothing else, can be considered a stroke of marketing genius.
I can't comment on how traditional the teaching is, but it seems to be fairly standard Japanese Goju and Shotokan kata. I understand that the system is marketed more to the teen market and older people looking for a start (don't quote me - just looking at the marketing I see).
I'm not sure a 7th Dan qualifies you to start your own art, but in this case I'm glad it's Sullivan and not some 20 year old with a dubious history.
