The next installment, didnt get me as riled up as the first one. It talked about Sullys training when he was with Merv Oakley and then Tino Ceberano etc. It talked about how or why he started GKR. It seemed to be a puff piece on his history. It links him to 'The Cat' Gogan Yamaguchi but it could be true? I dont know if he means he trained with him or passed through Merv and Tino etc

This could be part of his push with Mr Lipskey to get some links to Gojo style schools in Japan etc.

I will have to re read it to see if there were any major points of confusion ie lies.

One thing that did come out though was when Sully moved instructors from Merv Oakley to Tino Ceberano he mentioned he did not get on as well with Merv and found Tino more to his liking. This seemed a ok comment, this happens to lots of us when we change styles/ dojo etc.

However he went on to say he hated Merv Oakley and was never sure if Merv was aware of this.

WELL HE IS NOW.

OH AND WAIT FOR THIS ITS ACTUALLY A 3 PART SOAP OPERA SO LETS SEE WHAT EPISODE 3 CONTAINS.

cheers
Freek

Yeah I've read it and there is more to come in the next issue.

Nothing much exciting, it sounds like the guy that interviewed him is a mate or something, but I know that B.S. is good mates with Silvio who owns Blitz and the N.A.S. tournament circuit. It kind of almost reads like and advertorial for gkr.

rocket

Just had a read - thanks for the loan of the Mag Mel .

Comes across as extremely defensive which is understandable given the criticism. As said earlier I would have preferred him to address some of the criticisms of the actual karate rather than pointing out the positives to the club as justification. By all means point them out, but not in answer to a different question. His understanding of kata "moving zen" and only really being applicable for practice of basics and kumite disappointing.
"We see it as doing techniques that can enhance kumite, not the other way around". Anyone here practiced kumite to help with kata? or am I missing something. Also Ive had very little instruction - actually none I think - in exactly how kata helps with kumite. If this is part of his philosophy I think it needs to be filtered down. Anyone been taught kumite techniques in relation to kata in a class?

I had a wry grin when I read "I was 22 and told him I didnt want to teach". I was 34 and told my RM I didnt want to teach either but was placed in a position I had no alternative.

It gives him a chance to defend his school in a public arena (albeit without right of reply) as happens every two years or so - but why only ever in Blitz? Where does Blitz sit in the scheme of things? Let the man have his say. We certainly have ours.

Mr Sullivan - If you would like to address people here to discuss criticisms of the club I extend an open invitation to do so and give you a guarantee the topic will be kept civil and anything short of genuine questions will be deleted. In fact you can be the moderator of it. Youve obviously heard all the noise and been upset by it (who wouldnt) - if you would like a reply I offer you or your representative an opportunity.

I agree.
After I saw those pics in the Shimbun Mag I was Jealous as Hell.

I havn't found this to be true. Ive always found that If I was interested in a Kata. All I had to do was ask and I would be shown the meaning.

Shown the meaning? That's great havok. you would be one of the luckier few within the club...

but some of us have found the 'meaning' shown to us has been a little too far fetched or that you need a willing and complying opponent to MAKE them work...


This discussion has come up a few times but I feel it is an important one...


I notcied in a class of my own yesterday when doing some basic wrist escapes and applying those in reverse to 'fit' a kata move that my students were finding it difficult to apply it to a kata move due to the fact it didnt show exactly the same movement as the kata move did... They were looking for a literal copy of the move...

Why were they looking for the literal copy? because that's what we were all taught from the start... What you see is what you do. a punch is a punch a block is a block and a jump means you are 'jumping over your oponent'....

Try them on a not so willing opponent and you will soon see the literal translations of the moves are almost always bollocks.


If you were to study (or even just watch) the same kata from different styles some of the applications seem to make more sense...

For you viewing and edifacation - Warren
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Thanks for that Wazzy. An interesting read. Though I think he is still glossing over some of the criticisms. Interesting about what he said about BB kids and their attitude. i agree with him on that point, though I think a child with an arrogant attitude has a lot more to do with the parents then the child itself.

Im wondering how they keep using 'increased costs' as justification for another price rise

Hi everyone,


I have been a member of GKR for three years, on and off at different times. Although I have never trained in any other martial art or club, I have found personally the instructors and fellow students have been nothing but professional and having met Kancho only a couple of times, I found him to be truly humble and he had a very high standard of karate.

That being said, I think the club has alot of faults as numerous people have mentioned that haven't, to my knowledge, been addressed properly.

Many people ask weather Kancho really deserves his 7th dan. If you use Tino Cebrano as an example, he completed his 7th dan in front of 20 instructors ranging ranging from 7th to 9th dan. Kancho has a record of 1st and 2nd dan, but where are the other levels in his karate journey? I AM NOT saying that he is not as good as a 7th dan, but many people would have more peace in knowing if he really deserved it.

I know this isn't much of an answer, but GKR has helped many people even with the faults it has. Those who have trained in a good training environment, I'm sure would agree.

Thanks,
Karate-Name

Theres nothing to stop a 1st or 2nd dan from opening a club, then the students awarding him/her a "ceremonial" higher grade - the trick is getting it validated by one of the governing bodies or federations.

Of course the way round that is to simply form your own federation..........

Nidan Bob now calls himself a 7th Dan?
I didnt realise it was that easy. Could everyone please grade me to 8th Dan and I will be sure to return the favour.

Nothing like a good thread resurrection I reckon - so whats with that belt anyway? I really cant see how the ends get enough friction to scrape off or fade the black fabric so it must have been done "manually". Why not get a new belt FFS? Are we supposed to be impressed?

A bit cantankerous this morning sowwy

it's always easy when facing criticism to say "they or he/she is just jealous", in fact i think it is the most popular response! I wonder why it is that large organisations like the Jundokan, Meibukan, SKIF, JKA and IOGKF don't receive this type of criticism.. perhaps it is because anyone that knows a little about karate can see the difference. There are a lot of people that would be quite willing to stand in front of Sullivan and ask him to prove the effectiveness of his karate, i doubt there would be many that would do the same to Morio Higaonna.

Gee, it ias amazing to come back after a long time away to find this topic and the same comments still going on after all this time.

Yeah people keep coming back after a long time and resurrecting it

To be fair to GJSSS he (??) doesn't usually get involved in these type of threads..The rest of us just dont have any imagination

sorry Matt.. i was bored.

Just a thought....... ( yes, unusual I know ) Why 7th dan? If this grade is largely ceremonial, then why not 6th or even 8 or 9th?

No worries mate we had resurrected it first... this seems to be one of those perennials... we had a thread go 12 months once.... must try and find it...

and Tom - expect his 10th dan grading to be announced in a few years...

Ah, but aren`t the higher Dan grades supposed to indicate services to the "cause" of karate - rather than technical skills? Such as founding new schools, promoting awareness of Martial-Arts etc?

This is just an excuse made by those who want a higher dan and can not get it through legitimate means. If you are a founder of your own school then you can grade yourself to whatever you want... however neither you or your school will be taken seriously.

Some 10th dans have been given this grade for 'services to karate' however they usually get their other grades through legit means and the grade is given by their teacher or peirs not by their students. you can not grade someone that is already graded higher than you.

7th dan is not considered a high grade in this regard.. usually 9-10th dan.

Grades are only important to those who think they're important.

I think those who are interested in martial arts for the art tend to judge on knowledge, ability and attitude rather than rank. Those who are interested in MA for the size of their empire judge on rank.


Mick

I was just reading through all the points on this page made by different people talking about bad teachers and clubs alike and so on. No one has mentioned any of the original styles that have been around for hundreds of years that have their training down pat such as Wushu, Wing chun, Hung gar, Kenjutsu, Aikido, Ninjutsu or Iaido these styles take real skill, patience and self discipline. Maybe you should start by looking there for a decent teacher. Hundreds or years of training don't account for nothing there have been many styles come and go but i believe that you can always count on the original not these styles that have taken parts of the old and added there own little fancy bits. It has lasted this long it obviously doesn't need amendments. If your looking for good teachers check them out you might be surprised.

The trick is finding a good one that's in your area. Also a fact is that many styles get watered down over the years, so they become easier to teach and learn. I don't think the mindset of alot of people today is geared towards the kind of training that was done many years ago...

Glad to have you onboard BTW

Tom.