Goju-Ryu Vs. Kyokushin

[Satori]

likkuid: you have a very healthy attitude. If you continue to think the way you do now, you'll do well no matter what style you choose.

[dethhead]

just remember that the x amount of time you spend in the dojo every week isnt enough.
train everyday.
osu!

[AE]

Hi

Kyokushin and its off-springs are more similar between them than goju ryu and its off-springs. Goju ryu is not an style and an organization. Goju ryu is an style practiced by no less than 30 different organizations. Each organization has its own standards: some of them are very sport oriented, so their fighters look like any WKF fighter. Some of them do not practice kumite (hard or soft contact) at all. Some of them enjoy hard contact training. This differences can be seen even inside each organization. They all have some hardcore fighters, but being a full contact fighter is not a requirement of the curriculum. If there is a goju dojo near your house, I recommend you talk to the instructor and ask him about hardcore training. There are some goju instructors with experience in full contact circuits, and you would be surprised. So you have to decide in a case by case (or dojo by dojo) basis.

In you tube, search for "irikumi" or "iri kumi". You will see some shorin ryu light randori, and some goju ryu continuous sparring as practiced in IOGKF. The goju irikumi is a lot harder than the shorin ryu irikumi. The goju videos show only "irikumi ju" (or light contact), however, we have also "irikumi go" (hard contact), which is a lot like kyokushin or enshin, and is practiced just by a few gojuka.

[Bloke]

AE why not pop into the introductions section and tell us a little about yourself?

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by Groucho

See, if you could only make it to Richmond Hill...

Anyway, won't find too many Kyokushin McDojo's (like none), so don't worry the other place will likely be just what you need.

Weird that Dad would drive that far for the Goju club, huh?

You would be very surprised how many kyokushin dojo's are mcdojo's........

[BigAl]

As one who studied Goju before, before coming to Kyokushin, I can say you will only benefit by training in Goju. If Kyokushin is your ultimate goal, I would say train in Goju until you become 18 and your parents allow you to make those decisions. During that time, you can always spar in the Kyokushin fashion with people willing to do so. In this respect, you would get two solid years of karate and (for most Goju styles) body conditioning, which would be better than training Muay Thai. Although the sparring would help, in essence you would have to "unlearn" a lot of your fighting skills if you would want to fight in Kyokushin tournaments.

Originally Posted by Bloke

Thats so true. When I started training we trained in a hall out the back of a Pioneer Club in Dublin and when it rained the roof leaked and all the whiet belts were literally standing in water. The place smelled and in winter it was often warmer outside than in but it was one of the best places I have ever trained - talk about spirit!!

It's true for me too. I currently train out of my sempai's two-car garage. He has 3/4 of it lightly padded with a rug on it and some mirrors on one side, the other 1/4 is filled with pads, bags, a makiwara, a variety of weight training equipment, and some of his grandson's toys. It gets chilly in the winter and very hot in the summer, but it's probably the best instruction I've ever received.

[shahid1574]

hi kyle,
i myself had this dilemma of yours just a month ago. what i learnt from my experience is that yes kyokushin and goju ryu have their differences. but not to forget that both of them are karate in its own right. this is how you could convince your parents. yes kyokushin has a lot of stand up fighting and goju ryu has a lot of katas and perfection of technique is the emphasis. which is why i think ur dad wants u to take goju ryu coz it will help u focus on ur balance and posture and thus help u gain proper karate. but what he is missing is the fact that karate is also a form of self defense. if u were confronted by thugs in the street then lets face it u wud have to have atleast 4 yrs of rigorous training in goju ryu style just so u can confront them with proper technique. but kyokushin doesnt only teach u to spar in full contact but also teaches u to take a hit. i personally have been doing shotokan for 4 yrs now and guess what even though my forms and techniques are very much refined i am still nothing in front of the kyokushin green belts. coz it is astonishing how they can take my hits. and even a single well rooted kick from them knocked me out. yes forms and katas can help u in ur zen and help ur breathing but kyokushin will help u face ur odds and differences. kyokushin is all about pushing urself beyond the human limits whereas in a no contact fighting style where u have never experienced taking a hit ever would mean disaster for u in the streets. i have been taking kyokushin since one month now. yes u will get injured but always remember that sensei knows very well exactly how much ur potential is and how much u can push urself. infact i have been discovering my potential which remained unrecognized until today. so can u find out ur true potentials by taking kyokushin. and also lets not forget that it is always not only sparring in kyokushin but also there are forms. and if ur dad is emphasizing on goju ryu style just becoz it teaches u circular movements through the forms then i suggest u can go online and look for ura pinan forms of kyokushin and also some of the advanced ones. coz these forms teach u how to balance urself in circular motions. last but not the least goju ryu style teaches u how to fight rooted to the ground but kyokushin not only teaches u to root urself to the ground in its forms but also stand up fighting when it comes to sparring. and also the fact that mas oyama the founder of kyokushin had studied both shotokan and goju ryu, i can promise u u will find the best of goju ryu techniques embeded in kyokushin. atleast to me i find kyokushin more advantageous just becoz of the fact that it has so much to offer. just to remind u u will get hurt in kyokushin like bruises on arms and legs even chest, but that doesnt mean ur spirit is broken. it will uplift ur spirit and finally u will find peace within urself and the confidence that u have kept hidden beneath u. also every person does better at what he or she likes and always underestimates what they dont like. it is true for everybody. that could be another reason why ur dad is pushing u towards goju ryu. bot hey dont mind me, i am just giving my opinion. eventually it is u who has to choose ur own path.

Originally Posted by likkuid

Hey, this is going to sound weird - I know, but I need help so that's why I'm posting lol.

I want to take Kyokushin Karate, but my dad keeps emphasizing I take his style (Goju-Ryu). Goju-Ryu has NO-CONTACT sparring (tournaments have no contact either, apparently) and this is not what I want. I'd like to take Kyokushin because I prefer the style much more than Goju-Ryu..plus you can spar FULL-CONTACT (what I want). My dad thinks its beneficial to spar NO-CONTACT because you can learn control (kick someone max. velocity but stop inch away from their face). I rather be able to learn how to take hits so you can actually stand up in a fight, etc..plus it seems boring to me NO-CONTACT, you can't really test certain skills I'd think (like arial kicks).

Anyways, I want to try and get my parents [I'm 16] to allow me to take Kyokushin, because I think once they find out it's full contact they'll say no (they're fully against Muay Thai [what I take now] and one of those reasons is because you spar..with padding..so just imagine Kyokushin lol).

Anyways, if possible, it would be really helpful to me if you pointed out differences between Kyokushin and Goju-Ryu. I searched both on Wikipedia and read all of the stuff, but that didn't help me much. I'm aware Kyokushin is based on Shotokan and Goju-Ryu, but I want more info than that to 'sell' my parents. I'd also like to know for myself, as well (just in case this Kyokushin place I'm checking out has poor teaching).

So..what are the differences between the two? What are the pros and cons (comparatively)? I understand that most of you think Kyokushin is better than Goju-Ryu..but why? I'd like to know, please give full explanations and support [if possible]. If you don't want to, you don't need to type out a long post, any..any help would be much appreciated and valued.

Thanks,
Kyle

[Leroy]

I don't think you will be disappointed in Kyokushin Likkuid. It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. The spirit of kyokushin gives you such determination and confidence and the will to be able to achieve anything you want. It is not just karate.
I think that Shokei Marcsui described it well. As for your dojo, it doesn't matter where you train, you still develop a comradship with your instuctor and other students and it becomes your second home.
Welcome to Kyokushin!!

[gojuryu]

i to all...i realy enjoy reading all the comments in this topic..well, im a gojuryu student for about 20 years, i love gojuryu but, most important i love Karate, if you like karate, just let karate be part of you life.
one more thing, its not thrue that gojuryu has no full contact competition...we have,the name is Irikumi.

[Bloke]

Thanks for the Input Gojuryu - can you tell us some more about Irikumi?

[gojuryu]

Originally Posted by Bloke

Thanks for the Input Gojuryu - can you tell us some more about Irikumi?

i my friend...i have been long time away but now im back to this great forum...in the Gojuryu Irikumi we fight in tatami (like kyokushin),we use gloves, we can do kicks,knees,tsuki to all levels(gedan,shudan,jodan) and we can do some throws and some ground work(only about 30 seconds in the ground)..all whid full contact power.
and you win by decision or by tko/ko.I belive that this is the most important things to know about Irikumi.

[Bloke]

Thanks for the info - sounds interesting.

[mcuz]

Do Kyokushin

[Kyokugen]

Well, I think it is better you take both kyokushin and goju-ryu, but don't let your dad know about you taking kyokushin too, but this is just suggestion and this suggestion is based on what will I do if I were on a situation like you. OSU

"Karate is one, so does kyokushin"

[agarrigan]

Osu!

I have just joined this form. I too am from a Goju
(Okinawan) background having been graded by Morio Higianno as Shodan a few years back.

After a long hiatus from training I am now a Kyokushinka. I have been training Kyokushinkai for the last three months and i luuuuuv it. It actually reminds me of my early days of being as a teenager - I just can't get enough of it.

At first I was upset with the differences in techique of kata in saifa, seyunchin, gekisai, tensho and sanchin as taught by the IOGKF under Shihan Higgaonna. There is a certain level of loyalty one keeps with ones old style. But I am gradually converting my kata to the kyokushin way. But, over the years, I have seen so many variations of these kata that I think it best to do them the way your curent Sensei teaches them. In a way it is also good to see the differences. And of course the bunkias are different too, so more for ones arsenal.

Kyokshinkai is definitely a practical style and that's why many of the kata techniques have changed i think. It's also intersting that the circular GoJu blocks have been replaced by the more Shotokan-esque blocks(Gedan Barai especially) and the open blocks like hike uke have dissappeared.

The greatest change for me was learning the Northern Kata set(Shotokan) of the Pinan series, these are not taught in GoJu, where the Northern ones are.

GoJu does indeed have full contact kumite, go means hard and ju means soft, but this varies greatly with organisation, dojo and Sensie.

Sosai and the kumite, 100 man fight etc he developed is what attracted me to the system, the reality of hitting people and being hit. I think I have had more minor injuries in the last 3 months than in decades training in other styles.

Anyway thats all I can think of for now about my experiences with goju vs Kyokushin.

keep it real
Osu!

[vapor]

agarrigan

Welcome to the site....this first post has been both an introduction of yourself, as well as some insights into your current activities.

Typically we like to have new members start a thread in the INTRODUCTIONS forum, so that we can give a proper welcome....if you could that would be great!

vapor

[Martin H]

Originally Posted by agarrigan

Kyokshinkai is definitely a practical style and that's why many of the kata techniques have changed i think. It's also intersting that the circular GoJu blocks have been replaced by the more Shotokan-esque blocks(Gedan Barai especially) and the open blocks like hike uke have dissappeared.

The circular blocks and hike uke has not disappeared, they have just moved up in grades, leaving the linear blocks at the beginning.
Sosai started out by learning shotokan, and then switched to Goju ryu at higher levels. The way kyokushin is put together reflect this. K starts out very similar to shotokan and linerar in the beginning, but grows more like goju like and circular as it progresses.