A family club,
worldwide
GKR Karate is a family club that is dedicated to fostering sound values and developing strong, humble, brave individuals and healthy communities.
Kancho
Robert Sullivan
Go-Kan-Ryu as a karate style was a natural evolvement of Kancho Robert Sullivans overall karate experiences.
Robert began his training in Goju Kai karate in 1964. His first instructor was Merv Oakley, the famous Gogen Yamaguchi’s Australian representative. After 5 years of intense training with Goju Kai, Robert converted to the Budokan style under Tony Chew. Tony’s father (Chew Chew Soot) was the Founder of the Karate Association of Malaysia. Robert then travelled to Kuala Lumpur for advanced training with Chew Chew Soot and Masayuki Takasaka. Takasaka was one of about 6 Japanese instructors who were teaching the Keishinkan style in Malaysia to students of Budokan.
Roberts friendship with Takasaka grew and Robert sponsored Takasaka to Australia to head up the Shotokan based style, Keishinkan. Robert then converted his Budokan club (based in Gosford, New South Wales) to Keishinkan.
Tony Chew had graded Robert to 1st Dan in 1969, and in 1970 Takasaka graded Robert to 1st Dan in Keishinkan. In March 1971 Robert travelled to Japan where he trained and lived on the premises with the Founder of Keishinkan, Master Masanao Takazawa. Robert received his 2nd Dan and Referees Diploma under the Keishinkan banner. Keishinkan was a member of the World Union of Karate Organisations (W.U.K.O.), the highest authority in the world in Traditional Karate Organisations and Tournaments.
Robert then travelled to the USA where he built a number of classes and trained with some of the top instructors in the USA of the time. Since returning home to Australia he continued to teach small groups of people and friends, while also taking time to marry and start a family.
With 20 years of karate experience behind him, Robert founded Go-Kan-Ryu Karate in 1984 in Adelaide, South Australia. At first his aim was to build a small club, sufficient in size to feed his family and ‘pay the bills’. What Robert did not realise is that turning his passion into his vocation would build him an organization that currently spans 4 continents and provides literally thousands of people an opportunity to train in one of the worlds most likeable martial arts styles.
The story so far
The seed
A young Robert Sullivan begins his karate training — a path that leads through Japan and the USA.
GKR is founded
Kancho Robert Sullivan establishes Go-Kan-Ryu Karate in Adelaide, South Australia.
2,000 a week
Weekly attendance reaches 2,000 students across Adelaide alone.
National force
Over 15,000 students training across Australia, with growing tournament success.
Three countries
Over 700 dojos and more than 2,500 classes every week across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Where we train
Over 700 dojos and more than 2,500 classes a week — one standard of teaching.
Australia
AUWhere it all began — Adelaide, 1984. Today: every state, 25 regions, two Zone Directors.
New Zealand
NZDojos across the North and South Islands, run from our Auckland office.
United Kingdom
UKHundreds of classes across England, Scotland and Wales — home of the GKR World Cup.
GKR Karate
Philosophy
GKR Karate has a simple approach to teaching and training.
Students from all walks of life can enjoy training in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere amongst other students. Our instructors are keen to help each student develop their skills and gain from the many benefits that training in a martial art such as GKR Karate has to offer.
Above all, the philosophy of GKR Karate is an extension of the Founding Father’s personal philosophies on life, training, and humility. Kancho Robert Sullivan and his top instructors personify what it means to be a humble teacher and promoter of the art.
GKR Karate is a way of life. For many students, it is a great social outlet where they can train in a martial art while gaining confidence and inner security. For many, it gives them a terrific vehicle for gaining much needed coordination, balance and general fitness. For others, it is a strong martial art with which they can take their training to the highest level possible, from reaching the coveted rank of Black Belt to reaching the top in the competition arena.
GKR Karate prides itself on being a family club. Students as young as 5 years of age can train along side their parents, or grandparents, with some of the oldest members well into their 70’s!
Although karate training promotes self-defence and fitness, it also promotes discipline, confidence, inner security, character development and an improved feeling of well-being. In this day and age, people of all walks of life, male and female, can partake in GKR Karate classes with the knowledge that they are in a room with other like minded people and an accredited instructor whose goal is to help them improve themselves both physically and mentally.
The next chapter
could be yours
Forty years in, the club is still built one white belt at a time.