GKR Karate
for Everyone

GKR’s classes provide a warm, friendly and encouraging atmosphere and all instructors are fully accredited with the IGKF (International Go-Kan-Ryu Federation). Children may train in regular classes (alongside people of all ages including other family members) or train in special kids classes. These classes run for one hour and consist of basic training as well as many karate-associated games.

With most sports, the participant gains feedback on performance by either winning or losing against their competition. While competition brings out competitive spirit, it can hinder the development of self-confidence for those children who don’t win frequently. As karate is a non-competitive sport the only competitor is one’s self. Therefore, as a participant continues to improve each week, they only ever find themselves winning, which serves to bolster the child’s self-esteem.

Karate offers a coloured belt system where all students start at White belt and work up through different colours (Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Red, Brown, Black Tip and finally, Black belt). This serves not only to measure a child’s progress but also provides a journey to embark on. Children are encouraged to set goals for these belts, which teaches them life skills of setting a target and working towards achieving it.

Our goal is to help your child grow into a respectable and confident young individual. Almost all children behave in a disciplined and respectful manner inside the dojo, however once they put their karate uniform away, some may forget to practise the things they have been taught at home or at school. This is where the instructor / parent relationship can be a powerful tool. By regularly communicating with the instructor as to your child’s progress and behaviour at home or school, an instructor can better aim their message to your child.

While the predominant focus of karate is to develop character, students also learn basic self-defence skills. GKR instructors regularly promote that children MUST NOT misuse their karate under any circumstances. Should any child misuse their karate (either at home or at school), we ask the parents to notify us of this so together we can speak with the child about their behaviour.

Bullying is a serious issue with children as the affects can last for years after it stops, even throughout their adulthood. Karate has proven exceedingly beneficial to children who are recipients of bullying and to those children who are bullies.

Karate helps a child who is bullied a number of ways. To begin with, most children who are bullied are shy and lack confidence. This makes them ‘easy targets’. As karate nurtures a child’s self-esteem and builds their confidence, the bullying often stops through this process alone. Instructors also train children how to deal with bullying and encourage them to speak about it to their schoolteachers and parents. Of course, some children are too shy to speak with their parents about bullying. The good news here is because karate deals with self-defence, children who are bullied often ask their instructor about how to deal with bullies. In this instance, the instructor can notify the parents of the child’s situation.

Some children who have had a tendency to bully other children may develop an interest in karate. Parents of these children may fear that the skills they learn in karate will only make their bullying worse. Nothing could be further from the truth. To begin with, bullying and low self-esteem go hand-in-hand; so as karate builds the child’s confidence and self-esteem, their interest in bullying others generally ceases. Secondly, being regularly reminded that their karate is ONLY to be used for self-defence and is something that can never be misused without risk of being suspended from training provides extra motivation to behave. Speaking with the instructor about the child’s habit helps the instructor to get the message across about the concerns with bullying.

When karate was first developed in Okinawa, its purpose was to teach children to become people of high character, with self-defence being a secondary focus. The character these children exhibited was so impressive, in 1902, karate was formally introduced into the Okinawa Primary School system so all Okinawa children would benefits from its teachings.

When karate moved to Japan in the 1920’s, within a few short years the Japanese Government were so impressed with the values it promoted, it too introduced karate into it’s education system. This still exists today where every school in Japan has karate as a subject all students must study.

Most young kids love participating in a variety of activities (sports, drama, scouts etc). This willingness to try new activities and meet new people builds their self-confidence and develops their social skills.

Sadly, by the time they become teenagers many give their activities up and become reluctant to try new ones. One reason for this is the onset of puberty, which can quickly diminish a teenager’s self-confidence. Karate classes are set up in a manner to combat this drop in self-confidence and in fact, serve to build it. A few examples of this are:

Karate is a rare activity in that it uses every muscle and bone in the body, creating a full-body workout. Considering teens come in all shapes, sizes and fitness levels, it is an ideal activity because each person may go at his or her own pace.

This creates an environment where the fittest of teens can walk out of class completely exhausted, or those who lack any real fitness can leave having just pushed their comfort zones.

Many teens who play sport at representative levels train in karate as a means to improve their fitness, coordination, flexibility and agility. Equally, many teens who are not involved in sports train in karate for the basic health benefits; such as weight loss, muscle toning, improved cardio-vascular fitness and flexibility.

Karate is an ideal sport for adults because it trains a person for self-defence while providing a full-body workout. It also serves to develop self-confidence and is an excellent form of stress release.

Being an individual form of exercise, participants can work at their own pace, which is great for those who haven’t exercised in some time.

Exercise works the heart, which helps to prevent against cardiovascular disease. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body and you must keep it in shape. It is this organ that you start with to build up your levels of stamina and strength.

Exercise also helps to eliminate toxins via the lymph system (which prevents countless illnesses and diseases such as cancer etc). Adults who do more exercise also have a lowered risk of suffering from diabetes or joint problems as they age.

General health is not solely about avoiding illness and disease; it is about living a life with more energy, vitality and enthusiasm.

Our bodies were made to be active and move around a lot, however modern life has forced us to spend a lot of time sitting down. Adult bodies need to do more exercise because as they get older their metabolism slows down. So if you’re getting older you are at a higher risk of gaining weight. Without addressing the issue, this added weight can lead to numerous health-related problems. Adding regular exercise into your timetable is the best way to achieve weight loss and/or weight maintenance.

Exercise has many stress reducing properties. Adults who make time for exercise have more control over their body and mind, and can eliminate stress much more effectively, than adults who remain sedentary all the time. In terms of stress reduction, karate is one of the best forms of exercise as it addresses the mind and body.

Fat stored in the waist is known as visceral fat (as it covers the internal organs). A person can be quite thin in much of their body yet still be considered of unhealthy weight simply because they have visceral fat (often referred to as ‘bad fat’). It is regarded as bad fat because fat found around the organs leads to many health issues including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes etc.

Adults are role models, especially for children. If parents want their children to be active and healthy all their life, they need to first set the example themselves. Staying active and doing exercise regularly will teach their children about the importance of exercise.

While self-defence courses may teach someone the basic skills for self-defence, all studies show conclusively that in self-defence situations a person is rarely able to access their conscious mind and instead relies purely on instinct. This is where karate becomes so valuable for self-defence.

The techniques practised in karate are not complicated and do not require physical strength. Those taught are simple and proven as effective, and practised each week until they become instinctive. Once this instinctive ability is reached, more techniques are added to one’s repertoire.

As the legs are stronger than the arms and possess more reach, students are taught various kicks that strike out to the front, side and rear.

Some women have delicate knuckles or long fingernails so making a fist is not ideal. Therefore students are also taught to effectively use their palms, backs of hands and elbows as weapons.

The karate that is taught is non-contact so while students are taught dangerous techniques, they are not actually struck with these themselves.

Karate is a rare form of fitness because it not only works every muscle and bone in the body; it also develops muscular endurance and strength. Additionally, as there is no resistance involved the muscular strength comes by way of toning and shaping.

Women tend to store fat around their hips and buttocks so the karate’s kicking techniques and various long postures proves an ideal weight loss tool as it tones and tightens the legs and lower-torso area. Meanwhile, the process of upper body striking serves to tone and tighten the arms and upper torso area.

Karate is an activity where every student may go sat the own pace. This means the fittest of people can find it to be an excellent workout while those who have not exercised in years may stay well within their comfort zone.

According to the American Journal of Public Health, regular exercise may encourage on-time delivery (of babies). Pregnant women are no longer being advised to sit back and relax for nine months. In fact, exercise (unless, of course, your health-care practitioner advises otherwise) is fine, and actually increases the chances of on-time delivery, rather than increasing the risk for pre-term delivery, as was once believed.

Adults are role models for children and youth. If parents want their children to be active and healthy all their life they need to first set the example themselves. Staying active and doing exercise regularly will teach their children and other youth around them about the importance of exercise.

Unlike some martial arts, the karate ‘dojo’ environment is not an aggressive one. Many martial arts adopt the self-defence methodology of helping women to become proficient in self-defence by turning them into an aggressive person or developing a male-like physique. This is likely why 35%-40% of the students and a large percentage of its instructors in GKR are women.

Karate does not intend to add aggression to any student’s persona. Rather it aims to soften their persona, teaching them to become more calm. Nor does karate intend to take the femininity away from a women’s physique. When one is trained properly in karate, strength and aggression are not important for self-defence. Understanding the many weaknesses of the human body, and developing the instinctive ability to apply well-trained techniques to these areas is the key to karate’s effectiveness.

Karate is an ideal sport for men because it trains a person for self-defence while providing a full-body workout. It also serves to develop self-confidence and is an excellent form of stress release.

Being an individual form of exercise, participants can work at their own pace, which is great for those who haven’t exercised in some time.

Exercise works the heart, which helps to prevent against cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of disease among middle-aged men. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body and you must keep it in shape. It is this organ that you start with to build up your levels of stamina and strength.

Exercise also helps to eliminate toxins via the lymph system (which prevents countless illnesses and diseases such as cancer etc). Adults who do more exercise also have a lowered risk of suffering from diabetes or joint problems as they age.

General health is not solely about avoiding illness and disease; it is about living a life with more energy, vitality and enthusiasm.

Our bodies were made to be active and move around a lot, however modern life has forced us to spend a lot of time sitting down. Adult bodies need to do more exercise because as they get older their metabolism slows down. So if you’re getting older you are at a higher risk of gaining weight. Without addressing the issue, this added weight can lead to numerous health-related problems. Adding regular exercise into your timetable is the best way to achieve weight loss and/or weight maintenance.

Exercise has many stress reducing properties. Adults who make time for exercise have more control over their body and mind, and can eliminate stress much more effectively, than adults who remain sedentary all the time. In terms of stress reduction, karate is one of the best forms of exercise as it addresses the mind and body.

Men tend to carry excess weight around the waist. Fat stored in this section is known as visceral fat (as it covers the internal organs). A man can be quite thin in much of their body yet still be considered of unhealthy weight simply because they have visceral fat (often referred to as ‘bad fat’). It is regarded as bad fat because fat found around the organs leads to many health issues including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes etc.

Adults are role models, especially for children. If parents want their children to be active and healthy all their life, they need to first set the example themselves. Staying active and doing exercise regularly will teach their children about the importance of exercise.

All research suggests that it is inactivity not aging that causes most health problems in people over 50 years of age. Equally, about half of the physical decline associated with old age may be due to a lack of physical activity. Some of these include:

Statistics show that only around one in 10 people over the age of 50 exercises enough to gain any cardiovascular benefit.

It has been suggested that people over the age of 65, more than any other age group, require adequate fitness levels to help them maintain independence, recover from illness and reduce their high risk of disease. Various studies show that it is never too late to get fit. The human body responds to exercise, no matter what its age, and there are many health benefits.

Health Benefits for Older People Who Take Up Exercising:

Independence : Exercise can help older people maintain independence and recover more quickly from illness.

Disease Prevention : A sedentary lifestyle often results in a cease of production and distribution of many hormones that ensure our ongoing health. Exercise ensures the ongoing production and distribution of many hormones, which greatly reduce our risk of diseased such as cancer, heart disease, depression etc).

Muscle Loss : Studies suggest we lose around 3kg of muscle every decade once we reach middle age. This starts to greatly affect our movement and impact our lifestyle in many ways.

Energy Levels : As we age, our energy levels (or V02 max) decrease. Exercise not only slow this process down, it often increases energy levels among the elderly.

The Joints : The joints in our bodies require regular movement to remain supple and healthy. Through years of wear and tear, many adults develop arthritis. Exercise has shown it can drastically help arthritic patients by increasing strength and mobility.

Bone Density : Bone density begins to decline after the age of 40, but this loss accelerates around the age of 50 years. As a result of this bone loss, older people are more prone to bone fractures. Exercise reduces the risk of bone loss and osteoporosis.

Excess Weight : As we age our metabolism slows down, which can result in increased body fat levels. Excess fat is associated with a range of diseases including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Regular exercise burns calories, increases muscle mass and speeds the metabolism. Together, these physiological changes help an older person maintain an appropriate weight for their height and build.

Cholesterol : As we age, we naturally build up our cholesterol levels. Exercise serves to lower cholesterol in the elderly.

Diabetes : Exercise enhances glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, preventing the onset of diabetes.

Psychological Benefits of Exercise for the Elderly

Whilst the physical benefits of exercise are quite obvious, the psychological benefits aren’t as commonly known. Many studies have shown that older exercisers get great benefits out of the interaction with others, and many people see a marked increase in self-esteem.

Many older people believe that exercise is no longer appropriate. Some of the common misconceptions that prompt older people to abandon physical activity include:

It offers the family a common interest, always giving them something to talk and laugh about.

While a hierarchy exists at home, in the dojo all family members are equal, this allows parents to establish a relationship as friends with their children.

Training in karate allows families to set goals together, and work as a team for their achievement.