Goju-Ryu Karate
What is Goju-Ryu Karate?
The exact translation of the Japanese term Goju is “hard/soft” – go meaning hard and ju meaning soft. Ryu means school , thus Goju-Ryu is the hard/soft school of Karate.
Goju-Ryu Karate is 1 of the four unique Okinawan styles of Karate, and was invented by Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953). Sensei Miyagi had spent years in China learning with the Chinese masters of White Crane style Kung Fu before coming back to Okinawa to formulate what is today called as Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate Do.
Conventional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate has a very pure lineage .
Gojo-Ryu Karate is a conventional martial art that was handed down from the founder Sensei Chojun Miyagi to his apprentice Sensei Anichi Miyagi and then to Sensei Morio Higaonna in an unbroken line, which means the art has not been altered or changed through the generations like many other martial arts have. Instead, Goju-Ryu Karate continues as a highly effective fighting system now a days . It is not a sport style of Karate but provides its learners a logical way of self defense in any situation .
Characteristics of Goju-Ryu Karate
Goju-Ryu Karate has a huge variety of hand and foot styles and employs hard and soft techniques with both circular and linear movements. Particular emphasis is given on amplification the body and mind with supplementary exercises.
The basic idea of the hard and soft style is use a soft blocking method to block a hard strike or to deflect the attach rather than to meet force with force. Likewise, when striking , Goju-Ryu employs a hard technique against a soft target and vice versa. For example, in Okinawan Goju-Ryu a palm heel strike (using the relatively soft palm heel of the hand) is often used to attack something hard like the head. Another example for the hard/soft aspect is a kick (hard) into the groin (soft).
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