Free karate tips

Goju-Ryu Karate

What is Goju-Ryu Karate?

The literal 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 one of the four original Okinawan styles of Karate, and was founded by Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953). Sensei Miyagi had spent years in China training with the Chinese masters of White Crane style Kung Fu before returning to Okinawa to formulate what is now known as Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate Do.

Traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate
The picture shows Sensei Terry Lyon, 5th Dan Traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate, instructing a class in his Dojo in Cottesloe, Perth, Western Australia. The Karate technique shown is rising Ko-Uke, crane block, made famous by the movie “The Karate Kid”.
(Click on the image to enlarge)

Traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate has a very pure lineage.

Gojo-Ryu Karate is a traditional martial art that was handed down from the founder Sensei Chojun Miyagi to his student Sensei Anichi Miyagi and then to Sensei Morio Higaonna in an unbroken line, which means the art has not been diluted or embellished through the generations like many other martial arts have. Instead, Goju-Ryu Karate persists as a highly effective fighting system today. It is not a sport style of Karate but offers its students a practical method of self defence in any situation.

Characteristics of Goju-Ryu Karate

Goju-Ryu Karate has a great variety of hand and foot techniques and employs hard and soft techniques with both circular and linear movements. Particular emphasis is placed on strengthening the body and mind with supplementary exercises.

The basic idea of the hard and soft style is use a soft blocking technique to block a hard strike or to deflect the strike rather than to meet force with force. Likewise, when attacking, 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 strike something hard like the head. Another example for the hard/soft aspect is a kick (hard) into the groin (soft).

Last 5 forum posts on Goju-Ryu Karate:

77 comments about “Goju-ryu Karate”

  1. August 29th, 2005 at 4:39 am
    Douglas E. Craft said:

    I am very impressed with your web site. Information here is well up to date, also I am very interested in reading from it.

  2. September 10th, 2005 at 4:28 pm
    Pat Bridge said:

    the Westcott Community Center is having instructions on okinawan GoJu Ryu. I am a senior riddled with arthritus and range of motion limitations (some […] more

  3. October 28th, 2005 at 6:47 am
    H. Hernandez said:

    looking for a Goju Ryu school in New Jersey, USA. can you help!

  4. November 10th, 2005 at 7:56 am
    Ovidijus said:

    hello it’s nice web site,l am from Lithuania and l am interesting in this sport,it was very nice to read

  5. November 10th, 2005 at 6:14 pm
    Jim Jamison said:

    Does anyone know if there are any instructors in Las Vegas who are currently teaching?

  6. November 11th, 2005 at 1:32 am
    Firdaus Sensei said:

    Indonesian Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate. traditional training Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate,Kobudo & Karate Jutsu . Location in Bandung address : Military Po […] more

  7. November 13th, 2005 at 1:58 pm
    hugh ass said:

    is ther any schools in japan? plz answer. cool site!!

  8. November 15th, 2005 at 8:37 pm
    shasank said:

    dear sensei i am a 15yrs old first degree black belt but i think i cannot continue my game from now onwards due to my family problems.cani get some h […] more

  9. January 8th, 2006 at 7:13 am
    Peter Hibbett said:

    Hello I have a 6 year old girl and would like to find a class that would train her, that is near to us. We also have a friend that has two girls 6 a […] more

  10. January 15th, 2006 at 10:57 am
    Andrew Raslan said:

    I suck in karate, but I think that Goju-Ryu is the best style, ’cause I read the guides for each one. I also saw the movie “Karate Kid” and I think Ke […] more

  11. January 15th, 2006 at 10:58 am
    Andrew Raslan said:

    I suck in karate, but I think that Goju-Ryu is the best style, ’cause I read the guides for each one. I also saw the movie “Karate Kid” and I think Ke […] more

  12. February 6th, 2006 at 9:32 am
    stacey hook said:

    can anyone tell me at the start of the lesson when you bow in which leg you kneal down with first and which hand you put down first please

  13. February 8th, 2006 at 7:15 am
    karren said:

    Stacey hook asked which leg and hand to put down first in a bow in. It is the left for both.

  14. February 20th, 2006 at 1:54 am
    Sensei Sharif Bapu said:

    Hello Sensei it nice to go through your website and get information i belong to gojuryu karate andi am a member of the japan karate federation (gojuka […] more

  15. March 4th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
    Sensei John Taylor said:

    Karate-Do is not a hobby, nor a sport. The lineage of karate is a passionate one and if anyone here thionks karate is a game then i wise suggest to gi […] more

  16. March 5th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
    NHAT QUANG said:

    In fact, this is the site that i looked for long time ago.It’s very wonderful and its information is very useful.

  17. March 11th, 2006 at 6:07 am
    KARAN said:

    Respected sir, I am an old student of your karate do. I am golden brown belt from India. I think the best thing I have done in my life is learned ka […] more

  18. April 18th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
    Zenu said:

    Hey I do karate and I am the first girl in NZ in my class to do the decathlon(10 thing in one go) I am a black belt in Goju-Ryu and really want to go […] more

  19. May 27th, 2006 at 9:31 pm
    AJ said:

    i teach goju here in nj

  20. June 16th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
    David Watson said:

    I once knew a master of Goju Karate he was a 6th Dan and died of cancer. He told me that some of the blocks and techniques did not work and he knew th […] more

  21. August 24th, 2006 at 12:07 pm
    rashid sami said:

    iam very poor ican not buy karatay uni form plz send me karatay uniformm number 6 i shall be thankful to you plz

  22. August 31st, 2006 at 1:13 pm
    farhan younas said:

    i m a student but i have a great interest in learning martial arts.i hardly find time to join a club so are there any lessons for me so that i can lea […] more

  23. September 6th, 2006 at 7:58 am
    na-chan said:

    i just joined karate around a month or so ago & really enjoy it. Admittedly I did learn a little when I was young, but was too young 2 appreaciate […] more

  24. September 6th, 2006 at 8:47 am
    lampard08 said:

    wadoryu is better! [Eire!]

  25. September 9th, 2006 at 3:37 pm
    Natasha said:

    hi I am asking for help in learning karate send me an e-mail if you think you can help. my e-mail address is TRenea_BandGeek@yahoo.com. I took classes […] more

  26. September 30th, 2006 at 11:20 am
    cp said:

    first of all heartly congratulation for your efforts of mass awareness of karate .well wishes. i`m an enthusiastic karateka .i`ve a query. when `ll […] more

  27. October 3rd, 2006 at 11:06 am
    fathima said:

    can i plz be taught how to play karate? i really need it. what do i do to start off with?

  28. October 25th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
    Catherine said:

    Play karate?Lol.TO me karate’s not a sport,it’s more.I been doing Goju Ryu for almost 2 months and I’m receiving my yellow belt soon but I’m nervous a […] more

  29. October 25th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
    Natasha said:

    I don’t really know catherine but good luck to you. I am just starting out also

  30. November 5th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
    Catherine said:

    My tournament went so well!Althoough I placed second in every event I’m still happy!Yeah!

  31. November 7th, 2006 at 1:15 am
    alan said:

    I am a student of goshinkan karate in australia we have been challenged by our sensei to find out why a karate gi must never expose the elbows. can an […] more

  32. November 9th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
    Laura said:

    Pineland Karate in Jackson, NJ — tradtional goju ryu taught

  33. November 10th, 2006 at 1:24 am
    Natasha said:

    I am trying to find a goju ryu class near my home town. anyone know how to help me. Please let me know soon.

  34. November 14th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
    karatekid said:

    OMG! This site is awesome! I had a school project and wikipedia was so hard to understand! Then I found this site! OMG! You guys saved my grade! My sh […] more

  35. December 11th, 2006 at 8:33 am
    ravishankar said:

    i got the fifth greatest gold medol in gi toku kai

  36. December 30th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
    Catherine said:

    I am currently training with the sai.Any tips?Anybody?

  37. January 9th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
    J.T.L.E said:

    thank you for the website it helped me find info on several styles of karate i am lokking forword to learning

  38. February 2nd, 2007 at 1:07 pm
    Sophal said:

    hello sensei i just started Goju Ryu and i found your website very helpful!

  39. February 8th, 2007 at 6:22 am
    tareq ayyuob said:

    Am from palistin am sory my english is not good but thank yuo for every think abuot this style of karate

  40. February 13th, 2007 at 4:45 am
    Greg said:

    heeyyyy….this site is very useful 2 me and i will most probably take up karate because i am extremely intersted. thanx

  41. February 24th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
    Catherine said:

    Hello Sensei.Just came home from my second tournament.Could you tell me about Freestyle karate?

  42. March 2nd, 2007 at 12:41 pm
    Tim Minich said:

    This is one awesome website. It has been about 8 years since I have taken Goju-ryu. When I was living in Germany, I was training at the Loveless aca […] more

  43. March 10th, 2007 at 12:45 am
    Barry Martin said:

    Hello, My name is Barry. I recieved my Jr. Black Belt when I was 13. I am now 24 and my Sensei has since moved to Arizona. Now Married and with two c […] more

  44. March 19th, 2007 at 4:58 am
    Jaco said:

    I’ve been doing goju-ryu for 2 years, and obtained my green belt. I feel very confident that I will be able to defend myself. Goju Ryu specialize in s […] more

  45. April 20th, 2007 at 12:06 am
    Bails said:

    I have just moved to Vancouver and I am looking for an experienced Goju Sensei. Any suggestions??

  46. May 21st, 2007 at 9:05 am
    Master GJ Torres Jr. said:

    For Goju Ryu See GrandMaster Ron Van Clief.

  47. June 9th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
    MJ said:

    Hello, Can someone tell us something about Kukoshin Karate? I heard it is a rough karate style and may be the toughest among all karate styles? […] more

  48. July 9th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
    George Attar said:

    Moved into the San Diego area from Canada looking for a class for our son has 3yrs experience with Goju Ryu, please can u advise on classes in the are […] more

  49. August 6th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
    Gelabel said:

    Dear Sensei I am a 4th degree black belt in Shorinji Ryu, I have been retired for over ten years but I would like to practice again, I lost track of m […] more

  50. August 29th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
    DP said:

    I have also recently moved to Vancouver and would love to know if there are any good (full time) Goju Ryu dojos here. I live close to Main and Broadwa […] more

  51. September 6th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
    wufong said:

    I was taught by meitatsu yagi. son of the late meitoku yagi. i havent trained in approximately four months, since moving from okinawa, japan. i was al […] more

  52. September 6th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
    wufong said:

    honestly i think this site is… (sorry if insult you in anyway, but I’ve read through some of this stuff and a lot of it isn’t correct, well just sa […] more

  53. September 6th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
    wufong said:

    i am not trying to be a jerk or anything like that, but… i go to imgka.com.

  54. October 29th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
    steve lyons said:

    Hello I am a member of IMGKA please tell me what you found on the IMGKA web site that was wrong so that I can pass along the right information to […] more

  55. November 6th, 2007 at 3:45 am
    Kancho Deena Naidu said:

    The art of karate-do was created for self protection (body) self discipline (mind) and self enlightenment(spirit). It is not an ego building exercise […] more

  56. November 17th, 2007 at 3:16 am
    simeo said:

    This website is quite good please can we be sent messages about the training, updates and all that about the self deffence on our personal emails. am […] more

  57. January 16th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
    kadodia abubakar said:

    will u ans me whear r u from n i will tell u After know? if u want to ask to me plz call me 9913164334 this is my mobile nomber n i m student of kara […] more

  58. January 22nd, 2008 at 12:55 pm
    nick howse said:

    add more its like a lonley site (trevor)!!!

  59. January 23rd, 2008 at 6:03 am
    S.PARTHIBAN said:

    Dear Sensei: I hav been doing my karate with Go ju ryy style for past 18 yrs. I need your guide and affiliation of style. Looking forward your mail. […] more

  60. January 27th, 2008 at 6:04 am
    kmsaravan said:

    Goju-ryu Karate

  61. February 3rd, 2008 at 4:18 am
    Marfani Amreen Yusufbhai said:

    hello sensei, I am very impressed with your web site. Information here is well up to date, also I am very interested in reading f […] more

  62. February 11th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
    gojukataneeded45 said:

    I need to learn Suparinpei. Can anyone suggest videos or books or preferably a website with the steps of Suparinpei on it? Any suggestions apprerciate […] more

  63. February 17th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
    Sensie Jack kraimer said:

    I am a sensie at martial arts at route 46 dover nj. You may join.

  64. February 22nd, 2008 at 3:52 am
    Jpwill said:

    I just got word that www.Gojuryu.net is back online. Where is everyone from the forum now days?

  65. April 1st, 2008 at 10:38 am
    fumikomigeri said:

    Hi first time on this excellent site. Anyone interested in joining/finding any Goju-Ryu clubs should log onto www.iogkf.com this site could be very he […] more

  66. May 9th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
    Michael Fonte said:

    I live in Maplewood, NJ and have been training at an Urban GoJu DoJo for the past three years. The dojo is closing and I’m looking for another dojo to […] more

  67. June 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
    Kancho Deena Naidu said:

    Well said. I have been practicing karate for over 40 years. I am a direct student of the great Gogen Sensei, graduated at his college in 1976. I have […] more

  68. June 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pm
    Kancho Deena Naidu said:

    Hi Fellow Karate-ka. I have a great feeling that many karate-ka are turning back to the old ways of training and not the sport karate that creates a […] more

  69. June 7th, 2008 at 12:05 am
    Israr Khan said:

    yes all karate types are rough and you need to devote some time for it. then focus on it. manage your health body nad mind in good condition. improve […] more

  70. July 17th, 2008 at 12:13 am
    Matt said:

    I do not study Karate I’am however a black belt in Judo, would like to learn Ishan Ryu its a style of Karate that is not on this site? I think Karate […] more

  71. July 27th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
    christopher peters said:

    So american kenpo karate is goju-ryu???????????????????????????

  72. August 12th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
    Daniel said:

    Os sensei , I am 31 years of age and got my 7th dan black belt when I was 28 , I do goju from the age of 6years and are the WAKO,WKF world chapion and […] more

  73. August 27th, 2008 at 11:56 am
    Devon said:

    I go to a dojo that teaches Goju ryu in Galloway.

  74. September 27th, 2008 at 9:37 am
    Don said:

    Will the author of this website do an article on Shuri-Ryu Karate-do?

  75. January 5th, 2009 at 7:24 am
    sensei said:

    You have to fight for it son

  76. January 20th, 2009 at 8:38 am
    ahmet aydın said:

    hi my ahmet.I.m türkhs.speak ing.message cen please 0542 723 50 66

  77. February 6th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
    JON NOBLE said:

    I studied there a few years ago under Joe Ward. Is Goju-ryu basically the same style as Goshin-ryu? I’m living in Virginia and I would like to get bac […] more

Leave a comment