Goju-Ryu karate is a leading traditional fighting style taught throughout the world. However, many martial arts exist, and therefore it’s difficult to know which are effective and which are not. So, let’s examine whether Goju-Ryu karate is effective and applicable in real fights.
Goju-Ryu is effective because it teaches practical fighting techniques, such as punching and kicking movements. Moreover, it uses particular methods to teach its trainees how to fight fiercely. For example, one of the methods karate dojos use is sparring, which prepares for real fights.
Thus, when you encounter a real fight, you’ll be able to react without hesitation and thus solve the situation before it escalates.
One of the training exercise Goju-Ryu trainees do is full-contact training. Essentially, 2-practitioners fight, but they must receive the hits the opponent throws. The practice flows in turns, so each gets 3-hits maximum.
That type of training highly resembles today’s MMA, considered to be one of the best ways to teach fighting. So, we can see traces of modern training methods in the traditional world of karate.
Without further ado, let’s examine the 4 reasons Goju-Ryu karate is effective and whether you should learn it.
#1- Goju-Ryu teaches practical fighting techniques
The first reason we’ll discuss is Goju-Ryu teaches practical fighting techniques. At last, that’s all it takes to achieve applicability in real fights. So, what does it exactly teach and why it’s suitable for fighting purposes?
Goju-Ryu teaches punching and kicking in many variations and combinations. This allows it to cause massive damage quickly and safely, since it also teaches many defensive moves. Some of the offensive moves it includes are: the front kick, the sidekick, hooks, jabs, and even straight punches.
Again, this is all it takes to make a martial art apply in real fights. You can try this rule with any other fighting style; I guarantee you’ll see the same results.
Let’s take the contrary case and see if our analysis applies:
Tai chi is a martial art that focuses on slow movements and is more spiritual than realistic. Does it teach any fighting techniques? Yes, it’s a martial art like any other. So, is it effective? Tai chi isn’t practical for fighting because it doesn’t teach valuable and effective fighting movements – neither offensive nor defensive.
I will go as far as to say that many karate styles aren’t as applicable for real life as Goju-Ryu because they don’t teach nearly as many effective fighting techniques. As a result, if your pursuit is to know how to fight, it’ll be best to stick with our fighting style.
#2- Goju-Ryu involves sparring
The second Goju-Ryu is an effective martial art is because it involves traditional sparring. That’s as close as you can get in training to real fights and remain unharmed.
As a general rule, every martial art which involves constant use of sparring is suitable for self-defense and real fights. To say the least, Goju-Ryu involves many sparring sessions and thus prepares its trainees for dangerous fighting situations.
If you don’t know what sparring is – it’s when the training session revolves around fighting. Hence, two trainees fight with the dojo’s rules.
Karate involves many sparring methods, such as full-contact and regular ones. As a result, the trainees will start being dynamic and become more adaptive. In the next section, we’ll discuss full-contact sparring and why it makes this martial art extremely practical.
One last thing, modern fighting styles, such as MMA and kickboxing, involve many sparring exercises. In fact, I don’t know a serious martial arts gym that doesn’t include some. If learning to fight is one of your goals – it’s crucial you find out whether the place you train at includes sparring methods.
#3- Goju-Ryu includes full-contact sparring
The third reason this karate branch is practical for fighting is that it includes full-contact sparring. We discussed why and how sparring will grow your fighting ability in the previous section. But now, I want to go into detail on a single exercise Goju-Ryu dojos use to prepare their trainees for fights: full-contact.
Full-contact sparring is when two trainees are faced against each other. Unlike regular sparring, which stops after a single hit, they continue to fight and absorb the throws their opponents throw. Moreover, they also throw their own punches and their opponents must absorb them as well.
This training method-is incredibly challenging because you have to absorb the hits your opponent throws. You hit each other in turns; but still – it’s one of the building blocks that’ll make you a solid fighter.
Many Goju-Ryu dojos involve full-contact sparring. Therefore, some people refer to the dojos of this style as brutal and challenging to go through. Those who go through this training-will become incredible fighters in the long-run.
The following video showcases full-contact sparring at a real dojo. I encourage you to watch it to understand and grasp the effectiveness of Goju-Ryu.
#4- Goju-Ryu lowers the fear of fighting
The last reason we’ll discuss is the fact that martial arts training and sparring lowers the fear of fighting. As a result, when you have to face a real dangerous and scary situation, you’ll react calmly and fiercely.
Goju-Ryu lowers the fear of fighting by allowing the trainee to go through intense exercises and become confident in his ability to cause damage. Dojos tend to aim their means on sparring, the most fear-lowering exercise of them all.
Imagine how you would feel after an intense full-contact session where you caused and absorbed plenty of hits. You would feel confident and with a certain sureness that you can beat whoever comes your way.
In a real fight, it’ll be best if you’re the one controlling the pace and environment. For example, if you’re the first one to attack and your opponent blocks your hit, you’re now at a disadvantage.
On the other hand, if you successfully land the hit or wait for a better opening-then you now control the space much better than the previous scenario.
Many martial arts trainees will stress over fighting. However, the opposite has to happen for you to be completely prepared for a true fight. Hence, Goju-Ryu is one of the leading martial arts that involves many sparring sessions, lowering its trainees’ fear of fighting.
Should you learn Goju-Ryu?
Learning any martial art-is beneficial in some way because each provides plenty of value to its trainees. For example, many martial artists report feeling more confident than ever before.
Goju-Ryu teaches effective and practical techniques, and thus you should learn it. Moreover, it grants its trainees countless mental and physical benefits, such as improved confidence, better self-esteem, and better physical shape. Consequently, its trainees improve themselves solely by training in it.
Regardless of which martial art you want to learn, you’ll be gaining plenty of benefits. That said, some are less practical than others for fighting. So, if your pursuit is to become a solid fighter, you ought to consider the options carefully.
I wrote an article on the best martial arts in the world you should learn. If you’re struggling in choosing which to learn, I encourage you to read it.
Eventually, Goju-Ryu is one of the best martial arts you can learn because it includes many training methods to both boost your confidence and teach you how to fight. As such, the values and results it provides its trainees with-are invaluable.
Final words
To end this article, I want to say how appreciative I am for knowing about Goju-Ryu and having the platform to share my knowledge with you.
Eventually, it’s a highly effective style of karate which learning-is wise because of many reasons. Primarily, here’s why Goju-Ryu is an effective fighting style:
- #1- It teaches practical fighting techniques
- #2- It involves sparring
- #3- It includes full-contact sparring
- #4- It lowers the fear of fighting
All of these make this fighting style so much more than a way of fighting. Rather, it’s a mindset, a lifestyle I encourage you to adopt. If you have the option to start training in your local area, don’t hesitate; just start.
If you enjoyed reading this article, I encourage you to read another article of mine about Shotokan Karate and whether it’s effective.