GKR Karate |
| United States |
|
|
Consumer reviews about GKR Karate |
|
concerned mum of 1
|
Jan 7, 2012
|
Con artists
i'm slightly concerned after reading these comments, a man called connor i say man he must have been about 20, came to my door last night and after all the talk i handed over my card details for £25 3 month trial plus £6 a session for my 5yr old and now feel like a total pratt please tell me i'm not going to go to my account and find out they're taking regular payments or something??!!!i just wanted my son to learn more respect and confidence, don't get me wrong he is so lovable, and an academic already but can also play the clown with ease!!i just wanted something he could go to every week with his dad for them to add more to their bond and for him to grow up with more disapline and no how to handle himself in this day and age it was either this or when he's 6 to do boxing and that doesn't teach control so i picked this..please don't tell me i'll be 1 out of pocket 2 he'll learn nothing and 3 he'll never progress and a reconised level i am very nervous that i've just been taken for a fool!!!
|
|
sdc karate
|
Jan 13, 2012
|
Con artists
hi concerned mum of 1
I am an sdc and no gkr will not take any payments at all apart from the agreed £23 sign up fee which pays for your insurance to train and help pay for the venues and i am experienced ...1st kyu next belt is blacl :) and i am sure you will enjoy it ..dont listen to these lot saying it is a scam ...if it is a scam why would there be more than 50, 000 students just in the uk and have been running since 1987 ..i hav met the founder of gkr (kancho sulivan) who you bow to at the begining of every class ..i am positive this will help your son it helped me i was a total prat when i joined just wanted to mess around ..and it wasnt fun because they will not be happy if u disturb other people and he will soon learn there are times to prat around (FUN) and that is when you /sensai ses
Hope you enjoy your karate
|
|
Holdsteady
|
Jan 27, 2012
|
Con artists
How does the fact that 50, 000 people have signed up to it not make it a scam? That just makes it a successful one. If all cons, scams and pyramid schemes failed to have any success it would not be a problem and we would not even be discussing it.
If anyone wants proof of how bad it is take a look at the videos of self appointed kancho Sullivan sparring on YouTube, he is so useless you worry about him going out on his own. When the founder and head of a martial art has self graded himself at least 7 dans more than he has ever achieved then you know something is not right.
Concerned mum of 1, you have to ask yourself if you would rather waste £25 now by not bothering with pretend karate or waste a couple of hundred qiuid by giving it a chance until you realise it is a load of rubbish.
Take your boy to Boxing or a reputable martial arts club, just dont throw money away on a pyramid scheme called GKR.
|
|
D4nn1
|
Feb 1, 2012
|
Con artists
I work for GKR and it doesn't promise anything but the possible benefits that COULD be gained through hard work, no one has to leave their jobs, it is purely down to each individual persons' choice. I have trained with GKR for a while and i love the instructors and i love recruiting new members for our club, it helps to create a positive state of mind which not many people would know much about obviously. I hope you all have fun with all your other clubs, however GKR is for me, not to mention it IS the LARGEST TRADITIONAL karate club in the WORLD. To the concerned mother above, no we don't take out regular transactions, only the once to cover the fee in which you know you are paying for, understandably there maybe a bit of mistrust but you can always check your account details at your bank.
|
|
The Mexican
|
Feb 4, 2012
|
Con artists
There have been several Boxer's in my family, but some clubs teach boxing as the 'sport' and others take a more traditional view.
It's the same with Karate. I have seen GKR karate in practice, I have also seen other styles and can't say that either one was better than the other. We train very hard and that pays off. There are so many GKR clubs that I cannot garantee all are at the same high level of commitment and quality as my region and local Dojo but I suspect that most are. I also know several ex army marines who seem to think it's pretty good. £5 for one and a half hours with a great instructor - who can complain about that. My son upgraded his £25 trial membership to full lifetime membership a few weeks back for free!. Hardly a con. He combines Karate with his regular Gym routines and maybe he will take up boxing someday too...
|
|
SDC newby
|
Feb 9, 2012
|
Con artists
Every day people get sold on something, whether the product is manufactured by asda, or argos, or whether your friends are trying to sell you on why you should go to the pictures to see a film, the point is that it is an everyday human technique. what most people on here are trying to say is that GKR is selling people false promises, no they are not, GKR is simply 'selling' the option of doing karate, as a person everybody knows what they want in life... right?, so as a person and as a fully competent human being, everybody has the EQUAL opportunity to decide whether or not they would like to do karate, it is FULLY your own choice, as an SDC i know that for a fact because i ask the same questions everyday and i quote '...what we are doing for those people who are interested in finding out a bit more about our classes is dropping off some information sheets and timetables, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT OUR CLASSES?' as an SDC i quote this phrase a hundred times a day, at that quoted point YOU as your OWN person have the CHOICE to say yes or no, so what is the problem? i have not yet made a promise that i haven't kept. if someone has said yes they would like some info, i have done exactly what i have promised, i have gone around to that individuals house with my info and explained it to them, its is their choice and THEIRS alone whether or not they wish to continue onto joining our club.
|
|
SDC newby
|
Feb 9, 2012
|
Con artists
LOL Just because we train on beaches i can assure u that there are no pyramids there hahahahahahaha
|
|
matb
|
Feb 16, 2012
|
Pyramid scheme
This is complete bullshit. GKR is NOT a pyramid scheme and never in the history of the club has any white belt been an instructor.
Read this article to find out why GKR is NOT a pyramid scheme:
http://www.ilovegkr.com/pages/essays/pyramidscheme.html
Kancho has never owned a helicopter. Our belts are as meaningful as any other club's - at every grading people fail, and I take my black belt to any other club and I am not out of place. This is just another bitter loser who couldn't hack it.
|
|
matb
|
Feb 16, 2012
|
Con artists
I don't know what experience holdsteady had with GKR, but any club that has 50, 000 ACTIVELY TRAINING members can't be all bad. He makes out that they have all been conned, but they would soon see through it once they start training if it was as bad as s/he claims it is. The karate can't be that bad if our members are beating people from all other styles in world competition.The sad fact is, some people are whiny little losers, and when life is not handed to them on a plate, they bitch and moan and blame others, rather than taking responsibility for their own lack of success. I see it so often. People join and think they will be the next Bruce Lee, then they discover it takes long-term effort, and suddenly they are full of complaints. GKR is on a par with most karate styles - better than some, worse than others. If you have a membership, get down to class and make your own decision, rather than letting this whingy liar put you off a great thing. I've been training in the UK for 11 years, and it's the best thing I ever did.
|
|
Hallam
|
Feb 28, 2012
|
Con artists
I joined GKR a few month ago and i feel i its the best thing i ever chose to do. I can feel my fitness improving along with my confidence. Theres a lot of this "scam" crap being said but id say 99% of it is from people who couldn't be bothered to put in the effort OR some who had a bad experience in their first few classes and quit. Its a great club and for £50 lifetime membership + £6 a session its far cheaper than gym membership!
|
|
Hallam
|
Feb 28, 2012
|
Pyramid scheme
its £50 for lifetime membership + £4-6 for 90min sessions. I dont see how this can be a scam. I have a very good instructor and am really glad i joined up! Additional costs are buying your oen Gi (doens need to be from GKR) and the grading fee. It wouldnt be the biggest Karate club in the world if it was as bad as you say...
|
|
Holdsteady
|
Mar 10, 2012
|
Con artists
matb how much are you making out of GKR? You seem very defensive of it so I guess its a fair bit. I will say it again, having lots of members does not make it an effective form of self defence, a good style of Karate or a well run organisation (for its members benefit). How many of those members stick around for long? Not many when they realise that it is a big joke ie being taught by someone who has only been doing it six months longer than you.
You choose to insult me (a usual tactic of GKR) for pointing out facts about your pretend style of Karate when these same facts are apparent to anyone who has ever attented a few lessons or has searched for ten minutes on the internet.
You claim that GKR defeats different styles yet has anyone from GKR ever taken part in a MMA competition? How can the largest martial arts club in the world in the world not have any representation in the fast growing sport of MMA? Oh wait its because this highly effective art would be of no use against some who knows what they are doing, or being brutally honest doesnt have a clue.
Con Show Sullivan describes the pretend martial art he invented (and how does it feel to waste your time learning a Karate style made up by a man with very little knowledge or even ability at Karate?) as a family friendly martial art and uses this as a selling tool. How can a martial art (look up what martial means) be such a thing? Does that not ring alarm bells with you? Its Karate lite with the guts ripped out of it, thus rendering it pointless (other than for making massive money for con show and his cronies)
I look forward to being insulted by you or any other gkr cult members for pointing out the truth, paticularly enjoyed mat calling me gutless from behind his keyboard. Being a keyboard warrior is probably the safest option for a GKR follower anyway.
|
|
The Mexican
|
Mar 12, 2012
|
Con artists
It really depresses me to hear people keep on attacking something which a lot of people enjoy, just because they have had a bad experience. It’s important to look at the facts, with an ‘open mind’ and ignore people with an axe to grind.
Lets examine a few points.
Q: Is it a con?
A: Hardly . No contract, lesson are cheep, no pressure to buy their products or ’join’ the organization.
Q: Is it a real form of Karate?
Yes. Follows traditional techniques and training methods, but reviews it training to keep up to
date. Does not make any claims to be the perfect interpretation of Karate, but works hard to
give people real Karate without compromising it’s key aim of Karate for everyone.
Q: Is it an effective form of Karate?
A: Yes, it’s important to remember it’ a Martial Art, but it can be a sport, a way of life, or a keep fit program. It’s up to you how you interpret it or use it in your day to day life.
Some people aren’t happy with a Martial Art unless they are spitting out teeth every week.
Don’t confuse pain with skill or practical appliance of the techniques. You can practice Karate 7 days a week, and condition your body to take damage, but that’s not realistic for most people.
Q: Are it’s teachers qualified to teach Karate? Why aren’t they all Black belts.?
A: Some instructor are Black belts, some are not. All go through a 9 week training course to find out if they are ‘good teachers’ . They don’t get a class straight away, but have to learn the ropes as an assistant teaching lower grades. They help out in the class and cover other duties. Haven’t met one yet who pretended to be anything else.
Other Karate schools may have only Black belt’s as teachers, but belt colour was never a good indication of teaching skills. Traditional Karate has always been taught as a hierarchy; with each belt asking the one above for guidance. The senior instructor isn’t superhuman and can’t be everywhere.
Q: Training in School Halls and Church buildings.
A: Guilty as charged.! They’re cheep and perfectly suited to the task. All the equipment you need to practice Karate is a large room with a good floor. If you want the trimmings get them yourself for practice at home - maybe the family will join in! Almost all the Non-GKR Karate schools I know do exactly the same thing. I suspect the few who DO use more charge heavily for the privilege, and guess what, I bet most of it hardly sees the light of day. It waste’s to much class time to get it out often, or costs to much to replace, and health and safety blah blah blah……
Q: Why does GKR not participate in MMA etc..
A: Why should they?. GKR trains people in Karate . It‘s up to individuals to decide what they want to do with their skills.
MMA is a Sport. It’s practitioners are professionals who train very hard to win but have to study several forms if they hope to do so. No single style works for long, as they always have to adapt to the current winning trend. This makes them very good at what they do. However even MMA has rules that you have to abide by. Real life is not always that clean and simple. Sometime you might be called upon to defend your life, other times your might have to fend off a friend who’s had to many drinks. GKR Karate gives you the right tools to do the job.
Q:Lastly, Is Kancho Sullivan really good enough?
A. Sacrilege!! (only kidding!)
He deserves respect for the organisation he has created to promote Karate and the enjoyment it brings to many people. However I am pretty sure that he hasn’t been to a training class of mine recently so I don’t really care. He has provided a large number of very well trained and patient staff who do train and support me, so that will have to do. I suspect that even though he is getting on in years he could still beat the crap out of many…
To end this little rant.. GKR may have faults, but I thinks that’s just as much to do with peoples high expectations. It’s a large organisation and people sometimes mistrust that. But that’s not a bad thing, at least it keeps them on their toes…
|
|
Matiu
|
Mar 19, 2012
|
Con artists
Hi concerned mum of 1. Just to add my bit, I've been taking my two kids (9 yr old lad an 7 year old girl) to GKR for just over a year in Sheffield, UK, and I'm really happy with it. All these scam and pyramid accusations don't make a single bit of difference, especially not to the kids. We go because it's fun, it's cheap, it's accessible to us all and it does teach the kids really valuable lessons on setting (and achieving) long term goals, perseverance, discipline, tradition, and, God forbid they ever need it, smacking bullies where it hurts. I was attracted to GKR because all the other local dojo's charged a monthly rate, whether you trained or not which I thought was more of a rip off. GKR only charge if you train, so going away in holidays or missing the odd class is cool. That said, we're now enjoying it so much that we don't like to miss a class, and actually try to sneak in two a week or more when we can. The kids have done swimming pool sessions which were brilliant fun, we met Kancho (the founder) who taught for about 2 and a half hours in Leeds, and so far have been to 3 different dojo's in Sheffield, each of which had great sensei and sempai (assistants). While I'm here, for what it's worth, anyone who is saying that the founder has "very little ability in karate" has probably never seen him fight. I'm sure there's plenty to say about Kancho Sullivan, but this is just not true and makes me doubt the rest of what's been said. He was truly inspirational. So no, if you're experience is anything like ours has been for the last year you've not been conned at all. Sure you and the kids might want to practise other martial arts one day as you develop or get curious, I think my boy might go for other kinds eventually, but as a solid start, with good techniques, strong dojo etiquette and an emphasis on fitness and technique GKR has been great for us all.
|
|
Peter Taylor
|
Feb 9, 2013
|
only for children
After trying a GKR club recently, i now realise GKR has been set up for children and not Adults. Children are pushed in front of adults for Gradings because of simple Economics.. Children are 85% of GKR and they cannot afford to lose them. At its worst GKR is watered down Karate.. At its best.. it's just a childrens club. You WILL NOT get a 'high' level of training with them because GKR is first and formost a 'Business' set up to attract children. They would like to think they have 50,000 students.. Dream on GKR!.. all you have are a bunch of children and very poor teachers with no understanding of 'True' karate.
|
|
unnown
|
Nov 19, 2015
|
my views
Remember GKR trainers are NOT miracle workers and there for not every one will get to black belt is not there fault that you cant do it.
It is NOT just a kids club I at first didn't go because I assumed it was manly a kids club I was wrong very wrong in fact there was more adults.
all trainers/sensei's at my local club are patient kind friendly and so on NOT FORGETING 1 HELPER IS AN ORANGE BELT AGED 10 SHE HELPED ME ALOT .DONT JUDGE SOMEBODY BY AGE AT THE END OF THE DAY SHE WAS BETTER THAN ME SO I LET HER HELP ME.
And just to add in there don't disrespect Kancho Sullivan just because you can't get close to how amazing he is there isn't any need if you had a bad experience fine don't disrespect others because you couldn't do it.
Anything you do costs money get over it, if you don't want to do it don't do it, simple but don't put others off because you had a bad experience.
concerned mum of 1
please I have been I have had someone at my door and I did the same as you there's about 20 mabe more or a little less every one of them is happy and kind don't let an idiot put you off.
I have autism fibromyalgia and many other thing oh and I'm a young carer if I can do you can forget what the idiot said its amazing you haven't been ripped of it was one of the best decisions you will ever make.
|
|
Previous 1 Next |
|
|
