Our focus is on learning a traditional, practical self-defense method while getting a great workout. And if you meet a few new friends along the way, all the better!

The style that we train at Toronto Goju Ryu Karate is called Goju Ryu. The literal translation of Goju Ryu means “hard/soft style” and is said to have been taken from a poem in the ancient Chinese martial arts text called “The Bubishi” by the founder of Goju Ryu, Chojun Miyagi.

Goju Ryu is a complete martial art that includes strikes, joint manipulation, throws and pressure points. All of these techniques can be found within the traditional Goju Ryu kata (1-person patterns or forms).

Although still very effective, joint manipulations and controlling techniques are typically labeled as “soft”, and striking techniques as “hard”. The combination of these two approaches is used in Goju Ryu to distract and control an opponent, then incapacitate them if necessary.