GKR Karate was founded by Robert Sullivan in 1984 in Adelaide, Australia. The full name is Go-Kan-Ryu Karate-Do (pronounced go can roo karate doh), which translates to 'hard, complete school, the way of the empty hand'. It is a traditional style of karate that originated on the Japanese island of Okinawa. It is taught in a non-contact environment to avoid excessive injury. It mainly focuses on self defence, although ways to attack an opponent are included. There are 8 belts, including black belt; white, yellow, orange, green, blue, red, brown amd black. After black belt, you can still grade, as there are grades known as 'dans' that signify your level. Once you get to first dan, you get your name embroidered on your belt in Japanese. All people can participate, even people with physical disabilities. The only limit to this is that a child must be at least 5 years old when they start. There are lots of benefits to Karate including:
- Learning self defence
- Building confidence
- Increasing fitness
- Relieving stress
- Improving self-esteem
- Increasing focus and concentration
- Improving discipline