Advanced & black belt
After Shodan, the real study starts.
For black belts who want to go deeper — kata and bunkai, kumite, kobudo, and learning to teach. Training with senior grades from the dojo and visiting instructors from Japan.
Who it's for
Black belts who keep training
Advanced training is for students who have reached black belt and want to understand Goju Ryu properly — the kata in depth, the applications inside them, and the reasons behind the way things are done.
Senior students are also expected to lead: to help in class, to correct juniors and, in time, to teach. Most of the dojo's instructors came up this way, and several have trained at the Hombu Dojo in Tokyo and with Yamamoto Soshihan on his visits to Sydney.
Prerequisites
What you need to join
- Rank
- At least 1st Dan in Goju Ryu, or an equivalent grade in another art with instructor approval.
- Technique
- Fundamentals, kata and basic kumite performed to grading standard.
- Commitment
- Consistent training, and a willingness to take on responsibility in the dojo.
- Teaching
- An interest in eventually helping to teach and mentor junior students.
Curriculum
Four threads of advanced study
- 01
Kata
Traditional forms
- Sanchin, refined
- Tensho
- The classical Goju Ryu kata
- Bunkai — application study
- 02
Kumite
Advanced sparring
- Free sparring
- Competition preparation
- Multiple-opponent drills
- Control and precision
- 03
Teaching
Leading a class
- How to instruct
- Running a class
- Correcting one-to-one
- Motivating students
- 04
Understanding
The art behind the technique
- Goju Ryu history and philosophy
- Breathing — ibuki
- Kobudo (weapons)
- A student for life
Beyond technique
The kata mean something.
Advanced training spends as much time on why as on how: the history behind a movement, the application inside a kata, the breathing that holds it together.
Alongside that, the kumite gets harder and the self-defence more realistic. Weapons training — bo, sai, tonfa — is part of the senior curriculum.
Senior training includes
- Classical weapons — bo, sai, tonfa
- Breathing methods — ibuki
- Pressure-point applications — kyusho
- Competition strategy
- Teaching method and class management
- Meditation and mental training
Becoming an instructor
Learning by teaching
Many students in the advanced program go on to teach. Instruction in how to run a class, manage a room and bring a student on is part of the training, and the standard is the same one the dojo has held since 1984.
Advanced training runs within the senior classes at both dojos. Talk to your instructor about where to start.
Ready to go further?
If you hold a black belt and want to deepen your Goju Ryu, get in touch and we'll talk about where you're at.