The Scottish Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Association was formed in 1973. At that time it was called the BGKA (the "B" stood for British as England was also included). The founder dojos of the BGKA were Glenrothes, Lochgelly, Liverpool, Portsmouth and London. The BGKA continued until 1979 when the Scottish and English Association become seperate. In 1979 Sensei Higaonna pulled the countries together under a single federation, the INTERNATIONAL OKINAWAN GOJU-RYU KARATE-DO FEDERATION (IOGKF). The IOGKF was envisioned long ago by Goju-Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi Sensei. It is a group dedicated to the furtherance and continuation of traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do, the SGKA and the EGKA are founder member countries.
The current SGKA is managed by the Kambukai, a committee of senior instructors appointed by Higaonna Sensei which runs many SGKA sponsored courses and seminars across Scotland.
The primary objective of the SGKA is to teach and preserve the unarmed combat system of traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate. The consequences of not preserving the traditional teaching methods can be seen by the explosion of so many divergent styles of karate in the last few decades. Although their continuing popularity confirms they must serve a worthy purpose, it is sometimes hard to recognise an effective fighting system contained within their teachings methods. The importance of the SGKA´s contribution to preserving Goju-Ryu karate as a highly effective self-defence fighting system should never be underestimated, nor forgotten.
All SGKA dojo are run by licensed instructors who are properly insured, police vetted and required to undergo continuous training themselves in order to maintain the high standards expected by the association.
Adults considering taking up karate will be assured that the training they will receive at any SGKA dojo will be both enjoyable and demanding at both the physical and intellectual level. Goju-Ryu karate exponents of all levels regular do well at open martial art competitions around the world, which demonstrates the relevance and effectiveness of the Goju-Ryu combat style the SGKA teach. You will meet many people who have practised Goju-Ryu for decades and as a result will have formed friendships that last a lifetime with other practitioners all around the world.
Parents can be confident that if their children join an SGKA dojo, they will be taught Goju-Ryu karate in a way that promotes physical strength, stamina, and coordination as well as self-discipline and respect for others. The SGKA run regular seminars to educate its instructors on the best way to train children. To engage young children and retain their interest is a skill that has to be learnt and developed. The SGKA also adheres to responsible physical training programmes appropriate for young and developing children. A young child simply does not have the same musculature and bone development as an adult, and our training programmes recognise these factors.