Membership is mandatory for EGKA students. This is normal for most martial arts. The EGKA has 3 options for membership.

There are many benefits that you will receive upon becoming a member of the English Goju-Ryu Karate-Do Association.

1. Learn directly from the foremost authorities of traditional Goju-Ryu karate

The EGKA is one of the oldest member organisations of the IOGKF, and as such membership gives you a privileged opportunity to learn and train directly with some of the foremost authorities on Goju-Ryu karate in the world today. Most of our senior sensei attend the international events to ensure that instruction here in England remain true to the teachings of Goju-Ryu founder, Chojun Miyagi Shihan.

2. Joining an EGKA Dojo ensures a high standard of safe and technical instruction

All EGKA instructors are fully vetted, insured and trained by the EGKA to maintain the high teaching standards we expect. It is not only about ensuring the teaching methods remain true to the original approach that has worked for centuries in Okinawa. It is about training in a safe and disciplined environment, where the instructors themselves have been properly trained to bring on their students in a responsible way as the individual develops the physical strength and stamina, as well as the correct mental attitude necessary to practice Goju-Ryu at the higher levels. Goju-Ryu is a self-defence system, and it is inevitable that some minor contact injuries will occur. Our Instructors are trained, however, to create a strict and safe training environment in the dojo, especially in the case of instructing children, where the opportunity for injuries are minimised. It is often said that the standard of teaching you will receive, will only ever be as good as the standard of the teacher themselves. In the case of an EGKA instructor, that standard will be self evidently very high.

3. Third party and personal injury insurance cover.

As a paid-up member of the EGKA you automatically receive third party and personal injury insurance cover when you are training in a recognised EGKA dojo, or at a EGKA event, under the supervision of a recognised EGKA instructor. We practise a light contact form of karate that minimises the risk of personal injury, but accidents can happen. It is reassuring to know that you are insured should you cause or receive an injury.

4. Network with tens of thousands of Goju-Ryu practitioners around the world.

Being a member of the EGKA provides you with the opportunity to network with thousands of other Goju-Ryu practitioners around the world. Apart from developing friendships that can last a last a lifetime, you will have the opportunity to share training, experiences, knowledge and expertise from other dojos around the world that can only broaden and develop your own standard and enjoyment of our martial art.

5. Travel with the EGKA to other countries

Over 50 countries now run IOGKF sponsored international, national and regional Gasshukus (training seminars) each year. The EGKA organise many group trips to other countries to participate in these events, including recent visits to Okinanwa, Canada, China, South Africa, Europe and USA. Being a member of the EGKA ensures you will have the opportunity to join us in our travels and always arrive to a friendly reception.

6. Keep informed and up-to-date

As a member of the EGKA, you will be kept informed of all the latest events, technical and historical information through this website and through the information the EGKA pass through directly to the senior instructors of our licensed dojos.

The EGKA welcomes new members regardless of age, race, sex, religion or martial arts background. There are certain requirements for membership, however, the most important being the acceptance that members will continue to learn and teach the traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do in its original form, as handed down by its founder Chojun Miyagi Sensei. Nakamura Sensei has devoted his life to preserving these teachings, and it is the responsibility of all EGKA members to continue to do the same. It is also considered important to accept that the essence of karate lies in the kata, which must be practiced correctly and diligently in order to discover the essential principles and “hidden” meanings of karate. To the new student these requirements may seem strange and foreign to the modern way of thinking where little regard is given to tradition. But as one progresses and learns more about Goju-Ryu it becomes apparent the reasoning behind preserving the traditional method of teaching is simply because it works. Any attempt to dilute or westernise the methodology only serves to weaken what is a serious and very effective fighting system for self defence that continuously challenges and develops both mind and body to new and higher levels.