Gōjū-ryū (剛柔流),

(Japanese for “hard-soft style”) Is one of the 3 major traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book Bubishi (Chinese: wu bei ji), used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries. Go, which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks; Ju, which means soft, refers to open hand techniques and circular movements. Goju-ryu incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum, combining hard striking attacks such as kicks and close hand punches with softer open hand circular techniques for attacking, blocking, and controlling the opponent. Goju-Ryu includes locks, chokes, grappling (standing & ground), takedowns and throws. The small joint locks and throws of Goju-Ryu are known as tuiti (controlling hand) and are contained in the Ancient Court Dances of the Ryukyu Kingdom, while the wrestling and loaded throws are known as tegumi (Old Ryukyu Sumo ). The most advanced techniqes of Goju-Ryu lie within the closely garded sub-art of Kyusho-Justu (The Chinese art of striking and seizing pressure points) which is closely tied to the practice of Chinese acupuncture and herbal pharmacology.

Major emphasis is given to breathing correctly in all of the katas but particularly in the Sanchin kata which is one of two core katas of this style. The second kata is called Tensho, meant to teach the student about the soft (ju) style of the system. Goju-ryu practices methods that include body strengthening and conditioning, its basic approach to fighting (close distance, stickiness, power generation, relaxed softness etc.), and partner drills. Sensei Ichiro Takahata brought Shorei-Kan Goju-ryu to Oklahoma in 1968.

Sensei Khalid M.S. holds a Godan (5th degree) black belt, and Menkyo (Teaching License) in Okinawan Shoreikan Goju Ryu Karate. At age 34 Sensei Khalid was the youngest foreign Okinawan Goju Ryu practitioner to hold the title of Shihan (Master Instructor). Abdalla aka Dalla to his friends, is one of only a hand full of people in North America to obtain black belt rank in Motobu Udundi, the style practiced by the Ryukyu King’s palace bodyguard during the time of the Ryukyu kingdom, and is one of less than 100 people in the world to obtain this black belt. Sensei Khalid has studied the Kenjutsu (sword arts) of Ryukyu Udundi, Daito Ryu, and Katori Shinto Ryu. Sensei Khalid has studied martial arts in Okinawa, the birthplace of Karate. He has trained with martial arts masters including Grand Master Seiji Urasaki 1919-2019 of Shorei-Kan Goju Ryu, Master Tadashi Yamashita of Shorin Ryu, Master Kiyohide Shinjyo of Uechi Ryu, Master Masatoshi Arikawa (Soke) of Ryukyu Hidden Bujutsu Ti (Udundi), and Master Keizo Matsuda (Shihan) of Ryukyu Hidden Bujutsu Ti (Udundi), Shorin Ryu, Okinawa Kempo.

Sensei Khalid holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Clinical Psychology with a Minor in Kinesiology and a Masters of Science (M.S.) in Exercise Science. Sensei Khalid is also an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certified Personal Trainer & Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist, as well as a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. Sensei Khalid continues to study acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Ancient Ryukyu Dance, and medical anatomy in order to deeper understand the roots of Goju Ryu.