,
Japanese for "hard-soft style," is one of the main 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 used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries, the
Bubishi .
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, including locks, grappling, takedowns and throws.