Goju-ryu has at its core self-defense training rooted in ancient Chinese martial arts, brought to the Island of Okinawa, melded with local influences, and organized into a system early in this century by Chojun Miyagi. The name Goju-ryu Karate means literally “Hard Soft System Empty Hand Way” and can be interpreted in a number of ways. The curriculum is organized into three main parts, basics, forms, and applications. As skill and understanding are demonstrated, complexity and difficulty is increased to challenge and motivate. Although many concepts are utilized in training, all are based on the contrasting forces found all around us, such as hard/soft, weak/strong, fast/slow, gentle/harsh, up/down, silent/loud, fluid/solid, opposing/helping, physical/mental, straight/circular, and the like. As physical skills are taught, concentration, focus, awareness, and discipline are developed. The result is a system that can be learned early or late in life, and practiced into one’s old age with increasing skill, wisdom, and economy.