gōjū-ryū is japanese for "hard-soft style." it is one of the main traditional okinawan styles of karate. gōjū-ryū uses 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" (). gō, which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks. jū, which means soft, refers to open hand techniques and circular movements. gōjū-ryū uses both circular and linear movements. it combines hard striking attacks such as kicks. it also uses close hand punches with softer open hand circular techniques. these are used for attacking, blocking, and controlling the opponent. this includes locks, grappling, takedowns and throws.