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ETIQUETTE
WITHIN THE DOJO SOCIETY
Some
rules of the road
In any karate dojo,
one of the most important rules of etiquette is behaviour.
Since by nature we
all learn by trial and error, many things will be
forgiven in a dojo, but bad behaviour is definitely not
one of them. This rule applies to every student within
the dojo society regardless of their rank, in fact the
higher the rank, the less tolerance there is for any
breach of etiquette what so ever. Starting with the "sensei"
or
"teacher" down through the "sempai's" or "assistants"
in the black belt ranks, and then finally through the "kyu" or coloured belt ranks,
known as "kohai" it is the responsibility
of each student to make sure that those who follow in
their foot steps, do so with the highest possible level
of personal behaviour. It is very important to remember,
however, that correction for acts of misbehaviour always
come from the top down, not the bottom up.
Entering
the dojo
The first lesson
you will ever learn once you have been accepted into any
karate school is how to enter and exit the "dojo" or "training hall"
properly.
Prior to entering
the dojo for the first time a senior student or “Sempai” will usually instruct
you in the art of "bowing in". Every karate
dojo in the world has a shrine at the designated “front”
of the dojo, this is referred to as the "Shomen" and regardless of how
many times you enter or leave the dojo during the course
of your daily training, you must always bow to the "Shomen" first. This is done by
standing at the dojo entrance and facing towards the "Shomen", be sure that your feet
are together, keep your legs straight, your arms should
be at your sides and touching the sides of your thighs,
your hands should be open and facing downward along the
seam of your gi with your fingers and thumb together. To
bow, bend forward at the waist to about 45 degrees, keep
your eyes looking downward and do not let your arms move
or leave your side, pause for a second at the bottom of
the bow then unbend. The entire bow should take only a
few seconds, but it should be performed with the utmost
courtesy and respect.
Remember
:
"In
order to bow well physically,
you
must first learn how to bow well in your mind".
Should you ever
find yourself entering or leaving the dojo with a large
group of students, do not push or shove, but instead
patiently wait your turn. If the opportunity presents its
self always allow those senior students in the group to
enter or exit the dojo first, since in a karate dojo
everything is dictated by your rank within the dojo
society.
Arriving
late
In a karate dojo,
as is it is in life, it is very bad manners to be late.
Sometimes, however,
this may be unavoidable, in which case you will be
required to bow in quietly and then kneel in seiza just
to one side of the dojo entrance. If you arrive while
everyone else is also kneeling in seiza or reciting the
dojo kun, do not make any noise what so ever, just wait
quietly until the sensei or senior instructor
acknowledges you and invites you to join the class. This
may not happen right away, and it is important to
remember that you must remain kneeling where you are
until your are invited in, at which time you may be asked
to perform some task as a penance for being late.
Once you are
invited to join the class, you must first bow while still
kneeling, then get up quickly and join the class by
finding a place in the last row unless some other space
is indicated to you. This may or may not be your normal
place of rank within that particular class, but as I
mentioned earlier, in a karate dojo as in life, arriving
late usually requires you to pay a price for your
tardiness.
The
line up
At the beginning of
each class you will hear the most senior student present
call, “line up”. Upon hearing this command you
must move quickly and quietly to stand in "heisoku
dachi" or
"informal stance" at your appropriate place of
rank within that particular class. Depending on the size
of the class you will often find that your place within
the rank of students will vary from class to class. This
is to be expected since the more senior students there
are in a class, the further down the line you will be.
The line up is done
in rank order from right to left facing the "Shomen" or the “front”
of the dojo. As a result unless you are actually teaching
the class, you will always have a more senior student to
your immediate right, this could even be a student who
wears the same colour of belt as you, but who would have
achieved that rank before you did. To your immediate left
you will then find a student of similar or lesser rank
and so on down the line until finally at the end of the
line you will find the newest or most junior student in
the class. If you are ever required to start a new row
due to the number of students ahead of you, be sure to
start the row by standing behind the student on the
extreme right end of the line in front of you, be sure
that the line you start is of the same width as those in
front of you, and that you are lined up directly behind
the student in front of you.
One day, if you
train long enough and hard enough, you too may find that
it is your turn to give the command, "line up".
Everyone
starts at the bottom
Upon joining a
karate dojo you will find that no one gets special
treatment.
Everyone starts at
the bottom. By that I mean that even the President of a
large company who may be well known and respected, or for
that matter even your boss at your place of work; if he
or she were to join your dojo they would find that
despite their rank within the business community, even
they can not simply join a dojo and without any previous
training move to the head of the line just because of
their status, or wealth outside of the dojo.
Like I said, in a
karate dojo everyone starts at the bottom - where you go
from there is entirely up to you.
The
standing bow
The single most
important technique in Shotokan karate is the bow.
The standing bow
for example, is used not only to bow into and out of the
dojo at the beginning or end of each class, but it is
also used for example when bowing to another student, or
an instructor before performing any form of partner
training. The standing bow is also performed prior to the
begining of each kata, and at the end of each kata, and
it must never be omitted or performed casually as it is
extremely important that all of your karate training and
all of your katas begin and end with courtesy. Starting
from a "heiko dachi" or "ready stance"
bring your feet together while at the same time bringing
your hands to your sides so you are now in "heisoku
dachi" or
"informal attention stance" remember, when
bowing bend forward at the waist to about 45 degrees
without letting your arms move or leave your side, pause
for a second, then unbend. The entire bow should take
only a few seconds, but it should always be performed
with the utmost courtesy and respect.
Remember
:
"In
order to bow well physically,
you
must first learn how to bow well in your mind".
If you find
yourself bowing to a partner always keep your eyes
focused on theirs, however, when bowing to your sensei or to the Shomen always be sure that your
eyes are looking downward.
Seiza
The "seiza" or "kneeling
position" while a very common occurance, is used
most often at the beginning and the end of each class, or
when you are instructed to sit and watch a demonstration
of some kind.
To get into the
seiza position from an attention stance, bend down on the
balls of both feet then first place your left knee on the
ground, then your right knee, then sit down and tuck your
feet underneath you. Be sure and always keep your back
straight and your shoulders relaxed when sitting in seiza
and your knees should be aligned with, but not touching,
the knees of the person on your right or your left. Rest
your open hands comfortably on the upper portion of your
thighs with your fingers and thumb together and pointed
slightly inward.
Proper posture in
seiza is very important, and for anatomical reasons male
students should have about a 12 inch to 14 inch width
between their knees, while female students should have
their knees together.
Bowing
in seiza
At the beginning of
each class prior and to any form of training, the entire
class will kneel in the seiza position and bow in turn
to the Shomen and then to the sensei. The first bow is to the
Shomen and the shrine at the front of the dojo. This is
done in rank order at the command, “Shomen
ni rei”
this first bow is done as a sign of deep respect to the
memory of the long line of Masters and Sensei who came
before you and who in turn passed the art of Shotokan
karate down to your sensei.
This second bow is
to your sensei. This is done in rank
order at the command, “Sensei
ni rei”
this done as a sign of deep respect to your sensei without whom there would
be no dojo for you to train in and therefore no one who
could pass the art of karate on to you. In return the sensei bows to the entire class
as a sign of deep respect to the students who come to
train, because without students to teach there would be
no one for the sensei to pass his or her
knowledge on to.
When you are bowing
to either the Shomen or to your sensei you will either remain
respectfully silent, or as is the practice in many dojos,
it is permissible to say “onegaishimas” which roughly translated
means “please teach me”.
To perform a bow
from the seiza position first move your left hand from
your left thigh and on to the floor about two hand
lengths out in front of your left knee with your finger
tips pointed inward, then, slightly behind in time, move
your right hand from your right thigh and on to the floor
about two hand lengths out in front of your right knee
with your finger tips pointed inward so that your right
hand is facing your left hand so that your and your index
fingers are slightly touching. Now without letting your
elbows touch the floor lean forward and bow your head
stopping this motion just short of touching the back of
both your hands. The bow is done entirely from the waist
and since it is a more formal way of bowing you should
pause for slightly longer than you do when performing a
standing bow. When coming up from the bow slide your
hands back to their starting position in reverse order,
that is your right hand first followed by your left hand
and then sit up straight in a relaxed posture.
Respect by all
students regardless of their rank for the past, the
present, and the future is the best way of assuring that
the art of Shotokan karate will be spread in tact to the
next generation.
Mokusoh
This is the command
to meditate.
When ”mokusoh” is called, you must
close your eyes, lower your gaze, tuck your chin in
towards your chest, relax and quietly begin taking long
slow breaths in through your nose and out through your
mouth. It is important to learn to breath not just with
the upper portion of your lungs but also from your lower
abdomen or “hara” as the Japanese call it. Your
"hara" is the lowest part of you abdomen and is
located approximately three fingers widths below your
navel. By learning to breath from here you will develop
greater power and speed as your karate training
progresses.
It is during this
meditative process that you want to “quiet your mind”
and to try and rid yourself of all thoughts unrelated to
your karate training, you must seek to find an inner
sense of peace, or a relaxed state of being, this will
help you to stay focused through out the training that is
about to begin.
Remember
:
"In
order to train successfully in the dojo,
you
must first have a dojo mind".
If
you use the time spent in ”mokusoh”
to properly focus your mind prior
to each class, you will over time in all likelyhood
notice a definite increase in the quality of your
techniques.
Mokusoh
yame
This is the command
to stop meditating.
When “mokusoh
yame”
is called open your eyes immediately and sit up straight.
When your turn comes quickly rise up by starting with
your right foot, then your left foot and stand in "heiko
dachi"
or "ready stance" and await further
instructions.
It is usually at
this time that the sensei or a sempai will lead the class in
the "dojo kun" or dojo creed.
Student
creed
After the ritual of
bowing and mokusoh is complete in many karate dojos the
class will recite the “dojo
kun”
or “dojo creed”.
The "dojo
kun"
can best be described as “a verbal affirmation”
of certain principles or truths. You must make a point to
learn your dojo's creed as soon as possible and when
reciting it always try and speak it in unison with the
other students, but never so loudly that your own voice
stands out from all the rest.
It is important
that you believe in what you say, and you must then use
this belief to help you do your very best, not only in
the training that lies ahead but also in your daily life
outside of the dojo.
Etiquette
during class
Once the training
starts it is very important to put aside all unrelated
thoughts. You must make every effort to only concentrate
on the specific task at hand and especially on improving
the quality of your own techniques. On "seeing"
what can not be seen. In the beginning this will be a
very hard concept for you to grasp but you must push
yourself both physical as well as mentally if your karate
is ever going to improve. In short, "always do your
best". In fact to do otherwise would be
disrespectful not only to yourself, but also to your
classmates and your instructor who have come to train
with you.
When moving from
one area of the dojo to another always do it quickly and
quietly. When changing positions in line be sure not to
cut through the lines or to pass in front of anyone else,
instead go behind and around them. Whenever you watch a
demonstration, do so respectfully and silently, without
leaning on the walls or doing anything that would
distract others. If you have a questions about any of the
techniques that are being taught during class never call
out, instead always raise you hand and wait to be
acknowledged, then ask your question in the politest
possible terms.
When training with
a partner always be sure and bow properly before you
begin and after you finish your training together. This
applies every time you change partners regardless of
their rank.
Kiai
Sooner or later you
will learn to perform a “kiai” or "spirit cry".
A kiai is not
unique to karate, but it is a sound that will be unique
to each individual student. This sound does not come from
the throat, but instead it originates deep in your
abdomen or "tanden" and is usually expressed
during the maximum point of attack or defence in all
Shotokan katas. In the beginning most students will
simply say the word “kiai” but in fact "kiai"
is simply a Japanese word that when translated into
English literally means, “yell”.
So what is a kiai?
My personal
definition of a kiai is as follows : “a kiai is a
unique, personal vocalization, brought about by a strong
emotional feeling ."
In karate a kiai is
most often used at the moment when the students maximum
physical, mental and or spiritual power is required in
combination with a specific movement or technique. What
you will learn to do over the course of your training, is
to draw on all your mental, physical and spiritual energy
and focus and release this energy for maximum power and
effect at the appropriate moment in your kata or during
class.
Don’t be
afraid to kiai loudly.
The overall tone of
a class is often set by the level of spirit in the class,
which can often be raised with a strong kiai on your part.
So you if you have a strong kiai it will often spur
others to work harder as well. On the other hand, if your
spirit is poor, or your kiai weak, you might actually
bring down the class spirit, so always do your very best.
In the end your own
personal kiai will be as unique as you are, never be
embarrassed by what you think it sounds like, if there is
spirit and conviction in your actions then your kiai will
always be strong.
Kata
If basic techniques
are the "heart" of Shotokan karate then most
assuredly kata is the "soul" of Shotokan karate.
Just what is kata?
My definition of
kata is as follows : “A kata is a series of pre-determined
defensive and offensive movements
and techniques that have been handed down from past
masters as a means of helping a student to understand,
and cope with, their personal physical limitations, while
at the same time helping the student to develop a strong
spirit, and a peaceful mind through the art of karate."
In the end kata is
all about control - physical, mental, and spiritual
control. If you do kata often enough you will finally
come to understand what this means. So how often is often
enough?
If you need to ask
you will never find the answer.
The
end of class
Often this comes
all to soon.
When your class is
at an end and “Line Up!” is called once again,
be sure and quickly line up in in the same manner and
rank order as you were at the start of your class. Finish
as you started, with a positive attitude and a willing
desire to always do your best no matter what lies ahead.
It is very
important that the lessons you learn at each class leave
the dojo with you. How you use and apply these lessons in
your everyday life is up to you, but your progress
depends on you remembering them and building upon them.
Upon instruction
come to attention, and then bow, after the final bow to
the Shomen and the sensei students will often say “arigato
gozaimashita", which means “thank you very
much” or simply say “thank you” in English
in either case it is the level of gratitude is important.
In truth "class"
never ends.
Clean
up
After each class
there is usually some cleaning required in the dojo.
Try and take and
active part rather than sit back and watch others do the
work.
In many dojos these
tasks are often performed by the most senior students
since they know that respect for the dojo or training
hall is just as important as respect for your teachers
and fellow students.
Exiting
the dojo
When
your class is finished be sure that you exit the dojo in
the same manner as you entered it, with courtesy and
respect.
Once
again this
is done by standing so you are facing the front or "Shomen", be sure that your feet
are together, keep your legs straight, keep your arms at
your sides with your hands open and facing downward along
the seam of your gi and with your fingers and thumb
together. To bow, bend forward at the waist to about 45
degrees, with your eyes looking downward and without
letting your arms leave your side, pause for a second
then unbend. The entire bow should take only a few
seconds but it should be performed with the utmost
courtesy and respect.
The
end
If you keep these
simple rules in mind then your experiences within the
dojo will be much more enjoyable, and your fellow
students will hold you in much higher regard for your
efforts.
- Remember
- A
good effort is the result of
- having
the proper mental attitude.
- Part
the clouds - see the way.
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- "The
objective of karate-do is to contribute to the evolution
- of
the human spirit through physical and mental training."
- Sensei
Peter Lindsay
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