#Bow to your sensei full
#Bow to your sensei code

This is especially true if you are visiting a dojo as a guest. Plan to arrive at the dojo early – at least by 10 to 15 minutes. If you have long hair, it should be tied up. Grooming means, in particular, keeping your fingernails and toenails trimmed, so they don’t injure other people or break during training. You should be well groomed and clean for training, and wear acceptable attire - a clean gi. Proper karate etiquette starts before training. “Martial Arts begins and ends with respect.”Ī good principal is to have your behavior, both inside and outside the karate dojo, be guided by respect to others. Another word about Karate EtiquetteĪs Anko Itosu (pictured below), the father of modern day karate said: You may not employ those when you are eating a hamburger at McDonald’s, but they are there for you to utilize when you visit your girlfriend/boyfriend’s parents for a formal holiday dinner. Having good karate etiquette is the same as knowing formal dining customs. If you visit another dojo, attend a martial arts seminar, or travel to Asia, you will find that good etiquette will allow you to seamlessly integrate into the group, enabling you to focus your energy on the training. Still, investing your time in developing proper karate etiquette is worthwhile.

#Bow to your sensei full

In this regards, our dojo, Full Potential Martial Arts in San Diego, is on the liberal side. Martial arts dojos vary in their adherence to etiquette. Although one may think of etiquette as “snobbery” (“why should I care which fork I use?”), the fact is that people in the group will judge you by your conformance to the group’s etiquette. Etiquette at its base is having good manners as accepted by the group. For example, the US Marine Corps, golf, and yoga each have their own etiquette.

#Bow to your sensei code

“the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group.” One dictionary definition of etiquette is: At the request of several students at our San Diego karate dojo, I put together this article to help martial artists get a jump start on karate etiquette. (And, occasionally making mistakes and getting scolded for those). Traditionally, those rules were not written, and new karate students were expected to learn proper conduct by observing other students. They may not be familiar with the customs of karate training: When do you bow? How do you line up? When may you ask questions during training? What do you do if you are late?Īs is common in any cultural groups, karate has a set of rules for proper and polite behavior. Newcomers to karate are sometimes intimidated by the unique etiquette of martial arts.