Lining Up and Bowing In

[KickChick]

I was wondering just how many of you follow a procedure of lining up and bowing in or out at the beginning or end of a training session.

 

There are various opinions in the various styles as to why and how we line up or bow.

 

Training in some dojos begin and end without any line-up or bow. Some only have an informal standing bow, sometimes without lining up. I have heard about one dojo which has a circular "line-up," the idea being that everyone is learning from the others.

 

At our school/dojo the instructor calls the class to order with two quick claps of his or her hands.

 

When the instructor commands "Line up for class," the class quickly lines up.

 

The instructor will stand in front of the students facing the wall with Korean /US Flag. The instructor has other black belts or senior students line up behind him to his or her left by rank.

 

The senior student in the class, the first person in the front row, will give the following commands:

 

Charyut: The class will snap to attention.

 

Kyungnyet: Everyone will bow toward the flags.

 

The instructor then calls upon a student of his choice to recite the "student creed(tenets)"

 

The instructor will now begin class instruction.

 

At the end of class, the instructor will command "Line up for dismissal." The class will line up again as it did at the beginning of class.

 

The senior student, the first one in the front row, will give the following commands:

 

Charyut: The class will snap to attention.

 

Kyungnyet: The class will bow to the instructor.

 

I know in Japanese styles, students sit down when lining up ....how does your dojo conduct the beginning and ending of your training session?

 

 

[Jack]

Our dojang is very similar, in that the instructor will ask us the line up. We also line up quickly and quietly. We stand in rows and columns facing the instructor, who stands in front of the class facing us. He will then say Charyut, and we all snap to attention, and then Kyungnyet, and we bow towards the instructor. Then he calls any other present black belts up to the front, then bows and stands in the corner as the black belts do another Charyut and Kyungnyet, and then we start our warmup. After the warmup, the black belts will bow out and return to standing in line, and the instructor takes over again. We have highest ranking members along the left row, with higher ranking going infront of lower ranking.

 

At the end of the lesson we will be asked to line up again, and then he will give an overview of the lesson, ask the black belts to come up and give their comments or opinions, and then another charyut, kyungnyet, and 'have a nice weekend'.

 

 

[Iron Arahat]

My students bow when they come in the door, and before they leave. That is about it other than when they are going to spar they bow before, mainly because we go full-contact when we spar and I want no hard feelings.

 

But really beyond that nothing.

[Kensai]

At my Aikido dojo everyone comes in bows to our and does some casual warm ups and a general chat about anything really.

 

 

[Kensai]

In my Aikido dojo we enter. Before getting onto the mat with bow to the gaku (Symbol of aikido). Remove our Zori sandles get onto the mat. Have a general chat and warm up. Then the senior student will enter. We all line up at the shimoza (lower seat). Going into Seiza (typical seating position), always looking forward to the gaku. Sensei leads the bow to the gaku we bow. Sensei then turns bows to us we bow.

 

Train Well

 

 

[Bon]

Nope, all we do is shake hands with people before & after working with them.

 

 

[Taikudo-ka]

Hey Bon, good on you. The thought, of course, is important, not the external form.

 

 

Anyway, at my dojo (Japanese Karate), we do the following:

 

- Bow (to Sensei) on entering and leaving.

 

- Line up (being Australia, trying to get us to actually line up in rank is probably futile...)

 

- Seiza and mokosu (seated meditation)

 

- 'Onegaishimasu' (seated half bow and asking 'please teach me')

 

- Bow before and after sparring each opponent. (I try to make my bow even more respectful if I've just hit my opponent in the head a few times.)

 

- Line up again at end of class. Standing bow to instructor at finish of lesson.

 

Hmm, it actually sounds more ritualistic written out than it is in practise...

 

 

[G95champ]

We do almost the same thing as Kickchick does.

 

The Sensei will give the order to line up. The students face the Sensei in rank order. White to Black from left to right. The Sempai will set off to the Sensei's right facing the open wall.

 

Once everyone is lined up we bow to each other one large class bow.

 

The Sensei will then turn and face the flags, pics of teachers etc. and set down. As soon as he is down he will give the call for the class to set one by one from high to low. Just like dominos.

 

Once everyone is seated we will do anywhere from one to five mins of meditation. Just closing the eyes and taking deep breaths. This is usually a bit longer at the end of class.

 

Next the Sensei will give the call to stop meditation at which point the class will all bow to the flags and founders.

 

The Sensei will then turn to face the students at this point he may call on the Sempai to take over. A bow between the Sensei and the class will then take place. If the Sempai took over the calling a order will be given to turn to him and bow. If not we just carry on.

 

Finally the Sempai or Sensei will call out the dojo Kune which the class repeats. After completing a final bow is given our of respect to the rules. The Sensei will call that bow and then take over control of the class.

 

The Sensei will then stand and the rest of the class will follow one by one until everyone is up. Again from high to low ranks. Once everyone is up a final bow is given and everyone one spreads out to begin stretching.

 

We repeat this at the end of class as well.

 

We always bow when coming in and out of the dojo as well.

 

 

 

 

[karatekid1975]

In my dojang, it is important for disipline. They are really strict about it. We bow when we enter the dojang itself and before we enter the training floor. Then, if one is present, we bow to the most senior instructor (who ever is teaching the previous class). The master instructor (or senior instructor) will ask everyone to line up. We guickly respond. The senior student will say face the flags, charyut (sp?), kyung yet. The instructor will turn to face us, charyut, kyungyet. Then in chinese (since we have kung fu, too), but I could never remember the chinese LOL. Then the senior will lead in the student oath. Then we bow again.

 

After class, we are told to line up again. We do breathing exercises, meditation. We are asked the saying of the week (whatever it might be that week), and words of wisdom. Then we bow out (to the instuctor, then the most senior student). When leaving, we bow leaving the training floor and the dojang door.

 

_________________

 

Laurie S.

 

Green belt TKD

 

(formally 5th gup blue belt TSD)

 

[ This Message was edited by: karatekid1975 on 2002-07-11 13:22 ]

[--]

In our Aikido dojo, we walk in and began warming up. We can converse lightly and whatnot, as long as we remain focused on the excercises. After about ten minutes, our sensei walks onto the floor. The senior student announces that sensei is coming, and we all line up. Our sensei bows to us one by one, and then adresses us, starting class. At the end of class, sensei bows to us individually again, then bids us farewell altogether.