Hugging in the dojo

[Zaine]

I'm a hugger. I don't see any problem in it as long as the instructor doesn't.

[Dobbersky]

You knockdown people are a bunch of hippies... I'm confused.

PMSL @ MasterPain

[Dobbersky]

I'm a hugger. I don't see any problem in it as long as the instructor doesn't.

I'm the Instructor and I hug, Don't see no issues in it!!!

[Harlan]

If something isn't based in training, it has no place in the dojo.

OSU,

Man, I'm a hugger. I love hugs. Hugging is great, unless it's someone who is really skeevy.

It's not something everyone does though, and that's certainly the case in dojos/schools/gyms.

For example, our head instructor (who also trains in BJJ, where I think hugging is more prominent) tends to shake hands and hug after bowing following kumite. He'll also sometimes shake hands and hug students after class.

Our Shihan though? Yeah, not a hugger. I've managed to hug him twice. But that isn't easy.

Anyway, I think it's a good way for sparring partners to bond a bit, if they're both comfortable with it. Humans are very tactile, gregarious creatures and it's kind of a way of saying "hey, we just pounded the everliving blank out of each other, but everything is okay!"

But there's something to be said for strict high protocol too, as not everyone is at all okay with being hugged.

So how about you all? What do you think about hugging during class? After or before class? In the dojo? Do they hug where you train?

OSU

[Groinstrike]

If something isn't based in training, it has no place in the dojo.

Is bowing in and out based in training??????

Is there any combative purpose to a salutation in muay thai????

In our training hall the people who i have the closest relationships with our the people that i have knockdown drag out brawls with on a daily basis. You bette believe that after beating the tar out of each other for 60 minutes i don't have the ego were i won't give them a big slap on the back and say good work.

[Harlan]

Bowing in, in a traditional Japanese martial art, yes, it does have a purpose.

As for Muay Thai, I have no knowledge of that art and couldn't say.

Is bowing in and out based in training??????

Is there any combative purpose to a salutation in muay thai????

[Dobbersky]

Bowing in, in a traditional Japanese martial art, yes, it does have a purpose.

As for Muay Thai, I have no knowledge of that art and couldn't say.

Is bowing in and out based in training??????

Is there any combative purpose to a salutation in muay thai????

I'm not Japanese!!!

I may teach a Japanese Art but I adhere to the "ettiquette" as much as possible, but I bring in the "western" ethos after that fact. Even the Japanese Hug each other after matches

[Harlan]

Look, do what you want. The original question was what each person thinks on the issue, and that is how we train. Bow, don't bow. Hug, don't hug.

I will suggest this: when it comes to hugging and misunderstandings and lawsuits and predators...perhaps it might be prudent to keep things professional.

[Groinstrike]

Look, do what you want. The original question was what each person thinks on the issue, and that is how we train. Bow, don't bow. Hug, don't hug.

I will suggest this: when it comes to hugging and misunderstandings and lawsuits and predators...perhaps it might be prudent to keep things professional.

I understand that a "hug" in certain situations could be deemed inappropriate. That is where common sense needs to kick in.(something that is in short supply in the world btw)

Also, when i say hug, i am not talking about a full embrace, im talking about a shoulder bump and a pat on the back, that to me is a hug. I find this perfectly acceptable among training partners as a show of respect for a job well done. We do not teach people that are under the age of 18, and rarely do we participate in what most people would consider a "traditional class". When someone reached a certain rank in our system, they are considered part of our clan, we treat that person as if they were a member of our own family.

You say that because hugging as no purpose in training, then it does not belong on the mat. In my humble opinion, training martial arts is not just about learning how to defend onesself or to learn how to fight. Training martial arts has allowed me to build relationships with people who i would have never met otherwise. If one goes through their martial arts journey without building at least some important intrapersonal relationships, i think they have missed the point.

Agree to disagree.

[JusticeZero]

We mostly think of it as a possibility to get knifed in the back.