Etiquette at your dojo

[Hawkmoon]

This kyokushinkai karate!

[sensei8]

This kyokushinkai karate!

[bushido_man96]

Our etiquette is very similar to what DWx listed. We bow on and off the floor, to the flags and instuctors at the beginning, and then to high rank student at the end of basics after forms and at at the end of class. If we are late, we stand in the back and wait for the instructor to have us approach, bow in, ask permission to join class, and then usually filter into line in rank order.

[Lupin1]

I don't think we have anything. When I was little we were supposed to bow when entering or exiting the dojo, but we don't do that anymore. We were also supposed to call every instructor Mr. or Mrs. _______, but now only the kids do that and only for certain instructors. So it's incredibly lax all around.

The only thing we're really trying to push right now is if you come in late, walk around the back of the class and join in at the end of the line. We have a bunch of kids who walk right in front of everyone if they come in late.

Honestly, I wish we'd step it up a bit at least for the kids. They show very little respect for the instructors and the class as a whole and I can see it's really wearing on the kids' instructor.

[Hawkmoon]

I don't think we have anything. When I was little we were supposed to bow when entering or exiting the dojo, but we don't do that anymore. We were also supposed to call every instructor Mr. or Mrs. _______, but now only the kids do that and only for certain instructors. So it's incredibly lax all around.

The only thing we're really trying to push right now is if you come in late, walk around the back of the class and join in at the end of the line. We have a bunch of kids who walk right in front of everyone if they come in late.

Honestly, I wish we'd step it up a bit at least for the kids. They show very little respect for the instructors and the class as a whole and I can see it's really wearing on the kids' instructor.

Hi Lupin, question: Do you guys have a BB meeting or something every so often?

I ask because if you do that would be the best place to give the idea some air time and maybe develop it over meetings to get the dojo practicing etiquette more often!

I'm thinking have all the BBs in said meeting note and correct any student that doesn't bow, have the correction done nicely, but done, then when its habit a few weeks later pick some other aspect that needs correction and so on!!

A passing thought, in our dojo the BBs hold regular meetings, I understand other clubs ..not so much if at all.

[mazzybear]

Reading some of these I have to say I've never really relised just how relaxed it is in our dojo. My instructor refuses to be called Sensei, instead he insists we call him by his first name. We bow only at the end of the class when the Dan grades line out in front of the Kyu grades and we all bow to each other. (we also bow at the beginning and end of kata/kihon/ohyo as standard) Everybody wears a white Gi, but I'm not even sure if that's a rule or more that nobody wants to stick out more from the others. Relaxed it may be but even so there's definately no lack of respect for our instructor, when he talks we listen. Some of the younger ones sometimes push the boundaries a wee bit, but they are soon checked by the older ones and not necessarily the Dan grades, the Kyu grades will tell them too.I think basically the one rule is treat everybody with the respect that you would expect to be treated with yourself. We recently had a juijitsu club come in to give us a demonstration, our intructor insisted on stricter etiquette on this occasion making sure we called the visiting instuctor Sensei. I guess it's basically down to the inividual instuctor how he wishes to run his Dojo.

M.

[jaypo]

Mazzybear- I'm in the same situation. I am in a "Karate Club" and not a "school". My Sensei collects money from the members, pays rent, insurance, and supplies, and what's left, he splits it 60/30 with the health club we train at. He's there 6 days a week and on command, so as his deshi, I'm certain that he works for cents per hour if anything at all. While there is structure, it is not nearly as tight as the Shotokan class I trained at in my younger days. There is a great deal of respect, but it isn't like the Cobra Kai dojo in the Karate Kid!

[Zaine]

Reading some of these I have to say I've never really relised just how relaxed it is in our dojo. My instructor refuses to be called Sensei, instead he insists we call him by his first name. We bow only at the end of the class when the Dan grades line out in front of the Kyu grades and we all bow to each other. (we also bow at the beginning and end of kata/kihon/ohyo as standard) Everybody wears a white Gi, but I'm not even sure if that's a rule or more that nobody wants to stick out more from the others. Relaxed it may be but even so there's definately no lack of respect for our instructor, when he talks we listen. Some of the younger ones sometimes push the boundaries a wee bit, but they are soon checked by the older ones and not necessarily the Dan grades, the Kyu grades will tell them too.I think basically the one rule is treat everybody with the respect that you would expect to be treated with yourself. We recently had a juijitsu club come in to give us a demonstration, our intructor insisted on stricter etiquette on this occasion making sure we called the visiting instuctor Sensei. I guess it's basically down to the inividual instuctor how he wishes to run his Dojo.

M.

I had the exact same experience with my first school. I really liked the relaxed environment. Despite that, we did listen when he spoke, and we followed his instructions to the letter. That being said, he was Steve, not Master, Sensei or anything else. Just Steve.

[mazzybear]

Mazzybear- I'm in the same situation. I am in a "Karate Club" and not a "school". My Sensei collects money from the members, pays rent, insurance, and supplies, and what's left, he splits it 60/30 with the health club we train at. He's there 6 days a week and on command, so as his deshi, I'm certain that he works for cents per hour if anything at all. While there is structure, it is not nearly as tight as the Shotokan class I trained at in my younger days. There is a great deal of respect, but it isn't like the Cobra Kai dojo in the Karate Kid!

It's pretty much the same with my instructor, he makes very little, if any money from it. But our equipment is always in good condition and is replaced if it's not. We rent 2 differnet halls in different towns and I don't think either come cheap. But his passion for Karate, and teaching it, is plain for anyone to see. That is why he has gained infinate respect from his students. He doesn't need dojo etiquette for us to show respect.

I had the exact same experience with my first school. I really liked the relaxed environment. Despite that, we did listen when he spoke, and we followed his instructions to the letter. That being said, he was Steve, not Master, Sensei or anything else. Just Steve

I think a relaxed environment is more codusive to learning. If you're not worrying about who and when you should be bowing to, you can just sink into the the class and concentrate fully on what's being taught. By all means bow at the end of the class and show your respect to one and other then. Some more experienced MAists may disagree, I'm only 5th Kyu after all, but I like it this way.

M.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Mazzybear- I'm in the same situation. I am in a "Karate Club" and not a "school". My Sensei collects money from the members, pays rent, insurance, and supplies, and what's left, he splits it 60/30 with the health club we train at. He's there 6 days a week and on command, so as his deshi, I'm certain that he works for cents per hour if anything at all. While there is structure, it is not nearly as tight as the Shotokan class I trained at in my younger days. There is a great deal of respect, but it isn't like the Cobra Kai dojo in the Karate Kid!

What are your fees like? By that i mean whether they are expensive (say $200+ a month) or not.