Poor bowing

[tufrthanu]

You DON'T trust them. Hence the term opponent.

[karate_woman]

You DON'T trust them. Hence the term opponent.

 

Yes, but they are willing training partners and not someone who has attacked you on the street; I think you should just bow following your school rules. Obviously, Japanese/Korean eye contact etiquette should be observed (regardless of your school's rules) when bowing to people in/of that culture, however.

[Cyberclown]

Often times too much is made out of bowing.

 

At tournaments even within a particular style the bows differ between students from other schools. Competitor "A" may have been taught to bow without making eye contact, while competitor "B" may have been taught to maintain eye contact.

 

I have seen many competitors (especially blackbelts) who will bow and then reach out to either offer a quick handshake or "bump" knuckles in a spirited way.

 

What we (Americans) should realize is that bowing is basically the equivilent of a handshake when we are speaking of competitors in the ring. Would you shake hands with a weak grip or extend a limp hand? Most likely you would use a firm grip to grasp the others hand and look them in the eye, often with a smile.

 

My students in the dojang always break eye contact when bowing to me, as I do my grandmaster and other grand masters.

 

However, I do not chastise anyone for not doing something the way I think it should be done so long as whatever they did was intended as a show of respect and nothing else.

 

My advice is not to sweat the bowing so much. Do it with a respectful attitude and how your instructor has shown you and no one will be upset.

 

EXCEPT........I have judged many forms competitions and how someone bows into and out of the ring, as well as to the judges table is always considered in the score.

 

BUT.....I do not use MY views of what is proper bowing. Instead I simply observe whether or not the competitor IS making the effort to show respect for his/her art and the seriousness in their attitude.

 

I often get asked "when" should a student bow? Aside from the obvious I simply tell them if they have any doubt, bow!

[ZR440]

In Kuntaw there is no bowing. The Philipinos who developed it did not want anybody considered more important than the other.