Fortunately, the masters of old had the wisdom to incorporate a sense of morality and etiquette into their martial arts instruction. They knew they could teach their students to punch and kick with great power and speed. And they also realized that if they were not careful these students could very well become bullies. The purpose of dojo etiquette is to instill discipline, proper conduct and respect in the students. Etiquette is also adopted to keep the training environment safe. Dojo etiquette is often based on long standing tradition. Someone once asked a great philosopher about the importance of “Tradition.” The philosopher replied, “I don’t know, but tradition has been around for so long, there must be something to it!”
A dojo is neither a school nor a gym. Dojo literally means, “A place where you study the Way.” “Way” means a, “Way of Life.” So a dojo is a very special place for the students of Budo (Martial arts). In our dojo we study Dento Karate Do. Or “The Way of Traditional Karate.”
Since the dojo is a special place, students and visitors should pay close attention to their behavior. It is said that Karate, “Begins and ends with respect.” This not only applies to respectful conduct in class, but also respectful conduct at all times in the dojo and, in fact, throughout every day of our life. A martial artist of any age should always be mindful of how they treat others and how they conduct themselves in their daily activities. My sensei taught me that we should always treat others with the common dignity and respect that one human being owes to another. Think what a wonderful place this world would be if everyone followed this practice!
In this newseletter I would like to bring up two points of dojo etiquette. Behavior before and after class and the dojo uniform. Students should arrive at the dojo shortly before their class begins, quickly and quietly prepare themselves to train and then sit quietly waiting for the their class to begin. After class students should quietly walk off the mat. They should change and quietly leave. Students should not block any of the passageways in the dojo. It is particularly important that students do not sit on or block any of the stairways. Students, parents and visitors should talk quietly when visiting in the lobby so as not to disturb a class that is in session. This certainly can be a challenge, but again, respect for those training is very important.
The second point is the Karate gi (uniform). The gi should always be kept neat and clean. It must be washed regularly. Although the material used for a gi does not always stand up to the use of bleach it is important to use some brightener, whitener or spray and wash to keep it looking nice and white. Each sensei I have trained with has always worn a clean and pressed gi. Because of their influence I have been ironing my gi for over four decades. I do not expect our students to iron their gi, but I do expect them to keep them looking neat and smelling clean. If students will smooth out their gi and fold it properly it will always look neat. Regular washing will keep it clean. It is also important to have both patches sewn on the gi.
As well as keeping the uniform clean we should do our best to keep ourselves clean. My sensei often suggested that we go so far as to brush our teeth before our special training sessions. Since we will be training with others, keeping ourselves clean makes for a much more pleasant experience for all. I know there are days when students come to the dojo straight from work or school. A clean gi will help. And then do whatever you can to keep yourself smelling fresh and clean. In all areas of dojo etiquette and cleanliness our senior students, particularly brown and black belts, should be good role models and set high standards for student conduct. Our dojo is a very special place for each of us. We must treat it and the others here with the utmost courtesy and respect.
Thank you very much,
Sensei Sanford