Karate is different from any other sports because a student does not only learn and improve his ability and technical skill, but learns how to respect him/herself and others. Shōtōkan Karate-Dō is based on the philosophy and concepts of Bushido and Zen. These concepts reflect the constant search for physical and mental. Part of this respect is gained through the Dojo Etiquette. Remember, Karate-Dō is not a sport, it is a way of life.
What is this Dojo Etiquette?
It is nothing more than a small part of the Dojo-kun (the philosophy that each Karateka tries to live with), Respect Propriety (respect the correct order of things and how they should be done). Thus, in the dojo each student learns to follow rules in order to build a respectable character.
Entering and exiting the dojo
Bow, standing at the entrance, facing the dojo or towards the front of the dojo, whether you are entering or exiting the dojo.
Lateness
Try not to be late. If you are late, bow in, then quietly kneel near the entrance. Wait until the instructor acknowledges you. Then bow kneeling, get up, and quickly join the group. If you arrive just as everyone is kneeling at the beginning, don’t move, don’t make any noise, just wait until warming-up starts, and bow in as described above.
Bowing (Rei)
Many of the other styles and martial arts do their rei differently but in a Shōtōkan dojo, there are two situations for bowing.
- Ritsurei (立礼) is performed from standing bow position
- Zarei (座礼) is performed from kneeling bow position
One of the first things anyone will notice when training Karate is the custom of bowing, called the "Rei (礼)". Bowing, rei is a very important ritual and etiquette in any dojo but do you know the proper way of doing rei? Click on the buttons below to learn more.
Opening sequence
When you hear “Line up!” or “One line!”, stand shoulder to shoulder facing the front of the dojo, in rank order. Try to line up so that the instructor is right in the middle of the line. If class size is big, the senior student may ask you to form more than one line, in which case, you should try to line up so that the lines are approximately of the same length.
| Command | Kanji | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Seiza | 正座 | sit down in seiza, so that knees are aligned with the person on your right. |
| Mokusou | 黙想 | quite meditation – just lower your gaze, relax, and breathe. Empty your mind! |
| Mokusou yame | 黙想やめ | stop and end meditation. |
| Shoumen ni rei | 正面に礼 | Bow to the front of the room. This signifies bowing to the institution of Karate and to the line of instructors who brought it to your instructor. |
| Sensei ni rei | 先生に礼 | Bow to the instructor. When you’re bowing, you can say "onegaishimasu," which, roughly translated, means please teach me, please help me, please hold class, etc. |
| Otagai ni rei | おたがいに礼 | Bow to each other. This shows respect for each other. At the signal of the instructor, get up quickly, without necessarily waiting for the person on your right to rise. |
Closing sequence
Same as the opening sequence, except that after mokusou, there is a recitation of the dojo-kun. Repeat after the senior student, loudly (but not so loud that your voice stands out) and in unison. During the final bow to the instructor, you can say "arigatou gozaimashita," which means “Thank you.” “Thank you” in English is okay, too. At the end, the instructor will get up. Wait until the person on your left bows and gets up before you do the same.
| Command | Kanji | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Seiza | 正座 | sit down in seiza, so that knees are aligned with the person on your right. |
| Mokusou | 黙想 | quite meditation – just lower your gaze, relax, and breathe. Empty your mind! |
| Mokusou yame | 黙想やめ | stop and end meditation. |
| Doju-kun | recite the Shōtōkan Karate dojo-kun below
Hitotsu, jinkaku kansei ni tsutomeru koto. | |
| Shoumen ni rei | 正面に礼 | Bow to the front of the room. This signifies bowing to the institution of Karate and to the line of instructors who brought it to your instructor. |
| Sensei ni rei | 先生に礼 | Bow to the instructor. When you’re bowing, you can say "arigatou gozaimashita," which roughly translated, means "Thank you very much". |
| Otagai ni rei | おたがいに礼 | Bow to each other. This shows respect for each other. At the signal of the instructor, get up quickly, without necessarily waiting for the person on your right to rise. |
Clean-up
Before class starts, there is usually some sort of cleaning of the dojo. During this time, actively participate to whatever extent you can. Don’t sit back and stretch when others are still cleaning.
General Etiquette Guidelines During Training
- Most importantly, the moment class starts, your mind should be on Karate and on trying to improve your own technique. Concentrate, give spirited kiai, don’t talk unnecessarily, and practice hard! (This is under “etiquette” because doing otherwise would be disrespectful to the instructor, as well as to yourself, both of who have bothered to come.)
- Don’t wear jewelry, watches, etc. Don’t chew gum.
- Whenever you’re told to move from one part of the room to another, do it quickly (i.e., run or trot, at least). Also, don’t pass in front of anyone – go behind and around.
- Whenever you’re asked to stand back or sit back and watch, do so in a normal standing or kneeling position, silently, without leaning on walls or distracting others. If you’re ever in a kneeling position and you’re uncomfortable, it’s generally okay to bow and then switch to sitting cross-legged.
- Whenever you stand from a sitting position, switch to kneeling, bow, then stand.
- If you ever need to leave a class early, let the instructor know beforehand.
- Every time you get a new partner for any exercise, bow. Every time you’re about to switch partners, bow to your old partner before moving on to the next.
- Don’t make overt displays of how tired you are, no matter how tired you are.
- If you’re ever asked to count, count in whatever language you feel comfortable with, but make the counts short, sharp, and spirited.
- Follow normal rules of etiquette that apply.
- Finally, these aren’t strict rules followed by every dojo. Some don’t follow them exactly, in which case, you should start off erring on the side of being overly courteous but avoid doing anything to stand out, since that in itself can be interpreted as rudeness.
Other things you should know
- Don’t say any words when you kiai. "Kiai" itself, being a Japanese word should NOT be a kiai. Common kiai include “Ya!” and “Ei!” and etc
- Don’t be afraid to kiai! If you have a strong kiai, it will often spur others to work harder, as well. The overall tone of a class is set by the level of spirit of the class, which can be raised with better kiai. On the other hand, if your spirit is poor or your kiai weak, you might bring down the class spirit.
- Do not hesitate to ask senior students and instructors for help before or after class. Time permitting, you should try to learn Kata outside of class so that during class, the instructor can spend more time making comments about your technique rather than what move comes next.
