Etiquette

Foremost in Karate is respect. It is also important to respect your dojo, your partners, your teachers, your training equipment, and yourself.

This includes bowing on entry and exit (of the dojo), not wearing shoes on the dojo floor, wearing clean clothing and being personally clean, having short nails (to avoid injuring a partner), and being on time for training.

Students should avoid reasons for leaving the Dojo during training by going to the toilet beforehand, and having all equipment readily available. If you must leave the dojo or stop training due to any reason (especially if you are not feeling well), please speak to the instructor or a senior member before you leave so your absence is known. Part of this is for health and safety reasons.

Ceremonies

For information on the ceremonies see Ceremonies.

Entering and leaving the Dojo

You should bow on entry or exit of the dojo entrance and training floor. You should also not wear shoes on the training floor, please take them off before stepping onto the floor/mat.

Bowing

Bowing is a common custom in Japan (and some other Asian cultures), it's used to show respect, and can be considered as roughly similar to a handshake. Different bows convey different levels of respect, the deeper the bow, the more respectful (as a rule of thumb).

When to bow

• When entering/leaving the dojo
• When walking onto/off a training mat/floor (like at a tournament)
• Before beginning partner work with someone or after ending partner work with someone
• Before using training equipment such as a chiishi
• During the ceremonies
• At the beginning and end of a kata

Seiza

Seiza means to sit, specifically on your knees. See this video for a how to get in and out of seiza and how to bow when sitting in seiza.

How to tie your belt

This video shows two methods of tying the belt, either is fine to use. A correctly tied belt should be symmetric, both in the length of the ends and the shape of the knot.

Punctuality

Make your best efforts to show up on time, if you have a commitment (such as work/class) which prevents you from being punctual that's okay, but let the instructors know so they can account for this when planning training sessions. Consistently showing up late without warning messes with the instructor's training plans, and shows a lack of respect and courtesy towards the instructor and your fellow students.

If you're late

In the (unlikely) event that you are late, at the back of the dojo, warm up with some burpees and follow with your own stretches and exercises until an instructor asks you to join in.

Water/Rest Breaks and Feeling Unwell

The general rule is: If the instructor hasn't told you that you can have a rest or a drink of water, you shouldn't.

However if you are feeling faint, unwell or are unable to continue for any other reason, let an instructor or senior member know and you can take a rest. We have members who are certified in First Aid so we'll keep an eye on you just to be safe.

Never leave the dojo/training floor when you are feeling unwell without letting someone know.

If you wander out and collapse somewhere and we don't know where you've gone that is obviously bad. And remember, we're here to challenge ourselves and push our limits, but not to the point of collapse, train hard but train smart.

Should I go to training or not?

I'm sick, should I come to training?

No, Rest up. While instructors appreciate enthusiasm, they do not appreciate being infected by sick students. In the event that you're sick with something that isn't infectious, it's usually still better to recover at home than come to training as it can be quite east to overexert yourself and worsen your condition.

I'm injured, should I come to training?

Sure, just make sure that you let the instructor in charge and your training partners aware of your condition. One option is to simply show up to class and watch, but that isn't for everyone. If you choose to train, caution is advised though as it can be easy to turn a minor injury into something more problematic if you don't train go easy on your injury.

Misc Dos and Don'ts

Do

• Do your best at training, if you aren't here to do your best why are you here?
• Make sure you aren't going too hard on your training partner

Don't

• Walk slowly and hold up the lesson when going from one end of a line to another
• Walk between the middle of two lines, it can be dangerous. Always go around the back
• Lean on the walls
• Talk while the instructors are explaining
• Be overly loud in training (Kiai are an exception!)
• Hurt your training partners on purpose. We have no tolerance for those who abuse the trust of our members