Have you ever walked into a karate school and wondered what all of the rigid hierarchy and bowing is all about? Are you currently a new member of a karate studio and are wondering what all of the foreign words and chanting means? Or are you an avid student who still wonders what it all means when you enter your "Mini Martial Arts Experience" every Wednesday evening at 6pm? Lots of people share your confusion and many people wonder if it is all necessary.
Here is your quick cheat sheet to "The Dos and Don'ts of Karate Etiquette."
Depending on your karate school and style, some or all of the following may apply:
1. DO show respect to your instructor and fellow members while you try to find your place within the group and see if the school
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DO open your mind to different ways of doing things. For the most part karate practices and methods have been transmitted down through the generations and as such carry a lot of cultural-specific traditions. In many ways these traditions help to accentuate the overall benefit of the "karate experience", in some ways they serve to distract you from your main goals for beginning karate in the first place. Be sure to be clear about why you want to start karate.
3. DO try to learn more about the background culture of your chosen martial art. For example, Karate is originally from Okinawa, Taekwondo is from Korea, Kung Fu is from China. By knowing where your art originated you can begin to learn some basic cultural knowledge about your chosen style. Your instructor should be able to help you find material for this.
4. DO your best to follow the directions given by your instructor and to fit in with the class, at least while you are in the discovery phase of seeing if Karate is for you. You will probably have lots of questions and depending on the situation it may be bad timing to ask your questions in the middle of the class. However, make sure that you ask your instructor and other club members about things that don't make sense or that are confusing before you go home. They should be more than willing to answer your questions and offer
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DON'T take karate etiquette too seriously. A bow is simply a form of greeting, just like a handshake in the West. Some martial arts schools embrace traditional values, others don't. It's not a big deal either way. Your decision to join a particular school should be based on the quality of their martial arts programs and on their customer service, not on their chosen rituals of etiquette.
6. DON'T give up your spiritual values or religious beliefs. Just because you start learning about some mysterious Chi force or miraculous feats, don't suddenly think that you have found the answers to all of your unanswered questions. While karate can provide some very enlightening wisdom and inspiration, you should always remember why you first enrolled in the martial arts. It was probably to learn self-defense, to improve your health and fitness, or to join in with a worthwhile activity together with your child. I doubt that you wanted to join a pseudo-religious cult.
7. DON'T think that your instructor is some transcendental guru or sage, or even a demi-God. He's not! He is just another human being like you. He happens to be very good at karate; you may be very good at playing the piano, singing a song or telling a joke. Recognize that all people have strengths and weaknesses - even karate
karate dojo in 1946, headed what became the most sizably voluminous international karate federation in history, and trained many of America's top karate competitors. He was by turns fatherly, arrogant, outgoing and secretive, and had associated himself at one time or another with virtually every consequential karate master in Japan. Corroborating sources for much of his personal history are fragmentary (as with much of the history of karate in general) and his daughter, Dr. Roberta Trias-Kelley, a superb martial artist to whom he bequeathed leadership of the system upon his death in 1989, perpetuates to edify Shuri-ryu karate and sell her father’s publications from her headquarters dojo, Trias Karate, in Phoenix, Arizona.
The workout portion was after all, the most strenuous part. The other forms and kicking combination portion was elementary memorization. Two months into training, I was extremely anxious regarding whether I would be ready for Black Belt test in time. But with Mister Alex's words of assurance I stayed headstrong and determined to pass the test. After working hard with Mister Alex as well as on my own at home for the minimum six months, Mister Alex said I was "definitely ready to take and pass the Black Belt test." When Mister Alex told me this I felt nervous about the veracity of his words. I had been in training for the minimum 6 months only. The average training period at my karate institution was actually 8 months. I felt under prepared for the test, but I was only kidding myself by undermining my
Elia, Randy. Peter Kwok’s Kung Fu Academy. Masonic Temple Lodge, Westwood, NJ. 17 March 2014. n.p.
The class begins with middle punches. This entails bringing the left foot out into a sitting stance where our legs reflect a person riding a horse. The hip is rotated backwards then propelled forwards as the fist on the belt twists towards our imaginary opponent in front of us. Then Master Copper pairs each student with a partner of equal height to practice kicks. When my partner extends his sidekick, the crusty dirt on the sole of his foot brushes past my eyes, and the speed of the kick creates a breeze of stale air. In the middle of class, we incorporate the punching bags into our workout. The low belts use the tall, thin sun colored bag, and the high belts utilize the thick, blood colored bag. However, the black belts utilize “Bob the Bully”, the tan, lifelike bag with dense padding and broad shoulders. After six hours of school and at least four hours of homework, punching and kicking the toned face and rippling abs of Bob brings a substantial amount of satisfaction. As my knuckles make contact with Bob’s rigid jaw, I grit my teeth and each blow connects with more power than the last. Beads of sweat roll down my face as Bob’s head shifts from side to side following each blast of force. The instep of my foot creates indents in the sides of Bob as my half turning kicks
Going to class everyday without fail, reviewing and completely perfecting the five years of curriculum I had so carefully worked through, to the point where everything was completely automatic, and preparing for the fifty push-up requirement, were not enough. The black-belt test requires creativity through my creation of a personal kata and a self-defense to every attack I had learned. Beyond this, physical endurance and stamina are required in order to spar for ten minutes straight at the end of the four hour test, with a fresh opponent every minute. The black-belt test was the most physically grueling challenge I had ever faced and was much more mentally exhausting than any academic
Instantly, I felt as if I had done something very wrong and filled with emotion, but the class begun so there was nothing I can do about it. Later that day the, main instructor confirmed that in order to get my white belt, which I thought was something just given to you, I would need to recite the long student creed. A week later, I’d done it I got my white belt, might not seem like a huge achievement for most, but I was ecstatic, feeling like I had defied all odds. As time continued on I realized that karate was fun and that as long as I put hard work into things that I can be good at them.
Martial Arts and MMA doesn’t just make people better fighters. It benefits them in a wide spectrum of ways. Self confidence but not conceit soon exudes from the students. They are more assertive, respectful and attentive, developing hard working and adaptation skills, gaining a new perspective on life, and the list goes on and on. You will not be disappointed by the results you receive on many different levels. Westpoint understands these principles because they are the foundation of their business – to help you along the way – as that is what it’s all about, teamwork!
As modern people who don’t know too deeply about the culture of Samurais, we tend to look at them in a superficial way. We look at them as just a person who carries a sword and knows martial arts. They are usually depicted as Japanese warriors who are either heroes or perhaps a ruthless villain. Some of these assumptions are in fact partly true, however it does not entirely define a samurai. There is a lot more to a samurai than just combat. These swordsmen had a culture, principles, beliefs, philosophies and religion. One philosophical religion in particular that heavily influenced Samurai culture was Zen Buddhism. It played a major role in their lives. It shaped the samurai’s way of life, mentally and psychologically, which in return aided them in their combat and martial arts.
Even though Kempo is a martial art style that combines the Five Animals of Shaolin Kung Fu., everyone should join because it helps people learn self-defense, improve self-confidence, become physically fit, have mutual respect for others, and it is cheap at most if not all kempo academies.
To a person not conversant with this art, Jujitsu may be considered as a foul or derogatory term in Japanese. However, Jujitsu us one of the most effective and deadly forms of martial arts taught today. Unique among other forms of combat, Jujitsu holds the position of a “parent art”, of from which other forms of martial arts such as Aikido, Judo and several Karate styles were extracted. Jujitsu is a combination of all levels of combat. It incorporates chokes, striking, grappling, nerve and pressure point attacks, joint locks, redirection of momentum and throws.
The fighting styles of tae kwon do and karate differ greatly. As karate expanded throughout eastern Asia, there have been many adaptations in its fighting style, but it has never strayed from its focus. Karate is a martial art that uses 50 percent hands and 50 percent feet. If you are a karate stylist, you want to be relatively close to your attacker for quick hand attacks. Tae kwon do self-defense relies heavily on swift foot attacks with an emphasis on flying and spinning kicks. Higher-ranking students practice extraordinary acrobatic kicks. These martial arts differ greatly in their approach to fighting.
Karate was a lot of hard work for a child, but it paid off. I learned a bunch of valuable lessons that would help me in the long run. Karate taught me self-defense, dependability, focus, leadership skills, goal setting, and physical fitness.
3. Expectations – Don’t think that you’ll be able to perform a handstand and contort into a pretzel after just one session. You also might not be able to mediate successfully after just an hour of practice. If you expect too much from yourself right away, you might quit after just one class. Allow yourself enough time to get into the flow and find what works for you and what doesn’t.
Most people get a sense of happiness from training under a martial art that they love and enjoy. Even when it gets hard, if you love what you are doing you will not feel the pain at all. Certain styles are supposed to enhance your spirituality through fluid movements such as taichi. Taichi in general is a very flowing and stress relieving activity. Unfortunately a lot of practitioners of martial arts have evolved it into a exercise, not a fighting/ self defending. This is all and good if that’s what you are looking for but spirituality is found in hardship, and in peace times. For me it’s a fundamental part of who I am and what I do. A lot of people that I know feel the same way. Once you get into it and push yourself to go, you will fully and truly love it. It’sust an amazing feeling to be able to trust your body, mind, and spirit to make the right decision, even in stressful situations or situations of great danger. You should be proud when you can use your art,whatever that may be, in your everyday life; You will be enlightened through martial arts. And that will carry to your everyday life The enlightenment of kung fu, karate, muay thai, wing chun, tai chi, they are great and they all have a purpose. Determination is the firmness of purpose, and that is what these styles and many more give you… a purpose. A purpose to do all of the things that you need to
It was drilled into me that karate was for self-defense only. In fact, if a karate instructor heard that I used karate for anything else they would kick me out of class. I learned a lot of self-defense techniques that could save my life. Some of the thing I learned were how to get out of different kinds of choke holds, knife disarms, stick disarms and much more. I am lucky enough that I have never had to use any of these techniques; no one had better mess with me.