Dojo Etiquette

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Footwear is not allowed inside the Dojo. It should be neatly arranged in the specifieded area. Similarly other belongings also should be neatly arranged in the speicfied area. Every karateka must always bow to the designated Shomen, regardless of how many times you enter or leave the Dojo during your daily training, first. It is done by standing at the dojo entrance and facing the Shomen.   Should you ever find yourself entering or leaving the Dojo with a large group of students, do not push or shove, but instead patiently wait your turn. Always allow the senior students to enter or exit the Dojo first.

Arriving late to the class is bad manners. Sometimes, however, this may be unavoidable, in which case you must bow in quietly and then sit in seiza just to one side of the dojo entrance. If you arrive while everyone else is also sitting in seiza or reciting the Dojo Kun, do not make any noise. Just wait quietly until the Sensei or senior instructor acknowledges you and invites you to join the class. There may be some delay, but remember that you must remain sitting until you are invited in, at which time you may have to perform some task as a penance for being late.  Once you are allowed to join the class, you must first bow while still sitting in seiza, get up and bow again standing, then quickly join the class by finding a place in the last row unless some other space is indicated to you. It may or may not be your regular place as per your rank within that particular class.

At the beginning of each class, the most senior student will ask to line up. Upon hearing this command, you must move quickly and quietly to stand in Heiko dachi or Natural Stance at the appropriate place of your rank.   The Highest Ranking student will assume a front-row position at the far right side of the Dojo Joseki as they look towards the instructor/Shomen.  Therefore, as the instructor looks towards the class, the Highest Ranking student will be in the front row on the left-hand side of the Dojo, the Joseki.

Upon joining a Karate Dojo, you will find that no one gets special treatment. The hierarchy in a Karate Dojo is only as per the rank achieved in the class, while age, gender, creed, race, financial and social status have no weightage.

BOW FROM YOUR HEART – bow is not just a physical action. 

The standing bow should start from a Heiko dachi and perform a Heisoku dachi and bend forward at the waist to about 45 degrees without letting your arms move or leave your side, pause for a second, then unbend and back to Heiko dachi. The entire bow should take only a few seconds, but always do it with the utmost courtesy and respect. When you bow a partner, always keep your eyes focused on their eyes. Bow to the Sensei or a Sempei looking at their feet. Bow to the Shomen, looking at the floor 10 feet away from you.  Do standing bow when you enter or exit the Dojo and at the beginning or end of each class. Also, bow your partner before and after performing any form of partner training. Do it at the start and the end of each kata. Never omit or perform casually. All Karate training and all Katas begin and end with courtesy. 

During meditation, sit in Seiza position at the beginning and the end of each class. While watching a demonstration also the students should sit in Seiza.  To get into the seiza position from an attention stance, bend down on the balls of both feet then, first place your left knee on the ground, then your right knee and finally sit down and tuck your feet underneath you. Always keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed when sitting in seiza. The knees should be aligned with, but not touching, the person on your right or your left. Rest your open hands comfortably on the upper portion of your thighs with your fingers and thumb together and pointed slightly inward.  Proper posture in seiza is necessary. Male students should have a fist gap between their knees, while female students should have their knees together.

To perform a bow from the seiza position, first, move your left hand from your left thigh and onto the floor about two hand lengths out in front of your left knee with your fingertips pointed inward. Follow suit with your right hand so that your right hand is facing your left hand so that your thumb and your index fingers are slightly touching. Now, without letting your elbows touch the floor, lean forward and bow your head and stop just short of touching the back of your hands. The bow is done entirely from the waist. Since it is a more formal bow, you should pause slightly longer than a standing bow. When coming up from the bow, slide your hands back to their starting position in reverse order, that is your right hand first followed by your left hand and then sit up straight in a relaxed posture.  

At the beginning of each class, the entire class will bow to the designated Shomen of the dojo at the command, Shomen ni rei. Should bow with deep respect to the memory of the long line of Masters and Senseis, who passed the art of Karate down to your Sensei.  

The second bow is to the Sensei. It is done at the command, Sensei ni rei. Bow with deep respect to your Sensei, without whom there would be no dojo to train or no one to teach the art of Karate. In return, the Sensei will bow to the class with deep respect because without students there would be no one for the Sensei to pass his (her) knowledge.  

When you are bowing to the Shomen, you will remain respectfully silent. While bowing to your Sensei, you must say onegaishimasu. The Sensei will respond with an onegaishimasu.

Mokusoh is the command to meditate. On the mokusoh command, you must close your eyes, lower your gaze, tuck your chin in towards your chest, relax and quietly begin taking long slow breaths.  During this meditation, quiet your mind and try and rid yourself of all thoughts unrelated to your karate training. You will find an inner sense of peace or a relaxed state of being. It will help you to stay focused throughout the training period.  If you properly focus your mind on mokusoh, you will notice a definite increase in the quality of your techniques.  

Mokusoh yame 

Mokusoh yame is the command to stop meditating.  On the mokusoh yame command, open your eyes. On the rise command, rise by starting with your right foot in front, left knee up and right leg back to stand in Heiko dachi and await further instructions.

The Sensei or a Sempai will lead the class in the Dojo Kun or dojo creed.  The Dojo Kun is a verbal affirmation of certain principles of the class. Make it a point to learn the Dojo creed as soon as possible and try to recite it in unison with the other students, but never so loudly that your voice stands out from all the rest.  Believe in what you say, and then use this belief to help you do your very best, not only in the Dojo but also in your daily life outside the Dojo.

Once the training starts, put aside all unrelated thoughts. Make every effort to only concentrate on the specific task at hand and especially on improving the quality of your techniques.   

Push yourself both physically and mentally if your Karate is ever going to improve. Always strive to do your best. Or else, it may bring disgrace to yourself, to your classmates and your instructor.  

When moving from one area of the Dojo to another, always do it quickly and quietly. While changing positions, do not cut through the lines or pass in front of anyone else; but go behind and around them. When you watch a demonstration, do so respectfully and silently from Seiza without leaning on the walls or doing anything that would distract others. If you have a question about any of the techniques during class, never call out, instead always raise your hand and wait to be acknowledged, then ask your question in the politest possible terms.  

When training with a partner, always bow properly, before and after your training together. It applies every time you change a partner regardless of their rank. A training partner is not your foe but a partner who helps you learn the technique effectively. Therefore, you are responsible for your partner's safety and injury-free training.  

Clean up 

Before and after each class, there is usually some cleaning required in the Dojo. The most senior student should take an active part and set an example for the junior students rather than sit back and watch others do the work.

At the end of the class, on command of Line Up, be sure and quickly line up in the same manner and rank order as you were at the start.  

Upon instruction, come to attention, and then bow. After the final bow to the Shomen and the Sensei, students will often say arigato gozaimashita, which means thank you very much for the help you have given. 

Exiting the Dojo 

When you leave the Dojo, be sure that you exit the Dojo, in the same manner, you entered, with courtesy and respect.

If you keep these simple rules in mind, your experiences within the Dojo will be much more enjoyable and your fellow students will hold you in much higher regard for your efforts.  

To err is human. So, the Sensei may forgive many of your mistakes, but bad behaviour is not one of them. This rule applies to every student regardless of their rank. In fact, the higher the rank, the less tolerance there is for any breach of etiquette whatsoever.