ISKU's grading structure and syllabus

Etiquette & Code of Behaviour

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Standing bow

Stand with your heels together, toes pointing slightly outward. Keep your knees straight, elbows straight and relaxed, hands open and at your sides with fingers together. Bend at the waist, about 20 degrees forward. Unbend. The whole bow takes about a breath's length.

Kneeling (seiza)

Place your left knee on the floor, then right knee. Sit down on your feet. The big toes of your left and right feet should overlap (either one on top). Keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed. Rest your left hand (hand open, fingers together) on your left thigh and your right hand on your right thigh, so that your fingers point inward.  Men should have about a fist or two's width between their knees (for anatomical reasons) and women should have their knees together.

Bowing in seiza

Slide your left hand from the thigh to the floor immediately in front of the left knee (not too far in front, i.e., your left elbow shouldn't touch the floor). Do the same with your right hand, so that the right hand motion is slightly behind (in time) the left hand motion. Your palms should touch the floor to show deep respect. Bow at the waist, taking a little longer than for a standing bow (forehead comes close to the floor, but does not touch it). Slide your hands back up to their initial position on the thighs, this time with your left hand slightly behind the right hand.

Entering and exiting the dojo

Bow, standing at the entrance, facing the dojo or towards the front of the dojo, whenever you are entering or exiting the dojo.   Lateness: First of all, try not to be late. But if you are late, bow in, then quietly kneel near the entrance or the top of the class. Wait until the instructor acknowledges you. Then bow while kneeling, get up, and quickly join the group. If you arrive just as everyone is kneeling during the opening sequence (see below), don't move or make any noise -- just wait until class begins warming up, and bow in as when the instructor acknowledges you, in the manner described above.

Opening sequence

When you hear "Line up!" stand facing the front, in rank order. Try to line up so that the instructor, standing before your line, is right in the middle of the line, try to line up so that the lines are approximately the same length.   "Seiza!": Sit down in seiza, so that knees are aligned with the senior to your side. "Mokusoh!": Quiet meditation -- just lower your gaze, relax, and breathe. "Mokusoh yame!": End meditation. "Shomen ni rei!": Bow to the front of the room (which shows respect for your training space, to the institution of karate, and to the line of instructors who brought it to your instructor). "Sensei ni rei!": Bow to the instructor. When you're bowing, you can say "onegaishimas," which, roughly translated, means "Please," i.e., please teach me, please help me, please hold class, etc. (You may also say "oss," the ubiquitous sign of respect in karate.) At the signal of the instructor, get up quickly, without necessarily waiting for the person on your left to rise.

Closing sequence

Same as the opening sequence, except that after the meditation ends ("mokusoh yame!"), the class recites the dojo kun. Repeat what the senior student says, loudly -- but not so loudly that your voice stands out -- and in unison. During the bow to the instructor ("sensei ni rei!"), you may say "arigatoh gozaimashita," which means "Thank you." "Thank you" in English is fine, too. At the end, the instructor will get up. Wait until the senior beside you bows and gets up before you do the same.

Kiai

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!"

Don't be afraid to kiai!   In general, people tend to kiai too softly rather than too loudly. 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.

General etiquette during training

·         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! Doing otherwise would be disrespectful to the instructor and to yourself.

·         Don't wear rings, watches, jewellery etc. and don't chew gum.

·         Whenever you're told to move from one part of the room to another, do it quickly. 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 switch to sitting cross-legged.

·         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.

·         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. 

·         Before class starts, there is usually some sort of dojo-cleaning process. During this time, actively participate to the extent you can. Don't sit back and stretch when others are still cleaning.