Karate and Respect

Showing respect toward others is a quality that all good karate students should have. Karate students should be both respectful and courteous at all times. One the most important ways that you can be a better karate student is to show respect to your fellow students, our Sensei and all other people outside of our karate school.

Take time to get to know the other students in the school. The study of karate can require us to expand some of our own physical and psychological boundaries. Training exercises like self defense practices and sparring can require us to cross lines of personal space. In order to feel comfortable students need to show each other proper degrees of respect.

The most traditional way of showing respect is by bowing to one another. The appropriate way to bow is to; “bow from your waist, look down, and keep your hands fixed on the sides of your legs. Bend down at least 20 or 30 degrees at the waist.”
(Perfecting the Japanese Bow by Rob Redmond – 24 fighting Chickens the Evolution of Shotokan Karate)
Do not slap your hands against the sides of your body or say anything when you bow. All you need to do is bow correctly to show proper etiquette and respect toward the person you are bowing to.

The bow does not have to be elaborate, just an outward sign of showing respect toward others. If you do not bow, it shows that you either do not respect the person that you are working with or you are clearly not paying attention to what you are doing. When you bow to another person it shows that you have respect for them and hold a high regard for ethical values that you both share.

A very important question that students often wonder is, why do we bow and more importantly, what does it have to do with studying karate? “Bowing is a gesture of kindness and respect for another person. Common among Eastern cultures, we have no real equivalent here in the West. Bowing is a both a greeting and an acknowledgement of another person's worth. Karate students embrace a philosophy that all people are worthy of respect. Learning to respect others is paramount to correct understanding of martial arts.”

“Great physical and mental power must be offset by making a habit of putting other people before oneself, otherwise karate students might easily become bullies. So as we gain strength with potential to harm others, we also endeavor to become kinder people. Bowing and other forms of martial arts etiquette are training tools to help the karate student make kindness a habit” Master Robert Jacobs the University of Connecticut JKA Karate Club

Gichin Funakoshi the founder of karate had very specific ethical ideals that he wanted to transmit to other countries through the study of karate. “Funakoshi believed Karate would be an excellent vehicle for bringing Japanese civilization to the citizens of conquered nations as Japan expanded her military campaigns in Asia. So it is not unthinkable to speculate at the motives of Japanese instructors finding themselves living in nations where something as fundamental to polite manners to them was not practiced. They wanted their students to bow, and they taught such without ever considering that perhaps bowing was out of place in the United States or other nations. Now, the practice is firmly entrenched and probably not going anywhere.”
(Perfecting the Japanese Bow by Rob Redmond – 24 fighting Chickens the Evolution of Shotokan Karate)

It is important to help others, but we must know the difference between helping and being overtly critical or bossy. Make sure that everyone learns at their own pace, offer suggestions but let new students have a chance to figure things out for themselves. If there is something you are unsure of, ask Sensei. It never hurts to ask questions.

Having patience with ourselves and others can be very challenging at times. Teaching takes a great deal of patience, especially when it comes to working with younger students. Our behavior reflects on our school and the integrity of its members. We have all ages of students at our dojo and we all train and learn together. It is important that upper belts to be role models for new and younger students.

If students who have attained upper level belts they should show the proper respect in appropriate ways. It helps new and younger students see what a model karate student should be and how to act accordingly. The positive effect of upper belts acting as role models teaches the importance of karate as self defense. If higher experienced students show respect toward one another during class, it will reinforce that karate should be used for defense. Karate should not to be abused or used to bully others.

The study of karate takes a great deal of effort and commitment. Karate tests what a person is both physically and mental made up of. If an ethical and respectful approach is taken a truly great karate student can emerge. The ethical teachings and mutual respect that are attained through the study of karate are skills that can last a lifetime. The true goal of karate is to be a better more respectful human being.