Etiquette

"Karate begins and ends with courtesy" - Gichin Funakoshi

When was the last time you came home and said, I can't believe how nice everyone was today. Sometimes it seems we have come to the point where if no one was extremely rude we had a good day. On the flip side, if someone is nice, the first thing people ask is "What do you want?". Nobody likes the lack of courtesy; but, most do not seem to do much to change it.

Why should martial artists be different? One of the top reasons people start martial arts besides self defense is for self improvement. Since courtesy is defined as the excellence of manners or social conduct, we should strive to be courteous in all we do. Also, since martial arts requires physical contact with the potential for injuries, we need to respect and trust our instructor and training partners. Being courteous forces us to let our ego go and creates the mind set needed for training.

Etiquette being the proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion, establishes another level of safety in the dojo. You can not have people cutting lines or other unexpected behavior or accidents will happen. This becomes even more important in a weapons class. Bowing in and out of class is a way of re-enforcing you are here for training. In the dojo this becomes ingrained and then a habit that carries over to the rest of our daily activities.

So, try to be more courteous and see the changes in yourself and the changes in others. Post your observations in the comments.