Review: Surviving a Traditional Dojo

Surviving a Traditional Dojo is a free e-book by Matthew Apsokardu of Ikigai - Blogging the Marital Way. It is geared towards beginning students; but, long time students of the arts can appreciate the reminder of what it is like from the beginners point of view. The sidebar comments highlight key areas. With lighthearted humor and 80's references, this 95 page book is a quick read.

As you might gather from the title of the e-book, the first half of the book covers what to expect before and at the very beginning of your training. Chapters on What is a Traditional Dojo, Beginners Mindset, Gi and Obi, and etiquette will help make the student's transition into a tradition dojo much smoother. Many useful pieces of information that would have been nice to have when I started.

The second half deals more with the ongoing training you will be doing. This includes discussions on sparring and the subtleties of rank structure. There are frequent reminders that this is a general guideline and to observe and follow your dojo's rules and etiquette. The concept of Shu Ha Ri is discussed. This is a model of progression in practice and shows that are many if not infinite levels of training in the practice of martial arts.

He also offers suggestions on additional resources from books and magazines to movies. You can brush up on the 80s references. One area I will recommend additional reading on is the use of 'Osu'. Some schools use it for everything. There is an excellent article that gives a lot of background on the term here. Personally, I use other terms. Usually 'Hai, Sensei' for yes or agreement. But, the background is good because if you are in Japanese arts for a while you are bound to hear it and should know some background.

The book concludes with some guest tips from Ikigai readers. This continues the warm feeling of the book. So check out the book and continue with the blog for a constant feed of topics to think about in your training.

E-book: Surviving a Traditional Dojo