When do you bow? Why do you bow?

[Touch Of Death]

Forgot to add...

I bow because of respect.

To show...

 

[Dirty Dog]

We bow toward the Flags at the doorway when entering and leaving the training floor. We also salute the flag (Hand over the heart) as part of the class opening and closing. We bow to the instructor as part of class opening and closing, and to the Senior student at the closing. We bow to training partner during certain formal drills and before and after formal sparring matches.

The why is to show respect for the art, gym, country, and trasining partners.

This is exaxctly what we do, and why.
I know nothing is universal, but this seems to be the custom in every school I've ever been in, either as student or visitor.

 

[puunui]

At the beginning of class we bow to the flags (US & So. Korean), and then recite the chungdokwan oath. and then Bow to the instructor.

What is the explanation for reciting the Chung Do Kwan membership oath at the beginning of each class? Where and when did that tradition start for your organization?

 

[TaekwonPRO]

When an instructor enters, when class starts and ends, at the end of a form, and before sparring.

 

[Buka]

We bow to each other out of respect.

Been bowing to the flag of my country to start and end every class for forty years.

 

[masterchase]

What is the explanation for reciting the Chung Do Kwan membership oath at the beginning of each class? Where and when did that tradition start for your organization?

Explanation: We recite it because we are Chung Do Kwan.
When: My instructor re-united with his original Osan AFB instructor in 1986 and he (GM Tae Sung Lee) said that we should be saying the oath.
Where: My instructor went to Korea to meet with him, and soon after we were reciting the oath.

 

[puunui]

Explanation: We recite it because we are Chung Do Kwan. When: My instructor re-united with his original Osan AFB instructor in 1986 and he (GM Tae Sung Lee) said that we should be saying the oath. Where: My instructor went to Korea to meet with him, and soon after we were reciting the oath.

I spoke to GM LEE Won Kuk about the oath. He said that when he was in charge, the Chung Do Kwan membership oath was something that was signed, not spoken at the beginning of class. When I mentioned that many dojang recite the oath before class, his response was that wasn't how he did it.

 

[mastercole]

I spoke to GM LEE Won Kuk about the oath. He said that when he was in charge, the Chung Do Kwan membership oath was something that was signed, not spoken at the beginning of class. When I mentioned that many dojang recite the oath before class, his response was that wasn't how he did it.

The Jidokwan member pledge is written on the old member card. I don't think it was ever recited by members.

 

[puunui]

The Jidokwan member pledge is written on the old member card. I don't think it was ever recited by members.

I don't think that there is anything particularly wrong with reciting a member pledge at the beginning of class. But I don't want people thinking that is how it was always done, when it wasn't. The Chung Do Kwan membership oath was like a signed contract between the Chung Do Kwan and the new member. GM Lee said that he approved the removal of GM SON Duk Sung as Chung Do Kwan Jang because he violated that signed membership oath. I have a copy of the report that was sent to GM Lee written by GM HYUN Jong Myung on GM Son's removal proceedings. Many of the seniors initialed the report, but not GM Son.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

In your Taekwondo school, when do you bow and why do you bow?

Thanks

Though not currently active in taekwondo, I do teach geomdo at a TKD/HKD school. My bowing in is the same as it was in all of the TKD schools where I have trained and the same as the TKD/HKD students do where I teach.

We bow when stepping onto or off of the training floor.

A normal class goes as follows:

The class is lined up and both myself and my students face the flags (One Korean, one United States) and we all bow together. I then turn to face my students and we bow to each other. I have students recite the school creed mainly because it is the school's practice; I am not big on recitation of creeds and such, but as it is not my school, I adhere to the customs. At the end of class, the process is the same, except that after the class and I bow to each other, I have mudanja turn and face any yudanja and they bow to each other. This is followed by a hand shake with each student and then we bow before stepping off of the training floor.

Additionally, if the school owner, Master Disney is present, I stop class and have them bow to her if she steps onto the training floor.

 

[DMcHenry]

I remember when a Korean Grandmaster was watching the beginning of a class (it was a seminar), he asked why everyone bowed to the flag. His statement was "you salute flags, you bow to people", which made sense to me.

 

[puunui]

I remember when a Korean Grandmaster was watching the beginning of a class (it was a seminar), he asked why everyone bowed to the flag. His statement was "you salute flags, you bow to people", which made sense to me.

I've come to the conclusion that there is no agreement or standard on this. I have bowed and saluted flags, depending on the instructor. I think it is best that we simply follow the customs of whoever is in charge and do it their way.

 

[Buka]

I've come to the conclusion that there is no agreement or standard on this. I have bowed and saluted flags, depending on the instructor. I think it is best that we simply follow the customs of whoever is in charge and do it their way.

What he said. ^^^^

 

[Josh Oakley]

But.. I have saluted people AND flags!!!

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

 

[Dirty Dog]

I've come to the conclusion that there is no agreement or standard on this. I have bowed and saluted flags, depending on the instructor. I think it is best that we simply follow the customs of whoever is in charge and do it their way.

To my mind, a bow is nothing more (or less) than a form of salute. In the boy scouts, you're taught to salute with two fingers to the brow. In the American military, it's a ridgehand to the brow (careful!!!). In the roman army, it was a fist over the heart. In the MA, it's a bow.

They're all just various ways of showing respect.

 

[puunui]

Just reviewed the KTA Code of Etiquette, which was published in I want to say the 1995 edition of the Kukkiwon Textbook. It talks about bowing:

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Taekwondo Bow and Upright Posture: In an attention posture, one bows the head by 45 degrees. The upper body should bend at the waist by 15 degrees. The back soles of both feet stick together firmly.

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Bowing while sitting on the floor of the dojang, in a room, or living room: If a senior is seated, one should kneel down and bow. When a senior enters, one should rise up, showing courtesy by standing upright, and then kneels down to bow before the senior. If one is to serve as a member of attendants, he should all the time keep following the senior. When entering a room, an attendant guides the senior and stops for a while at the door so that the senior may pass in front of him to step aside, and then immediately follows the senior from behind. If the senior is to be seated, the attendant must first watch the place to sit down to ensure the senior will be seated at ease. Even during a meeting, the attendant should always keep watching the senior from his position to be able to respond quickly to any sign of help by the senior. When a senior talks, one should take an attitude of listening carefully, let alone paying a careful attention even to a junior's words.

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Norms of conduct at the dojang: Upon entering the dojang, one must first salute the national flag (by laying the right hand on the left side of the chest) and then to his seniors in rank order. Inside the dojang, one must try to create an atmosphere of quietness and solemnity. The dobok must be always treated dearly. It is advised not to go out of the dojang in the dobok except in the case of urgence. Inside the dojang, one must use polite language towards the head of the dojang, instructors and his seniors in rank, regardless of their age.

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http://academy.grandmastervohra.net/master.php?page=etiquette.htm
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