Proper etiquette

"I think too many schools focus too much on the trappings of martial arts, rather than the substance."

Fair, but sometimes those trappings are a foundation. Respect for the uniform can build respect for the art and respect for the other students. Its these foundations that create Martail Artists and not fighters. Respect to spar safely etc.
Its not really about the belt proper or the bowing as much as its intrinsic value in the art you commit yourself to.

Dave O.
 
dortiz said:
Its these foundations that create Martail Artists and not fighters. Respect to spar safely etc.
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To be a martial artist, you must be a fighter. You may be more than a fighter, but if you are not a fighter, you are not a martial artist.
 
Stac3y said:
Students who show up without their belts where I train are given the choice of wearing a white belt and training at the back of the class with the white belts, or going home.
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We have a nice pink belt for them to wear.
 
I believe in a strong foundation on etiquette and tradition when you are a lower belt like before green. After that let's just focus on teaching the skills and having fun. Unless the student is consistantly improper or disruptive in class. Some instructors and masters have this power trip just cause. I don't think that is good. We are human and make mistakes.
 
"To be a martial artist, you must be a fighter. You may be more than a fighter, but if you are not a fighter, you are not a martial artist. "

Exactly!
 
dortiz said:
"I think too many schools focus too much on the trappings of martial arts, rather than the substance."

Fair, but sometimes those trappings are a foundation. Respect for the uniform can build respect for the art and respect for the other students. Its these foundations that create Martail Artists and not fighters. Respect to spar safely etc.
Its not really about the belt proper or the bowing as much as its intrinsic value in the art you commit yourself to.

Dave O.
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I understand your point, Dave. There's a reason why army recruits have to keep their uniforms in tip-top shape. It's part of the indoctrination required to be an efficient soldier able and willing to follow orders on a moment's notice. I can see the correlation into martial arts, but I'll confess to rolling my eyes when I hear the various flora like "don't wash your belt or you will lose all your knowledge". It's just too much for me suspend my disbelief for. I mean, come on.
 
dancingalone said:
I'll confess to rolling my eyes when I hear the various flora like "don't wash your belt or you will lose all your knowledge". It's just too much for me suspend my disbelief for. I mean, come on.
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To qoute a friend of mine, statements like those show you who has an actual understanding of Asian martial culture...and who watched too much Samurai Saturday Night.
 
We do tell our students not to wash their belts, but because they should be proud of the dirt and wear they accumulate through hard practice. We don't tell them they'll forget stuff or anything like that :) But then, with some students it's pretty difficult getting them to wash their dobaks at all, so belt washing hasn't been a problem! :lol:
 
I lost somethng here, when wouldyou ever find the need to wash a belt?
 
Errant108 said:
To qoute a friend of mine, statements like those show you who has an actual understanding of Asian martial culture...and who watched too much Samurai Saturday Night.
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I was at a tournament last year and the promoter was promoted to 9th dan by some jackoff who claimed 10th dan (a story for another time). Anyway, he went on to explain how the Koreans bowed a certain way when doing such an ceremony with everyone going osu. I had a bloody lip from bitting down on it trying to refrain from laughing out loud. Way too many movies.
 
dancingalone said:
I hear the various flora like "don't wash your belt or you will lose all your knowledge".
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Crap...that explains a lot...here I thought I was just getting old and most of my memories was replaced by malted barely and hops and bong residue from my youth.
 
miguksaram said:
I was at a tournament last year and the promoter was promoted to 9th dan by some jackoff who claimed 10th dan (a story for another time). Anyway, he went on to explain how the Koreans bowed a certain way when doing such an ceremony with everyone going osu. I had a bloody lip from bitting down on it trying to refrain from laughing out loud. Way too many movies.
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You've got to be kidding me...

Aeeesh...

백인 쌕기...
 
Good grief!

I like to think that behind ceremony lies reason. As I explained traditions of respect can help build a school. At the same time those same habits would seem silly to a workout group I train with outside of a school setting. For each setting different needs or practices.
I always assumed you dont wash your belt so you dont turn your uniform every colour of the belt sytem.

The rest of this knowledge vanishment and special ceremony stuff just makes me laugh. Its the line between good foundations and fruitcakes.

Dave O.
 
then I guess I'm on the team that don't believe in washing belts. Washing uniforms on the other hand should be done after every training. This is respect for your classmates and instructors!
 
Wasabinyc said:
then I guess I'm on the team that don't believe in washing belts. Washing uniforms on the other hand should be done after every training. This is respect for your classmates and instructors!
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Why wouldn't you wash your belt if it gets dirty? We do a lot of self-defense practice from a prone position in my school where someone else is on top. You are bound to get sweat and sometimes blood on your obi. Think about the germs and fungal infections that can get passed around. Yuck.
 
dortiz said:
I always assumed you dont wash your belt so you dont turn your uniform every colour of the belt sytem.
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I actually tell my students to wash their new belts (unless it's white) to avoid this very problem. Sweat is very acidic and when you have a sweaty, white uniform combined with a new colored belt, the dye can often transfer from the belt to the gi. You really run into this problem with the cheap belts; I've never seen a problem with the better made belts for dan holders.
 
Well I would wash the uniform because it simply stinks not because of tradition or anyhting else. My belt probably stinks too, but I guess no one really sniffs my belt. If I got blood on it Id probably wash it or just keep it on there as a warning to others. LOL
 
dancingalone said:
Why wouldn't you wash your belt if it gets dirty? We do a lot of self-defense practice from a prone position in my school where someone else is on top. You are bound to get sweat and sometimes blood on your obi. Think about the germs and fungal infections that can get passed around. Yuck.
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Have you ever washed your belt? I've only seen a few that have been washed, and they came out about two thirds of the length they were before, and all weird and wrinkly-looking. Of course, that may have been the result of drying in a clothes dryer, rather than washing. In my school, we don't wash belts, but I always figured the "tradition" of it was just packaging for not wanting to have to replace shrunken belts all the time.

I have only had the misfortune of encountering a gi non-washer once. Ugh! I would never wear my gi twice without washing it; at the end of a class I look like I've taken a shower in it. If you can wear your gi twice without washing it, you're probably not working hard enough!
 
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