(from ISKF Spotlight Spring 1998)

Reigi Saho part II

by Master T. Okazaki

Dojo manners, or rei-gi-saho, are so important that I feel it is necessary to explain step by step how to behave correctly in class. In the last issue we finished with "sensei-ni-rei" . Now I will discuss principles of etiquette during actual training.

ALWAYS face the instructor when the instructor is talking. Unless the instructor says to face somewhere else, stop whatever you are doing, stand in shizen-tai, and face the instructor. During my time our instructors almost never gave us technical explanations; so when they spoke, we stopped everything and tried to listen as closely as possible. It should be the same today. Show courtesy to the instructor and face him or her directly. When the instructor gives a command, shout HAI !

NEVER talk during class. If you have a question, wait until the end of class and then approach a senior student or the instructor. Bow before you ask the question and then bow and say thank you after you get the answer.

DO NOT jump the count!
Realize that part of your training is to treat the count like you would an opponent and react with proper timing. If you move too soon, you are dead because your movement was too early and your opponent has caught you.

ALWAYS TRY YOUR BEST. Rei gi saho during kumite is very simple, but usually I always see bad manners. For example, when two black belts face each other both of them try their hardest. When these same black belts face lower ranks, they become lazy and move slower. This is wrong. No matter who you face you must always try your best. Anyone on the street with a weapon can hurt you and karate teaches us to be ready to defend ourselves at all times, not just when we feel like it. Even when attacking, you must still think of catching the opponent with a punch or a kick.

Sometimes the instructor may tell the black belts to slow down and help the lower belts.This is the only time when you do not need to move quickly. Any other time you must try your best or it is bad etiquette. Remember that this is non -contact so as long as you exercise good control there should be no problems.

SEIZA at the end of class should last at least ten seconds or ten inhalations. Breathe through your nose and allow the air to expand your stomach. Exhale slowly through your mouth. This is called fukushiki-kokyu, or stomach breathing. Inhaling and exhaling this way is physically very relaxing and after ten breaths your mind should be very clear.

When repeating the dojo kun try hard to pronounce each word clearly and think about how you can apply these principles to your daily life. When you bow to the instructor say "domo-arigato-gozaimasita-sensei". This is an extremely polite way of thanking the the instructor for the lesson.

All of the manners and etiquette learned in karate training should also be used outside the dojo as well. Sometimes this is much harder than punching and kicking but it is the only way if we are to live our lives with true karate spirit.