All That Ceremony Junk

[Hidden Ronin]

Calling my instructor Sensei is like when I call my Doctor "Doctor". It's a title he's earned, so I use it. We bow at the beggining and end of lesson, and at Karate we have a minute of "Motso" (spelling?).
As for all the who-ha around how we treat higher ranks at Karate. Yeah, it can piss me off. Sure, if you're a high dan grade you deserve courtesy, but not respect. Respect it not a default position, it is earned. Having a 5th Dan dosn't mean you can condecende and be rude without getting called on it. Rude is rude. That and the "You can't sweep unless you're a brown belt, even if the brown belts are sweeping you" was a bullshit rule I Tomeo-Naged right out the fucking Karate Dojo.
Aside from that, it's all good.

[DarkPhoenix]

We do the same think in Judo and TKD. It's been translated to me as meaning, "cleansing breath"

[Yoj]

Mokuso.

[Hidden Ronin]

Thankyou, Yoj. I probably spelt Tomeo-Nage wrong too.

[DarkPhoenix]

Mokuso.

I was trying to figure out how to spell it. In TKD we use "mokto".

[Yoj]

Tomoe-nage, but hey, whats the odd vowel out of place really matter?

FWIW I don't mind a lot of the reigi that comes with budo, there's a sensible reason for a lot it, or just manners, manners froma different culture so it's a bit different, but thats ok. It's pretending to have those manners when you don't, or making a big deal about it all and using them to raise yourself above everyone else that annoys.

[Hidden Ronin]

I'm one up on some of the guys in the Jujutsu class, they just use the English equivalent. Can cause much confusion when asked to move from mount into Juji-gatame.

Your second statement rings true with me also.

[Coach Josh]

I needed to speak to the instructor of the judo class my first lesson. I bowed and used sensei to address him. The way I see it is, in judo particularly, a black belt has been earned, the title indicates teacher and that is what the black belt signifies. It helped That he was Japanese. I understand the japanophilophobia (copyright?) but it's judo, not some larp tastic ninjer ****.

I felt wierder saying "sir" to my TKD instructor, made me feel like I was back in catholic school. I used to call him kwangjangnim.

Then

BB=/=teacher

This is a common misconception. More importantly shodan does not equal a teacher neither does nidan or sandan hell even yondan in some places. While I am only a nidan in Judo I do not really consider myself a teacher of Judo but more of a mentor, guide or coach. I teach a lot of classes in Judo and people want to call me sensei but I do not allow them to do so.

IIRC correctly yondan are the teaching ranks in Japan or godan for sure. Anyone below that is still a noob at Judo. In the US as soon as someone gets a BB they are called sensei. This is foolish. They have done nothing to even close to becoming a teacher. They have only learned the basics of Judo that works for them not what really is Judo.

There is a part of Judo or any MA for that matter that is there to be discovered but it comes with time and time and more time. The ability to convey this intangible part of Judo to others is when you are a real teacher.


As far as the protocol it can be fun but just like anything it can be over done. The only thing I would love to do is like at the Kodokan is have someone bang a drum to start and stop class. That is cool. Drum, line up bow, make mini earthquakes, drum, line up, bow, take shower, get plastered on sake. Man I miss Japan.

[Hidden Ronin]

You studied at the Kodokan? Wow. What's it like?

[ciscodog]

isnt instructor "sempai"? My sensei is my teacher, his sensei is my O'sensei or like a grandfather, and when I teach, the students refer to me as sempai.