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| Attitude & etiquette | ||
| Written by Rachel | ||
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Discipline
Traditionally, many martial arts classes were quite strict.
They expected a high-level of discipline and
etiquette.
Failure to adhere to standards was met with harsh punishment.
Mild expectations
The attitude & etiquette standards in our school
are extremely informal relative to your average karate, judo or Chinese martial
arts school.
Everyone is an adult.
We are mainly interested in
common sense, safety, courtesy and respect.
Attitude
In a tai chi
class, the instructor is only concerned with
attitudes that lead to the
acquisition of the required skills.
And the
cultivation of a safe training environment.
Personal issues, hang-ups
and egotism are unimportant.
Code of conduct
Tai chi practice is potentially
dangerous.
Students cannot be permitted to act how they see fit.
This is why a code of conduct will always exist in a
martial arts class.
Play well together
It is easy to get carried away. It is easy to
be injured or cause injury.
Be friendly.
Train safely, politely and with consideration.
Respect
You may not think that
etiquette matters, but it is
important to remember where you are and
what you are
learning.
The instructor is not your mate, your
buddy, or one of the lads/girls.
They have trained for decades.
Respecting the instructor (and other students) is vital in a martial arts
class.
Chit-chat
New people often want to tell the instructor all
about themselves or share their thoughts,
feelings or
ideas.
This is pointless.
You have paid money to learn from an expert.
Time spent chit-chatting would be
better spent training.
Besides, the instructor has an entire class to manage and you are
stopping them
from working.
Talking with the teacher
It is fine to talk with your instructor providing:
The teacher wants to talk
The teacher has time to talk
The class has started
The class is not over
It does not interfere with the lesson
It does prevent other students from practicing
You are not monopolising the teacher's attention
Your questions are relevant to the topic at hand
Work
Instructors are at work. They are in class to
teach the art.
They are responsible for the whole class, not just you.
Please keep this in mind at all times.
Show your best side
If you want the teacher to take you seriously as a student, it is important
to start off in the right way.
Arguing, time wasting and second-guessing the teacher will only bring you
adverse attention.
Student, friend or customer?
Many students want to be taken seriously by the instructor yet insist
upon acting like 'customers'.
They are rude, ungrateful, needy, pushy and vain.
A martial arts instructor is not a
personal trainer; treating them like one
will never produce a favourable result.
When you come to the dojo, it is a recognition the
teacher there has something you want. He will give it to you in his own way.
You must accept that. If you do not, you are free to leave. The dojo,
however, is never run by consensus.
The sensei is not a therapist. The goal of the dojo is to make healthy
people healthier, physically and psychologically and spiritually. It cannot
be expected to repair badly damaged human beings. As so if a member exhibits
serious personal problems, the sensei's job is to get rid of him, gracefully
if possible, forcefully and definitively if necessary.
(Dave Lowry)
Page created
11 March 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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