# Classroom Traditions



## fnorfurfoot (Jun 10, 2006)

I thought it might be interesting to see what kinds of customs the different schools follow.  For instance, when I was a student of Shaolin Kempo, we had to kneel when putting on our belts.  That was basically the only one.  At a Goju school that I was with last year, you could put your belt on when ever and where ever you wanted.  They required you to bow to the training room and then bow to the shrine set up with Kyoshi's instructor's ashes.  I know of another school that says that the students can't put their belt on until the head instructor gives them permission.

At my old school, I had the students bowing into the classroom before entering and after leaving but once I started running my classes out of the local YMCA, I had to drop that one only because of the way the room is set up there.  My only other one that I can think of right now is that I don't allow the students to place their belts on the floor.  The belts will of course brush the floor when they are putting the belts on and taking them off, but I hate seeing it resting on the floor. 

So what are your rules and traditions?


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## HKphooey (Jun 10, 2006)

Forget your belt....  lots of push-ups!  

Kneeling when puttin on one's belt.  

A school I used to train at, had us run sweat form our brows before putting on a newly awarded belt.  The their was the kenpo kick to the gut for 1st degree.


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## fnorfurfoot (Jun 10, 2006)

Your kick to the gutt reminded me of another tradition at the Goju school.  If it was someone's birthday or someone just purchased a new set of sparring gear, that person had to spar with everyone in the room.  Every time he/she lost, the winner got to punch the poor soul in the gut as hard as they wanted.


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## Michael Billings (Jun 10, 2006)

Don't let the belt touch the ground unless you are in it.

-Michael


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## Sapper6 (Jun 10, 2006)

your belt is a representation of the material learned in any said system.  when you treat it as anything different, idolization occurs.  don't put your belt on a pedestal.  it only means something to the person wearing it.  worship it if you want.  i would say that your energy should be directed elsewhere...that's just me.


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## Carol (Jun 11, 2006)

Michael Billings said:
			
		

> Don't let the belt touch the ground unless you are in it.
> 
> -Michael


 
Heh. Never heard it described quite like that before  Same with us.

We recite some or all of our creeds in the beginning of class. We end the class with a group activity such as dodge ball, a high-five line, or my favorite: Pass-the-punch.


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## hongkongfooey (Jun 11, 2006)

My school is pretty laid back. We don't bow into or out of the room. We don't say "mr.", we call our instructors by their first names. At least the adults do. 

We perform the formal salutation at the beginning and ending of class.


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## ChrisWTK (Jun 11, 2006)

We kneel when placing on our belts and bow when entering and exiting the dojo.

Also you're not allowed to wash your belt cause it 'washes away the knowledge.'


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## fnorfurfoot (Jun 11, 2006)

I believe that not washing your belt is a given in any art.  Though I had never heard that it "washes away the knowledge".  I scolded a parent for washing her son's belt once, but I couldn't think of a good reason beyond "you just don't do that."


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## Carol (Jun 11, 2006)

fnorfurfoot said:
			
		

> I believe that not washing your belt is a given in any art. Though I had never heard that it "washes away the knowledge". I scolded a parent for washing her son's belt once, but I couldn't think of a good reason beyond "you just don't do that."


 
It's a testament to all the hard work and effort that went in to the student's training.  The wear and discoloration are one way of showing that the belt was earned.


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## Michael Billings (Jun 11, 2006)

I refer it back to the Japanese 3 belts.  White, Brown then Black.  It gets darker and darker with use.  Sweat, dirt, blood, etc., then with age it grows lighter and lighter, until it is a frayed white, old black belt.



> idolization occurs. don't put your belt on a pedestal. it only means something to the person wearing it. worship it if you want. i would say that your energy should be directed elsewhere...that's just me.


Please re-read the topic of the thread again before posting.  Not judging here, just asking what are the traditions found across schools.

-Michael


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## donna (Jun 11, 2006)

We always kneel to put our belts on or take them off. We also have to kneel to adjust them if they come loose during training.
When we are presented with our belt Kyoshi wipes it across his brow as he presents it to us.


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## ChrisWTK (Jun 11, 2006)

donna said:
			
		

> When we are presented with our belt Kyoshi wipes it across his brow as he presents it to us.


 
What is the reason for doing that? Is it religious or possibly way to symbolize his effort of teaching you by adding his sweat to your belt?


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## Carol (Jun 11, 2006)

ChrisWTK said:
			
		

> What is the reason for doing that? Is it religious or possibly way to symbolize his effort of teaching you by adding his sweat to your belt?


 
It's not religious, although it has been used in religious contexts.  It's an old Asian custom...some may say superstition...of focusing on something by bringing it to one's forehead.  A religious example, bringing one's prayer book to one's forehead before beginning to pray.

A non-religious example...I bring my belt to my forehead before tying it around my waist to focus myself on my training.  Donna's Kyoshi may do the same thing to focus himself on his teaching.


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## ChrisWTK (Jun 11, 2006)

Thanks for the explanation Carol.

I was thinking it's sily how we put so much respect towards a belt when the belt itself is going to be replaced after a few months. Clearly this is a tradition still kept from when you only had one belt. I think if I was given one belt in the beginning and watched it turn from white to black from usage, I would respect it more and feel more attached to it as it was there with me since I began training. Also in that case washing it will litterally wash away the training. Although I still like all the cool colored belts. hehe.


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## bujuts (Jun 12, 2006)

We will wait until the instructor puts on his belt before we put on ours.  Also, a kenpo custom, we "relinquish the knot" by turning the knot to the side (men to the left, women right) while the teacher wears the knot in the middle.

We don't bow to a room or building, we bracket the training session with a meditation and a bow in/bow out.  The teacher(s) are Miss, Mrs., or Mr., and 
though not spoken, we don't set the belt on the ground - that is getting it dirty and worn without the training that should accompany belt wear.

Cheers,

Steven Brown
UKF


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## donna (Jun 12, 2006)

Carol Kaur said:
			
		

> It's not religious, although it has been used in religious contexts. It's an old Asian custom...some may say superstition...of focusing on something by bringing it to one's forehead. A religious example, bringing one's prayer book to one's forehead before beginning to pray.
> 
> A non-religious example...I bring my belt to my forehead before tying it around my waist to focus myself on my training. Donna's Kyoshi may do the same thing to focus himself on his teaching.


 
I think it is adding his sweat as well to symbolise the effort he has put int our training , Plus a bit of custom. It has no religious connotations. It makes the belt special to the receiver as well to have a physical part of your Kyoshi in your belt(the sweat) 

Another taboo in our dojo is touching someone else's belt. It is considered the height of disrespect to handle another persons belt. 
Also rolling up your sleeves is considered  disrespectful.


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## eyebeams (Jun 12, 2006)

The "dirty belt" thing is a myth. The belt system was devised by Jigoro Kano based on swimming proficiency level colours. Karateka adopted it later. Before that point, karateka occasionally wore sashes for lumbar support or to keep their pants up. Karateka also adpted the 10-dan system later, after briefly using a 5 dan system.

The one notable tradition I can think of is that you may not train if you are late.


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## Sigung86 (Jun 12, 2006)

eyebeams said:
			
		

> The "dirty belt" thing is a myth. The belt system was devised by Jigoro Kano based on swimming proficiency level colours. Karateka adopted it later. Before that point, karateka occasionally wore sashes for lumbar support or to keep their pants up. Karateka also adpted the 10-dan system later, after briefly using a 5 dan system.
> 
> The one notable tradition I can think of is that you may not train if you are late.


 
Thanks for posting that eyebeams... I was going to, but was detained by a good television show.  Interesting to think that, to all intent and purpose, one could have a dan grade and Black belt in checkers.

Insofar as letting your belt fray to show your devotion, your years, etc. etc.  Personally, having let one belt fray, and with one notable exception, when my belts tend to acquire the patina of frayage and so on, I replace them with new ones.

Many years ago, in the late great, San Antonio, Texas, where light contact was hitting someone in the head and they were able to get up, and when Bruce Lee was first making a big splash, the Kenpo school I was attending had a meeting of all the instructors.  We attempted to come up with a way to denote rank, and do away with the belts and gis as required uniform... Some of the solutions were so 70s hip that they would make you yak if you tried to implement them today.  And just as unfortunately, we ended up keeping the belts. OH, and the traditional uniforms.  Pity, really, it could have ended up being something really Western.


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## MagentaThompson (Jun 14, 2006)

At our school, you don't have to kneel when putting on your belt - mainly because you walk into the dojo with your belt already on. But if you have to take it off and readjust it, you turn away from the American flag to do so. Also, we do repetitions depending on someone's birthday - if someone turns 30, we go through our exercises in sets of 30. (A real pain when someone's over 40 - last guy was 53.) The constant bowing gets a bit annoying - bowing after every time an instructor corrects you/directs you (I think "Thank you, sir/ma'am" is enough), but it's no big deal.


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## fireman00 (Jun 14, 2006)

We bow to the US flag to show respect when entering/ leaving the room.

Turn away from the flag and instructor when making adjustments to the belt/ uniform.


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## Danjo (Jun 17, 2006)

Bowing when entering or leaving a room. Bowing to all black belts when they enter or leave the room. Kneeling and bowing to picture of Founder and instructor while he or she bows toward you. kneeling when putting on your belt or removing it. Bowing to opponent before sparring. Lining up according to rank and time in grade. Shaking hands with instructors and the rest of class when it's over. Pretty standard fare.

I personally agree with all of this because it puts one in the mindset to practice.


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## fnorfurfoot (Jun 18, 2006)

White, Yellow, and Orange belts are only allowed to wear white.  Purple, Blue, Blue with a stripe, Green, Green with a stripe, and the three Brown Belts may wear either all white or all black gis.  Black belts are allowed to mix and match tops and bottoms.  Their color choices are white, black, or blue.  Once the Black Belt reached 4th Dan, they may add red into the mix.


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## BigMike (Jun 21, 2006)

ChrisWTK said:
			
		

> Also you're not allowed to wash your belt cause it 'washes away the knowledge.'


 
My mom washed my belt after my first tournament because it had blood on it.  She didn't know not to and I didn't know she was going to do it.  After that whenever I tied it the hanging ends would curl into spirals.  I didn't hear the end of the teasing until I'd tested into my next belt.  :lfao: 

Big Mike


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## ChrisWTK (Jun 21, 2006)

BigMike said:
			
		

> My mom washed my belt after my first tournament because it had blood on it. She didn't know not to and I didn't know she was going to do it. After that whenever I tied it the hanging ends would curl into spirals. I didn't hear the end of the teasing until I'd tested into my next belt. :lfao:
> 
> Big Mike


 
Hehe, I knew one guy who spilled windshield washer fluid on his belt and so his yellow belt became this gross blueish/green color which I think looks worse than if he could have just washed it.

My mom also washed my gi with the colored clothes. We had to wash it about three times in bleach til it looked white enough that I considered it safe to wear to class.


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