Laughter in the dojo

[theletch1]

As I was training the other night I noticed that everyone was smiling (even through the pain) and at several points during the training you could hear folks laughing. It made me think back to the night that I sat in and watched a class at my current dojo. While the class was very structured and every student was very respectful (as was the instructor) there were several times that I heard folks laugh while training. I think it's one of the things that attracted me to the place. Laughter at the right times and in the appropriate measure can do wonders, IMHO, for the training environment.

How important do you all feel laughter is in the training of martial artists? Is there a place in the dojo for laughing or should the dojo be completely serious all the time? If you feel that laughter is important, why?

 

[blackxpress]

It can be dangerous. A friend of mine once had his elbow dislocated because he started laughing and didn't tap out in time.

 

[Aikikitty]

My class and instructors are very relaxed. We always show respect to each other, but we joke and laugh plenty. It's a very friendly atmosphere. But I imagine that if there was too much joking and laughing and not enough paying attention then there would be a problem. Everyone in my class are adults though so there has never been an issue.

Robyn :highfive:

 

[Blindside]

If you don't hear laughter at our school something is deeply wrong. I'm not saying every moment is a laugh-fest, but you should be having fun, or at least use laughter to relieve the pain.

 

[ejaazi]

I train at a very serious dojo, but if something funny happens or someone says something funny, then we laugh. I think that it's okay, but it shouldn't get out of hand.

 

[Drac]

A little laughter can make the training no matter how tough enjoyable..l

 

[newGuy12]

Once when I was in an Aikido Dojo, the Sensei was showing the motions. Four times. Right, left, right, left.

We were sitting, in Seiza, watching. Now, I have fond memories of this school. Everything was quite correct here. From the texture of the canvas floor to the wood. The black and white photograph of the Teacher's Teacher on the wall. Everything.

I kept thinking "this is perfection, right here". Its transcendental somehow, spiritual even.

Then, the Teacher said, "And one for the crowd..." and did a fifth repetition for some reason. This motion was bigger. The Uke went higher. He was also a Black Belt in Judo, and hit the floor solidly, not rolling. He slapped correctly, and yelled.

We all laughed, it was not expected. Here for a minute is was if this was some carnival act. "One for the crowd?" But, this was not disrespectful. These people would never show disrespect for such a lovely thing, no way. But, the mood changed. I think that to always have some kind of attitude of viciousness is not correct. It is better to have some balance, and maybe some levity by the Teacher at the right time is for a good reason?

Some of the most special moments of life are spent doing this practice. I am convinced of this, totally.

 

[morph4me]

I tend to laugh when someone throws me extremely well, and very hard, as do many of the people I train with. Just appreciating the feeling of hitting the mat for no apparent reason, with a minimum of effort on the part of nage, seems to bring spontaneous laughter. We train hard and we play hard, sometimes at the same time, it makes for a good learning experience and environment, as long as it's not done at inappropriate times.

 

[theletch1]

Tom, I wonder if that's an NGA thing 'cause I do it as well, especially if I'm instructing and taking ukemi for the student. It's a laughter of joy that nage is getting the technique.

To those who have responded that it shouldn't be allowed to get out of hand...I could not agree more. Laughter, in the right measure and at the appropriate time can relax us enough to get the technique to click for us by releasing frustration.

 

[swiftpete]

We tend to have a laugh at my dojo and my instructor is really the one who's making the jokes, sometimes while demonstrating (at appropriate points obviously, not while actually hitting people!). As long as we're all paying attention when he's demonstrating and not talking amongst ourselves or anything then I can't see the problem.

 

[morph4me]

Tom, I wonder if that's an NGA thing 'cause I do it as well, especially if I'm instructing and taking ukemi for the student. It's a laughter of joy that nage is getting the technique.

I think its appreciation of a well done technique, I've done it while working with people outside of NGA, or it could just be a manifestation of latent masochism :idunno:

 

[Kacey]

If you aren't enjoying what you're doing enough to laugh about it sometimes... what's the point? Yes, we are respectful and concentrate on what we're doing - but we still have a good time, and that includes the occasional laugh, even if it's about things most people wouldn't understand - like one of my students, 15 years old, who broke 2 boards with a flying side kick at his last testing and landed on his butt, and then got up yelling "They broke! They broke!" - Once we knew he was okay, everyone started laughing about the landing and wishing we'd had it on videotape.

 

[theletch1]

Yeah, I hear ya on laughing about things most others would never get. It's like the thing Tom was talking about with laughing after a good throw. Folks who don't train would never understand how you could laugh when someone puts you in that kind of pain.

 

[charyuop]

Laughing in my opinion is nothing wrong on the mat, as long as done at the right moment. Many times Sensei says something funny and you can't help laughing. Or other times I get hit somehow when I am supposed to block and sometimes it comes out funny. For example Saturday Senpai was tossing a roll of duct tape to Sensei, he was trying to show me the difference between blocking and flowing with a punch. All of a sudden the tape jumps streight to my face from Sensei's hands...even if kinda painful I couldn't help laugh.

I usually laugh (not really a loud laugh, more like a giggle) when Sensei throws me or sends me down with something beyond my understanding. Always Saturday, talking about the way hands have to work together, he stood behind me and placed his index fingers on the sides of my chin. He showed me that if hands work not together nothing happens, while if he had them work together...I found myself down and didn't even realize I was going down.

I think Aikido is rather a frustrating Art, a laugh once in a while can't be any harm...but maybe in Japan they wouldn't agree at all.

 

[punisher73]

When we train we should train with all three levels of our person. The physical, mental and emotional/spiritual. If you are laughing while training (not just horseplaying and not doing the lesson) then that can only occur when your WHOLE being is involved all three spheres are in unision and working together.

I think that these lessons are learned more easily and stick with us a bit more because of the positive emotions attactched to it.

So I seen nothing wrong with laughing while training.

 

[okashiibudo]

DIdn't o'Sensei say that we should study aikido with a sense of joy, or something like that?

 

[theletch1]

Yeah, I believe he did. I think a great part of my ability to laugh while I'm in the dojo is that I am finally able to "empty my cup" when I enter the dojo. With out all of the stress of the daily grind I'm much more likely to relax enough to laugh.

 

[Drac]

Let me never become so wrapped up in myself and my training that I cannot take time to laugh when something is funny and make others laugh when I am teaching...

 

[Yari]

I think laughter in the Dojo is OK. But it shouldn't take over. The things that are praticed are serious, and should be handled with concentration.

I think that talk, laughter, joking are OK. But the main reason is to pratice.

/yari