Karate Etiquette

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

What we are all about is helping children to excel in their lives by teaching them a valuable Personal Development and Life Skills Curriculum using the Martial Arts as a vehicle.

An investment in a membership at our Martial Arts school is an investment in your child’s future. If a child can learn to set and achieve his or her goals at the age of eight or younger, can you imagine what they can do when they embark on a career in later life or when they are doing their Leaving Cert or going to College?

We personally guarantee that we can achieve real lasting life-changing results in children through our Programs. 

Have you ever seen children with low confidence or a low self image?

Of course you have. We will work with a child and change that self image to a positive one and thereby allow a child to lead a much fuller life. In fact, we all were one of those children before we started our Martial Arts training. We wouldn’t trade anything for what the Martial Arts have done for us.

 Here is what some of the parents at our schools have said: 

·  “They really have gotten a lot from this. They learned so many life lessons. Thank You” – S.D (Mother, Killorglin)

·  “This is the only activity that I don’t actually have to drag the kids to on certain occasions. They do other things and sometimes they don’t want to go to those, but they can’t get enough of Karate” – T.C Father, (Killorglin)

·  “It has done wonders for him” – Mother (Killorglin)

·  “This is fantastic. It’s great to watch. We’d love to do these ourselves as well” – Mr. And Mrs. D (Castleisland)

·  “She loves it. I can see that you really love to teach the kids” – Mother, (Killarney)

·  “The teachers all sing his praises; they say he’s fantastic in school and a pleasure to teach. I told them it’s because of Karate” – Mother, (Killarney)

·  “She has just come along so much lately. She’s so mature and she’s only 6” – Mother, (Castleisland)

·  “He loves it. I really think it’s made a difference in him already” – Parent, (Killarney)

·  “Martial Arts are not about violence, they are all about being in control of both yourself and the situation in which you find yourself. I believe that there is something in the martial arts to suit everyone regardless of age.”  - J. O Brien, Adult Student & Parent of Students, (Kenmare)

·  “I am very happy with the self-defence I have learned. I learned karate is a non-violent practice as all fighting is controlled. Self-Control is a skill karate has taught me. Being a teen, I find this skill invaluable.” – F. Cronin, Black Belt Student, (Castletownbere)

·  “I think it’s fantastic, I’d recommend it to anyone, I do recommend it to everyone” – J.C. (Mother, Killarney)

·  “I think you’re a great role model for him, that’s what he needs”  – M.B. (Mother, Castleisland)

·  “He used to be very shy; I can’t believe the change in him. It’s great to see that he’s not afraid to talk to people” – (Mother, Killarney)

·  “I’m forever grateful for what you’ve done for them” – (Father, Castleisland)

·  “It’s the only activity where the kids always want to go, I never need to force them, no matter what they’re doing before we have to leave to go to Karate. They do other things as well and I often need to force them to go to those other things, but never Karate. They love it” – (Father, Killorglin) 

We are Kerry’s Only Professional Martial Arts School and have the Only Purpose Built Martial Arts Facility in the county located in Ballycasheen, Killarney. Our programs change lives for the better. Our Personal Development and Life Skills curriculum, which is built into our Martial Arts Program helps students to overcome fears and increase confidence and self esteem as well as teaching goal setting skills and a positive attitude.

Dojo Kun  

The Dojo Kun is recited at the conclusion of every karate training, allowing the students to reflect upon the guiding principles of karate-do       

Japanese translation:
HITOTSU! JINKAKU KANSEI NI TSUTOMURU KOTO!
HITOTSU! MAKOTO NO MICHI O MAMORU KOTO!
HITOTSU! DORYOKU NO SEICHIN O YASHINAU KOTO!
HITOTSU! REIGI O OMONZURU KOTO!
HITOTSU! KEKKI NO YU O IMASHIMURU KOTO!          

English translation (traditional):
SEEK PERFECTION OF CHARACTER!
BE FAITHFUL!
ENDEAVOUR!
RESPECT OTHERS!
REFRAIN FROM VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR!

FSKD Practices

·         We strive to always be courteous and respectful – especially to our instructors.

·         We bow before entering or leaving the training room.

·         We generally practice in bare feet.

·         Personal hygiene (cleanliness) is essential. Finger and toe nails are clipped short.

·         When bowing at the start of class, we may say "Onegai-shimasu, Sensei" (phonetically ah-nee-gah-she-mas, sen-say), which means "Please teach me, Sensei".

·         When bowing at the end of class, we may say "Domo arigato, Sensei" (phonetically do-mo-are-ee-gah-toe, sen-say), which means "Thank you, Sensei".

·         We thank your instructor or partner for working with us by bowing "Oss".

·         We try to keep your uniform and body clean to show respect for those who train with you.

·         We only wear Black or White T Shirts inside the uniform.

·         We keep your fingernails and toenails short and smooth to avoid injuring our training partners.

·         We remove jewellery, watches, etc.

·         We avoid chewing gum.

·         Most importantly, the moment class starts, our minds are on karate, bettering ourselves, and on trying to improve our own technique.

·         We concentrate, and focus, giving spirited kiai, and practice hard! (This is under "etiquette" because doing otherwise would be disrespectful to the instructor, as well as to yourself)

·         So as not to distract any other students or the instructor we avoid passing in front of anyone --  we go behind and around.

·         We avoid crossing our legs and hands as this is distracting for the instructor and also can be viewed as disrespectful or as a lack of interest.

·         We usually stand in a "yame" position, without leaning on walls or distracting others.

·         We also kneel down when discussing things.

·         If we are ever in a kneeling position and we begin to feel uncomfortable, we may bow and then switch to sitting cross-legged.

·         Whenever we stand from a sitting position, we should first switch to kneeling, we bow, and then stand.

·         If we ever need to leave a class early, we let the instructor know beforehand.

·         Every time we get a new partner for any exercise, we bow. Every time we are about to switch partners, we bow to your old partner before moving on to our next.

·         We avoid making overt displays of how tired we are, no matter how tired we are, as this is seen as disrespectful.

·         If we are ever asked to count, we may count in whatever language we feel comfortable with, but we make the counts short, sharp, and spirited.

·Standing bow: Stand with heels together, feet pointing slightly outward (like a "V"). Keep knees straight; elbows straight and relaxed; hands open and at the seams of your pants (the outside of your legs); fingers together. Bend at the waist, about 20 degrees forward. Unbend. The whole bow takes about a breath's length.

·Kneeling (seiza): Place left knee on the floor; then right knee. Sit down on feet. Big toes of left and right feet should overlap (either one on top). Keep back straight and shoulders relaxed. Rest left hand (hand open, fingers together) on left thigh and right hand on right thigh, so that fingers point inward. For anatomical reasons, men should have about a fist or two's width between their knees, women should have knees together.

·Bowing in seiza: Slide the left hand from the thigh to the floor immediately in front of the left knee (not too far in front, i.e., left elbow shouldn't touch the floor). Do the same with the right hand, so that the right hand motion is slightly behind (in time) the left hand motion. Palms should touch the floor to show deep respect. Bow at the waist, taking a little longer than for a standing bow (forehead comes close to the floor, but does not touch it). Slide your hands back up to their initial position on the thighs, this time with the left hand slightly behind the right hand.

·Entering and exiting the dojo: Bow, standing at the entrance, facing the dojo or towards the front of the dojo, whether you are entering or exiting the dojo.

·Lateness:  If you are late, bow in, and then quietly kneel near the entrance. Wait until the instructor acknowledges you. Then bow kneeling, get up, and quickly join the group. If you arrive just as everyone is kneeling at the beginning, simply wait until warming-up starts, and bow in as described above.

·Opening sequence: When you hear "Line up!" or "One line!” stand shoulder to shoulder facing the front of the dojo, in rank order. Try to line up so that the instructor is right in the middle of the line. If class size is big, the senior student may ask you to form more than one line, in which case, you should try to line up so that the lines are approximately of the same length. Seiza!” sit down in seiza, so that knees are aligned with the person on your left. "Mokusoh!” quite meditation -- just lowers your gaze, relax, and breathe. "Mokusoh yame!” stop. "Shomen ni rei!” Bow to the front of the room (this signifies bowing to the institution of karate and to the line of instructors who brought it to your instructor). "Sensei ni rei!” Bow to the instructor. When you're bowing, you can say "onegaishimas," which, roughly translated, means "Please," i.e., please teach me, please help me, please hold class, etc. At the signal of the instructor, get up (quickly, without waiting for the person on your left, necessarily).

·Closing sequence: Same as the opening sequence, except that after mokusoh, there is a recitation of the dojo Kun. Repeat after the senior student, loudly and in unison. During the final bow to the instructor, you can say "arigatoh gozaimashita," which means "Thank you." "Thank you" in English is okay, too. At the end, the instructor will get up. Wait until the person on your left bows and gets up before you do the same.

·Other things you should know:

·   Don't be afraid to kiai! If you have a strong kiai, it will often spur others to work harder, as well. The overall tone of a class is set by the level of spirit of the class, which can be raised with better kiai. On the other hand, if your spirit is poor or your kiai weak, you might bring down the class spirit. "Kiai" itself, being a Japanese word should NOT be a kiai. Common kiai include "Ya!" and "Ei!"

·   Do not hesitate to ask senior students and instructors for help before or after class. Time permitting, you should try to learn kata outside of class so that during class, the instructor can spend more time making comments about your technique rather than what move comes next.