Dojang Etiquette
It's hard for us to remember the formal rules of the dojang sometimes, when our training area is only a grade school gym. We have lots of room, but we don't have our own space, so it's more difficult to get in the mood and remember to show respect to the training area.
We bow into the gym to show this respect. This puts us into the mindset that now is time for training. Now is the time to leave all the worries and stresses of the day outside and focus only on Taekwondo. In a real dojang, we would be bowing to the flags on the wall, and to all of the blackbelts.
It would be easy to remember to take off our shoes, to be quiet, and to focus on training if we could walk into a building that was meant only for martial arts, with perhaps inspirational sayings on the walls, heavy bags and other equipment for working out, and the instructors' qualifications posted-- not to mention trophy displays.
Someday, we will have our own school, and we will be able to create this special atmosphere that inspires teacher and student alike and sets the mood for a good, hard workout. For now, we must create our own space. We must make that gym ours while we are there, and we will remember to bow in and out of this space, to show respect to our teachers and classmates, and to keep our minds focused on perfecting our techniques and strengthening our bodies.
For any dojang, remember that food is not allowed, and no drinks other than water or sports drinks. It is everyone's job to keep this space clean, so be the first to volunteer to sweep or do other clean up when necessary. Most of all, remember: it isn't the dojang that makes a martial artist; it's the martial artist that makes a dojang.
We bow into the gym to show this respect. This puts us into the mindset that now is time for training. Now is the time to leave all the worries and stresses of the day outside and focus only on Taekwondo. In a real dojang, we would be bowing to the flags on the wall, and to all of the blackbelts.
It would be easy to remember to take off our shoes, to be quiet, and to focus on training if we could walk into a building that was meant only for martial arts, with perhaps inspirational sayings on the walls, heavy bags and other equipment for working out, and the instructors' qualifications posted-- not to mention trophy displays.
Someday, we will have our own school, and we will be able to create this special atmosphere that inspires teacher and student alike and sets the mood for a good, hard workout. For now, we must create our own space. We must make that gym ours while we are there, and we will remember to bow in and out of this space, to show respect to our teachers and classmates, and to keep our minds focused on perfecting our techniques and strengthening our bodies.
For any dojang, remember that food is not allowed, and no drinks other than water or sports drinks. It is everyone's job to keep this space clean, so be the first to volunteer to sweep or do other clean up when necessary. Most of all, remember: it isn't the dojang that makes a martial artist; it's the martial artist that makes a dojang.
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