The rules and protocol of a traditional martial arts dojo such as the IMA are many and also complex. Some of the ideas are quite different than the usual western ways of doing things. The conduct code, set up by our students, is a most valuable guide to fitting into the dojo life.

Traditional martial arts is based upon doing rather than questioning. There is tremendous mutual trust between seniors and lower belt students that helps lower belts to survive the strict policy of a dojo. The relationship is referred to as the sempai-kohai bond. The sempai is the senior belt whose obligation is to care for and teach the lower belt. The kohai is the junior belt whose duty is to obey, trust and live up to the guidance being offered. This sempai-kohai bond can last for a lifetime and is at the heart of the IMA dojo. It is one of the glues that strongly bind the members to the study of karate-do.

In our western society we are taught to question and challenge everything. Certainly that is often a good approach in some areas. For traditional societies that have developed their methods over many, many centuries, the new questions serve little purpose. Students find more success and inner tranquility by merely first learning the art and accepting what the teachers have said or shown. There is a saying that there is little point in reinventing the wheel. Certainly this applies to karate where a basic punch has been studied and explored for hundreds of years. It is unlikely that someone with two years of training would have much to say that would improve the technique. The only thing left to do is to master the punch first. Then perhaps following a proper understanding, there may be something to ask about it.

A basic foundation of the karate dojo is that the student should first try to master the technique before challenging its validity. Moreover, in karate-do, having the perfect punch is not the ultimate aim of the training. It is the journey one takes in learning the punch that is more important. Will the student learn perseverance, fitness, focus, diligence, tranquility, and more by doing five years of thousands of the same punch? This is the "do" of karate-do and is far more meaningful than knowing just technique.

If you do not understand any part of this guideline, ask a sempei for assistance. If you disagree with any of the guidelines, do not ask for assistance, instead you need to accept the guidelines first in order that one day you will understand why there are such things in place.

Sensei Steinwald

Head Instructor