Courtesy in the Martial Arts
A guide for all Tae Kwon-Do students
There are 5 primary tenets (guiding principles) that apply to all aspects of Tae Kwon-Do training:
Courtesy – Integrity – Perseverance – Self-Control – Indomitable Spirit
There is a reason that Courtesy is listed first and I would like all students to be aware of what Courtesy truly means.
To a beginner student we define Courtesy as:
To be polite to one’s instructors, seniors and fellow students
But Courtesy is much more than this. We first discover Courtesy in our training when we learn to bow; a mark of respect and humility that we use each time we enter or leave the class, at the beginning and end of each lesson, each time we partner another student and so on. By performing the bow we are demonstrating a commitment to the tenet of Courtesy, but do we truly understand how to demonstrate Courtesy in other ways?
Demonstrating Courtesy:
1. Have good manners – a student should be polite and respectful both inside and outside of the training hall. For example, a student should not barge another student out of the way to gain a position in the line-up or swear, be rude or disrespectful and so on.
2. Show social responsibility – a student should not pester, harass or bully anyone, especially other students. There should be no inappropriate touching, comments or innuendos (speak to your Instructor for more details). Students must respect the privacy and space of others and commit to keeping each other safe.
3. Show equality and tolerance – a student must never discriminate against anyone regardless of their sex, age, race or lifestyle preferences. Whilst we may line up in order of rank, this is only a statement of how a student has progressed in the Art.
4. Be helpful – a student should help as much as possible. This may be helping others to improve techniques or tie their belts, holding doors open, helping to carry equipment and so on.
5. Be respectful to the Art of Tae Kwon-Do – a student must follow the rules and etiquette of Tae Kwon-Do and the martial arts. A student should not be disrespectful to their own Art or to other martial arts.