The etiquette in martial arts training centers plays an important role in the health of the training environment.
It has three major components that must be observed and expected of all. These three components consist of three distinct, but related compartments:
- Physical ethicacy. It includes not only cleanliness, but more importantly, preserving the safety of your training partners (female or male), and more sensitive topics such as keeping respect and dignity towards all female and male students. This respect and dignity must be maintained at all times in both verbal and physical contacts. Make sure your students are fully aware of this and does not become a matter of giggle and laughter from one party and an offensive word or a deliberately inappropriate physical contact for the other person. This is not limited to just martial arts academies, but is an epidemic in most work environments unfortunately.
- Do not disrespect another student or fighter's skills from your school or even other schools of martial arts, who may have a totally different philosophical persuasions than you. He or she is your student or training partner, or another distant cousin of yours from an entirely different martial arts background. Your job is to keep a humble head at all times, push the person you are training with, and bring out the excellence in them with whoever you come across with in training. Be encouraging to them, no matter how weak they may be in certain areas.
- Be an example and a true mentor to others. If you cannot direct your own life as a disciplined martial artist, how do you expect others to listen to your advice, insight, guidance, and wisdom as a mentor. You may not be aware, but many are watching you as an instructor AND a student. Your etiquette, demeanor, approach, temper; your handling of things, your optimism in life is under microscope by your coworkers, training partners, and instructors. Being a teacher, mentor and a good student is more than just teaching how to kick ass, it is also about showing that you yourself are NOT an ass. If you are an ass, then your students will be an ass too, and there is always a big steel-toe boot on some foot, waiting to unleash itself on your ass. Someday, somehow, you or your students may run into it, because you have made yourself a magnet for it.
I think if we keep these three ethical principles, we should be pretty good within our etiquette framework. If you forget the last two etiquette, please at least read the first one, one more time. Because it could well relate to the last two ethical principles.
We joke and laugh about a lot of things and it's important to have that, but beware of stepping over the boundaries of people, physically as well as verbally!
It's important for martial arts centers to stay on top of this like any other work environment.
Key words I am emphasizing are: Respect, Boundaries, Mentorship, and Humbleness!
I am proud of all my students!
Thank you my friends!
SHAHRAM MOOSAVI
480-489-7202