Bowing etiquette for the martial artists
Bowing etiquette for the martial artists
For nearly forty years I have watched the way various martial artists bow to others. There is much confusion as to what is the proper way to bow. A common belief is that the lower the bow the more respectful it is intended to be. For many years I too believed this to be the case. Now I’m of a different opinion. It seems to me that the use of the bow in public the martial arts use of the bow have become confused. In years past it was common if two Japanese men met in public to bow to each other. In such a case one might bow to the other. The other may then bow more deeply as a sign of greater respect. Sometimes this would continue back and forth with each bowing deeper than the last time. Martial artists many time also bow deeper than is necessary. My martial arts teachers taught me that the bow should be done as follows. I should stand with my feet together (toes pointed out 45 degrees) hands placed at my the sides of my thighs, Head up with my neck straight. With my eyes straight ahead, I should bow from the waist only until I could not see the face of the person to which I’m bowing. My sensei explained that it is only necessary to bow this far so as to not be able to see the other persons face and yet allow the other person to be able to see the top of my head. Since the top of the head is one of the places that is vulnerable to attack, exposing it shows a sing of respect and trust.
Bowing in this way would never be done to anyone that you do not respect or trust. One thing that I see often is the practice of a martial artists bowing while keeping his eyes on the person he is bowing to. When I ask someone about this the martial artist said that his instructor told him to keep his eyes on the person he was bowing to so that he might not be attacked while off guard. This does not seem right to me. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would not bow to anyone that I thought might attack me while I was bowing. I was taught that bowing while looking at the other person was rude, impolite, and a show of distrust. If that is the case why bow at all.
While I’m on the subject, I find another common practice while bowing strange. While attending tournaments and other martial arts events, I see many who slap their hands against their sides as they bring their feet together to bow. It is unclear where this practice came from. As far as I am aware no traditional style bows this way in the orient. Possibly this grew out of tournament competition here in the U.S.A. In any case I find it annoying and un-necessary.
For nearly forty years I have watched the way various martial artists bow to others. There is much confusion as to what is the proper way to bow. A common belief is that the lower the bow the more respectful it is intended to be. For many years I too believed this to be the case. Now I’m of a different opinion. It seems to me that the use of the bow in public the martial arts use of the bow have become confused. In years past it was common if two Japanese men met in public to bow to each other. In such a case one might bow to the other. The other may then bow more deeply as a sign of greater respect. Sometimes this would continue back and forth with each bowing deeper than the last time. Martial artists many time also bow deeper than is necessary. My martial arts teachers taught me that the bow should be done as follows. I should stand with my feet together (toes pointed out 45 degrees) hands placed at my the sides of my thighs, Head up with my neck straight. With my eyes straight ahead, I should bow from the waist only until I could not see the face of the person to which I’m bowing. My sensei explained that it is only necessary to bow this far so as to not be able to see the other persons face and yet allow the other person to be able to see the top of my head. Since the top of the head is one of the places that is vulnerable to attack, exposing it shows a sing of respect and trust.
Bowing in this way would never be done to anyone that you do not respect or trust. One thing that I see often is the practice of a martial artists bowing while keeping his eyes on the person he is bowing to. When I ask someone about this the martial artist said that his instructor told him to keep his eyes on the person he was bowing to so that he might not be attacked while off guard. This does not seem right to me. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would not bow to anyone that I thought might attack me while I was bowing. I was taught that bowing while looking at the other person was rude, impolite, and a show of distrust. If that is the case why bow at all.
While I’m on the subject, I find another common practice while bowing strange. While attending tournaments and other martial arts events, I see many who slap their hands against their sides as they bring their feet together to bow. It is unclear where this practice came from. As far as I am aware no traditional style bows this way in the orient. Possibly this grew out of tournament competition here in the U.S.A. In any case I find it annoying and un-necessary.
posted by Charles B. Stanley at 7:27 AM
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