Riffing on the Niju-kun: Karate begins with courtesy and ends with courtesy

"礼", the Japanese character at the heart of this maxim is often misunderstood, as is the notion of the karate beginning and ending with courtesy. It can be misunderstood that we start off polite, tune out to go nuts and learn violent techniques and then tune back into polite being.

Nothing could be further than the truth.

Follow the idea that karate begins with courtesy. And it ends with courtesy. It has to do with the bow, the salutation that starts and ends keiko. The bow is more than just about courtesy, just as courtesy is about more than the bow. Courtesy is the conducting element of your practice, your actions, your thoughts and your interactions with all around you in the dojo. But the above character, rei, is quite often translated as respect. Yet, as one of the core virtues of Japanese bushido, karateka and martial artists of all stripes. It can be translated in some cases of manners, reminding us of our obligation to our friends and their honour (親しき仲にも礼儀あり). It begins, however, with respecting oneself.

Respect for oneself is paramount within the arts. It is not something that comes with the gi. Yet, the same as one learns to kick and punch, one must learn to cultivate the elements essential for this, the first of which is self-esteem. Poor self-concept would mean you defeat yourself before anyone ever has the chance. You're going to have days on the floor where nothing seems like it works, or your sensei rides you like you were a bad horse. Do you wilt under the pressure, self-loathe and allow your baser instincts (anger, etc) to overtake you?

The world is full of people who have no self-respect. Their appearance may deceive you: the shell may look hard, but the inside is empty. They may suffer from addiction issues, display issues of sexual promiscuity, be overtly risk-taking in nature. It is easy for them to feel numb and out of touch with others. The dojo floor is not the only answer for all these people. But, the first step out of the hole is to be willing to learn. and change. With that change is the desire to try, to explore new things, to venture out beyond the confines of the comfort (or discomfort) zones. They need to be willing to abandon old ideas and practices. But, most of all, they need to be willing to fail. Sounds strange doesn't it? They have to learn only to learn to fail. But, therein lies the the next step. Learning from failure - and taking up the challenge to improve.

Striving to improve, striving to learn, to overcome obstacles (both internal and external) - these are the ways out of the self-esteem trap. So, what, do you ask, does this have to do with karate? What does it have to do with kicking and punching? Or kata? Or partner training? All of these things require practice, constant learning, constant striving to understand and improve. But they all have one common thread- you. The person doing the actions needs to be mindful of the relationship with yourself. The initial promise of courtesy extends to yourself as much as it does to your sensei or other mudansha.

But, once you begin to recognize this important link, then the issue of courtesy between yourself and these people becomes clearer, more profound. There is, at this point, an understanding that you have nothing to prove to anyone - including yourself - when you step on that floor. Or when you line up. Or when you work with a partner. What you must do is be willing to extend the courtesy to learn, to explore. You must give yourself over to the practice of karate to allow yourself to become stronger in all areas of your life. And that courtesy extends to lending itself into tandem practice - or correction from your sensei. The moment you lose your cool or become frustrated with your technique or whatever, you become cut off from the agreement of courtesy and respect. You lose. Your partner loses. Your sensei loses.

But all is not lost. Dust yourself off, stand yourself up, shake off whatever is plaguing your mind. Class is not done, nor is your quest. But then again, as I say, karate doesn't just happen in the dojo. It happens everywhere, all the time. So, courtesy (the benefits it draws and the responsibilities it entails) does not end even after you have changed out of your keikogi. It ends when you have bowed off this world.

And if you ever think you have achieved all you can when it comes to respect and courtesy, maybe it is time to take a bow.... karate begins with courtesy... always!