Stand at Attention - Pay Attention

Many of my students come from other dojos.  They often tell me that they ‘worked out’ there, but were not really shown how to improve their techniques.  At our dojo, we pride ourselves by actually teaching meanings of moves and how to improve one’s techniques.  Unfortunately, these transfer students often bring baggage and bad habits from their old dojos with them.

The other day one of my transfer students was standing with his legs apart, back leg bent, arms crossed while I was correcting him.  Another senior barked at him to stand straight.  He did so for five seconds and then crossed his legs, put his hands on his hips, and tilted his head.  The senior again corrected him, which again lasted just a few seconds.  When he broke form again I stopped my correction and walked away from him.  The student (who by the way is 16 years old) asked if he did something wrong.  I told him the same thing I’ve said hundreds of times: “When you stand at attention, you pay attention.  When your body wanders, your mind wanders.”  I don’t fully blame the student.  He spent 10 years at a dojo where they just did general workout, didn’t really teach, so they paid no attention to details.  Standing at attention (heisoku dachi) when being addressed is an important detail.

I’ve visited other schools.  Very few of them let their students run amok, but young children are not often held to the same standards as older students.  After all, they’re just little kids.  The problem is that lack of discipline in young years/low ranks often limits students’ progress at higher ranks when they’re older.  Advanced techniques are built on one’s foundation, and poor control/discipline leads to a very shaky foundation.  To be fair, I’ve seen some instructors who masterfully develop wonderful young children.  Sadly, this is the exception, not the rule.

At our old Baldwin dojo, Long Island Aikikai held class after we finished our Shotokan class on Friday nights.  I’d often get to watch part of their class before I left.  The students would make four or five pairs on either side of the mat.  It was interesting to see how, when Hagihara-sensei would correct one pair, all students stopped what they were doing and stood at attention.  I remarked that this must be out of respect because Hagihara-sensei is a high ranking Black Belt (7^th Dan).  One of their Black Belt students told me that was a small part of the reason.  Similar to the Judo principle of “Mutual welfare and benefit”, the threefold reason for standing at attention was:

-             *  Respect for the sensei.  His corrections should not have to compete with nearby distractions.

-             *  Respect for those being corrected.  Others working nearby are a distraction to those concentrating on what’s being shown.

-             *  All students can benefit from the correction, whether they themselves are making the same error or not.  It reinforces proper way to perform the technique.

Respect in the dojo is a two-way street.  Senior students (sempai) should keep junior students (kohai) in check, remind them how to behave, and to work with them so both improve their techniques.  This helps build a positive big sibling/little sibling relationship which benefits both.  As sensei, I should not have to remind a student how to behave in class.  I will once, maybe twice, but then I’ll simply walk away.  If a student shows disrespect with improper form or not paying attention, I stop correcting them and spend time and energy on other students.  If a student’s lack of attention is disrupting other students from learning, the offender will be off to the side doing push-ups while I work with those showing proper attitude.  This may seem like punishment, but it gives the student a chance to build his body while reflecting on his actions.  People often confuse ‘discipline’ with ‘punishment’.  A root word for ‘discipline’ is ‘disciple’: one who follows given teachings.  We do nothing to ‘punish’ students, but disciplinary actions allow students to adjust their thinking and continue following our teachings along The Way of Karate-do.
(Photo courtesy of Sensei Brenda Hill)