FAQ

The second thing to know is when we bow. There are several events which prompt a student and/or instructor to bow. First, we bow when entering or leaving the school. This is a sign of respect towards your school. We also bow when we walk onto the mat area. This is a symbolic bow and is done in silence. We bow here to symbolize the leaving behind of our outside lives - our work, our homes, all of the stress and issues of everyday life. We bow onto the mat and leave all those things behind, focusing only on our training while we're on the mat. We also silently bow when we leave the mat. This is an obvious reversal of when we bowed onto the mat; we bow to symbolize the end of our training and the continuation of our everyday lives. Of course, our training doesn't end ONLY because we've left that mat. That's why it's symbolic, not literal.

We bow also to fellow students and instructors at various times, On the mat, there are many instances of bowing. We formally bow several times at the beginning and the end of class, for example. We may bow to the instructors several times after he explains the next drill or technique that we are to learn. We bow to our training partner(s) after each training exercise. And we bow to our sparring or grappling partners before we begin and after we finish sparring or grappling. We also bow when a new instructor comes onto the mat during class.

Finally, it's important to know how to bow. This may seem overly simplistic, but it's worth knowing. Very simply, you would stand at attention (feet shoulder width apart, hands at chest height, back straight) and then bend at the hips. Your eyes should stay focused on the item or person you're bowing towards; never look at the floor when you're bowing. The bow shouldn't last longer than it takes to say "Osu Sensei" (or whatever).

7. What does "oos" mean, and why do we say it?
The word is actually spelled "osu" but is pronounced "oos" (sounds like "loose"). "Osu" is a word heard quite often in the karate school. Like the Hawaiian word "aloha", "osu" can mean a variety of things. Generally speaking, "osu" is a greeting, an acknowledgement, and a parting gesture. As a greeting, it is usually spoken with the title of the person you are greeting - for example, "Osu, Sempai" when greeting a black belt. This basically means "Hello, Sempai". Similarly, when leaving the school you may also use it as a parting gesture - "Osu, Sempai" would then basically mean "Goodbye, Sempai". As an acknowledgement, "osu" is used quite a bit on the mat. When an instructor gives you a training drill, corrects your technique, or even just asks you a question, you would respond with "Osu, Sensei" (or Deshi, Joshu, or Sempai - or even just a plain "osu" - depending on the person you are addressing). This basically means "I understand" or, more simply, "Yes", and it tells the person you are speaking with that you understand the instruction(s) given and are ready to proceed.

So why do we say "osu" when we all know what the words "hello", "goodbye", "yes", and "I understand" mean? Simply put, to maintain proper discipline. Imagine you're an instructor teaching a class of 25 students. You are explaining a technique to your class; you demonstrate it, then ask if they understand. If 25 people respond with a loud "Osu!" then you know that everyone gets it and is ready to proceed. No time is wasted, and class becomes more dynamic and effective. Now imagine that clumps of people say "yeah", 'uh-huh", "sure", "okay", "yup", or just nod and say nothing at all. You would have to spend additional time making sure that everyone really understands the concept you're trying to teach, and that takes time away from their training. Additionally, this lack of focus from the class would take away from the energy that the class has. Anyone who has been training for any length of time will tell you how some classes are generally better than others. They may not be able to explain exactly how they're better, but there's a definite feel there. When the class has focus and discipline, there's energy in the class that makes the class better. When that focus and discipline are gone, the energy in the class diminishes. By having the entire class respond with a loud "osu", focus and discipline are maintained and the class energy is raised.

Student F.A.Q

This file, in no particular order, deals with questions and issues that frequently come up in the discussion of the martial arts, often brought up by those new to the field. Not all issues are covered, so if you come up with something that you think should be included, please email me and let me know.

1. What is a martial art?
- Basically, a martial art is a skill or skillset relating to human conflict, particularly physical. (Martial = war, art = skill)

2. What is the best style?
- That depends entirely upon you. There is no ultimate, ‘best for everything’ style or school of the martial arts. There is only what suits you and your goals.

3. Is karate/kung fu/etc. really useful in a fight?
- You get out what you put in. If you train hard, with realism and a focus on using the system to develop fighting skills and have a good teacher, then yes.

4. What is the order of the belts?
Every discipline has its own colour structure for maintaining the progress of a student. In U.K Tao Karate, before earning a black belt students progress through a system of eight different coloured belts.

After achieving a black belt, a student may opt to continue his or her training to second degree, third degree, etc. Different degree black belts (first degree, second degree, etc) are indicated by bars that are embroidered into the ends of the belt - a first degree will have one bar, second degree will have two bars, etc.

The colours of the belts in order of achievement are:
• White • Red • Yellow • Orange • Green • Purple • Blue • Brown • Black

5. What is the correct way to wear my uniform?
Every aspect of Tao Karate has discipline and wearing your uniform correctly is part of it. (A karate uniform is called a "gi", pronounced with a hard G sound as in "golf" and a long E sound as in "meet".) First, your gi should be clean and presentable. Be sure to wash your gi every time you wear it; you should never wear a dirty or unwashed gi. (Your belt, however, is a different story. You should never wash your belt!) You should avoid using chlorine bleach when washing your gi; the chlorine will weaken the fabric and discolour your patches. Any small rips or tears should be sewn and/or patched as quickly as possible; large tears or overly-worn uniforms should be replaced with new ones. All patches, stars, and (if applicable) stripes should be correctly placed and sewn with appropriately-coloured thread.

Putting on the gi is quite simple. The pants are easy enough. Be sure to tie the pants securely so they don't slide down. Tie them a little tighter than you think is good enough; they will loosen up as you move around, and when you start to sweat that'll only make them loosen up even more. (And yes, you should wear underwear under your gi pants!).

The gi top is also very easy; put it on like you'd put on any other shirt. Boys and men should not wear a t-shirt or any undergarment under the gi top. Girls should wear a white or light-coloured t-shirt underneath, while women should wear a white or light-coloured sports bra underneath. After it's on, take the RIGHT side of the gi and wrap it across the front of your body (to the left). Tie that bottom corner to the inside-left of your gi; you'll see a couple of ties sewn into the gi for just that reason. Then take the LEFT side of your gi and wrap it across the front of your body (to the right) on top, then tie it down with the other ties that are sewn there.

6. Why is everyone always bowing to each other - and sometimes to nothing?
To the uninitiated it may seem like an almost constant debasement but in reality there is a simple set of rules which we adhere to.

The first thing to know is why we bow, and in a word we bow out of respect. We respect our fellow students because they are helping you achieve greater heights in your martial arts training - and, sometimes, in life itself. They are the people who are willing to hold a shield for you while you blast a powerful kick into it; they are the ones who help you perfect your close-range defence skills; they are the people willing to put on gear and help you improve your sparring skills; they are the ones who hold the wood that you break in order to test your power and technique. In short, they are the people who are lifting you up. If you don't or can't respect that, you're in the martial arts for the wrong reasons.