Upon entering the dojang, you should show respect to your instructor, the school (training hall), your seniors, and the Federation by demonstrating proper preparation. After greeting your instructor and seniors properly, you should cease talking and demonstrate Moo Do discipline by quieting yourself both mentally and physically. Turn your thoughts towards your training and slowly start to stretch doing simple range of motion exercises. This should be done before the start of class and is one of the many reasons you should arrive to class at least 10 minutes before it starts if possible. These personal actions help you to create an inner atmosphere of “Jong Sook,” or quiet internal peace. They also help you to be properly warmed up prior to the start of class which will help with your progress in Tang Soo Do.
In addition to taking the time to properly quiet yourself and prepare for class by stretching, you should check yourself to ensure you have left all mental baggage at the door and have properly emptied your cup to learn. The training hall is a place to gain insight. This is only possible if you take time to reflect on what you need to work on. A good place to start is with a personal inspection of yourself including whether you are following the rules of the dojang. A great habit to help you with your progress in Tang Soo Do is to bring your Federation student handbook to every class. This way you can use your time wisely as you prepare for class.
Upon the entrance of the Sa Bom Nim or Chief Instructor, it is appropriate and proper Moo Do protocol to recognize each senior member (Sun Beh) with a bow. The bow is performed by standing at attention and bowing from the waist about 45 degrees. The senior member will bow in return. While in the dojang, if a senior member enters, you should recognize him/her with a bow from the attention position. Junior members (Hu Beh) should always bow to senior members first. The senior member, in return bows back. This is proper Moo Do protocol.
When you bow to a senior member, you are not only bowing to show respect and friendship, you are actually showing respect to the Art and with it our five pillars of Moo Do (History, Tradition, Culture, Philosophy, & Technique or Weh Gong). You are also bowing through with your energy and heart to show humility which is an essential trait of learning traditional martial arts.
Our traditions and protocol do not end at the dojang door. In fact, they extend to tournaments, clinics, camps, symposiums, and even in the community. In other words, we practice our Moo Do wherever we go. This is how you progress to one day becoming a total practitioner of the Art and internalize the core values of what we do. It is truly how you become a total warrior in and outside of the dojang.
Upon entering the dojang, you should stop by the entrance, face the flags, and salute by holding the right hand either open and across the chest with palm facing heart or with the right hand closed in a fist with the palm facing down. Both ways are acceptable. Salute in the direction of the flags which should always be present when a class is being taught. This demonstrates respect and appreciation for our country, our art, and our traditions. You should properly perform this discipline upon entering and leaving the dojang. You should also always remove your shoes before stepping onto the training floor or mat. The exception is if you need to wear white martial arts shoes which are designed for the martial arts. Other types of shoes should not be worn on the floor as they are not specifically designed for martial arts training and can cause damage to you, a training partner, or the dojang floor.
We remove our shoes whenever possible for many reasons. These include leaving our baggage at the door including anything we might have walked in with. This is not only a symbolic gesture, it helps keep the dojang floor clean which is extremely important for safety and proper personal hygiene. It is not proper protocol to wear basketball, running, walking, or tennis shoes on the training floor. Just as you would not wear tennis shoes to golf, one should not wear other than white martial arts shoes in a traditional Tang Soo Do class.
In rare incidences, the person will need to wear special shoes with orthotics which is permissible with the permission of the chief instructor. Typically, a medical note is required to properly document the need and also to help the school ensure all considerations have been taken into account.
As the year draws to an end, it is a good time to reflect on all of our accomplishments and personal victories. We have had many this year and it is in no small part due to all our collective efforts:
- We welcomed 11 new students
- We promoted 1 Pal-Dan, 1 Chil-Dan, 1 Yuk-Dan, 1 O-Dan, 1 E-Dan & 1 Cho-Dan
- We trained 2 Regional Champions
I am very grateful for everybody’s contribution and support as we continue to build Cambridge Tang Soo Do.