Going up to the Sensei After Class

[Relic]

Would anyone be able to tell me the proper etiquette for kendo in these circumstances?

I have only very rarely heard "osssss" used in any context either in or out of kendo, other than from karateka.

I think others have already covered it, I just want to add that we had a guy start kendo after nine years of karate. His habit of saying "ossss" to every other word and person was met with this comment from our teacher:

"Please stop saying osssss and bowing all the time. You look like a chicken! Peck-peck!" ;-)

I should add that although Japanese, he is the less traditional type.

[Sbres]

Nothing to do with the subject but I couldnt help to notice the place Nagoya in your post. I also live in Nagoya (or rather a bit outside, but I work in Nagoya), where do you practise? If you dont mind me asking.

/martin

I live and practice in kasugai, Aichi. How about you?

[kageXkaze]

Uhh... I posted a thread eariler but just in case no one read it... All my senseis will be japanese and... Are they really That strict? I mean I don't really care much but I'll feel pretty uneasy if constantly tells me stuff or makes some side comments... And yowai.... Is it really that wrong to be a gainjin in kendo? I've been having my doubts in joining kendo but with the some of the heavy blows said by you really hit me in the gut with that whole "if your teacher is a gainjin... Not no tradition" and what not... ack!

[Onara]

I live and practice in kasugai, Aichi. How about you?

Ever been to Toyohashi?

[Sbres]

Ever been to Toyohashi?

No, I haven't.

[Old Warrior]

I preface this comment with my usual caveat that my 14 months in Kumdo, doesn't give much weight to my opinion. However: I am not holding myself out as having knowledge of historical tradition.

I belong to a "commercial" school. From what I read on this forum, students in our school pay 3 or 4 times more than what others do at many well respected dojos. The main advantage to this is that the relationship I have with the Master is substantially different than at traditional schools where the time of the sensei is basically donated. My teacher is also an "entrepreneur". I get as much attention as I reasonably want. And, I don't have to ask. At the conclusion of Saturday's class, Master Seong called me over to him and in his broken English said "today you learned..." and he went over each of the 5 points that he stressed with me, that day. Even more significant to me, was that before class, he brought my attention to when we bouted on Thursday and he told me what I needed to improve to fare better the next time.

I'm not making a value judgment as to which system is better. But, I get to go to class 4 times a week (I could attend twice as many classes if I had the time and the inclination) and classes are available 6 days a week. I am able to pusue my thirst for knowledge to the fullest extent of desire. This is a joy for me. Class is like therapy as it gets the stress from an active professional practice out of my body in a healthy constructive way. I don't have to sit around looking forward to my next class - I can just go!

[canadasword]

ossu is just a greeting just like konnichiwa.
Only guys uses it. Girls just say konnichiha, or ohayou gozaimasu

Correct. It is an abbreviation of "ohayo gozaimasu" (the beginning honorific o and the ending su). And like somebody else guessed, it is a male, macho greeting thing, especially for young males when in a group, like "yo" in English.

[Shogun97]

After class (after muk song, sp?), some of the senior members approach the sensei and sit in front of him while he does a quick review of what they need to work on. My question is, how do you know if you should go up?

Once, a few senior members went up and one of them encouraged us to go up with them, but the guy next to me said we shouldn't go up since we didn't spar with our sensei. So instead, we packed away our bogu.

Thanks

Mike

Your sensai is far too strickt!!!!
Damn!
We are allowed to call our sensai with his nick- and first name, he invites us to go to the pup after training, he helps us do the repairwork on our Shinais!!
I think he should be not that strickt your sensai!

[not-I]

We are allowed to call our sensai with his nick- and first name, he invites us to go to the pup after training, he helps us do the repairwork on our Shinais!!

well, a sensei is a sensei. every teacher has his/her own demeanor and methods and should be respected, no matter how strict or relaxed they appear to be.

we happen to have a more relaxed sensei in some respects, especially outside the dojo, but in others, he's very hard-core. he also seems to maintain a healthy aloofness, becomes very formal when appropriate (like when the Japanese group came to visit us) and he sure as hell doesn't cut us any slack during his infamous suburi marathons!

greetings!

[kendokamax]

well, a sensei is a sensei. every teacher has his/her own demeanor and methods and should be respected, no matter how strict or relaxed they appear to be.

we happen to have a more relaxed sensei in some respects, especially outside the dojo, but in others, he's very hard-core. he also seems to maintain a healthy aloofness, becomes very formal when appropriate (like when the Japanese group came to visit us) and he sure as hell doesn't cut us any slack during his infamous suburi marathons!

greetings!

oh some of my friends were from that japanese group going to Austria. How was it?

[not-I]

oh some of my friends were from that japanese group going to Austria. How was it?

It was a blast -- really a lot of fun.

I'm not sure they gained much from training with us, but we certainly learned a lot from training with them! Their kendo was so relaxed and fluid, a big contrast to a lot of us Europeans, who tend to be too stiff and heavy-hitting. And they always immediately entered chikai-maai. We used to mostly stay in issoku-itto-no-maai, but i've noticed a lot of us changing to their style of seme. They were also really friendly and gave some of us less-advanced kendoka some nice tips. Their sensei was also a very nice guy. Some of our non-bogu beginners showed up too and he spent a couple sessions just teaching them.

We trained at the Vienna Budo Center. It's a pretty big place, and it's the first time i've seen it filled up, aside from during our Danube Cup tourny. Sitting across from each other in seiza was awesome. It looked like two armies preparing for war. I also remember finishing ji-geiko with someone and pausing to look around at the numerous battles going on. It looked like something out of a movie.

Of course one of the highlights was the party at the end of the week in the Budo cafe. Free dinner and beer and lots of laughs! We took some pretty goofy pictures at the end (beer sonkyo, etc.) but i haven't seen them yet. I might have talked to one of your friends. I was the guy with the shaved head hanging out at the "smoker's table" who rolled his own cigarettes (which the Japanese smokers --there were a lot of them-- seemed fascinated by) . Please say HI from me.

Anyway, at the end, after our sensei and their sensei did a round of competition one-go beer-glass emptying, they made some speeches and said they'd be coming back every year! Great news!

[forbidden]

Hello all.
First I would like to start out by saying thank you for letting me read all of these replies, it was interesting.

(sidenote)Correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure only kendoka with 5th dan( and higher rank ) are to be called Sensei.

Bane:
I am really sorry about your sensei ignoring you. I wish you good luck and I hope he will be more friendly after a while. Keep working on your basics at home, that way he will see you improve, and that you are devoted to Kendo. That might help some.

All of these posts make me realize how lucky I really am. Our instructors are very friendly, and even from the first training session I attended, the main instructor showed a real interest in the beginning students.
He tells us to use his first name while talking to him, and we have lots of social meetings during the year.

I normally talk to him, or the other instructor after class, and I ask for tips and questions about gears, and different techniques I am working on.
The last thing I asked about was different hiki techniques ( i am still a kendo newbie, but im learning continually ) regarding do strikes / blocks, and how to do proper blocks , do strikes together with correct footwork. He showed a real interest, and listened carefullly, and he showed me 2-3 techniques I could work on.

If any instructors read this forum, I recommend them to follow an example like this. It is REALLY encouraging, and I think about kendo related issues all the time while walking to school, taking the buss, between classes, etc...
We only train twice a week... sadly, but it is definitely the high points at the week for me

*bows*


/excited kendoka

[Musuko]

Your sensai is far too strickt!!!!
Damn!
We are allowed to call our sensai with his nick- and first name, he invites us to go to the pup after training, he helps us do the repairwork on our Shinais!!
I think he should be not that strickt your sensai!

If I may jump in here for Mike...

I also attend the same dojo in College Station, and though I've only been training for about a semester and a half, I think I can add in something here. I think you may have misunderstood. Our sensei, whom we also call by first name, just never addressed the whole going up after class thing. The suggestion given to Mike (I believe) to not go up to the sensei was given by another student. Our sensei is not strict at all, IMO at least. He is very helpful in everything, but you just have to ask.

Ben

[Ren Blade]

I have no problems approaching sensei after class. He's very nice and approachable. Nobody is hesitant to ask him questions or for help after class. I like my sensei. He's awesome.

[vintage]

Each time I have gone up to the sensei he dismisses me pretty quickly, ... you all already know what he said anyway

Perhaps I should be more patient

First of all, hi. I'm new here. Been at this for about two months now. I could go on, but nobody cares

Anyway, I have the exact opposite problem at my dojo. On any given day, we'll have anywhere from three to six sensei around, and I manage to be corrected multiple times on the same thing by every single one. I feel bad about this, but .. *shrug* what can I do?

I guess it's probably because I'm the worst student there. But I really enjoy the challenge of it.

Well, so... yeah. Hi.