Seibukan

 Seibukan Dojo - new member agreement and commitment

Welcome to Seibukan, This can be a fun and rewarding hobby to start. Let's get a few legalities and expectations out of the way. By registering, you accept the following points and general conduct expected.

a) Practising any martial arts inherently contains some risk of injury. Iai is perhaps one of the safest forms of exercise there is, but still the possibility of injury remains. If another student inadvertently comes into close proximity, the onus is on each other to avoid a dangerous situation.

b) I agree to follow the instructions of teachers and seniors and dojo rules for etiquette and safety at all times.

c) If I have any illness or disability it is brought to the teacher’s attention before class, and during class if any injury is aggravated through training. If there are any pre existing illnesses or disabilities please list on the Website Member Registration page.

d) I authorise any member of Seibukan, in the event of an emergency, to obtain on my behalf and at my expense any medical assistance, treatment and/or transport as deemed necessary.

e) I agree to train in a safe manner, respecting all others and the experience of my seniors of all levels. A high level of personal hygiene is expected.

f) Harassment, bullying etc will not be tolerated. We sometimes do, and currently have, minors in our school. If minors are training with the school all child safety protocols must be followed. 

g) I agree to pay monthly fees and WAKR annual fees in advance before each month comes due. WAKR Annual subs fall due on July 01 each year.

As a member of the Seibukan, there is an ongoing 2 way commitment between teacher and student. This is different to sport where you hire a court and train for just 1 hour. In martial arts, it is considered a long term relationship. The student commits to earnestly trying their best and to absorb what is given to them. The teacher is committed to mentor you through your martial arts journey.

On entry to the dojo, a simple greeting to everyone is expected and appreciated. The sensei will at the start time stand in front of the class and wait for the students to line up, in order of seniority, facing the instructor.

To start, the teacher will kneel (in seiza) and all students will adopt the same pose.

The senior student will call for a bow in unison, to the teacher, then everyone will stand and bow to the shrine/front. Following this, everyone again kneels and carries out a bow to their swords and puts them on.

Once all swords are in place in their belts, the teacher will stand up, followed by the senior student and so on, student by student, in a wave down the line. The class will commence now usually with a warm up at the sensei’s discretion.

If you arrive late for class, you should enter the training area and sit 3 or 4 m away from the teacher in an unused area and kneel, waiting for them to motion to you to join into the class. They may or may not kneel and formally bow you in. Then stand at a corner of the dojo away from other students and perform the obligatory bow-ins and quick warm up by yourself.

When, during class the teacher or senior gives you instruction, acknowledge them with a yes (or ‘hai’, in japanese) and a slight bow is appreciated. During class, the teacher may call out YAME (yah- meh) - at this command you should cease whatever you are doing and pay attention to what the teacher next says.

If you need to walk across the dojo, do not step in front of others. Walk behind and if possible stay close to the walls to avoid crossing the training area. Inform in a low voice that you are passing behind. This is key to safety when weapons are being swung around. You are expected to anticipate when it is safe or not safe to proceed past a student mid practice. Once they are aware of your presence they may pause long enough for you to pass behind.

Training is done in a relaxed manner and friendliness pervades the class. We are all there to learn and impart what we know to others. As long as that mutual respect is there, then there is no need for over the top formality or strictness.

Your teacher has spent thousands of dollars, used up holidays, countless hours flying to and from Japan and spent months overseas gaining knowledge in the art. You are receiving the benefit of all that effort, time and money during the class.

That said, enjoy and thanks for taking the time to read this.

Ian Thomason

Dojo sensei 6^th Dan Renshi ZNKR, 1^ST Dan Tamiya ryu

Seibukan

Website                      www.iaido.com.au

Email                            ian@iaido.com.au

Facebook              @seibukaniaido