Student behaviour and Etiquette (Ye Jol)

Dobok

The dobok (literally the clothing of the way) is the uniform we wear when we are training. It must be white. Black belt holders have black piping around the edge of the jacket. IVth - VIth degree holders vertical stripes on sleeves and legs on their Doboks. 7th-9th degree have black stripes with a white centre line on the sleeves and legs. It is important to keep your dobok clean, wear it correctly, and treat it with respect. Remember when you wear that dobok you represent all of us to the outside world. Should you need to adjust your Dobok or belt during class, ensure you turn away from the instructor and adjust yourself facing the rear of the class.

How to tie your belt

See the videos on colour belts and black belts. White belts and black belts are tied around you once. All other colour belts are tied around you twice.

Class Procedure

Upon entering the training hall (Dojang)

Students should bow to the instructor (see the bowing procedure in the stances section)

At the commencement of training

When told to line up, students should form up (usually four to a line) with the senior most to the right in each line, and in descending order of rank from front to back. Seniority is determined by grade, length of time training and age in that order. When the instructor is ready, the senior student will call the class to attention and pay respects to the instructor: Charyot (meaning attention), Instructors Surname (Simmonds say), Instructors rank (Saesong for grandmasters, Sahyun for masters, Sabum for IV-VIth degrees, and BooSabum for 1st-3rd degrees), Nim (a mark of respect meaning Honourable), Ke (another honorific) - Kyong Ye (bow) All students will then bow, and say Taekwon. If a picture of the General if present, then the instructor will usually start by calling the class to attention, and having bow to the general, this is done in silence. Then the senior student will proceed as above.

Arriving late

Every effort should be made to arrive on time. However, occasionally the world conspires against us, and we are late. Do not just join in, this is discourteous to the instructor and your fellow students. You should walk to the front of the class, and wait in the attention position. The instructor will acknowledge you, and you should bow and apologise for being late. Once this is done, you should take two or three step backwards, bow again, and then turn around and then join in as instructed.

During the training session

Any time you are seated you should sit cross legged and not fidget. In Eastern cultures it is considered bad manners to sit with the soles of your feet facing the instructor. Students should raise their hand before asking/answering a question. If sitting remain seated until the instructor signals you, after which you should stand, bow and ask the question or give the answer. Only return to sitting when motioned to do so. If for any reason you need to leave the Dojang during the lesson, always turn at the door, and bow to instructor before exiting. Upon returning, ensure you bow again before entering the Dojang. Always refer to your instructors and black belts as Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms etc (Or use their rank as detailed above) and use Sir and Ma’am, Miss when asking or answering questions. If you need to approach the instructor, you should stop at least one step away from them, and bow and then discuss the matter at hand. Upon completion, you should bow, take two or three steps backwards and then turn around and resume the activities.

Prior to Dismissal

Students line up in front of the instructor as they did at the start of class. The senior student will call the class to attention once again the the bowing procedure will be followed as before. The senior student will then turn and face the class, the next senior in rank will call the class to bow to the senior student. Everyone returns to the front, a final bow in silence is performed, and the instructor will dismiss the class with the command “Hae San”.

Leaving the hall

As students leave the dojang, before exiting the door, they should turn and face the instructor, and bow, exiting the dojang by walking backwards (with care).

Two handed Presentation and Receipt

It is customary in Eastern cultures to present and receive items with two hands. This is true no matter the size of the object involved. When receiving a certificate you should stop in front of the instructor and bow. When offered the certificate ensure you receive it with two hands.

Shaking Hands

It is customary for a senior to offer their hand first. It is considered discourteous for a junior to extend their hand first. If a hand is offered, you should shake the hand firmly with your right hand, and place your left backhand fingers under your right elbow. The is a traditional form of greeting in Korea. The reason this is done is because traditional Korean dress (Hanbok) consisted of a loose fitting jacket with large sleeves. It was considered polite for the receiving person to show the person offering the greeting that they were unarmed by sweeping back the sleeve of the jacket thereby exposing the forearm as proof there were no concealed weapons within the sleeve. The palm of the left hand is turned down as mark of respect and non aggression.