Alertness, awareness, foresight, and a clear assessment of any situation at all times are among the major goals of karate training and tradition. Accordingly, in the dojo (training hall) safety is uppermost in our agenda and all karateka (karate participants) are required to learn and practice the following:

Manners

• Courteous manners are required by karate tradition. In feudal Japan, any sign of disrespect was a direct challenge to a duel to the death.
• In addition to the physical forms of karate, we seek to learn about the culture of budo (the Way of martial arts) and bujitsu (the practice of fighting skills). Toward this end it is the responsibility of all karateka to learn the basic Japanese vocabulary used in class.
• When a karateka enters and leaves the dojo it is customary to stop and bow as a sign of respect and mental preparation for serious training. Shoes must be removed and placed neatly outside the door.
• You must silence your cell phone to not disturb the practice.
• Help clean the dojo before practice. “Polishing the floor is in fact the art of polishing your own mind.” —Ohshima Sensei
• Try not to be late for class. If you are late, enter the dojo quietly at the back of the class. Perform the mokuso (silent meditation) in seiza (kneeling position) to the side on your own. After mokuso, rei (bow) while still in seiza. Then stand up, do quick warm-ups/stretches in place, then wait and watch the instructor until they give you further instructions. They may ask you to perform more warm-ups (depending on how much of the warm-ups you missed), or ask you to join the class. You should then bow again (this time while standing), and join the class.
• Horseplay, fooling around, or behaving carelessly in the dojo is strictly forbidden.
• No leaning on the walls, doors, mirrors, cabinets, and windows.
• No touching of the mirrors, at all.
• Unless you are stretching, no sprawling with your legs stretched out. Kneel or sit cross-legged.
• No unnecessary talking during practice.
• Smoking, eating, and drinking of any beverage is strictly forbidden inside the dojo.
• Respect all dojo equipment such as kicking shields and focus mitts. Help disinfect the equipment at the end of each practice. Equipment should always be neatly put away and should never be thrown around.
• Never leave the dojo without permission from the instructor.
• Report all injuries to the instructor before leaving.
• Visitors/observers should sit quietly at the back of the dojo.

Preparation

• Toenails and fingernails must be trimmed.
• Ill or injured karateka are not allowed to practice without specific permission from the instructor.
• No necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watches, piercings, or other jewelry are permitted during practice. No exceptions.
• A clean white gi (karate uniform) should be worn during practice. Beginners may alternatively wear loose, comfortable workout clothes if they do not have a gi.
• The gi should not have any other logos except the Shotokan Karate of America logo, or an international SKA affiliate logo. The logo should only be on the left side of the chest. A white gi without any logos is also acceptable.
• Wash your gi regularly and keep it in good condition.

Practice

• Classic karate stances are taught for technical reasons. Moving from a strong, balanced foundation prevents injury during practice and allows you to control the situation during kumite (sparring). Unless you have an injury/past injury, pain is an immediate feedback letting you know that you are not doing a technique correctly.
• Consequently, practice for karateka at all levels emphasizes many repetitions of kihon (basic techniques) in order to gain mastery of their application. Whenever a basic karate stance is introduced, the essential points of joint alignment and balance are emphasized by the instructor. Pay attention to these points.
• Consistent attendance is essential to development in karate. The first step to improvement is practice. The first step to practice is showing up.
• All karateka must take part in the warm-up and stretching routine, which opens every class or event. Latecomers are required to warm-up on their own before they can join the group practice.
• It is the martial arts tradition that we must finish what we begin: karateka may not leave practice without the permission of the senior leading the class. If injury occurs during practice notify the instructor immediately. If a karateka has an obligation that requires leaving class early, he or she should notify the instructor before class begins. Unless you have a health issue, you may not stop to get a drink of water—drink plenty of water before class.
• During practice, all karateka must listen for the command “YAME” (stop) and instantly stop whatever they’re doing as soon as it is called. However, do not let your guard down: your partner may not have heard the command and may continue to attack.
• Injuries are rare in kumite. Most forms of kumite are formal exercises with the target and the technique exactly specified. Nonetheless, in Shotokan practice, attacks are “live” so that karateka will develop realistic fighting skills. Do not cheat your partner out of their chance to learn by punching short or off to one side.
• During practice, every karateka must try not to injure any junior member. Senior members should challenge newer members during kumite with attacks just above their partner’s current level.
• Counter-attacks should not touch your opponent, especially if they are giving themselves as your target practice.
• Because of the combative mode of karate, people sometimes, foolishly, become angry. However, the goal is to learn to never lose control. Thus, anger must be guarded against, and all karateka must stop if they become angry, or perceive that their partner is angry. In contrast, it is very useful to cultivate the appearance of anger (or fear, or resolve, or distraction etc.) to deceive your opponent, but only during the kumite engagement.