Ryukyu Kempo Karate Website
- Courage
- This is shown when a courageous person and their principes are pitted against overwhelming odds. A serious student of karate will at all times be modest and honest. If confronted with injustice they will deal with the belligerent (persistent fight pickers) without any fear or hesitation at all, with indomitable (unyielding) spirit regardless of whoever and however many the number.
- Courtesy
- Karate students should attemt to practice the following elements of courtesy to build up their noble character and to conduct their training in an orderly manner aswell.
- To be polite to one another
- To encourage a sense of justice and humanity
- To distinguish instructor from student, senior from junior and elder from younger
- To respect others possessions
- To behave oneself according to etiquette
- To handle matters with fairness and sincerity
- Humility
- A weed holds up its head in arrogance while a mature grain bows its head in humility. Lao Tzu taught that lofty virtue is like a deep valley into which all streams of water flow. A virtuous man will draw the respect of others toward him in the same fashion while one who is selfish and egotistic will lose the respect os his fellow men and become despised and isolated. To be humble is not to ingage in petty squabbles but to be like magnanimous river in the low valley which irrigates the farm and fields around it.
- Integrity
- One must be able to define right from wrong and have the conscience if wrong to feel guilt. Listed below are some examples of where lack of integrity begins.
- The instructor who misrepresents himself and his art by presenting improper techniques to his students because of lack of knoledge or apathy.
- The student who misrepresents himself by "fixing" breaking materials before demonstrations.
- The instructor who camouflages bad techniques with luxurious training halls and false flattery to his students.
- Self Control
- This is extremely important inside and outside the Dojo whether conducting oneself in free sparring or in ones persomal affairs. When practicing with a partner one must be careful not to use so much power as to cause damage to your opponent.
Oxford Dictionary Definitions
- Courage
- The ability to disragard fear, have the courage to act on one's beliefs
- Courtesy
- courteous behavior; good manners
- Humility
- humbleness, having or showing a low estimate of one's own importance, modest
- Integrity
- moral uprightness; honesty
- Self Control
- the power of controlling one's external reactions, emotions, etc.
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