3 Ways Martial Arts Teaches Respect

Respect is vital to the personal discipline of martial arts. Over time and in many diverse cultures, respect for ourselves and for others is emphasized as a foundational personal strength.

Bushido, the warrior code of the samurai, strongly stressed respect. The knightly virtues of the Middle Ages highlighted courtesy – behavior that demonstrates respect – as a central principle. The Satori-ryu Budo teaches that every lesson begins and ends with courtesy and respect. John Schofield linked discipline, leadership, and respect in his address to the cadets at West Point in 1879. This last is such important guidance that all United States Army and Air Force officers memorize it to this day.

What do we mean by “respect”? How do we understand and practice this core personal strength in martial arts?

The term originally comes from the Latin word respectus, which means “attention, regard, or consideration.”

In English, respect is our feeling and showing esteem and admiration for someone or something. It expresses our high regard for qualities and accomplishments we consider positive and valuable. 

Respect is a multifaceted personal strength. In different situations, we apply respect in varying but related ways. We feel and show respect for others. We earn their respect – and when needful, we insist on their respect as our due. And we also treat ourselves with proper respect.

In the martial arts, we understand and practice respect in three major areas:  for individual human worth; for traditions, institutions and authority sanctioned by the greater community; and for demonstrated excellence and accomplishment.

Let’s have a look at all three of these areas of respect in more detail.

3 Ways Martial Arts Teaches Respect

1. Respect for individual human worth. 

We recognize and treat people as inherently valuable and worthwhile. We pay this respect regardless of our feelings about an individual – they don’t have to earn it from us. This is also known as “human recognition respect” or “personhood respect.”  

In our martial arts lessons, we practice this form of respect by:

• Bowing to each other. This is our way of showing respect for each other as individuals. It isn’t dependent on rank or status. This is done by everyone in the dojo – the most senior instructor and the most junior student bow to each other as a mark of mutual respect. Karate, Iaido and Taekwondo are all martial arts that use the bow in this way.

• Working together. Throughout a lesson, we need the assistance of a training partner – another student – to help us practice and develop our skills. We may be practicing a takedown, an empty-hand strike, or a weapon disarm. We treat each other with care and consideration, so that no-one is needlessly harmed as we practice. Working cooperatively helps actively reinforce our respect for each other as individuals.

2. Respect for traditions, institutions and authority sanctioned by the greater community. 

We recognize that our traditions and social structures give our community as a whole meaning and allow it to function. We understand that rules of conduct and formal laws are essential, and we are willing to be bound by them. We pay respect and show deference to those placed in positions of social responsibility or institutional authority. In its largest sense, this is our respect for civilized society, whatever our personal role within it may be.

In our martial arts lessons, we practice this form of respect by:

• Showing respect for our instructors and seniors. We watch closely as they demonstrate and listen carefully as they explain, without interrupting. We formally acknowledge that we have heard and understood them – sometimes by bowing, sometimes verbally as well. We do our best to follow their instructions, even when they aren’t directly supervising us. We are practicing respect for their guidance and care.

• Showing respect for our dojo and the martial arts we practice. We take the time to carefully study and understand the history and traditions of our arts. We learn and follow the rules for personal conduct in the dojo. We treat our dojo as a special place – we bow when we first enter for our lesson, and again when we leave at the end. We treat our lessons together as a special, precious time. We formally bow in to start a lesson together, and we bow out to conclude it. We wear a clean uniform, complete and in good repair – and we are personally clean and neat, as well. In all of these ways we are actively practicing respect for the larger martial arts community we are part of. 

3. Respect for excellence. 

This is also known as “respect of honor.”  This is the esteem and admiration we accord to someone for their individual deeds and accomplishments, demonstrated special qualities, or strengths of character. We recognize and acknowledge someone’s excellence in a specific area of endeavor. We honor their achievements. We are willing to defer to them in their field of excellence. When we speak of someone “earning respect” what we typically mean is this respect of excellence. 

In our martial arts lessons, we practice this form of respect by:

• Formally recognizing and celebrating a student’s accomplishments. This is done by the entire dojo community – our fellow students, instructors, and family members. 

Martial arts such as Taekwondo, Iaido and Karate use a carefully structured system of ranks to track student progress. These ranks are marked by a special set of colored belts. As a student increases their knowledge and abilities, they demonstrate their skills to their instructors and fellow students at formal rank tests. Upon successfully completing the test a student earns advancement to their next rank. They are publicly presented with their new belt at a special ceremony in front of their peers. 

A student only earns Black Belt rank after several years of sweat, toil, dedicated training, and steadfast personal commitment. That student also thoroughly earns the respect of excellence that goes along with it.

• Respecting ourselves for our accomplishments and capabilities. In our martial arts lessons together, we learn and practice personal discipline and self-control. We exercise control over our emotions, our words, and our actions. With practice we see ourselves becoming more effective in taking command of ourselves – our thoughts, feelings and actions all become more intentional. As we move up in rank, we also practice setting goals for ourselves – and then taking the actions needed to follow through and achieve them. As we earn the respect of others for our demonstrated achievements, we are also deepening and strengthening our own self-respect.

The respect we learn and practice in our martial arts lessons has tangible benefits well outside of the dojo:

• We build trust and rapport with others. When we treat others with proper respect, they are more likely to value us and extend their trust to us. This helps us to build stronger relationships with others, and to have more fruitful interactions with them.

• We’re better able to resolve conflicts constructively. When others understand that we are treating them respectfully – that we are giving them their say and heeding what they say – they are more willing to listen in their turn and consider our own point of view. They’re more open to working with us to resolve a conflict constructively and to mutual advantage. We’re not just struggling to enforce our own will on each other at any cost.

• We create a more upbeat, harmonious social environment for ourselves. When people understand that they are respected, they are more optimistic in their approach and more effective in what they do. This atmosphere of mutual respect we help to create positively affects our ability to work productively together with others in many ways – at school, on the job, and in our larger community.

Respect is a foundational personal strength. It is a core principle of martial arts. Whether we train in Karate, Iaido or Taekwondo, we practice respect in every lesson together. We strengthen our understanding of what respect is, how it works – and why it matters.

We also earn respect from others – and bedrock self-respect from ourselves.

Please contact our school directly if you would like more information about becoming a student with us.