Your first class

• Clothing. A white karate uniform (gi, 着) if you have one. If not, loose athletic clothes are fine for your first classes: t-shirt and sweatpants or shorts.
• Gi and belt. Once a student receives the rank of yellow belt, they are expected to wear a white karate uniform (gi) to class, in keeping with the traditional nature of our style. Gis can be purchased through Amazon; they are not supplied by the Wellness Center or the club. Belts are provided free of charge by the Wellness Center.
• Bare feet. We train barefoot on the mat. Take your shoes off before you step on the training floor. Keep toenails and fingernails short.
• No jewelry. Remove watches, rings, earrings and necklaces before class. They catch, scratch and break.
• Water bottle. Bring one. Drink before class and at the breaks Sensei calls.
• Arrive early. Ten minutes before class gives you time to change, check in and warm up.

• Bow (rei) at the door. A standing bow as you enter and leave the training floor. It marks the dojo as a place of practice.
• Line up by rank. Senior belts at one end of the line, newest students at the other. As a beginner you stand at the end. That is exactly where you are supposed to be; ask a sempai which side.
• Opening and closing. Class begins and ends kneeling (seiza) with a moment of quiet (mokuso), a bow to the front (shomen ni rei) and a bow to the instructor (sensei ni rei).
• "Osu." The reply to an instruction, a greeting, and an acknowledgment. Say it clearly. It means you heard and you will try.
• Address the instructor as Sensei. Senior students who help you are sempai.
• Late? Come in quietly, bow, kneel at the edge of the floor and wait for Sensei to wave you in.
• Ask. If you do not understand a technique, ask. Nobody expects a beginner to know the Japanese yet. The terms page has every word you will hear.

1. Hold the belt in front of you at its middle and place the center on your stomach, just below the navel.
2. Wrap both ends around your back, cross them, and bring them to the front. Both ends should now be equal length.
3. Cross the right end over the left, then tuck it up and under both layers of the belt, pulling it out at the top.
4. Take the end now hanging down and lay it over the other end, then pass it through the loop you made and pull both ends firmly sideways.
5. The knot should sit flat and horizontal, with both ends the same length. If it sits vertically, untie and try again. Everyone does.

Ask a sempai to show you the first few times. It takes about a week to become automatic.

Every student has a personal 4-digit code. When you arrive, open Check in on your phone and enter it. Ask Sensei for your code after your first class. The same code opens My progress.

You start as 9th Kyu. After a few months of regular training Sensei will invite you to your first grading.

See the whole belt ladder ›