Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu Dojo, Victoria BC Canada

What to wear:
Please bring weather-appropriate clothing and footwear. Pants should be comfortable and flexible such as track pants. Avoid clothing with extraneous buckles and zippers as these may be a training hazard.

The training uniform of the Hakkei Dojo is a black martial arts gi (also known as keikogi or dogi). Each student is expected to own a full gi (pants, top, obi) however this is not necessary until after your first few classes. The gi is not provided by the dojo but our links page does include martial arts suppliers where you will be able to purchase one.

During water training or the rainy season, students are encouraged to bring a dry change of socks and shirt and footwear for the journey home, but the need for this change of clothing is entirely at the student’s discretion.

What to bring:
First and foremost, bring an open mind and a good heart.
You are encouraged to bring hanbo or bokken with you to class if you have them.
Bring your obi, your gi jacket, and training appropriate clothing.

Bring water, and a snack if you are so inclined. Each class has at least one water break.

Bring your I.D. and medical information; you may never need it but if you do you’ll be glad you had it.

Physical Fitness:
There is no set physicality for participation. This art is suitable for all body types, ages, and genders.

Each individual is responsible for evaluating her or his own level of fitness and participating within it.

Each individual is also required to inform the instructor of any injury or illness that may affect training. This way we can all keep each other safe.

Show up for class a few minutes early; this will give you time to get changed, address the instructor about any concerns or news, remove jewelry, stretch and get into the mind frame for training. The first half an hour of class is spent warming up, individually or as a group; use this time to center yourself and enter an appropriate state of mind of training.

When you are training, try to clear your mind of the day’s hardships and triumphs and focus on the tasks directly at hand.

Be polite to your instructors and your fellow students. If you are not teaching, you should be training.

Wash your training clothes and yourself regularly. We get very close to one another at times, physically and otherwise, and there are few things worse than finding your nose in someone’s smelly armpit.

Live Blades:
Do not wear live blades during training. If you are carrying, for example, a utility knife you must remove it and place it amongst your belongings before beginning training. This helps to create and foster an environment of trust for everyone during training. This also is the best way to ensure that your ‘tool’ will not accidentally fall to the ground and pop open, becoming a danger to everyone.

Jewelry:
Do not wear jewelry during class. Remove all removable jewelry before training (the exception being medical alert bracelets/necklaces/other indicators).

While no one will intentionally damage you or your jewelry, accidents do happen and no one will be responsible for injury to you through your jewelry or damage incurred to your decorative items. Chains break, and rings can break fingers. Earrings can catch on the ground during rolling.

Even wedding rings are best worn on a thin, easily removable, chain around your neck. This allows you to retain your finger in case of an accident. While we will not dictate what jewelry you wear or how you wear it, we do advise that all jewelry is removed before you train.

Piercings:
Please be careful when training with anyone who is wearing piercings. We do not ask students to remove their piercings before training; we merely advise that any removable jewelry be removed to ensure maximum safety. Piercings most likely to be snagged or otherwise involved in an accident are located on the ears, back, and arms. Please be cautious when training with piercings (whether on you or someone else) to avoid injury.

Weapons:
When handing a weapon to someone, place the weapon in your right hand and bow as they accept it.

When receiving a weapon, accept the weapon with your left hand and bow slightly.

Partners:
When training with a partner, make sure they know any physical limitations or injuries you have. You may wear a red or other brightly coloured tag or tie on an injured limb; this signifies to others to go easy on that part of your body.

Please refrain from using muscle or strength to make a technique work. The techniques and principles we practice can be applied using physics, not strength, which is why anyone of any size can do this art. If you muscle through a technique, not only will you not learn the lesson being taught to its fullest extent but you are likely to injure either yourself or your partner.