Student's Guide to Surviving - AMA Dojo

Not every martial arts
school is traditional.
6
What is a Traditional Dojo?
What is a Traditional Dojo?
By definition, dojo means “place of the way”, or “place for seeking the
way”. And what THAT means is a dojo is more than just a practice hall;
it is an institution for bettering oneself through effort and
determination.
One of the most dominant characteristics of a traditional dojo is the
emphasis placed on serious self defense and combat. No matter how
graceful or beautiful an art, the techniques MUST boil down to stark
effectiveness.
Almost as important as technique is the development of character.
While some fighting styles in the modern world are indeed effective,
they lack a sense of deeper personal perfecting that is a trademark in
traditional arts. This is not a critique on either traditional or
nontraditional – simply an observation about priorities.
Traditional dojo are often austere places that utilize methods handed
down over many generations. However, as time moves on, teachers
find what space they can to offer their arts. To determine if you are in a
traditional dojo, you need to examine the mindset of the place more
than the walls. And part of that mindset involves formality.
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