Sorry if they are stupid questions, anyway: 1. Should I learn the language of judo? 2. How do you properly tie a judo belt? (all i know is start from the front, go around the back and again to the front, ????????? then bring both ends from underneath and tie) :bang:
1. The language of Judo is Japanese, and learning it would not be a bad idea. That said it will not matter to much whether you do, as you will pick up enough of what you need to get by. But understanding the japanese lanuage will often give you an insight into a technique, as there are often links and descriptions in the name, that people usually overlook. There is also a lots of books and literature written in Japanese, and again things get lost in translation. But to truly start to understand you must start to think japanese. 2. Ask your sensei. It is a lot easier to show someone then to try and explain it. There are also sights on the net that explain it in detail. Just google it.
Greetings each , I agree ,learing Japanese does help ,Though I have found translating some of the techniques into english actually don't make any sense eg Jigoti oshi , we just call it dead tree drop .i always greet my master and fellow students in japanese ,also as part of our syllabus basic terminoligy is required .We should always try to keep the old traditions alive ,else in the not to distant future it will be lost .
I actually understand japanese (my japanese is not perfect but is pretty good) but because the instructor isnt japanese his pronounciation of the japanese terms is not perfect and.... well i think you understand. so alot of times i dont really know what he's saying.
yes i do know what you mean.my friend , especially here in Uk with so many acsents it can be very confusing .
That was another point I was going to make. Dojo Japanese is in some cases different to normal Japanese. Especially when spoken by westerners as we tend to place our own nuances when pronouncing Japanese words, even though it is a purely phonetic languange. But we still like to hold our vowels and other interesting inflections that find there way in. As long as you understand it in context in your dojo it shouldn't matter, but if you have only learnt Japanese in a dojo from anyone but a native speaker, I would be hesitant to say I can speak it.
yes.totally agree ,however as long as everyone in the dojo says it the same way then at least it is consistant ,even if it is wrong ,which in most cases it is lol .The vowels will always be an issue .i know for sure that what little Japanese i do know ,is only dojo dialect I can probably write the kanji better than i speak it and my writting is awful lol
Konnichiwa, Your Sensei or an appointed Sempai should have shown you how to tie your obe on your 1st vist. I hope that you are now able to tie it ? With regards to the language that you are to use in the dojo, there are many dialects used in Japan. Have you asked your Sensei if there is a Terminology / Vocabulary sheet that you can use ? There are many Japanese who speak some English. But, even then, any Japanese who hears you say a few words in his or her own language will be pleasantly surprised and will of course appreciate the friendly gesture. Strangely enough, the one who will get the biggest kick out of it all will be you. Good luck in your training. Sayonara.
Konnichiwa, Glad I could help. I hope that you are enjoying your training and that you are getting as much out of it as you can. Sayonara.
Konnichiwa Sensei Mike, I am enjoying looking around the site, there are some very interesting question being posted. Take care of you my very good friend. Sayonara.
If we're being checked on the Japanese, shouldn't it be "Mike Sensei" and "Keith Renshi"? (Or is it really "Renchi"? 廉恥 ?) Oh, and this site is usually a good one for most things Judo related... http://judoinfo.com/terminology.htm Or http://judoinfo.com/terms.htm
Thank you. indeed it should and yes you are right it is Renshi, but I thought it rude to pick people up on their spelling. I have found that most ( not all ) westerners tend to put the Sensei first. Why ? I am not sure, and also a lot of students just use the term " Sensei " without the name. Thank you for your help. Domo Arigato.
Greetings each Very true and i stand corrected,my apologies ,As i mentioned before dojo Japanese ,differs so very much .Well might be a good time to put it right ,as best we can. Konnichi wa Keith renshi .Aye and some very passionate individuals to,which always good to see. Yours in the spirit of Budo Mike
Konnichiwa Ben. What an honour you have to teach Japanese children, I on the the other hand teach english children who call me all sorts of things that I could not publish on the site !!!!!! I agree that all we can do is correct the mistakes, what is good though is that Sensei's are trying to use the language. I found in the past that many dojo's did not use any, indeed many instructors and sensei's did not even try to use Japanese. As you said its all budo, lets hope that they continue to grasp the language. I look forward to sharing ideas with you. Sayonara.
Hey Keith Hehe...I dunno about the "honour" part..I'm pretty certain I could find more than a few mates of mine who could rant about how annoying it is to teach kids here too..Heh..Mostly my lot are pretty decent, but that could be just because I'm bigger than they are and train with swords for fun...Possibly.. And yeah, I agree that using Japanese (Or the native language) should be a part of learning the art itself, I've never seen the point in detaching a martial art from the land it was made in (That's in part why I'm in Japan actually), and using the language is a good start in broadening the students minds as well...Learning a new language (or indeed, new anything) is never a bad thing.. All the best.. (Oh, and sayonara is kinda final! Maybe "Ja, mata" would work better for these forums eh?!)..
Good morning Tom ( well it is here ), I think that teaching children in any country has its ups and downs !!!!!!! I teach at a School for children with Social, Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties so every day is so very different Hehe. I would love to live and teach in Japan, it would be a dream come true for me. I have trained in Japan and enjoyed every part of it. I agree with you and I also have never seen the point in detaching the Martial Arts from the land it was made in. I feel that some students only wish to learn part of what Martial Arts can offer and the whole culture is of no use to them in their training !!!!!!!! If this is the case I ask Why ? Why would you only want to learn part of what the Martial Arts has to offer ? We could debate this forever. May I ask you if you would be willing to help us to help our students with their Japanese ? Take care have a good day. Regards. Keith
Grretings each ( or is it moshi moshi as it is sort of a phone line lol) I agree whole heartedly ,there is so much history behind what we do,i have fond on a personel level ,that is helped me appricate what I have ,and what I have been given .If you give all of yourself and more,the reward is just awsome ,and cannot be explained in words .I am lucky to have a master who is so passionate about budo in everyway, The search for answers is very tiring .........it's 'PROGRESSIVE' ...THAT'S A PRIVATE JOKE LOL...but very true yours in the spirit of Budo Mike
