What is the bow of respect called in martial arts?

Is it the same in all disciplines of martial arts? The same name or the same gesture?





I%26#039;m curious because I saw a demonstration over the weekend, and it seemed like all of the students just kind of blew it off at the end of their routines, as just knuckles together, a half nod of the head, turn and exit, all in one motion. I always thought it was a move like any other and the same importance as the landing in gymnasitcs. It just struck me that if parents are sending their kids to this studio to learn discipline and self-confidence, this kind of hasty exit showed neither.





But then I%26#039;m just a couch potato, myself, what do I know?|||Short version:


People who think there is only one type of bow or one way to bow to show respect are clueless. (Not directed at you, OP, but some of these responses are off the mark!)





I%26#039;m not sure where you%26#039;re from, but studios can hide poor teaching behind very formal rituals that trick westerners into thinking they%26#039;re getting the real thing when they aren%26#039;t.





If all of the students bowed the same way, you can bet that they were indeed showing their instructor the respect s/he wanted the way s/he wanted it.





Long version:


First, bowing varies depending on the country you%26#039;re in. In many parts of Asia, you bow to different depths based on the situation, context, location, and your social status.





More specifically speaking, in Korea, there are different names for different bows. Bowing may remind westerners that they%26#039;re in a dojang, as at least one poster has said, but in real life you%26#039;re bowing all of the time. That is NOT a reason that we bow in Korea. We know where we are. Hee hee.





In Korea, there are special bows for ancestor respect, weddings, etc. And the bow depth varies in the studio, passing strangers, first introductions, walking into a store, etc.





I once got a really formal %26quot;big bow%26quot; from a younger kid who didn%26#039;t know me well. He had hit me on the side of the head with a soccer ball in a game. He was full on the floor, hands crossed in a certain way, complete with really formal language. He did this in the middle of the game, ball still in play. All of us burst out laughing.





After training in taekwondo in America with a Korean Grandmaster (two different Grandmasters, actually) I was expecting bowing here to be very formal, always nearly 90 degrees, etc. No, that%26#039;s not at all the way it works in real life. It took forever for me to get the head-and-shoulder-jerk-nod that you use when you enter shops. I looked like an idiot doing those deep bows.





Bowing also varies from studio to studio. At my normal studio, we sometimes formally bow in with a military-style salute and the name of our studio. We bow in and out of the studio (entering, leaving), but bowing in and out to Master is often much less formal than you may expect. In sparring, no-contact is less formal bowing, light-contact is midformal, and full-contact is most formal. Instead of bowing to the flag, we usually put out hands over our hearts and drop our heads.





Bowing to Master can also vary from %26quot;I won%26#039;t see you for a month, 화이팅!%26quot; depths to %26quot;that was a great class, thanks%26quot; depths to %26quot;I can%26#039;t believe you tricked me like that%26quot; depths to %26quot;I%26#039;m sick as a dog, so I%26#039;m going home early, and if my head goes any lower snot will be dripping on the floor%26quot; depths.





I trained at another studio here that had much more formal bowing procedures, more like what I was used to back in America.





Despite what you may expect, I promise you, the respect shown to Master (Kwanjangnim), Instructor (Sabumnim) and fellow students at the more formal studio was awful. I couldn%26#039;t believe how little respect there was, compared to the less formal studio.





If you watch an opening ceremony at a tournament or black belt test in Korea (black belt testing is not done in-studio in Korea), you can see that each studio teaches ready stance, at-ease stance, forms, etc differently. Bowing is no different.|||rei.when done from a standing position it%26#039;s basicly an informal acknowledgement from seiza(kneeling)it%26#039;s more formal and involved.depends on the circumstances the bow is being used for.|||In many Martial Arts circles it means the same in gesture, but unfortunately there are schools that don%26#039;t really enforce the use of giving or returning the respect. So yeah that could be one of those schools that is very Lax in their giving due respects.





plus it just coulda been the fact that the students were genuinely tired, but still that really shouldn%26#039;t be an excuse to be sloppy towards the crowd.|||I took kung fu for a couple of years, but we always called it a bow. There are different bows depending upon the situation. For example, in training the bow symbolizes putting a sword in its sheath, as if to say %26quot;I will not hurt you%26quot;. In performance the bow is a sign of respect to the Masters/teachers/judges as well as a way to note the beginning and end of a routine.





More than likely, the students did a halfa**ed bow because they were exhausted at the end of their routine and/or wanted to get out of the spotlight as soon as possible. Not that this is an excuse... I also noticed in my training that you have to bow so often - in and out of rooms, to every trainer you see, before and after lessons, etc. - that it becomes habit to do it quickly or else you wouldn%26#039;t get anything else done... again, not that I am making excuses... :)|||As many people above have said, the bow is a gesture of respect. This respect is called %26quot;rei%26quot; in Japanese. Bowing is a very complicated gesture of deference in Japanese culture. The depth, duration and timing of a bow all have connotations on the perceived level of respect being given.





To answer the part of your question that most people have missed out, no, the same gesture is not used in all martial arts. Many Japanese martial arts use a bow, as do some Korean and Chinese arts. Some place the hands together, one hand wrapping over the other closed fist. In Shorinji Kempo, we place both palms together, fingers extended upwards at eye level, similar to a Buddhist salutation. This is *instead* of a bow, rather than as well as. In this case it is called %26quot;gassho rei%26quot;.|||what we do at my dojo is bow at the beginning, one stood up one on knees, then before me fight (but some also touch gloves after the bow) then bow AFTER the fight. and at the end we do the same bows we did at the beginning.|||It is different in each art, and culture. The easy thing to do is call it a bow.


Some people just don%26#039;t show proper respect though, especially the younger generation.|||those,





In the Japanese language, bowing is called %26quot;rei,%26quot; whether it%26#039;s done in a dojo or out in the street greeting someone. I do not know what the word is in other languages...I do know that some arts practitioners in China and Korea (and more) bow upon entering or leaving the training hall, or at least before starting a match.





The bow, when performed properly is a graceful way of showing respect...for others and to oneself. I think westerners see bowing as an act of supplication, so they do not like to do it. Their teachers should explain better.|||These demonstrations are mostly gymnastics with punching and kicking. Most of these participants are trying to make it big in show business and bowing is the last thing on their minds.





The bow is to show respect as a salutation, remind oneself that you have arrived in a dojo for training and to recognize or thank a partner for undertaking such a vigorous activity.





Now get off of that couch and do some knuckle push-ups. Bow to your Sensi!!!!!|||Bowing is sign of respect. In Japanese style it is called %26quot;rei%26quot;. It changes from style to style but it always a sign of respect.I see someone covered that already.





A bow should be done with the utmost seriousness. It should crisp and defined. If it is just a lazy head nod and a slap of the hands then why bother? If you do not believe in bowing then just don%26#039;t do it. Martial arts training should begin and end with respect, even if that is not a bow there should still be some gesture of respect.|||we just call it a bow|||Many of the American Freestyle practitioners will do that %26quot;hafa%26amp;%26amp;ed bow%26quot; %26quot;as one said%26quot; due to the fact that Karate has become about flash and noise instead of tradition, power, and effectiveness. But the bow stands for respect and tradiiton. When we bow at the beginning and end of class... we sit in Seizan (knees on the floor but on heals.. back straight hands on your thighs) bow once to the instructors in the dojo (sensei ni rei) then again to the %26quot;ones that have come before%26quot;, the tradiitona and the way of budo (shomeni rei)|||Not sure of any name. But in my experience, schools teach bowing differently. From the hand/feet position, to the importance of it. I am a stickler for proper bowing in my dojang. I am not afraid to correct anyone, junior or senior. I guess it%26#039;s because our instructor is not only a really good teacher, but an all around great guy. Other schools just don%26#039;t seem to care. They consider it an antiquated formality that has no real place in modern martial arts.


As for your weekend experience, perhaps they were just in a hurry to get away. Demo%26#039;s can be really stressful. Or maybe they just didn%26#039;t care.





And there%26#039;s nothing wrong with being a couch potato sometimes|||Depends on the art.





LIke asking what is it called in Japanese, Thai, Malay, Korean, Chinese, Hindu when a person sneezes.





Get it?