When you show respect to other people, you cultivate respect for yourself. As a Ripple Effect student, you’ll regularly interact with peers, instructors, and parents, as well as judges and students from other martial arts schools and disciplines. You’ll outrank some. Some will outrank you. We all come from different backgrounds. What unites us is respect and discipline in who we are and what we do.

Whether on or off the mat, always refer to Black Belt instructors as Mr. ____ or Mrs./Ms. ____. Address a 4th or higher degree Black Belt as Master (as in “Master Macy”). When a Black Belt calls on you for an answer or gives you an instruction, always reply with a strong “yes, Sir!” or “yes, Ma’am!”

We show respect to the school, the instructors and judges, and our martial arts lineage with a traditional bow (hands to your sides, bowing at the waist). Always bow to the flags when entering or leaving the martial arts floor of the school and to the judges when entering or exiting the ring at a tournament.

Finally, dress and groom yourself appropriately for martial arts training, and never step onto the mat with street shoes (if you need to wear special footgear for medical reasons, we understand! Just talk to a head instructor beforehand).