What makes Northstar Jujitsu unique: Respect.

Respect. This is one of the legs that holds up the rubic of martial arts. Respect is not demanded. It is passed down from student to student and is an integral part of the structure of the dojo. The art of bowing separates the wood from the chaff. By lowering your head you are showing respect. Infact also showing trust to the other person.

If you do not have a code of respect in the dojo, then the essence of martial arts is slowly and surely lost. That intrinsic truth that is interlaced into all the movement must remain and practised with diligence if you are going to call your self a martial art. It is just too easy not make the effort or to fool your self that the respect that you practise in the dojo is enough. If you are not commiteed to it, it will slowly waste away, like anything else that is not practised.

Respect in martial arts can be difficult to understand let alone practise especially if there is no one to demonstrate it correctly. Respect is the glue that separates NSJJ from other sports or pass times. It is so unique and needs to be valued. Bowing is not a subservient act, it is a powerful act that binds us on the warrior path together. In so many classes the warrior act of bowing has been sadly replaced for a high five or a fist pump.

This removes all warriorship from the dojo. How can you even think about developing killer instinct when the real fighting traditions have been removed. With no respect there is no zanshin, with no zanshin there is no awareness and with no awareness, balance is not broken. So how does someone that has never entered a martial arts dojo develop and practise respect? Well the last thing that I want you to do is to start bowing indesciminatley.

Start with the most basic act of respect. Everyone deserves to be respected. Start by being polite to everyone you come into contact with. Whether it is a waiter, s cleaner or some one that collects your garbage, just be polite. When someone cuts you off in traffic or bumps you in a super market. Don’t react as you usually would, don’t take offence. Move fast to avoid trouble and smile. It can simply be a mind set. Everyone needs a sacred space. In Japanese Martial Arts this is called a dojo. You do not need to build a dojo in your back yard, like I did. Your sacred space does nor even need to be a physical place. I have a quiet space in my lounge room. It is a simple chair with a couple of my special books and some beads. I keep it clean and I use this space for meditation. It is still and neutral and is a very calm space that permeates through out the entire house.