FAQ

Please wear sweat pants, shorts, or other comfortable pants. Wearing a t-shirt or other athletic type shirt is advised. Please do not wear tank-tops, and refer to the Etiquette section for further details.

Shoes are not worn in class. Neither are socks, but exceptions can be made for medical reasons. It is a safety risk to be in socks alone. THere are martial arts shoes specific for training, but trust that being barefoot is not as bad as it may seem.

When in doubt, it is okay to bow. All Karate-ka bow to one another. The person with senior rank does not bow as low as the one with junior rank. A good rule to go by is to bow when in doubt. However, do not bow without keeping one's eyes up. Do not look threatening in your bow and avoid direct eye contact with a senior rank, but do not turn your eyes entirely. SHowing respect is done so by way of bowing, but showing self-respect is also not being submissive and totally trusting and not keeping the "eye seeing in all direction," per the code of Isshinryu.

Each rank has a certain amount of knowledge to obtain before being ready to promote. It is not proper to ask when a promotion is coming. It is acceptable to inquire what is expected of a student to know between promotions. Only the Chief Instructor can male the absolute determination as to what must be accomplished. Not all student progress at the same rate. Comparing oneself to a peer is not advised as each student has their own set of challenges that are not always evident to the class as a whole.

Beginner ranks, White, Yellow and ORange can expect to be in the respective belt color for a minimum of 3 months.

Green belts can expect to be in this rank for a minimum of 6 months.

Blue belts can expect to be in this rank for a minimum of 9 months.

Brown belts can expect to be in this rank for a minimum of one year.

Dan ranks come with long spans between promotions. The 1st degree black belt (sho dan) is the 1st of many to come. Only 10 percent of students who start ever reach this belt.

Master Frye is technically a Kyoshi, which is a title and designation indicating his level of expertise in teaching. He would rather you call him Master Frye, Sir, or Sensei.

The other instructors, unless otherwise instructed should be referred to as Sir, or Sensei. If a visiting instructor is female, of course refer to her as Ma'am or Sensei.

A dojo is the term for school or academy. A dojo is not bound by walls, but is a place of training. The academy is our brick and mortar school where we train; it is both a dojo and a location.