Ernest Cadorin
The Meaning of “Dojo”
2020/06/06More Than Just a Training Hall
The Japanese word dojo commonly refers to the training space used to practice martial arts. It’s the place where classes are held and where people come together to hone their technique. It’s an environment – a challenging and rewarding environment – in which people strive for excellence.
If we look at the word more closely, however, we find meaning in it that goes well beyond four walls and a ceiling. Do means “way”, and jo means “place”, so the literal translation of dojo is “place of The Way”. A dojo, in other words, is a place where one follows the path to self-improvement.
The scope may vary from one organization to another, but in the case of authentic karate-do, self-improvement is something that is very broadly defined. It means much more than just perfecting our punches, blocks, and kicks. It means developing personal qualities such as awareness, confidence, assertiveness, attentiveness, gratitude, and respect. It also means developing our posture and body language in such a way that these qualities are evident in us just by the way we carry ourselves. Ultimately, the dojo is a place where we become well-rounded individuals who can face any challenge with courage and spirit.
I occasionally get asked if I have ever had to use my karate skills outside of the dojo. The reality is that I use them every day. Anytime I am attentive and respectful, for example, I’m demonstrating qualities that the dojo has helped me cultivate. The good habits that we learn within the dojo are habits that we take with us and apply to other aspects of our lives.
The dojo is a place of dedicated training, and it is through this training and hard work that we become stronger individuals. We do this not so that we can bully or show off to others, but rather so that we can become secure enough in ourselves to be gentle and helpful to others. When everyone in a dojo helps everyone else, the whole dojo gets elevated to a higher level of excellence. The better our training partners are, the better we become.
My teacher often said that the day you enter the dojo for the first time is the day you begin a new life. If you were the type of person who went through life making mistake after mistake and kicking yourself for each one, then that life is now behind you. As karate-ka, we still make mistakes, but we don’t react negatively to them. We own up to them and take steps to make sure that they don’t happen again.