Dojo Evolution
The most common definition for the word ‘Dojo’ is a place where martial artists come and practice their art. Specifically, it is a room dedicated where the classes are usually held. As with most things in life, the Dojo has changed throughout history.
Traditionally the term ‘Dojo’ could be used in reference to any place where people gathered to practice their Martial Art. Whether it was a dedicated hall to a park or to someone’s back yard, all can be referred to as a Dojo. In fact in early times that is how many martial artists trained. It was traditional, and discipline was at the core of the training as it was after all, a ‘Martial’ art. As time went on and more and more people desired to study martial arts, larger areas were needed. Many of the Martial Arts Masters such as Funakoshi, Miyagi, Kano to name a few, had their own Dojos set up traditionally with Tatami mats, and hardwood floors where they held traditional classes. The Dojos we see today are decedents of such type of dojos.
Today we have all sorts of Dojos. We have part time schools in church basements and Rec Centres to full time schools. There are Traditional style Dojos to Westernized, more modern style ones. There has been quite the evolution of a dojo in the last 40 plus years. The dojos of the 60’s, 70’s have quite a few differences than the dojos you see today. Back then, the focus on training was hardcore, no pain no gain mentality. There were still your traditional and modernized dojos, but their training was very disciplined almost military. They trained hard and fought hard. There were fewer kids and females training as well. Schools were often part time and smaller than their counter parts are today. In contrast, the Dojos of today are often done on a much larger scale to accommodate the growing number of students. Most Dojos have a larger children enrolment than adult one. The amount of females training are almost equal to the amount of males training. This is a very good change. The modern day Dojos are often opened and operated more as a business than their counterparts from the 60’s and 70’s. Depending on the Martial Art, the Instructor and the area, dojos of today seem to have a different tone. Discipline, and some of the militant ways which were once very much a part of a ‘martial art’ are sometimes lost. Some even feel that in such examples, the Art has been lost in the modern dojo and replaced with more of a Sport and competitive mentality. Society has changed over the decades and the Dojo isn’t immune to those changes. To help keep retention at dojos, Instructors added extra belts and stripes in the children’s programs, less focus on discipline and more focus on being fun are two very noticeable difference from the Dojos of yesterday. There are pros and cons to this approach. With so many Dojos to choose from, and other sports competing for a child’s time, Dojo Instructors have to keep up with the times. Dojos of today usually have more instructors in a class, safer protection for the students, training often combines other types of drills from other sports and different martial arts. This helps to keep the information fresh and new. Dojos of today are more family based than the dojos 40 years ago. More families are seeking to find positive ways to spend time together. You see Dojos offering more social events such as Birthday Parties, movie nights and after school programs. All designed to make a social environment for a student outside of their classes and to bring in more business.
The challenge that the Dojo of today has is knowing how to balance the Traditions, Discipline and intensity from how it was in the Dojos of the past, with the needs of and expectations of kids, parents and society of today. Learning how to keep the classes interesting, fun, uplifting
and exciting and to keep the retention of your students. It is a delicate balance and a necessary one when operating a Dojo of today.
No matter what Martial Art you study, your Dojo is at the heart of your practice. Many say that the Dojo lies within your own heart. Whether its a traditional or modern style dojo, its impact on your training and your life are very important. Its important to remember the dojo itself is a special place and should always be respected.
Tracy Warrener has been fortunate to have been raised within the Martial Arts since the age of 4 years old and is a 4th Degree Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate. She has had the opportunity to study with some amazing Martial Artists. Sensei Richard Kim, Sensei Peter Urban, Professor Don Jacob, Sensei Jim Wilson, Professor Wally Jay, just to name several. Of course her main Sensei is her father, Sensei Don Warrener. Throughout the 40 plus years of her involvement in the Martial Arts, she has worked her way from being a student of the martial arts to a Martial Arts Sensei ,teaching hundreds of students. She has ran and managed martial arts schools teaching students of all ages, worked within the community teaching at fitness centres, schools, businesses and Women’s Shelters, the benefits of Karate. One the causes close to her heart is teaching and empowering young girls and women the importance of self defence and awareness. Her program called Look Strong! Act Strong! Be Strong! focuses on easy self defence techniques and mind self defence techniques. In 2013 she was awarded The Silver Lifetime Achievement Award in the Masters of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in California for her contribution to Women in the Martial Arts. She is also a Certified Reflexologist and Reiki Master. She has starred in three of her own DVDs produced by Rising Sun Productions on Reiki, Reflexology and her Look Strong ,Act Strong ,Be Strong Self Defence Program. tracy.warrenerentertainment@gmail.com
