The Go Jiu Bujitsu Bow/Salutation
Note: The bow is not a religious act and is not a submission to anyone. It is a sign of respect.

Bowing procedure:
From a ready/natural stance (feet shoulder-width apart with fists closed and down in front of the inner-thigh area); upon the instructor’s command, “Kyo Tsuke” (attention) - your feet are brought together (right foot in) to attention stance with your hands (palms open with no space between fingers) placed on the outside of each thigh (without slapping against your body); upon the instructor’s command, “Rei” (bow) – you place your right fist over your heart/Go Jiu Bujitsu uniform patch; bend forward at the waist approximately 30° (your gaze moves downward unless you are bowing to sparring/competitive partner); return to the upright position; then step back out to a ready/natural stance (right foot out).

Symbolism/meaning:

1      It is the customary manner to express respect and proper etiquette.
2      It is a constant reminder that Go Jiu Bujitsu begins and ends with respect.
3      It reinforces the ideals of combining the fist of strength (in mind, body and spirit) with the heart of love (in thought, word and deed).
4      It reinforces the ideal of the yellow-gold circle on our patch – the “golden rule”.
5      It reinforces the ideal of a sense of patriotism to the United States – the stars on the patch representing you, your family, your community and your country.
6      It reinforces the importance of goal setting – the fifth star on the patch reminds us to “reach for the stars in all we do”.
7      The motion of the hand to the heart reinforces the ideals of commitment, honor, and loyalty.
       
When to bow:

1      Bow upon entering and leaving your dojo, or place of training.
2      Bow when stepping onto and off of a matted area (depending on the dojo).
3      Bow to the senior instructor teaching your class before joining or leaving class.
4      Bow to the Go Jiu Bujitsu flag at the beginning and end of each class.
5      Bow to your training partner before and after practicing together.
6      Bow when meeting a martial arts instructor/master in lieu of or prior to shaking their hand.
7      If you don’t know whether to bow or not – BOW.

Opening and closing bows and meditation:
The class/group begins first with lining up in ready/natural stance according to rank (highest ranks to the left). The instructor has the students face the Go Jiu Bujitsu flag and gives the commands, “Kyo Tsuke”  “Rei” (attention and bow), whereupon everyone bows to the flag. (This is to demonstrate respect for your style of martial art and it’s founder.) The instructor then has the students face him/her and again gives the command, “Kyo Tsuke” “Rei” (attention and bow) whereupon everyone bows down with feet together and hand over heart (instructors to students and students to instructors) and upon coming up from the bow, everyone steps out with the right foot into ready/natural stance and shouts, “Respect”.

At the end of the class/seminar this sequence is repeated with the addition of having the students first turn to the left, straighten their uniform, and turn back so students are facing the instructor(s); then a bow to the Go Jiu Bujitsu flag, and finish with a bow between students and instructor, ending in a shout of “Respect”.