1. Show respect for the world, the art, its instructors, and fellow students.
2. Bow when:
A. Entering and leaving the dojo.
B. Entering into or ending a conversation with sensei.
C. At beginning and close of practice with a partner.
D. Whenever sensei directs you, bow and say "Hai."
3. Remove jewelry, don't chew, keep nails short and follow good hygiene.
4. If late to class or you need to stop practice, sit in seiza at the edge of the mat.
5. When sensei claps his hands, sit and be immediately attentive.
6. Never practice a technique you haven't been taught.
"The essential elements of the dojo are commitment, cooperation, discipline, order, courtesy, and faith in the goal toward which the members of the dojo are striving. The students must share the responsibility for the maintenance of the dojo. Students at the dojo must look at cleaning the dojo as a spiritual exercise; the state of the dojo is a reflection of the internal states of the students."
Maintaining personal cleanliness is an act of consideration. The student must keep equipment and clothes clean. He must not leave his belongings strewn around but must keep them neatly stored. While cooperation is important, the dojo is not a democracy. From sensei on down, there must be a chain of obedience and humility strengthened by mutual respect. Senior students must be an example for juniors and support the teachings. In your personal observance of the rules of etiquette...you should strictly adhere to the forms of courtesy. To get on the mat incompletely or improperly dressed to lounge around in a sloppy, informal manner--these external improperties are signs of mental and spiritual laxness."--Saotome.
Rules from Morihei Uyeshiba:
1. Since all techniques can be lethal, obey your instructor, and do not make practice time a time of needless testing of strength.
2. Aikido is an art in which one person learns to face many opponents simultaneously. It is therefore required that you polish and perfect your execution of each movement so that you can take on anything from any direction.
3. The teachings of your instructors are only a small fraction of what you will learn. Your mastery of each movement will depend on individual, earnest practice.
4. The purpose of Aikido is to train both body and mind and to make one sincere. All Aikido arts are secret in nature and are not to be revealed publicly, nor taught to rouges who will use them for evil purposes.
5. Honor, (Justice) Courtesy, (Etiquette) Wisdom, Sincerity, Loyalty, Wonder, Commitment, Benevolence. Know these words.
Rules from Tohei:
If you maintain the one point and unify your mind and body like the calm surface of a lake that reflects first the moon, then a flying bird but holds no trace of them when they have passed and yet is ready to catch the lightest blowing of the wind, so to will you not only be able to quickly catch any movement your opponenet might make, but also be able accurately to reflect the tone of any movement around you.
Rules for Instructors from Tohei:
The basic principle of ki love and protection of all things: All things done for the sake of others are actually for our own sakes. We do them largely to increase our own virtue. After all, are we ourselves not the ones who profit most by becoming better when we exert our best efforts for others? The man in ki training who studies this principle must train diligently and the one who does most to lead his juniors along the road of technical and spiritual progress is the one who advances the farthest. It is a fine thing to progress oneself by causing another to make progress. For an instructor to consider himself a perfected being is a ridiculous illusion. Conceit closes the eyes of the spirit and leads to regression rather than to progress.
