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How a practitioner salutes can say a great deal about the
individual. A proper salute not only shows respect for teachers
and training partners, it is also an excellent indicator of
the practitioners attitude and level of proficiency in the
art. Through a simple salute it is possible to tell how an
individual feels about himself or you. For instance if the
practitioner has low self esteem the lack of confidence is
portrayed in the salute. Other expressions easily read are
lethargy, mistrust, disdain, or arrogance. These are the negatives
that can be seen. On the positive side you can see poise,
power, respect, humility, pride, and confidence.
The salute is performed by stepping forward with your right
foot into a right kick stance as your right hand comes across
the front of your body in a fist to meet your left hand at
your heart. The left hand forms a C and covers the right fist
as both hands are presented to your front center. The arms
form a circle.
There
are various interpretations for the meaning of the salute,
some are quite elaborate others are completely absurd. The
meaning I share with my students is that the right hand held
in a fist represents your weapon, the left hand covers as
the sheath. The interpretation is, "here is my weapon, it
is put away, out of trust and respect". The right foot forward
represents putting your best foot forward.
The
common denominator for each interpretation is respect. Respect
is an extremely important aspect of the art we practice. No
one in their right mind would dream of placing their life
in the hands of a person who openly shows you disrespect.
As we train in San Soo we continuously place our lives in
our training partners hands. This show of trust stems from
mutual respect and is noted in the salute.
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