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Becoming a Member

Membership is open to UGA students, faculty, staff, and dependents (a valid UGAcard is required for access to the Ramsey Student Physical Activities Center).

The only way to decide if you want to train seriously is to try it. The Budokai welcomes visitors and prospective members regardless of previous experience. During the first two or three weeks of Fall and Spring semesters, the Budokai accepts new students for its beginners class (see the home page of this site for the current enrollment period). This allows new students to progress together at roughly the same pace.

To join the club, attend any class during the enrollment period. Be sure to arrive before the scheduled start time for class so that you can complete required forms.

T-shirts, sweats, and other ordinary workout clothes are fine for beginning students. Participants who continue to practice with the Budokai for more than one semester should wear a clean, white gi without insignia or other ornamentation (an exception is the Ogasawara tomoe, which may be worn with the permission of instructors). The plain white gi symbolizes the equal status of all practitioners. Shoes, socks, watches, and jewelry must be removed during practice. Cellphones must be turned off if brought into the dojo.

Students who earn rank in the art pay modest test fees and a $25 annual registration fee. Fees are not charged for class participation. In exchange for instruction, members are required to work hard and to observe correct etiquette and protocol. These rules are expressed in the Dojo Kun (Precepts of Karate Training) attributed to Sakugawa:

Traditional karatedo is not something that can be bought or sold. Since instructors receive no financial compensation, they teach solely at their own discretion and may revoke participants' membership or rank if necessary to ensure the propriety of training.

Students with prior martial arts training are welcome to visit or to become members of the Budokai. Guests attending practice with the prior permission of an instructor may wear whatever uniform and belt they typically wear in their own schools. However, those who decide to train for rank in Shorinji Ryu should follow the dress guidelines given above. With the exception of currently active students from other Ogasawara-Ha Shorinji Ryu dojos, everyone begins his or her Shorinji Ryu training as a white belt. During the history of the club, many participants with black belt ranks in other martial arts have chosen to pursue rank in Shorinji Ryu.

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URL: http://www.uga.edu/karatedo/membership.html