Humor in the Dojo

[sirdarksol]

I have a question for everyone. What is your take on humor during class?

To give you an idea of why I ask, sirdarling and I were at kobudo last night, and he was having severe problems keeping a straight face. Most of the time, we trade jabs at each other while we are going through our complexes. We've always done this. Last night, however, he would crack up the moment we would square off to begin a complex. Being an honorable combatant, I, of course, utilized his slip in his defense to begin the complex, and he sometimes would fall into it easily, other times I'd have to stop my bokken mid-swing to keep from cracking him in the skull.
We tried toning it down, worried that Sensei was getting upset, but he made jokes of his own, so it was really tough to do so (and hopefully unnecessary. If Sensei is making jokes, I hope it's okay for us to. We continued to practice the entire night)

So anyway, how does everyone else feel about humor during training? I know that some people feel that any brevity detracts from the seriousness of the training.

[disgruntled]

i think there is a time and a place for everything. so long as the class was not disrupted and it is not an everyday regular occurence i think it is fine. if anything it should be slightly encouraged. we all need to unwind a bit now and then. if we were alway really serious i think we would burn out too quickly!

[DOCBROWN1705]

I agree... I think that as long as it does not have a negative effect, and is not an ongoing thing, that it is perfectly ok.... Humor, and fun are two very important aspects in life, and they should be embraced. Again though, there is a time and a place for everything.

[sirdarksol]

I agree, and that's why, if it ever looks like one of us is dropping guard, the other will immediately attack, so we're constantly reminding each other that, though we're having fun, we're in a dojo, and the martial arts are priority there.

[tntma12]

I see nothing wrong with haveing some humor in the dojo, as long as it doesnt get out of hand. It also depends largely on the instructor and their view of using humor. In my class we use humor, but are also serious when we need to be. Personally I find it helps make the class a bit more enjoyable and gives a bit of a break once in a while.

[Shirindo]

Originally Posted by tntma12

I see nothing wrong with haveing some humor in the dojo, as long as it doesnt get out of hand. It also depends largely on the instructor and their view of using humor. In my class we use humor, but are also serious when we need to be. Personally I find it helps make the class a bit more enjoyable and gives a bit of a break once in a while.

Agreed 100%

Everything in moderation says I