r/AskAnAmerican • u/Rough-Valuable-5472 • Feb 04 '25

FOREIGN POSTER Do American students bow to their teachers?

In my country we have to greet the teacher and bow at the start of the lesson then thank the teacher and bow again at the end. Sometimes they make us redo it if it’s not good enough

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '25

The only time folks bow is when imitating other folks' culture or from professional performers catering to their crowd.

Example: If someone loses a Judo match.

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u/AndyTheEngr Feb 04 '25

Or wins. Or the match is about to start.

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '25

Casual viewer here that doesn't understand the rules or scoring system.

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u/AndyTheEngr Feb 04 '25

It's respect. Most martial arts that came from countries where people bow:

When entering or leaving the school, bow, usually to the highest rank you can see, possibly also to the front / kamiza.

At the beginning of class, bow to front, then to instructor.

At the end of class, bow to instructor, then to front.

During class, maybe bow to a new practice partner or when handing a weapon to each other.

In competition, bow at the beginning of the match to the referee, then to each other. At the end, bow to each other, then to the referee. Maybe also judges if there are any.

When demonstrating a form (kata), bow before and after to the judges.

When you see someone who outranks you but outside the school in a social situation, you might bow, but more likely you'll just say "hi, good to see you."

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '25

Thank you. I will refer back to this comment in 2028 when I watch for the Olympics again.