What is rei (bowing in judo)?

What is What is rei (bowing in judo)??

Rei (礼) is the Japanese bow — a gesture of respect toward partner, teacher and dojo.

How does What is rei (bowing in judo)? work?

There are two forms: ritsurei, the standing bow of about thirty degrees, and zarei, the kneeling bow that opens and closes class. You bow when stepping on and off the mat, before and after every practice round and before and after a contest. It is not an empty ritual: bowing is the agreement to keep your partner safe.

rei in Amsterdam dojos

In Amsterdam dojos rei shows up as bowing as respect. Coaches explain it with standing and kneeling rei, and mainly correct skipping rei between randori rounds. This page translates official frames (JBN/IJF/Kodokan where relevant) into class practice without lifting federation prose.

Meaning of rei

rei centres on bowing as respect. Concretely on the mat: standing and kneeling rei. The idea is not separate from ukemi, gripping and respect — knowing only the definition misses how coaches place it in the syllabus. Historically and institutionally we point to Kodokan and/or IJF frames; for Dutch exams JBN leads. We summarise in our own words. After class write one sentence: which cue did you hear for rei? That sentence is homework — not a random YouTube compilation.

rei in the weekly class

A typical Amsterdam class builds rei in layers: short briefing, slow partner drill, pace, then apply in randori or an exam-like demo. Centrum groups have less running space; Zuidoost more often has longer lines — teaching adapts to the hall. For youth, repetition with game forms matters; for seniors, transfer into shiai or kata. Ask your sensei which block touches rei that week. Parents: stay sideline, do not photograph randori without permission, and discuss rei positively — mistakes belong to learning.

Competition, exams or etiquette around rei

Depending on the concept, rei touches shiai rules, kyu/dan requirements or etiquette. Check current IJF documents for scoring/penalties and JBN for graduations. Noord-Holland clubs translate that into pools and exam evenings on this site’s calendar. Separate ‘what is legal in contest’ from ‘what we practise in class’. Class intensity can be lower to learn rei safely. When unsure, the newest official source plus your sensei wins — not a forum thread.

Safety and misconceptions about rei

The biggest risk around rei is skipping rei between randori rounds. Say that aloud before you train harder. Safety is part of the concept, not an appendix. Misconception: that rei arrives ‘by itself’ after enough videos. Without feedback from a qualified coach you groove errors. Second misconception: that every child needs the same pace. Injury or fear? Cut volume and rebuild from ukemi and basic gripping before rei returns at full speed.

Choosing and deepening rei in Amsterdam

Use the dojo guide to find a club where rei sits seriously in the programme. Pair with calendar clinics and related knowledge pages. Sources below support claims; we do not copy them verbatim. Trial checklist: how they explain rei, how they correct, how safe the mat feels. Two trials beat ten landing pages. Keep returning to bowing as respect — that is the through-line, not scoreboard stress.

Practice block 1: rei

Week plan rei (bow): class 1 isolates respect ritual; class 2 applies rei in a theme drill; class 3 you observe others and write three cues. Sunday: five-sentence reflection — no video binge.

Practice block 2: rei

Sensei talk on rei: one question on bow and one on how respect ritual fits your age/belt. Write answers verbatim as a monthly checklist.

Practice block 3: rei

Risk card for rei: failure scenarios plus countermeasures, shared with a fixed partner. Update after near-misses. Safety is part of the concept.

Practice block 4: rei

City guide: find an Amsterdam club/clinic that names rei explicitly, bring a notebook, compare cues to your club. Facts rest on sources below; feel comes from the mat.

Practice block 5: rei

Misconceptions: video alone does not make rei; every child has a different pace; scoreboard stress is not pedagogy. Replace those myths with one measurable drill per week.

Practice block 6: rei

Source hygiene for rei: pick JBN/IJF/Kodokan by relevance, rewrite claims, on conflict the newest official page plus your sensei wins. No copy-paste of federation prose.

Practice block 7: rei

Deepening case for rei: describe a concrete Amsterdam class situation (youth or senior) where this concept went wrong, which cue the sensei gave, and how the next three sessions were adapted. Write at least eighty words in your log; without that case theory stays floating. Then attach a measurable drill (time, reps or checklist) that applies only to this concept.

Practice block 8: rei

Check moment for rei: have a partner quiz you with five open questions that cannot be answered yes/no. Note gaps. Schedule a remedial drill within seven days. This check does not replace a federation exam but prevents discovering shaky definitions only on exam night.

Practice block 9: rei

Integration with neighbouring concepts around rei: pick two knowledge pages that logically sit beside it and write a paragraph on how they reinforce each other on the mat. Read that paragraph aloud to your sensei for correction. That builds a network of ideas instead of isolated lemmas.

Practice block 10: rei

Quality bar for rei: state when you are satisfied (for example three clean reps, a faultless etiquette sequence, or a clear parent explanation). Share that bar with your coach. Without your own bar, progress stays vague and you only compare yourself to others.

Practice block 11: rei

Closing depth rei (Amsterdam): tie this concept to a fixed moment in the weekly class — briefing, drill or randori — and protect that moment from ad-hoc tournament prep. Write a twelve-sentence letter to your future self about what you want to improve in three months around this exact concept, including ukemi limits, grip agreements and how you ask for feedback. Reread the letter monthly. Add a five-item yes/no checklist that applies only to rei, have your sensei initial it, and keep it with your judogi. That moves the lemma from "read on a website" to "drilled behaviour".

Practice block 12: rei

Second closing block rei: run a fifteen-minute mini-clinic with two partners where you teach what you understand so far. Teaching exposes gaps faster than following. Note three questions you could not answer and schedule within ten days a look at the official sources at the bottom of this page plus a club question. End with a safe cool-down matching the load of rei — no bonus throws after fatigue.

Examples

• Ritsurei — standing bow to your partner
• Zarei — kneeling bow at class opening
• Bowing when entering and leaving the mat

Our sources

• Kodokan Judo Institute
• IJF — Documents & rules
• Judo Bond Nederland