Do I need to bow? 

The bow is perhaps one of the most misunderstood traditions in martial arts. The bow is done to show humility and is used to express a lack of arrogance. In addition, it serves as a sign of mutual respect between teachers and students and between practitioners and opponents. You should bow when you enter a training area – think of this as clearing your mind of daily problems and events, so that you are concentrating on the training ahead. Just as you bow when you enter the training area, you should bow when you leave. This signifies that your training in the class has finished. In Our Schools all classes are started by bowing towards the instructor to show our respect and gratitude for their teaching. Bowing should be done between two partners prior and immediately after training together. Bowing before working with your partner shows that you are alert and ready. The bow after shows gratitude to the other person for helping us to improve our skills and for the care they have taken to avoid injuring us during training.