College Kajukenbo

Something new kajukenbo students don’t always find out about is the Sergeant of Arms.  The Sergeant of Arms is chosen by the instructor and is usually the highest ranking color belt in the class. This individual enforces the by-laws of the kajukenbo school, greets guests and new students and introduces them to the instructor, is responsible for safety of visitors, students and instructors, calls the class to attention and acknowledges instructors who enter the room, and acts as a mediator to neutralize conflicts.

The most common responsibility of the Sergeant of Arms is when a new student arrives late to class. (Typically, only new students need the Sergeant of Arms to walk them through the procedure.) The one appointed as Sergeant of Arms will take that student to the back of the room to go through the formality of kneeling down to tie their belt and then squat in horse stance with tiger claws extended until the instructor waves the student into line with the rest of the class. Having the Sergeant of Arms take care of issues like late students allows the instructor to continue with the class without the disturbance of a student arriving late.

Having a Sergeant of Arms to handle disruptions such as students arriving late serves two purposes.  First, it shows the late student that having people arrive late is disruptive to the class. Second, it emphasizes the lack of respect that the late student is showing to the other students and the instructor. If the instructor were to stop what he or she was doing in order to deal with that student him or herself, it would further disrupt the class and would take away from the time that the instructor could be working with the rest of the students. Instead of rewarding that behavior by making the late student the center of attention, having a Sergeant of Arms allows class to continue as normal while quietly dealing with the disturbance.