What does it mean to bow in practice?

I believe bowing is one instance where you can relate a chain of thoughts with one single action. So what are we saying to each other when we bow? The typical answer I hear is RESPECT. Which is a great word that gets thrown around a lot and as a result doesn't seem to mean much these days... Let's take the time to think about and breakdown what we are trying to communicate when we bow. Here are my thoughts. 

First, it's important to know what the setting is when you bow.  Today we will be talking about bowing in practice. Therefore the setting is:


SETTING: We acknowledge that we are about to engage in some serious hand to hand combat. Therefore I will bow to show that....


TRUST: "I trust you."
I trust you as a training partner, that you have no ill intentions, and you will protect my wellness. My 6th grade teacher Mr. Wilson always said, "TRUST is a MUST." Looking back, I now realize he was on to something (he must have been a martial artist at heart). In all relationships, trust is not something we can prove or earn. Trust has to be assumed from the beginning, otherwise you will always be second guessing someone's intentions. Once it is lost however... Trust is very difficult to get back. 
INTENTIONS: "I will not try to hurt you."
I have no intention of hurting you, and thank you for training with me so that I can get better. Studies have shown that very little learning takes place when a human is in an environment where they feel their safety is at risk. Besides, why would you want to keep training at a place where your partners want to hurt you?
EGO: "Let's TRAIN!"
We are training partner's and teammates. Let's not keep tabs of who wins what and how many times I got tapped. Let's train to make each other better. Let's push each other to our limits and become the best we can from our training. 
ADAPT: "Let's LEARN!"
If you are the same person when you walk out the door as you were when you walked in, then you are not adapting. We can win every match, but if we are not learning anything then the training (your time), is wasted. Take the time to internalize what you are learning. Ask questions! If there is any doubt in the execution of a move you need to fill that doubt with knowledge. A move you sorta know (90% know), is not as effective as a move you really know (100%). Notice, these are two different things.... When we train we train hard, and the learning is more of a reflective process that shouldn't interrupt our training. 

Eliot Kelly 

EDH Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

"I trust you, I won't hurt you, let's train, let's learn! "