World of Martial Arts - WMA: OSS in Martial Arts

OSS to all followers of World of Martial Arts

We might be using the word 'OSS' in training sessions or on many other occasions. Are we using it by knowing the actual meaning of it? There is a chance of us using it wrongly in the wrong instance. Keep reading to get all the doubts clarified.

It is All About Respect

Oss is a term used in many forms of martial arts as greetings. More than greetings it's the measure of respect. The word OSS has many origins however all of it refers to the same or almost the same meaning. In Japanese, it is a two-character combination. The first one means 'to push' and the second one is 'to suffer'. Together it means to push ourselves through the difficulties encountered along the way. Isn't it wonderful? In literal meaning it's just a reminder to keep the faith, to keep ourselves pushing, to keep setting the bar higher, to keep the hard work going, to keep the determination to the peak always.

When to use OSS?

Mostly this expression used when a master and student meet, before and after a practice session or fight, and on a few other occasions to show respect. But some of us are using it at the wrong occasions which is absolutely wrong. Some are using it as a replacement of the words and expressions such as 'YES', 'OKAY', 'I AGREE', 'I UNDERSTAND'... This is wrong and should never be used in such cases.
Please remember to bow to each other while saying OSS.
That's the right way of doing it. We bow to you all.
And 'OSS'.