a base martial art

[Xue Sheng]

Trained a lot of years in CMA and I’ve trained with a lot of teachers and my taiji shifu I called shifu or by his first name. Two Chinese gentlemen I trained with in 2 different seminars I called shifu, but felt silly because we all knew that a couple seminars did not make me their student. Another I called Dr. Because that is what he was and what everyone called him. Other than that all my teacher I used their first name. And when I taught my students always used my first name

Should probably add, in my youth, my very first MA teacher Japanese jujitsu had us call him by his first name and my TKD had us call him mister

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I guess I should mention, that I earned my first black belt from Al Tracy, that is, I was mostly taught by him.
Later I took American Kenpo and I was tested, I believe, it was for brown, by Ed Parker.
Sifu

Here is the thing man, your students may call you whatever, but calling yourself Sifu or signing each post as such makes you sound like a fluffer to me. No one else does that. You aren’t anyone’s Sifu in here, responding to other people’s posts and signing it Sifu at the end sounds like you are writing to one of your students. In short, it’s a condescending tone that smacks of a need for recognition. Many posters here are long time teachers of various martial arts, as you well know. Write whatever you want, but it isn’t a good look, and it certainly doesn’t lend you any legitimacy.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Trained a lot of years in CMA and I’ve trained with a lot of teachers and my taiji shifu I called shifu or by his first name. Two Chinese gentlemen I trained with in 2 different seminars I called shifu, but felt silly because we all knew that a couple seminars did not make me their student. Another I called Dr. Because that is what he was and what everyone called him. Other than that all my teacher I used their first name. And when I taught my students always used my first name

Should probably add, in my youth, my very first MA teacher Japanese jujitsu had us call him by his first name and my TKD had us call him mister

That’s the reason I posted on it. I’m not this guys student.

 

[Instructor]

So far in this forum, we have self-title such as:

- master.
- Sensei.
- Sifu.

Do we have

- coach?
- instructor?

I like teacher or instructor. I avoid titles in languages I don't speak.. Like those kids who get something cool tattooed in a foreign language and then find out it doesn't mean tiger or dragon it means soy sauce.

 

[Yokozuna514]

I like teacher or instructor. I avoid titles in languages I don't speak.. Like those kids who get something cool tattooed in a foreign language and then find out it doesn't mean tiger or dragon it means soy sauce.

I am soya sauce formally known as dragon, LMAO.

 

[Blindside]

You teach Kenpo right? Why the southern Chinese honorific title awarded to yourself by yourself? I also teach and have multiple students that have been with me for many years. I am aware of its meaning. Who awarded you that title? I am not aware you teach Chinese Martial arts.

There are several branches of Kenpo that did and still do use Chinese titles, if in the Parker tree they usually derive from the "Chinese kenpo" phase where they were adopting many of the Chinese forms. Similarly in the Chuan-fa and Tum Pai branches of Kajukenbo.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

There are several branches of Kenpo that did and still do use Chinese titles, if in the Parker tree they usually derive from the "Chinese kenpo" phase where they were adopting many of the Chinese forms. Similarly in the Chuan-fa and Tum Pai branches of Kajukenbo.

That isn’t necessarily my issue with it, although I am somewhat familiar with the “Chinese” portion of Parker Kenpo history. Read my other post to him. People can call themselves whatever, but that does open them up for critique. He could just put me on ignore, or choose not to engage my post.

 

[Steve]

who do you guys think are the better fighters the mma fighter who have a actual background in sometype of martial art or the guys you just jumped into mma classes

and do you think mma fighters should have a base martial art before fighting

I don’t think it matters. You can learn it all at once, or you can add to what you already know.

 

[Flying Crane]

Yeah, the problems with Chinese titles is that they actually are not so much titles in the general sense, as they indicate a relationship between two specific people. Between one of those people and a third person, the title may be different. So the title isn’t absolute. The same person can be Sifu to some, Sigung to others, Sibok to still others and Sihing to yet others. the title isn’t a fixture.

To be fair, the title Sifu is often used a bit more generally, and a person might refer to someone as being a Sifu of martial arts. But just because he is a Sifu, does not mean he is my Sifu, and I would not address him as such. It gets weird when some schools, like the kenpo schools mentioned above, start using titles like Sigung which they seem to believe means “grandmaster” when in fact it means “my teacher’s teacher” and I believe can actually mean grandfather. I’m not going to call anyone Sigung if they aren’t actually my teacher’s teacher. It isn’t a static title. I also see Sihing and Sibok used similarly, in a way that might designate “senior teacher” or something like that. The words mean “brother” and “uncle” respectively, and refer to my classmate and my teacher’s classmate.

So it is really weird when some of these schools use these terms as if they are titles. It actually shows ignorance.

And these terms are what someone would call someone else, you would not give yourself that label.

 

[Rich Parsons]

From Aikikenjutsu:
I guess I should mention, that I earned my first black belt from Al Tracy, that is, I was mostly taught by him.
Later I took American Kenpo and I was tested, I believe, it was for brown, by Ed Parker.
Sifu

From "Dirty Dog"

Originally you said Blue from Tracy and Brown from Parker. And then self-promoted to 10th. I guess you should mention that too.

From Aikikenjutsu:


We're told not to antagonize people and you do it all the time. I hope you enjoy doing it.
Sifu

I'm a old black belt, difficult to remember everything.
I'm sure you always remember everything, right?
I could get my certificate, but it doesn't mean anything to me. The knowledge is my black belt, but I think you don't understand.
The truth also is that everything was in my briefcase long ago and without stating details, I lost my briefcase. True story.
Keep bugging me, that's shows me your age. Too bad.
All the students I've taught have been very satisfied and very well trained.
You keep training, OK?
Sifu

It matters.
If I say X one time and then Y the next then my integrity of what is true is called into question for everything I say.

Is English is your second language , because your phrasing is aggressive in context and yet asking for people to leave you alone , but not to antagonize people.
Posting contradicting data is antagonizing people / members at the least.
It could be trolling if the habit continues.

If I wanted to be left alone I would stay off the internet.
The more one antagonizes the general membership the more members reply to get to real data.
While there are fraud busting rules, the issue here is that a poster(member) keeps bringing up their own data here, and in an inconsistent manner, which leads to questioning for clarity. Not for fraud busting.

I would if I was in this position (being old or unable to remember) write it down in one place and refer to that place for consistency.
Yet, that is just me.

 

[Martial D]

Because it means "Teacher". I've taught for a long time and many students, a fair percentage of them to black belt.
I like when I teach women because very few of them want to learn martial arts. I have one female student though, that has been with me for ten years.
Have a good one.
Sifu

So. You have a Japanese screen name but study an American system yet prefer to be called by a Chinese title.


....nothing to see here folks. Move along...move along.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

So. You have a Japanese screen name but study an American system yet prefer to be called by a Chinese title.


....nothing to see here folks. Move along...move along.

Exactly.

 

[geezer]

Exactly.

O c'mon now. A lot of kenpo-ish systems, especially those with roots in Hawaii that spread in the 60s and 70s are a mish-mash ...or blend (if you prefer) of Japanese, Okinawan and Chinese stuff put together and spread by Americans who eventually promoted themselves to "Grandmaster status". Most of these systems use (and misuse) a lot of very "traditional" terms, liberally lifted form a variety of sources.

So what!?!

I, by contrast, left one such Chinesey, Kenpo-ish style (P'ai Lum) to study a real, 100% authentic southern Chinese system (in a couple of lineages) taught by real 100% Chinese individuals who correctly taught us (sometimes) using their native Cantonese tongue along with English while they promoted themselves to "Grandmaster status". Then, later to "Great Grandmaster" status to keep up with grade inflation.

Now I personally earned up to a 4th Level instructor ranking in one of these systems, and proceeded to teach, shamelessly distorting and abusing the Cantonese terms and phrases I learned from my old instructor. Then I quit my old association and promoted myself to "Coach" and now prefer to use English when possible since my attempts at Cantonese and Tagalog are beyond absurd.
(BTW my hat's off to Oily who has apparently taught himself Chinese. No small feat, that!)

OK Some students from the old days still call me "Sifu". Now I'm not going to use that moniker to sign my posts, but if others want to, really? Who are we to complain? Chuckle maybe. Smirk a bit? But complain? Nawwww....

 

[Flying Crane]

O c'mon now. A lot of kenpo-ish systems, especially those with roots in Hawaii that spread in the 60s and 70s are a mish-mash ...or blend (if you prefer) of Japanese, Okinawan and Chinese stuff put together and spread by Americans who eventually promoted themselves to "Grandmaster status". Most of these systems use (and misuse) a lot of very "traditional" terms, liberally lifted form a variety of sources.

So what!?!

I, by contrast, left one such Chinesey, Kenpo-ish style (P'ai Lum) to study a real, 100% authentic southern Chinese system (in a couple of lineages) taught by real 100% Chinese individuals who correctly taught us (sometimes) using their native Cantonese tongue along with English while they promoted themselves to "Grandmaster status". Then, later to "Great Grandmaster" status to keep up with grade inflation.

Now I personally earned up to a 4th Level instructor ranking in one of these systems, and proceeded to teach, shamelessly distorting and abusing the Cantonese terms and phrases I learned from my old instructor. Then I quit my old association and promoted myself to "Coach" and now prefer to use English when possible since my attempts at Cantonese and Tagalog are beyond absurd.
(BTW my hat's off to Oily who has apparently taught himself Chinese. No small feat, that!)

OK Some students from the old days still call me "Sifu". Now I'm not going to use that moniker to sign my posts, but if others want to, really? Who are we to complain? Chuckle maybe. Smirk a bit? But complain? Nawwww....

I think “mish-mash” is just fine.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Yeah, the problems with Chinese titles is that they actually are not so much titles in the general sense, as they indicate a relationship between two specific people. Between one of those people and a third person, the title may be different. So the title isn’t absolute. The same person can be Sifu to some, Sigung to others, Sibok to still others and Sihing to yet others. the title isn’t a fixture.

To be fair, the title Sifu is often used a bit more generally, and a person might refer to someone as being a Sifu of martial arts. But just because he is a Sifu, does not mean he is my Sifu, and I would not address him as such. It gets weird when some schools, like the kenpo schools mentioned above, start using titles like Sigung which they seem to believe means “grandmaster” when in fact it means “my teacher’s teacher” and I believe can actually mean grandfather. I’m not going to call anyone Sigung if they aren’t actually my teacher’s teacher. It isn’t a static title. I also see Sihing and Sibok used similarly, in a way that might designate “senior teacher” or something like that. The words mean “brother” and “uncle” respectively, and refer to my classmate and my teacher’s classmate.

So it is really weird when some of these schools use these terms as if they are titles. It actually shows ignorance.

And these terms are what someone would call someone else, you would not give yourself that label.

Here is the thing man, your students may call you whatever, but calling yourself Sifu or signing each post as such makes you sound like a fluffer to me. No one else does that. You aren’t anyone’s Sifu in here, responding to other people’s posts and signing it Sifu at the end sounds like you are writing to one of your students. In short, it’s a condescending tone that smacks of a need for recognition. Many posters here are long time teachers of various martial arts, as you well know. Write whatever you want, but it isn’t a good look, and it certainly doesn’t lend you any legitimacy.

O c'mon now. A lot of kenpo-ish systems, especially those with roots in Hawaii that spread in the 60s and 70s are a mish-mash ...or blend (if you prefer) of Japanese, Okinawan and Chinese stuff put together and spread by Americans who eventually promoted themselves to "Grandmaster status". Most of these systems use (and misuse) a lot of very "traditional" terms, liberally lifted form a variety of sources.

So what!?!

I, by contrast, left one such Chinesey, Kenpo-ish style (P'ai Lum) to study a real, 100% authentic southern Chinese system (in a couple of lineages) taught by real 100% Chinese individuals who correctly taught us (sometimes) using their native Cantonese tongue along with English while they promoted themselves to "Grandmaster status". Then, later to "Great Grandmaster" status to keep up with grade inflation.

Now I personally earned up to a 4th Level instructor ranking in one of these systems, and proceeded to teach, shamelessly distorting and abusing the Cantonese terms and phrases I learned from my old instructor. Then I quit my old association and promoted myself to "Coach" and now prefer to use English when possible since my attempts at Cantonese and Tagalog are beyond absurd.
(BTW my hat's off to Oily who has apparently taught himself Chinese. No small feat, that!)

OK Some students from the old days still call me "Sifu". Now I'm not going to use that moniker to sign my posts, but if others want to, really? Who are we to complain? Chuckle maybe. Smirk a bit? But complain? Nawwww....

You are right. I read your post, and I was unreasonably harsh. I am known for poor jokes and harsh critique. I make no excuses, but I should have kept that particular opinion to myself. I will do better. I appreciate your call out in both tone and manner. You have my respect.

 

[Unkogami]

I like teacher or instructor. I avoid titles in languages I don't speak.. Like those kids who get something cool tattooed in a foreign language and then find out it doesn't mean tiger or dragon it means soy sauce.

Some people do that in reverse and get offended by the use of terms in a language they don't speak because they don't understand the linguistic or cultural context in which it might be used.

 

[Instructor]

Some people do that in reverse and get offended by the use of terms in a language they don't speak because they don't understand the linguistic or cultural context in which it might be used.

Maybe I'm not too bright or I just haven't had my coffee yet but I have no idea what you just said.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Maybe I'm not too bright or I just haven't had my coffee yet but I have no idea what you just said.

Some people get uptight about using words like "Master" because those words carry very different connotations in the western world.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Some people get uptight about using words like "Master" because those words carry very different connotations in the western world.

Some people get uptight about some people getting uptight about some people calling themselves “master”…

 

[Instructor]

Whether I attained a rank in our program called Master or not I doubt I would go by that on here because I would guess many people on Martial Talk have attained that rank or higher within their own program. Besides I've always felt it's best to start from a place of humility. Whatever rank I am, I still learn new things every day.