The Martial Arts BS to English Guide

[MBuzzy]

:jaw-dropping:You mean I can't say I've trained law enforcement just because I've had a few LEO's take classes when I was teaching? That just doesn't seem fair:miffer:

You've trained me, I'm military. So you've trained military.

 

[morph4me]

You've trained me, I'm military. So you've trained military.

Wow, hadn't thought of that. I can put that together with all of the seminars I've been to with big name martial artists say I've been trained by them and impress all the people who haven't got a clue. I could be a contender :uhyeah:

 

[FearlessFreep]

:jaw-dropping:You mean I can't say I've trained law enforcement just because I've had a few LEO's take classes when I was teaching? That just doesn't seem fair:miffer:

You mean I can't say I trained military just because I got pulled over by a cop for speeding on the way to the dojang?? *






*yes, did happen once

 

[Tez3]

Oo oo I'm all excited now because I've realise I can put on my profile and make me hugely respected among all the Grandmasters that I train the military!! perhaps I am a Grandmaster now lol!
We have a lot of military in our classes but they are the same as everyone else, they train either MMA or TSD, no military stuff, as they said they've come either to learn TMA or to train for an MMA fight, they get enough military stuff 'at work'. The Forces here have several martial arts clubs where they teach the traditional arts, judo is popular as is TKD and karate. The military stuff is taught by military instructors only to military only. It's easy to pick out someone who hasn't been in the military who claims he taught the SAS everything they know lol! for one thing it's easy to drink them under the table!

 

[tshadowchaser]

Why is it no one ever says “ I train those that are insane jackasses, down right bullies, and anyone who wants to buy rank”?
Oh that's right it would not look good but I am sure we can translate that backwards to proper Martial Arts BS

 

[Archangel M]

I think that our media driven, advertising centered society plays a part in all of this. Everybody is looking for an angle to out sell the other guy. When you start trying to make a living, or at least a buck off of MA stuff like this starts happening. I suppose pure ego has to be part of the equation as well.

 

[The Master]

The Martial Arts BS to English Guide

There are a gadzillion masters, grandmasters, founders and what around today. Enough to general a billion armies. I say general since they are all "leaders" of course. Some common comments are made by them as they try to push their systems, styles and hack job arts and of course separate you from the contents of your wallet. Here are a few of the phrases these blowhards utter and what they really mean, and how to tell the real deal from the cow dung.

"I trained the military / law enforcement".
A common utterance, and usually full of marketing exaggeration. "I trained" sounds a lot better than "I was in a class with a cop and were were training buddies".

Sure some military and LEO will train on their own with various people and schools, but that is a far cry from being an Official Sanction. Military training is done on bases with contracted instructors, and in house specialists. It's highly unlikely that the DOD is sending 5 guys to a school in a strip mall for "Special High Intensity Training" before deploying them to an urban combat environment such as Iraq.

"I was coined"
Yes, many groups will issue a special coin to those close to them, but this while being something to feel good about, is not an Official Commendation, nor is it like receiving the Medal of Honor, or having a city name a holiday after you.

"I was a World Champion"
You and 10,000 others. There are a zillion little feds, orgs, leagues, and what. Every event is a championship. You can be World Champion in your division, just by showing up and being the only guy in that division. The number of truly big and important championships is few and far between. After all, who is seen as more credible? The UFC champion, or the cage fight champion of east Hoboken?

"I'm a 10th dan"
This is of course a legitimate rank. It is however usually attained after decades of blood, sweat, and tears. The legitimate ones are. Too often we see people padding their resumes with a dozen or so of these, usually in arts that have no history. If all your 10ths begin and end with you, it's probably a good sign they are worthless.

"I'm a soke"
This term is well debated. Real soke's are few and far between. The other 10,000 of them are born on "peer review" boards, usually awarded after the check clears.

"I didn't have to test"
Legitimate systems will test before issuing rank and credit.

"I understand the concepts of the art"
Translation: I was awarded rank, but really can't do the actual curriculum or techniques that make up the art.

"My system is based on X's"
Translation: I learned a bunch of stuff from X, and whatever I couldn't get I decided wasn't important, and since X wouldn't promote me anymore, I started my own thing.

"My system is a modern one"
Translation: I didn't understand what was in the old techniques, and as a result couldn't see how to adapt them to modern use, so I dropped them and just blended together the stuff I did think I got.


How to tell if someone is a BS Master rather than a Martial Arts Master:
- They have more than 5 10th dans, and are under 40.
- They are not Japanese and use the word "Soke" as a title or rank.
-- They always introduce themselves as "Soke so-n-so". Or Master, or Sensei, etc.
- They claim extensive history and credentials, yet Google* turns up less than a dozen hits, mostly to the subjects site and other sites calling them on their BS.
- They appear on web forums with the "next best thing", and when called on it, suddenly several new members sign up to defend them, vanishing afterwards never to be seen again. 1-Post Warriors are a sure sign of BS.
- Their posts are full of contradictions, and when pressed, they fall in to insults, profanity, and sock-puppetry.
- They constantly bash "traditional" arts as outdated, push "modern" arts, yet have little to no actual real experience in using what they teach.

*Google has indexed over 1 Trillion web pages, has archives going back to the early 80's, and continues to grow by the second.​

A most entertaining and enjoyable read, spot on in many ways.

 

[Gentle Fist]

You need to add that they claim to be world renowed yet they have never left the state of Nebraska...

Good Stuff

 

[Kreth]

I'd like to add one to the list:

"Uses Sensei/Soke/Shihan/Sabumnim or other title of respect as part of an online username."

I don't understand the proper use of these terms, therefore I will use them as my username to reflect my martial awesomeness.

 

[sjansen]

I can think of only one grand master who has not made any of these claims and that is Grand Master Flash. Oh, I forgot the Mason's Grand Master. Are all GMs full of crap? Although the post is true for BS people it has the same for legitimate masters. This would make Ed Parker, Bruce Lee and Edgar Sulite and many more all BS!

 

[Guro Harold]

I'd like to add one to the list:

"Uses Sensei/Soke/Shihan/Sabumnim or other title of respect as part of an online username."

I don't understand the proper use of these terms, therefore I will use them as my username to reflect my martial awesomeness.

Hey!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kreth]

Hey!!!!!!!!!!

I can't speak for FMAs, but Sensei and Shihan are titles of respect. It would be incorrect for me to refer to myself as "Sensei Jeff," let alone the fact that even for my students, the proper form would be "Velten Sensei." From the CMA and KMA folks I've talked with, Sifu and Sabumnim are used similarly.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Guro's a rank/title I believe.


Course, all this stuff doesn't apply to me. Just call my "Your Highness", and it's all good.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I can think of only one grand master who has not made any of these claims and that is Grand Master Flash. Oh, I forgot the Mason's Grand Master. Are all GMs full of crap? Although the post is true for BS people it has the same for legitimate masters. This would make Ed Parker, Bruce Lee and Edgar Sulite and many more all BS!

I can't speak for the rest but I do not believe Bruce Lee ever referred to himself as a Grandmaster and I do not think he ever had his students call him Grandmaster either, but then I could be wrong.

My Taiji sifu has people try and call him grandmaster every now and then but he always says the same pretty much the thing, "I am not a grandmaster” You see his background tells him to be a grandmaster you have to have been a martial artist for many years and you have to be dead. He once told me “Grandmasters are old dead guys”

Just because a student calls someone a grandmaster does not mean the sifu believes he is one or wants to be called that.

Guro's a rank/title I believe.


Course, all this stuff doesn't apply to me. Just call my "Your Highness", and it's all good.

Personally I was considering to changing my name form Xue Sheng to "Lord High Omnipotent Ruler, Grand Master and Evil Wizard of Xuefu" but it was too much to type every time I log in

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I think a good way to tell if you're maybe over inflating yourself a bit is if your title take up one side of your business card by itself.

Do you really need to be a great supreme grand soke dai?

Then again, do you really need the ermine gi with rhinestone encrusted silk embroidered belt?

 

[Kreth]

I think a good way to tell if you're maybe over inflating yourself a bit is if your title take up one side of your business card by itself.

Do you really need to be a great supreme grand soke dai?

For some reason, those over-inflated titles remind of the ridiculous purebred dog names, like Sir Winston Altamont Taffington of Northshire (for a dog about the size of a guinea pig).

 

[matt.m]

I am not naming names or organizations. However, I know of 4 men....Some in the martial arts world and others who are in the muscle and fitness business. They claim to have taught the U.S. Marine Corps. However, in truth they paid a lot of money to the Marine Corps Relief Fund to help needy Marines and Sailors aboard the Marine Corps installation, held a conference did a few technique planned photo op kind of stuff and well that was that.

Notice they always want to use Quantico for their fake staging. This is where the FBI and Marine Corps Officer Training is. So they can do photo ops in the presence of the FBI and help their cause as well.

The Marine Corps has been all in house with L.I.N.E. and M.C.M.A.P. However, in the time of the Korean and Vietnam war the Marines were learning Yudo, Tae Kwon Do, and Hapkido. Oh yeah from the Korean's themselves.

I agree with Mbuzzy here, if it comes to the military it is in house or a little help from advisors. Look at the Army's recruiting scheme. They have more or less adopted BJJ as their choice of fighting in combat gear. Then when they show the tournament on Spike Tv, they wear shorts and shoes.....not full battle attire and fight like MMA cage fighters.

I only really have this to say, "I am a brown belt in hapkido. I have been training in hapkido in some way shape or form since 1984 when I went to my first formal class." I would almost bet I am one of the longest practitioners of hapkido not to hold a dan ranking." That is ok, I know my technique to a fault and that is what it is all about.

 

[Kreth]

I am not naming names or organizations. However, I know of 4 men....Some in the martial arts world and others who are in the muscle and fitness business. They claim to have taught the U.S. Marine Corps. However, in truth they paid a lot of money to the Marine Corps Relief Fund to help needy Marines and Sailors aboard the Marine Corps installation, held a conference did a few technique planned photo op kind of stuff and well that was that.

Notice they always want to use Quantico for their fake staging. This is where the FBI and Marine Corps Officer Training is. So they can do photo ops in the presence of the FBI and help their cause as well.

I could have a hell of a resume if I wanted to pad like this, considering I've had a student who was on the NY State Police SWAT equivalent, and another who was a West Point Cadet.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Then again, do you really need the ermine gi with rhinestone encrusted silk embroidered belt?

Of course not....It would need to have flashing Christmas lights as well

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Wait.....I just realized I might have described Elvis! LOL!