Jet lag still present, not useally up at 4:15 in the morning, but I am so why not go on MAP IMO The term Master is thrown around far too easily, When I was with my former organisation you gained the title of master when you became a 6th Dan. There were allot of extremely good martial artists at this level and also some utter rubbish! I know a few people who are "Masters" and without being disrespectful I can quite honestly say they are not even close to being worthy of that title! If i had stayed with my old organisation I would be due for Master status this year, (Actually I think it would have been last year since they lowered the time in rank) Anyway, I would of had to do my little brown nosing speech that all "Master candidates" do, and then talk about how great and wonderful everything is and pledge allegiance to the org for the rest of my life etc etc. Let me tell everyone, I am so glad I left, and even if I had stayed and was now a "Master" it would have been a paper title. Someone I consider a Master is Mr Roy Harris who is a 4 Dan Black Belt in BJJ, as well as many other arts, he is My Instructors teacher and he is without a shadow of doubt a Master! This is due to his experience, skill, depth of knowledge and humbleness. Master shouldn't be a title that you just get because you are a certain rank, I believe its a title that your students give you!
YES. If it had to be all of a sudden, my life depended on it, and he was the only person around. But, I guess this doesnt pertain to martial arts instruction. On another note, what about the fitness of the instructor?
Lol, I never claimed to be sensitive I can be a bit silly sometimes, but I don't think I've ever been accused of being sensitive
I suppose the thought - it's the students who should insist on calling the instructor Master - not the other way around. Self-awarded titles are meaningless, I mean - I could take some TKD syllabus, pinch a few Kung Fu moves, some Muay Thai and a little bit of the philosophy of Systema and call it 'Smokemare Do' title myself 127th Dan, Grand Super Hyper Dragon Master - Lord of all humans. Nobody could stop me, but I would feel like my integrity had been compromised. And I don't think the art would be very popular...
Sounds like a good plan, What colour silk robes does a 127th Dan have? What are the requirements for 128th Dan? I think this could take off.
Erm, as it goes up to 200th Dan, the only way you can get time is to be awarded a Black Belt as soon as you/ your parents decide they want you to train... So technically youngest age for a black belt - would be - 9 months old, if they signed up for lessons for you as soon as you were concieved. Sign up is £1000, and you have to grade REALLY regular if you want a fighting chance of getting the top, super snazzy title that wraps around your whole abdomen twice along your belt it's so long... What colour robes for 127th Dan? Oh... EVERY COLOUR OF THE RAINBOW, ROLL UP, ROLL UP - LEARN SMOKEMARE DO! Lol... Funny... For 128th Dan you would have to make a considerable financial donation to the organisation, then maybe a do a couple of forms, spar a bit... Erm, break a board or two? something like that - would probably depend on the size of the donation -More £££ = Less requirements sort of thing. Hehe... You can all be Grand Dragon Masters if you sign up 100 students and pass the fees on
So, in Smokemare Do, if a 9 month had not learned to walk, do they perform crawling forms call "poopsie"?
They have to pay extra monthly fees to join the 'Black Poopsie Club' or pay an extra fee that makes them exempt from doing forms.
Lol - just noticed you mis-read it, I meant MINUS 9 MONTHS, from the moment they were CONCIEVED! Obviously they are exempt from performing forms while still in the womb as long as their fees are payed up!
Smokemare ... Enjoying the smokemaredo discussion, but wanted to backtrack a bit and chime in on when someone is considered a "master." I feel Master should be a title accorded to a certain Dan rank, though all ranks are a bit artificial, just as time designations (hours, days, years) are themselves artificial. Much as any other title, the title should be awarded by acheiving certain status among ones peers as well as by meeting certain objective criteria (think "doctor"). In any organization, there will be those that others would question whether they are fit to hold the title. I have met lawyers and doctors that I would wonder what fools ever signed of on their doctorates ...
Lol, the Smokemare Do discussion was more entertaining... I suppose the trouble with placing high emphasis on the importance of titles is that it's probably difficult to come up with a completely fair and sensible criteria set for those titles. In my organisation, 7th Dan is a Master, that's the last grade you take a physical grading for and you get invited to take Dans above erm, 3rd I think? There are only two or three 7th Dan's in my organisation, one I like and respect, the others I erm... Well, either I don't know them that well but I respect them... Even the one I don't like... If you are going to dish out titles, you need to decide on a criteria, writing rules is difficult - when governments get it wrong you get tax loopholes, when game designers get it wrong you get exploits - when martial arts orgs get it wrong you get people called Master who are erm, not particularly 'Masterful' but I have to say most of the people I've known to be called Master have been VERY good in one way or other and worthy of respect. Master Sken for example, a Muay Thai instructor I trained with a few times, of all the non-TKD people I've trained with - he's the one I'd like to have trained with more. He is an excellent teacher, and a pleasure to train under.
In one chinese art I had studied, there was no such thing as the "master". The term "master" is applied too loosely. Why is it that old or teachers of early era do not present themselves as master per only their students do?
TKDGUY76 Interrupting a conversation about Smokemaredo is very disrespectful and goes against the underlying principles of Smokemeredo, it is clear that the respect for higher ranking individuals of smokemardo is somewhat lacking!
In the Filipino Martial Arts a 'Master' is a teacher of teachers and is usually aged 40 plus and with over 20 years experience. A 'Grandmaster' is a teacher of masters, usually aged over 50 and with over 30 years experience. Sometimes, a master / grandmaster is also the founder of a system. In these arts (FMA) there are certainly no 20 year old masters and if someone tried to claim that status, they would have to 'prove' it.
Given what little I know about Fillipino Martial arts - mainly Eskrima, twhich I never trained in - but I was very good friends with a guy called Nick who did... You would simply get laughed at, I don't think anybody would take you seriously enough to ask you to prove it... Then again this is coming from an art, where at a particular time, and particular place if somebody insulted you in a bar - the done thing was to cut their head off with a machette. I borrowed a book about this particular master - I can't remember his name unforunately, Antonio something I think... Nick said they used to spar with live blade, and I could believe it... Illustrisimo I think, Antonio Illustrisimo.... Quite hardcore... Of course in SmokemareDo, you can learn many, many weapons - at a 100th Dan we teach Shotgun Do, the way of the shotgun, it has several forms and pre-arranged sparring - free sparring we don't have in Shotgun Do, there are minor safety issues... Plus sorting out the legislation with the government for valid practitioners of Shotgun Do to be able to carry their 'Martial arts' weapon to training and demonstrations legally is proving tricky...
Hilarious. Stick to the fact that you know little about the FMA. There have been a lot of public and private challenges within the FMA and they are always taken extremely seriously.
I get a lot of 'cross-over' students from the local TKD school. They sign contracts UP TO blackbelt, but that means when they get to brown senior they have to sign another 2 year contract. They get ticked off and cross over to me and Its just a hop and a skip to get them their BB.....more money for me, less headaches for the student....
It was a long time ago - about 12 years ago I shared an office with the bloke. I don't see what your problem is with what I've stated. I am stating the same thing, that duelling as such, or as much as I am led to understand it is a very serious and real thing - particularly in the Philipines. What exactly have I said that causes offence or is untrue?
