I was in in a store the other day and saw an interesting guy walking around. He was a guy my age, or a bit older. He had a stature and while not an olympic athlete, you could tell he worked out, or whatever is that alerts your senses to such a person in your area. On the chest of his polo shirt read, Grand President." Sure enough, as he wandered closer I saw three or four martial arts belt logos on the breast. A closer look and I saw an Asian organization embroidered. Grand President. President wasn't enough. One had to be a grand president. I will now await to see the title Grander President, because obviously, grander would be better than grand?
It is, of course, a version of the Grandmaster title wars. I have even heard of people jockeying over the oneupsmanship of Grandmasters now with Great Grandmaster and I have even heard of a Supreme Grandmaster. Now that is pretty lofty ain't it? Who actually sits around and dreams up these titles? What do they accomplish?I recall a 36-year-old practitioner, an executive in a successful manufacturing business, tell me that he once signed with a local Asian MA school and one day he spotted one of the school instructor staff in the local supermarket shopping. A kid. 26 years old? The man introduced his wife to this guy. The instructor later chastised the older man for not calling him Master, even in street clothes, in the supermarket. The man quit the school immediately. Perhaps this might work when "Local Master Johnny" is teaching a bunch of elementary kids? But what is the age, breaking point where Master Johnny becomes Johnny-Johnny?
Now, I am a guy who had trouble saluting every jake-leg officer in the Army that waltzed by, so you know my twisted mindset, but all this kind of stinks to me. It smells and for me there is even just a little odor around having to call people "sensei" or master, and all that. I know...I know some of it makes some of the world go round, but I turn up my nose to it.
In the big picture of martial arts, there are just too many splintered martial arts systems, too many great grandmasters in charge of too many systems and too many goofy, paper-mill, Halls of Fame making them for a fast buck. One 40-year-old knucklehead I know of has made up an "international organization" and is selling grandmaster ranks for $100! Nice looking piece of paper. 11 by 14 inches. Color. But in reality? Its all eye wash and ass-wipe.
What I am trying to say is, one might call people like Ed Parker, or Funakoshi a master, Or Dan Insosanto a Guru - people with real and significant, international accomplishments - but Larry Dingballs at the local tire shop? Who dresses up three nights a week in a gi?There are some other characters I know who make seminar attendes kneel down and kiss their rings at the end of seminars. Now, excuse me for going redneck here for a moment, but you know what? They can kiss my ass before I'll kiss their ring. Who do they think they are? The Pope?
But, some people eat that kind of crap up! Love it! If you love the system so much? Or, the system head so much? You may well love it too much! There are cultists in all walks of life. I think some people hero-worship their "Sensei, Sifu, their Guro and Master." too much. They hero worship their UFC champ and their subsequent system. They rush in to learn every precise aspect of every method as if each were perfect manna from God. They have no intention of evolving or changing anything. They just want to be like their hero. Next, they start making excuses for the holes in the manna system. They start stretching the Grand President's doctrine out paper-thin to cover the holes in the doctrine. These people tend to be a personality type. They approach politics and religion on the same sort of blind way. Their Guro, Sensei, Grandmaster or President is 'the way," and all others are at fault or blind.
I recall a world-famous, joint-locking system that never showed, or even suggested that there are counters to the joint-locks. I taught the counters one seminar and they group nearly fainted. They stumbled to their notebooks and hung on every word I said! This is unhealthy. There are people out there who think they can just tap a few pressure points on a charging UFC champion and render him into a quivering, vomiting ball on the floor. Unquestioning people who just blindly love their system too much!
Years ago I was talking with some Thai Boxing systems and their general talk was getting to travel to Thailand and "The Temple," to train. What did this Temple teach? What religion? So you to go to a church to study Thai? You have to bow say a Thai prayer to a Thai God before a fight. Wha? Red Flag!
Inside this topic, there are two approaches to signing up and joining any martial system:
"I want to learn every thing that the Grazzies do, exactly as they do it.They are masters of the universe. They solve all problems."
or
"I want to see how people do these things and also to learn ways to defeat them.I reserve the right to evolve and problem -solve.Respect will be earned by personality and performance"
The second choice is really a studious, open-minded, smarter approach, a non-brainwashed, open mind, one for evolution and growth. If you study a system to learn new things with an eye open to defeating it, you are a smarter. Every thing I teach, I explore its weaknesses and counters as part of the subject module.
Gut Check/Cult Check
There are many extreme parallels, but great examples. Look at Billy Graham compared to David Koresh or Jim Jones. How deep runneth your kool-aid? The difference between inspiration (Graham) and idiocy (Koreah and Jones). How can you guard yourself against this?First, if you head up a system? Is your head on straight about all this? To avoid this hero-worship and cultism, a smart system is all about the student - what THEY get. It is not about a Grandmaster, a dynasty, a legacy, or hero worship. This cult and legacy approach is stifling. I have gone over to a tactical, practical format of martial training eleven years ago - modeled on courses I have seen in policing and the military - in hopes to avoid all this. I also shun being called any martial title I have earned. I know some people are being nice when doing so, but it really makes me wince a bit to hear it said. Calling me Guro or Sensei reminds of all this stinky stuff, and I am no Ed Parker or Inosanto. I am just a average athlete in my 50's with some really good ideas and outlines. I have to try to balance just enough humility and ego to make a strong business presence and advertising statement. That's it. That's appropriate. Please just call me Hock. Please!
Next, does your system let you train in other systems? This is a giant red flag of mind control. Does your system spend a disproportionate time ridiculing and maligning ALL other systems? Do they let you go train elsewhere, but talk smack about it the whole time?
Finally, you have to look deep into yourself. You must decide, do I train Filipino Arnis, Kung Fu or Judo because I just love the whole look, feel, flavor and exercise as a hobby? Am I after self defense? Am I prone to jump into hobbies, sports, politics and religion with both feet? Faithful beyond reason? What do I expect? What do I really want? Dare I speak up and ask the Sensei a controversial questions? Will I challenge his answer? Or will I try to make his square answer fit into a round hole?
If you are not a hobbyist, not a historical enthusiast, and instead seek combatives and self defense, a system should be about YOU. Your growth. It is about the material. Know what you want and know the differences. I am a but mere vessel for you to get this information. Its a very Zen thing, and I think it is the proper way to learn, teach and grow.
Take a cult check. Do you love your system too much?
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