BruceCalkins
Blue Belt
Titles seem to be less important to those that have them then the people that read them.
I have been in the martial arts for 37 years and until 1989 I never cared about rank and title. I trained with a lot of great men and some gave out certificates others didn't. My first Instructor Lei Tai Soong hands his top students a Certificate in a frame... tells them to study it and then asks for it back. He then asks you to describe the certificate to him. When you do he pulls it out of the frame and ripps it up and hands you back the empty frame. "The Frame is worth something, Put a Picture of your family or friends in it. The certidicate is just paper. Teach your first class for free... If they Like what you have they will stay if not Shake their hand and let them leave." He used to say.
I tried to live this way and not show any certificates but then I had people looking for the papers and when I told them I didn't have them for show... They started to doubt before they started to train. And rumors startd from people that never met me or even tried my cup of tea.
So I contacted the instructors I could got new certificates and took my titles. I feel like I had to sell our my ideals to cope with 20th century. People on this forum scoff at me because of my 10th degree rank... Yes the Highest I recieved in a other Dojo was 7th degree.. But when I made my system I had so much to offer that it took 10 dan ranks to create. If I hold a 7the degree in my own system "Who trains the 8th 9th & 10th.." I would have to Self Promote myself just to do it. and How do you answer the question... "Why do you only have a 7th and the system goes to 10th.. Isn't it your system?.."
But as you can read... Outsiders again that have never met me or tasted my cup of tea... don't like it.
Keep up your ideals and don't do as I have... Study well and be proud of your self. Let your ability stand for it's self and not be judged by the works of those in the liniage. I have met some Black belts from fine liniage but they stink. Just because you have a certificate with a great Background. doesn't make you a great teacher.
I have been in the martial arts for 37 years and until 1989 I never cared about rank and title. I trained with a lot of great men and some gave out certificates others didn't. My first Instructor Lei Tai Soong hands his top students a Certificate in a frame... tells them to study it and then asks for it back. He then asks you to describe the certificate to him. When you do he pulls it out of the frame and ripps it up and hands you back the empty frame. "The Frame is worth something, Put a Picture of your family or friends in it. The certidicate is just paper. Teach your first class for free... If they Like what you have they will stay if not Shake their hand and let them leave." He used to say.
I tried to live this way and not show any certificates but then I had people looking for the papers and when I told them I didn't have them for show... They started to doubt before they started to train. And rumors startd from people that never met me or even tried my cup of tea.
So I contacted the instructors I could got new certificates and took my titles. I feel like I had to sell our my ideals to cope with 20th century. People on this forum scoff at me because of my 10th degree rank... Yes the Highest I recieved in a other Dojo was 7th degree.. But when I made my system I had so much to offer that it took 10 dan ranks to create. If I hold a 7the degree in my own system "Who trains the 8th 9th & 10th.." I would have to Self Promote myself just to do it. and How do you answer the question... "Why do you only have a 7th and the system goes to 10th.. Isn't it your system?.."
But as you can read... Outsiders again that have never met me or tasted my cup of tea... don't like it.
Keep up your ideals and don't do as I have... Study well and be proud of your self. Let your ability stand for it's self and not be judged by the works of those in the liniage. I have met some Black belts from fine liniage but they stink. Just because you have a certificate with a great Background. doesn't make you a great teacher.