Doc
Senior Master
Changing My Title for the General Public
Doc Fei Wong
May 12, 2004
I am thinking about taking a humble title to replace the term "grandmaster" in the general public. Of course all the students and instructors in my federation will still address me by the title of Grandmaster, because this title was awarded to me by my late and retired teachers. What made me qualified to earn this title from them and why me and not their other students? I have had people outside of my federation asked me this question from time to time. I told them that I am glad that they asked. The reason I was promoted to the title of Grandmaster is because I passed their tests and met all of their requirements for the level of martial arts skill, knowledge, ability and leadership and their other students did not. Some of their students are good in kung fu, but they were not interested in teaching and passing on their knowledge and they were not going to have schools like me.
I sent out e-mail messages to my instructors in the federation asking for suggestions for a good title for me that is humble and strong enough to represent them as the leader of the Plum Blossom International Federation that would not make any of my students and members to look bad and would not be intimidating to other people outside the federation as well. Some replies suggested that I drop the Grandmaster title to be humble, and just to use Mister or Doctor in the public. However, if I drop the title and come to a big martial arts event like an exhibition or a big open tournament, there are sometimes more than 10 grandmasters and 100 masters there. When the MC announces all of the instructors, they all have a title, but I am just a Mister or Doctor, in this situation for sure is not good for our students that I am there to represent them. For me it does not matter, but I can not be selfish in my humility and make all the students look or sound like their Grandmaster is a nobody in public events.
Some of my students suggested that I use the Chinese title. However, in the old days of China, there was no international martial arts organization and even nowadays there are only a few; including ours. The term Si-Joor Jo-Si is for the past-masters. I noticed that of some non-Chinese kung fu teachers were using the Si-Jo title nowadays! Sigung or Tai-Sifu is okay to called by the studentÂ’s students. All you need is to have one student and he also has one student, you will become the Sigung of your studentÂ’s student. Gung means grandfather or an old man.... This kind of Chinese terms are not good for the professional titles, its the family titles only.
A few of my students would like me change to the title Chief Master or Chief Teaching Master. I think the word Master alone can be intimidating to someone. Besides, some Korean martial arts have the title for their highest masters who are under the Grandmaster to call him Chief Master already. In this case I would be demoted to the 2nd class title from the Grandmaster!
I received suggested titles such as: Founding Director, Federation President, Chief Director Instructor, Executive Director Instructor, Chief Executive Instructor, Professor in Chief, Chief Scholar, Principal Scholar, Chief Coach, Keeper of the Hu Yuen Chou System and many more... Some of my students have asked me not to change the title Grandmaster.
Shall I keep the Grandmaster title for the public? If you have something which sounds good, suitable for my position and also can be humble to the public, please send it to: ••••••i@gmail.com
Doc Fei Wong
May 12, 2004
I am thinking about taking a humble title to replace the term "grandmaster" in the general public. Of course all the students and instructors in my federation will still address me by the title of Grandmaster, because this title was awarded to me by my late and retired teachers. What made me qualified to earn this title from them and why me and not their other students? I have had people outside of my federation asked me this question from time to time. I told them that I am glad that they asked. The reason I was promoted to the title of Grandmaster is because I passed their tests and met all of their requirements for the level of martial arts skill, knowledge, ability and leadership and their other students did not. Some of their students are good in kung fu, but they were not interested in teaching and passing on their knowledge and they were not going to have schools like me.
I sent out e-mail messages to my instructors in the federation asking for suggestions for a good title for me that is humble and strong enough to represent them as the leader of the Plum Blossom International Federation that would not make any of my students and members to look bad and would not be intimidating to other people outside the federation as well. Some replies suggested that I drop the Grandmaster title to be humble, and just to use Mister or Doctor in the public. However, if I drop the title and come to a big martial arts event like an exhibition or a big open tournament, there are sometimes more than 10 grandmasters and 100 masters there. When the MC announces all of the instructors, they all have a title, but I am just a Mister or Doctor, in this situation for sure is not good for our students that I am there to represent them. For me it does not matter, but I can not be selfish in my humility and make all the students look or sound like their Grandmaster is a nobody in public events.
Some of my students suggested that I use the Chinese title. However, in the old days of China, there was no international martial arts organization and even nowadays there are only a few; including ours. The term Si-Joor Jo-Si is for the past-masters. I noticed that of some non-Chinese kung fu teachers were using the Si-Jo title nowadays! Sigung or Tai-Sifu is okay to called by the studentÂ’s students. All you need is to have one student and he also has one student, you will become the Sigung of your studentÂ’s student. Gung means grandfather or an old man.... This kind of Chinese terms are not good for the professional titles, its the family titles only.
A few of my students would like me change to the title Chief Master or Chief Teaching Master. I think the word Master alone can be intimidating to someone. Besides, some Korean martial arts have the title for their highest masters who are under the Grandmaster to call him Chief Master already. In this case I would be demoted to the 2nd class title from the Grandmaster!
I received suggested titles such as: Founding Director, Federation President, Chief Director Instructor, Executive Director Instructor, Chief Executive Instructor, Professor in Chief, Chief Scholar, Principal Scholar, Chief Coach, Keeper of the Hu Yuen Chou System and many more... Some of my students have asked me not to change the title Grandmaster.
Shall I keep the Grandmaster title for the public? If you have something which sounds good, suitable for my position and also can be humble to the public, please send it to: ••••••i@gmail.com
