What do you call your self in MA?

[SPJ]

If you are a practitioner either student or teacher of Judo, you call your self Judoka.

My brother arranged a meeting with some businessmen from Taiwan in August. They may help me to promote my books in Taiwan. They need a business card. I am known to be a good researcher and practitioner of several Northern styles in CMA. Some time, people call me a professor or a teacher in TCMA. I really have no school to teach per se. I study classics and practice various methods of several Northern styles.

So I have to come up with a title to be called in the business card. An author? A practitioner? A researcher? A Sifu or teacher?

I think I am always a student in TCMA. I may discover new insights in classics and practice and I am still studying and learning from every day practice.

What do you call your self?

:D

[David Jamieson]

practitioner

[PangQuan]

In regards to martial arts as a whole, I am a practitioner. In regards to specific styles, I am a student.

you will need to have a title that is professional. One that states your professional standing with martial arts in regards to business dealings.

perhaps "Martal Arts Specialist" or

"Professional Martial Arts Connoisseur" (lol)

[Ray Pina]

Honestly, you sound very well trained .... why not use "Master".

I know people get uptight about this but that's their hang up. I know folks who have mastered surfing, mastered the guitar, etc. Martial arts is no different.

If you don't like that, then just go by "martial artist", or Way fairer if you want to be spiritual.

I'm going to go by Ba Wong (sp?) ..... but not yet. I haven't earned it yet.

[Mr Punch]

The -ka suffix in Japanese is actually a little excessive and traditionally should only be used by someone who dedicates themselves to training every day, like maybe a traditional shaolin monk.

More modernly, '-ka' is only used for a professional: someone who makes a living out of what they do.

Interestingly, there doesn't actually appear to be any word in Japanese that denotes someone who does a martial art. The only way there appears to be of saying it is for example 'I do jujutsu' - 'jujutsu wo sh!te imasu'.

For us, practitioner seems reasonable.

[Vash]

Let's see . . .

I do karate. Used to do a TKD/MT kind of thing.

Still, gonna say karate guy.

[stubbs]

Darth <insert name> :)
________
DRUG TESTING KIT (http://drugtestingkit.org)

[David Jamieson]

masters don't really call themselves masters per se. I mean that's part of being a master is to let others recognize you as such as opposed to blowing your own horn.

but a teacher can call himself teacher. :D

Having said that, how about Lao shi, or Senior Instructor, or Coach?

Seeing as you are looking to Taiwan, I would think you could use any of those english or taiwanese.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

after my hand goes numb i call myself shirley.

[Ralphie]

bad mother ****er

[Starchaser107]

Instructor sounds just about right.

[SPJ]

Thanx for the inputs.

Teacher is an appropiate one.

Darth Maul or dark mouth. Taken.

Darth Vader or dark valor or value is also taken.

Darth Long or dark dragon, may be?

Then I will be a Sith lord or Sin class.

Sifu may mean teacher/father and a master in something.

:D ;)

[MonkeySlap Too]

How about late for dinner?

[GreenCloudCLF]

I personally am a fan of "Martial Arts Coach" or "Martial Arts Consultant" but I read somewhere if you have been teaching for 15 years you can call yourself professor...

[Judge Pen]

I'm a student. I always will be.

[yenhoi]

you know all that other stuff, but dont know what to call yourself?

:D

[gfx]

Judo practitioners call themselves Judoka ( 柔道家 ) , then following the same logic, call yourself WushuJia ( 武术家 ).

I call myself "guy who does Chinese martial art"

[BAI HE]

You study historical combatives try:

"Hoplologist" like Donn Draeger.

[David Jamieson]

I'm a student. I always will be.

And this is what will likely make you a good teacher.

As the old saying goes:

The teacher who is not also a student is neither.

[Merryprankster]

How about Martial Arts Historian?

[MasterKiller]

Let's follow corporate examples.

I think I'll start calling myself a Senior Aggressive Confrontation Manager.

[GreenCloudCLF]

I had one insructor who referred to himself as, and I can't make this stuff up...


"THE INTERGALACTIC GOD OF MARTIAL ARTS"


I would have liked to see it on a business card...so try that, then send me a card

[Mr Punch]

Judo practitioners call themselves Judoka ( 柔道家 )Er, see my post. They don't, not over here they don't anyway.

LMAO at Merry. :D :D

[Oso]

Sudden Death in All Directions.




we need cooler fonts

[SPJ]

Time really changes as far as being socially correct.

In Taiwan, we used to call the teacher "master" or sifu. The student is a disciple or Tu Di. All the students are called Di Zi.

We have to pay respect in a ceremony or Bai Si. If the sifu takes you on, it is a lifetime commitment. We need the agreement of the old teacher before we can learn from another teacher.

As the society changed with time, we now call the teacher "teacher" or Lao Si. And the students "students" or trainee or Xue Shen.

Sifu and Tu Di are gone.

Lao Si and Xue Shen are in. It is the same way in China.

If it is in a Wushu school or academy, there is a parallel system of titles as in academic schools. The teacher is called Wushu instructor. There are also professor in Wushu. If you know a lot about the practice and history, it is called a Wushu or Wu Xue scholar. If you do research, compose new routines or forms, you are a researcher in the Zhong Guo Wu Shu research committee. This is reserved for the linage holders or someone that practices a long time and knows what they are doing, too.

So students, instructors, scholars, professors and researchers are the same as in academic institutions.

All are called practitioners whether you practice as a student or a teacher.

In the civillian circles, as a practitioner, you may always mix and create your own MA based on your learning, experiences, favorism etc.

Outside of China and Taiwan, sifu and tu di remain in some older civillian Kung Fu organizations? I think.

:confused: :cool:

[SPJ]

The person that is in charge of the Wushu school or the whole Wushu team from a certain city in China;

he or she is called the head instructor, the master/chief instructor, or Zhong Jiao Lian (instructor/trainer). That would be the coach or head coach in US.

In the old time, it is called Jiao Tou or head instructor/teacher.

:D :)

[gfx]

What does it matter? It's just a label.
If it's just for a business card, make up something that sounds respectable, and yet not too arrogant. i.e WushuJia :D

[SPJ]

Thanx for all the inputs;

We are all boxers, boxing practitioners or Quan Shi.

LOL at intergalactic claim.

One has to have the force and the Jedi Fu to make that claim.

The Jedi coucil has to approve of your mastery in Jedi Fu.

May the force be with you.

No anger. No hate. No dark side of the force.

Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Said meister Yoda.

----

:D

[Becca]

Outside of China and Taiwan, sifu and tu di remain in some older civillian Kung Fu organizations? I think.

:confused: :cool:
Most Pai Lum I know of uses them.


And begging your pardon, but you do teach, just not in a formal Kwoon, per say. For what other reason do you publish, and post, you insites into what you have learned? If this isn't the main function of then I don't know what is. :)

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

Thanx for the inputs.

Teacher is an appropiate one.

Darth Maul or dark mouth. Taken.

Darth Vader or dark valor or value is also taken.

Darth Long or dark dragon, may be?

Then I will be a Sith lord or Sin class.

Sifu may mean teacher/father and a master in something.

:D ;)


how about 'durth token'?

[whitefox]

Combative arts Instructor/Consultant.

[Dark Knight]

"I personally am a fan of "Martial Arts Coach" or "Martial Arts Consultant" but I read somewhere if you have been teaching for 15 years you can call yourself professor..."

I have never liked that title.

It was used when people were looking for an equivalent word in english to call certain instructors. Today you have a ton of so called "Grand Masters" who call themselves "Professor" so they have a title that sounds impressive to non martial artist.

Go to college and get the degree.

[SPJ]

gfx:

Wu Shu Jia. It is.

Becca:

Thanks for the reminding. Yes, I am used to Sifu, too. Pass on what was passing on to me. I did add my own insights into what was taught to me. I used to ask a lot of Q's. The A's I found and still finding are in the notes and journals. These are then compiled and refined into the books.

Yuan:

Durth Token-> Dude Tekken/Iron fist ?

Oso;

From piles of ashes arises the Pheonix.

:D