Changing the style's name

[Chinwoo-er]

I have been pondering lately. Is it really correct to change the name of your style as a means to set yourself aside from another organisation that teaches the same style as you ?

Give give a real example, look at Wing Chun. Just how many ways have you found it to be spelt ?

Wing Chun
Ving Chun
Ving Tsun
Wing Tsun.

Yes, I have found them all to be the style they promoting somewhere.

Ok, lets not just look at spelling. How about the name itself ? Look at Eagle Claw.

Eagle Claw
Ying Jow Pai
Yingjow
Yingjowfantzi

Doesn't this confuse the hell out of an average John Doe ? For those who are not familier with this situation, they would thing that they are learning a different style altogether. Rather than uniting, TCMA is differentiating even futher. And for the wrong reasons as well !!! (Different organisation, not different principle/style)


Ok, boxing day, thinking about MA politics......... bad me.

[Oso]

agreed.

but you are banging your head against the brick wall of ego.

[IronFist]

Part of the problem is that there are various ways to romanize Chinese words.

Tai Chi Chuan
Taijiquan

^ Both pronounced the same way. See what I mean?

So like the whole Wing Chun/Wing Tsun thing, I guess two guys wanted to differentiate themselves, but they picked two spellings that are different in English but tranlsate to the same word in Chinese. It's pretty dumb if you ask me.

[IronFist]

In fact, let me give you more examples of how dumb it is. Say you make a new style called "Street Fighting." Well if we apply the same situation to it, you will have students wanting to be different calling their schools:

Streat Fighting
Strete Fighting
Street Phighting
Street Fighteeng

And then you'll have schools in Germany called:
Striet Feiting

and it will all be pronounced exactly the same way, so the only reason people would change in it the first place is to be dumb.

[Chinwoo-er]

Since it is christmas



Santa Claus,
Canta Claws
Santer Clows
Xanta Clause


Dont' mention it

[Royal Dragon]

Kempo

Kenpo

Really, if soemone whats to diffrenetiate, just do this:

Instead of Tai Tzu Chang Chuan, it's the "Royal Dragon" style Tai Tzu Chang Chuan.

This says that the Tai Tzu I do IS in fact Tai Tzu, it's just my personal flavor of it. It's much less confusing that way, don't you think?

[IronFist]

^ Yes.

[Vash]

Royal Dragon has prostituted the correct for his own personal gain.

[ngokfei]

two points:

Style Names are a recent idea. After reading and visiting numerous schools in asia I've found that the schools usually just had the teacher or families name. Some would use a poetic phrase to call their school address ie: Bao Ji Lam of Wong Fei Hung. Yeah I know it was mainly used as a medicine shop sign but alot of teaching was done behind its doors.

Rather see individuals promoting them selves then trying to make everyone believe that all those under a "style name" have the same skill, which we all have seen not true.

secondly:

Example of Eagle Claw. The style has had numerous names throughout its years. Recently some teachers are using older names in order to differentiate themselves from other schools or lineages. Strange though there are only2 main lineages in existence (Chan Tzi Ching and Lau Kai Man - Lau Fat Man) but today they have been combined to form one school.

names: oldest to newest.

Ying Kuen
Yue's San Shou
Yue's San Shou combined with Fan Tzi to produce
Fan Tzi Ying Kuen
Fan Tzi Ying Jow
Ying Jow Pai (same as Ying Jow)

Todays main branches include:

Ying Jow Pai (Lau Fat man Lineage to Include Shum & Lau's)
Fan Tzi Ying Jow (Gao & Bao from Chan Tzi Ching Lineage)
Bak Shaolin Ying Jow (leung Fu)

[Royal Dragon]

Royal Dragon has prostituted the correct for his own personal gain.

LOL!!!

[X_plosion]

Sometimes, it's forced due to a business situation, what with all the trademarking and copyrighting going on.

Even the Gracies went through lawsuits to see who of them got the right to use their famliy name on their Jujitsu.

Unfortunately, the whole phenomenon just serves to confuse newcomers, as has been said previously.

[Chinwoo-er]

So if I followed RD's example. I should be teaching.....

"The Chinwoo-er's Chinwoo martial arts"

[Royal Dragon]

Hmmm, what styles does your Chin Woo system teach?

You would have to be a bit more creative as a literal following of my example in your case just plain out sounds geay.

Try this one:

"Ten hand sets of the Chinwoo-er's family Boxing"

Or

"Chinwoo-er's family Chin Woo Boxing method."

Or maybe:

"the Chinwoo-er style school of Chin Woo Boxing"

See, that sounds a bit better. Remember, marketing is everything, so you should pick a cool name for your system, style or school.