charles mattera ussd get his 9th

[sk girl]

Where did charles mattera get 9th degree?
He broke away from fred villari in 1988 as a 7th. So who gave him his ninth?

[Mega-Foot]

The million dollar questions are:

















Who? What?

Who the hell cares, girlie?

[Ironpig]

What does that really mean?

Why should anyone care how many little stripes are on the belt of another human being? (I have some notches on mine, from Burlington Coat Factory, mostly because I was trying to add little holes to make the belt wearable when I lost weight)

Teacher means something, if the teacher is competent.
Master would mean something, if it meant that the individual had brought up students to teacher level.

Both titles would only mean something if they had something to teach which requires them. Probably more for social reasons than anything else.

Rank beyond 'membership' merely denotes positions within an organization, more than anything else. Arguments about rank conveying or recognizing skill seem to be extremely poorly founded. Rank based skill measured by what yardstick?

Real ability to perform the stated skills for the system and the ability to pass them along are much better measurements to apply to martial skills.

If the individuals rank suddenly meant nothing once they left an organization, then what purpose did the rank serve in the first place? Nothing? Doesnt that reduce the value of anyone from that organization of that rank or lower? Of any rank?

Not a defense of any 'sudden increase in ranks' which have happened throughout history of the martial arts, but really: why is it important?

Or perhaps more specifically, why should it be important to me? Is there a reason it should be important to anyone?

[xcakid]

Nick Cerios promoted him up to 8th Degree.

When he broke off Villari, he basically cutoff that lineage and approached Nick Cerios directly. He was then promoted to 8th. I personally saw Prof Nick Cerios promote Mattera to 8th during a demo while he was in Irvine. You can still see Demascos and Matteras name under Cerios Kempo on any Kempo Lineage chart out there and on Prof Nick Cerios website. However, Prof. Cerios passed away, so I am not sure about his 9th. I actually left the system at that point too. A few years later is when Mattera went to Shaolin Temple with USSD and was rumored to have made a very large donation and somehow got an Honorary Abbott title of some kind. I am assuming that is the reasoning behind the 9th and 10th degree promotions.

[cjurakpt]

A few years later is when Mattera went to Shaolin Temple with USSD and was rumored to have made a very large donation and somehow got an Honorary Abbott title of some kind. I am assuming that is the reasoning behind the 9th and 10th degree promotions.

THIS is the critical issue that many people outside of TCMA world don't get: in the USSD schools I've seen (2 on Long Island, I think D'Amasco is the head guy?) they have these photo montages about the USSD school going back to their "roots" in China and being honored as the true descendants of Shaolin and all that; now, any one who knows anything about Chinese culture in regards to that sort of thing knows that if you show up woth 500 students each with a hung bao (red envelope w/$$$), the abbott or who ever is going to go to not insignificant lengths to make sure that your trip was worth the troule - want your own engraved pillar in the Shaolin Garden? Noooo problem. The problem is that, in the American mind, this sort of honor is based on merit - if you have that, you must have earned it based on your skill and authenticity, whatnot; so, they play up this angle like they are the chosen few, and use it as a means of reinforcing their ridiculous claims about being a Shaolin based school

of course, anyone with a background in legitimate TCMA will see it for what it is right away...

[sk girl]

I agree with cjurakpt.
They show up at the temple every few years with a bunch of$$$$$
and wallaa instant certification for an art they don't teach.

[sk girl]

Nick Cerios promoted him up to 8th Degree.

When he broke off Villari, he basically cutoff that lineage and approached Nick Cerios directly. He was then promoted to 8th. I personally saw Prof Nick Cerios promote Mattera to 8th during a demo while he was in Irvine. You can still see Demascos and Matteras name under Cerios Kempo on any Kempo Lineage chart out there and on Prof Nick Cerios website. However, Prof. Cerios passed away, so I am not sure about his 9th. I actually left the system at that point too. A few years later is when Mattera went to Shaolin Temple with USSD and was rumored to have made a very large donation and somehow got an Honorary Abbott title of some kind. I am assuming that is the reasoning behind the 9th and 10th degree promotions.

Charles Mattera first went to the temple in 2001 and thats where he supposedly got his tenth.
He was allready claiming he had a ninth back in the 90's.

I heard Cerio cut ties with charles mattera over mattera screwing him out of money.
I also heard Cerio cut ties with mattera and everyone at ussd because he ranked himself to 9th.

I don't know which one is true but I wouldn't be surprised if they both are.

[sun dragon]

Nick Cerios promoted him up to 8th Degree.

When he broke off Villari, he basically cutoff that lineage and approached Nick Cerios directly. He was then promoted to 8th. I personally saw Prof Nick Cerios promote Mattera to 8th during a demo while he was in Irvine. You can still see Demascos and Matteras name under Cerios Kempo on any Kempo Lineage chart out there and on Prof Nick Cerios website. However, Prof. Cerios passed away, so I am not sure about his 9th. I actually left the system at that point too. A few years later is when Mattera went to Shaolin Temple with USSD and was rumored to have made a very large donation and somehow got an Honorary Abbott title of some kind. I am assuming that is the reasoning behind the 9th and 10th degree promotions.

The shaolin temple only recognize Mattera and Demasco as disciples of the shaolin temple not GRANDMASTERS or tenth degrees!
Ranking at the temple goes student,disciple,master.

They didn't even give them the title of master. More then likely because they don't study or teach SHAOLIN!!

[xcakid]

The shaolin temple only recognize Mattera and Demasco as disciples of the shaolin temple not GRANDMASTERS or tenth degrees!
Ranking at the temple goes student,disciple,master.

They didn't even give them the title of master. More then likely because they don't study or teach SHAOLIN!!

WRONG!!! Not even that. They were not granted discipleship. They were just acknowledged by the Shaolin Temple as the head of a martial arts organization. Some kind of honorary title. Kinda like getting a key to the city. Doesn't mean jack schitt, except it looks good on the wall. That is only due to their large donation. Many other "masters" that have money have donated to the Shaolin Temple and gotten this honorary title.

IThere is no documentation that a Shaolin monk have taken them on as a disciple.

I will be taking a seminar with a Shaolin Monk, and more than likely will get a certificate for completing a seminar. That does not mean I am a disciple of that monk. Although if I was sneaky like that, I suppose I could tell people that.

[ninja matt]

Where did charles mattera get 9th degree?
He broke away from fred villari in 1988 as a 7th. So who gave him his ninth?

Mattera more than likely give it to himself. Every instructor I talked too said he did. No instructor wanted to associate with him after he screwed over GM Cerio and Gm Villari.