I WANT TO BECOME A MASTER!

 By Phillip Starr

Many years ago, one of my new students approached me and said, “I want to become a kung-fu master...like you.” I nodded and then I broke his heart. “I'm not a master of anything,” I said. “I just enjoy training and teaching, that's all.”

My response didn't dampen his enthusiasm, however. “Well, I want to become a master,” he repeated. I shook my head. “You'll never make it.”

The young man was clearly confused. “Why not?” he asked.

“Because you WANT it,” I said. “That desire will blind you. You have to forget this idea. Just train. Forget about becoming a master or whatever. Just practice. Every day.” He didn't get it. Ever. He was gone within a couple of months. So much for his fiery desire...

Over the years, I have met a good many people who aspired to become “masters.” Some even had the audacity to proclaim themselves as such! It's a nice-sounding title. It has that ring of greatness to it and I'm sure it's very helpful in attracting new students. But...

I'm not even sure what a “master” is. Nowadays, I see lots of people calling themselves by different high-flying titles – everything from “hanshi” to “soke” to “doctor” to “grand ultra supreme high poobah.” Funakoshi Gichin, the “father” of Japanese karate, was never awarded the title of hanshi... Yamaguchi Gogen, the “Cat” of Goju-ryu fame, was never referred to as hanshi or soke... and there are countless others.

The very few martial arts teachers who actually WERE given a title never used it... they were never, ever referred to as “hanshi so-and-so.” And they probably would have slapped anyone who did refer to them in that way. They weren't much into wearing titles.

I remember attending a karate tournament a few years ago and noticed a karate teacher strutting around with the word “Grandmaster” printed on the back of his jacket! Good grief. I suppose he did that so he wouldn't forget what he was. It would sure be fun to watch him wear that uniform and strut into a traditional karate class in Japan or Okinawa. I suspect the fun would be very short-lived, however.

I have been most fortunate in having been given the opportunity to train with some of the finest martial arts masters in the world. Mr. primary teacher was W. C. Chen, a direct student of the legendary Zhang Zhaodong. I also met and trained briefly with Hidetaka Nishiyama and Seiyu Oyata (who became a personal friend). I even studied Filipino arnis with Leo Gaje. And none of them were known as “hanshi” or “soke.” I referred to them simple as “sensei”, “shihfu”, or “tuhon”... that's what they preferred. So, it kind of grates on my nerves when I see some character wearing a title like “Grandmaster” smeared across the back of his karategi...

How about you?