Professors of Martial Arts

[ramymensa]

I never heard about this title being used along with martial arts .. We have a sensei and if the position is not related to karate or another style that can have a "special" title like this one, then we have instructor.

[bushido_man96]

Thats my point. How many of these "Professors" have a genuine university Phd, which is what the title infers.

Z

I think that if you teach at a university, that would be the assumption, but I think that definitions 3 and 4 at dictionary.com (though not most common) show that the term does not necessitate the degree.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=professor

Granted, strictly speaking you need no formal qualification to be referred to as a "professor", however the title is one that most people would associate with "academia" and not the "martial arts".

Is it therefore OK to give this impression?

Z

I think that if you have an exceptional knowledge in an area that is not considered general knowledge, such as the martial arts, then considering yourself a professor could be ok. The problem I notice is that there is already a preconcieved notion of what a professor is, and when something different comes along, and wants to associate it with the title, we resist it.

[lordtariel]

I've never really came across this. My guess is the use is to westernize martial arts a little bit more. Some people don't want to learn vocabulary in a foreign language.

[marie curie]

I've never really came across this. My guess is the use is to westernize martial arts a little bit more. Some people don't want to learn vocabulary in a foreign language.

Also, some arts are American, so using another language would be kind of hokey.

On the radio I listen to the CAR DOCTOR (not really a medical one). but he heal/repair cars.

Remember it is only a title...and now has change it's meaning in a boarder sense of the term. (more people using the name Professor for other than college). Professor is the most learnit one and profess's expert knowledge .

Haha I think this hits the nail on the head, that when a guy standing in the middle of some building's basement or gym's back room, or even a proper Dojo barefoot and on mats, in a gi, with a black belt on, and another person introduces you to him as "Professor Something", the assumption isn't that he has completed a doctoral thesis in English or Exercise Physiology or Chemistry, but that he is the instructor or teacher in martial arts that professes his knowledge to others.

[Rateh]

Hmm...

I have had a MA instructor who actually WAS a professor. Not in MA but in some other field where people actually get a phd in it.

[Zanshin]

Hmm...

I have had a MA instructor who actually WAS a professor. Not in MA but in some other field where people actually get a phd in it.

So how did you refer to him/her, in the context of MA?

[Rateh]

I called him sensei. He was a shihan but we never refered to him as such, within the dojo everyone called him sensei.

[John Bishop]

People worry too much about titles. The title "Professor" has a long history in the physical arts before the academics decided to borrow it and apply it to themselves.

It simply means one who "professess an expertise" in a subject. Any subject, although it was mostly used by physical trainers, strongmen, and magician types.

In the martial arts the most famous professor was probably Jigoro Kano. Because of his use of the title, it is very widely used in jujitsu and judo organizations. Most of the Hawaiian kenpo groups followed Prof. Henry Okizaki's (Danzan Ryu Jujitsu) lead, and adopted the title.

[IcemanSK]

In my TKD organization, "professor" is a title reserved for 7th Dan black belts who meet other requirements as well. (A PhD is not one of those requirements.) It seems to work well in our organization. We only use a few Korean terms for advanced ranks. The rest are in English (Master, Master Instructor, Chief Master, Prof., & Grandmaster.