Martial Arts Halls of Fame

[bigscottius]

I don't understand, but out of all the schools i researched in my area, all the instructors were this and that in whatever hall of fame. The one school I decided on boasted nothing like that. What is up with the hall of fames? And are there any left that are real and prestigous? I mean, I came across one place (i will not mention specific names) that said the "Grand Master (and PHD) instructor" was a 9th degree blackbelt in 6 different styles, ranging from Kung Fu to Kenpo and Tae Kwan Do!!! He has been inducted into over 20 halls of fame! What? Lol, how is that even possible, especially after going for your PHD? What are some "halls of fame" that you guys know are reputable? Ones to watch out for? Just wondering.

[YoungMan]

To quote the great Public Enemy:

Don't believe the Hype.

[username8517]

To expunge on what Youngman says, the majority of hall of fames out there will let people effectively buy their way into their associated hall of fame. There are a few legitimate hall of fames out there, but those are few and far between.

Also, unless the person got their Phd in Martial Arts from mainland China, there is no such legitimate degree. Only recently in the US has a handful of colleges introduced bachelor's programs for martial arts.

[ps1]

Also, unless the person got their Phd in Martial Arts from mainland China, there is no such legitimate degree. Only recently in the US has a handful of colleges introduced bachelor's programs for martial arts.

I kinda wondered the same thing. I assumed we were talking about a Ph.D. in some unrelated feild of study. But Bearich is correct. If he says it's in some type of martial study, it's simply not true.

[IcemanSK]

Halls of Fame in MA are plentiful. Most mean very little. As far as PhD's go: more than likely they hold them in something other than MA. I have two friends that are MD's & MA masters. What does it mean? It means they have worked hard in 2 fields of study. That's all.

That school & instructor might be great. It might not. I'd encourage you to look at all schools in the area & ask a lot of questions. If something doesn't appeal to you or sound right, move on.

[bigscottius]

Also, unless the person got their Phd in Martial Arts from mainland China, there is no such legitimate degree. Only recently in the US has a handful of colleges introduced bachelor's programs for martial arts.

I kinda wondered the same thing. I assumed we were talking about a Ph.D. in some unrelated feild of study. But Bearich is correct. If he says it's in some type of martial study, it's simply not true.

Yeah i wasn't very clear on that. I meant, he has the time to persue an Academic field to a PHD, and get like 6 different ways of martial arts all the way to 9th degree black belt, seems like he had to have lived 500 years or something lol.

[bushido_man96]

I think that the HOFs that are out there are mostly a political-based award. The only HOF that I really know of is the Black Belt Hall of Fame, and I take those inductions with a grain of salt. Each organization may have its own HOF as well, so it is hard to tell.

I am sure that there are some instructors and black belts out there that work very hard, and then get noticed in this way. I am sure that some deserve it. It is just hard to sort through it all at times.

[YoungMan]

Being inducted into a martial arts Hall of Fame means nothing, especially when you take a moment to see just who is inducted into these things.

Being recognized by your peers as a great instructor and having worldwide credibility is much better and rarer.

[ps1]

Here's a quick example for "iffey" hall of fames. In an orginization I was affiliated with (not anymore though), all instructors were asked to nominate others for "instructor of the year." The winners would be placed into the hall of fame for that year. The categories were broken into female and male (yet another thing I don't understand).

Our instructor nominated the only female instructor we had. She was only a brown belt and had only trained for 3 years. While she was a good instructor and a great person, we really never expected her to win (afterall, there were several thousand people in the organization). Well it turns out that none of the other instructors actually bothered to nominate anyone. So she won. She was the "Female Instructor of the Year 2004" and was put into the hall of fame for her "Unparalleled understanding of karate and lifelong commitment to the art."

Again, I had nothing against the girl. She went on to earn black belt and is an above average practitioner. But it gives you an idea of how easy these things can be attained.

[a_ninja]

Bruce lee, billy blanks, and that guy that was taught by bruce lee{i cant remember his name} lol