In my early days training in martial arts, our school didn’t use many of the honorary terms that are common to martial arts. Instead, we referred to the instructor as “Mr.” Or “Mrs.” out of respect. This was the wish of the school owner in order to preserve respect for elders but also to maintain humility in the instructors. I believe that had a very positive effect on the overall culture of our school, but it left me somewhat in the dark about what it meant when other schools used the traditional terms of Master or Grandmaster. Several years ago, I began to study exactly what is meant by those terms.
What I discovered, is that most styles use the terms based on the rank of the individual or their place in the leadership of the school. For instance, in Taekwondo, the term for instructor is “Kyosah nim”. That denotes an instructor whose rank doesn’t require use of a term such as “Sahbum nim” (Master) or “Kwanjang nim” (Grandmaster). The term for master is used for practitioners who have reached 4th Degree black belt or higher, and the term for grandmaster is generally reserved for those who have reached 9th degree (only a few in existence). After researching many of the various terms and their meanings, I began to consider what it really means to have mastery over something.
People study for years to become a doctor. They spend hours and hours in classrooms and libraries studying the human body and all the many ailments and solutions to them. However, when they finally finish the classroom and lab portions of their education, they are required to complete something called a “residency”. During a residency, they are placed under the watchful eye of more senior doctors while they put their knowledge to the test in real situations where people’s lives actually depend on the correct diagnosis and treatment of their problems. Only after having successfully completed this time of supervised practical experience can a doctor be considered fully recognized.
In a good martial arts school, you will be required to learn both the principles and theories of that style, and also be able to apply the theories with technique in close to real simulations. In many martial arts styles, the training pattern of the aspiring student is reversed. The martial artist is taught the physical application of specific techniques and tested on their ability to apply them to various opponents in class and during their rank testing. As the student progresses, they are instructed by their teacher in the theory and principle that lies behind the proper application of the techniques. They are expected to then meld their knowledge of theory with their practical technique to effect escapes and attacks in a variety of different situations that they have never rehearsed. This is mastery: the ability to marry theory with technique.
Someone who has physical technique but doesn’t know the reasons behind their movements, will only be able to apply them in the prescribed situation they have practiced in the dojo. On the other hand, someone who has all of their martial knowledge from reading books and watching Youtube videos will be extremely clumsy if they ever attempt to apply any of their knowledge in a physical altercation. Mastery in almost any art or skill requires both mental understanding and physical practice. What does this mean for the martial artist? I believe that in order to be a master of any martial art, you must apply yourself to the study of martial theory while also repeatedly performing the techniques in various scenarios in the dojo. The final piece of the master puzzle comes when you have studied, practiced, questioned, and finally applied all of that to the practice of your art.
As someone has so wisely stated, “Mastery is a journey, not a destination.” Maybe someday someone will call me Sahbum nim TJ, but I hope that if they do so, I will have the humility and wisdom to explain that I am only on a journey toward mastery, and that they are welcome to join me in the ascent.