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Rogier
22nd July 2004, 12:55
what do you ask of them? Should they call you sensei, by your first name, last name etc. etc.

And of course why do you ask them to call you that?

All my students call me by my first name, except for the youngest ones most of which automatically use the Dutch standard word for a male teacher.

I prefer letting them call me by my first name as:
1. it is my name
2. I'm not Japanese so why use a Japanese word?
3. I'd like to think I don't need a special name as my actions speak for themselves..

P Goldsbury
22nd July 2004, 14:20
Originally posted by Rogier
what do you ask of them? Should they call you sensei, by your first name, last name etc. etc.

And of course why do you ask them to call you that?

All my students call me by my first name, except for the youngest ones most of which automatically use the Dutch standard word for a male teacher.

I prefer letting them call me by my first name as:
1. it is my name
2. I'm not Japanese so why use a Japanese word?
3. I'd like to think I don't need a special name as my actions speak for themselves..

Hello Rogier,

I have never made special requests to my Dutch students as to what they should call me, but they usually use my first name. Some more traditional students call me "Sensei", but only when training.

I recently found "The Undutchables" at a bookstore in Amsterdam and it was very entertaining reading on the flight back to Japan (it was a KLM flight, so I needed something to read).

It was a very interesting book and showed that there is a Dutch counterpart to Nihonjinron (which I experience whenever there is a meeting in Holland). Perhaps calling me Peter allows my aikido students to exhibit their dutchness, in the general context of learning a Japanese martial art.

Best,

Aaron T
22nd July 2004, 15:23
Rogier,

I get called a lot of things... ;) But in the club I go by Aaron. For all the same reasons you listed.

Chrono
22nd July 2004, 16:42
This is a good question and what I've often wondered myself.

I call my instructor by his last name. On occassion, though, I've called him by his first. He seems not to care. The only thing he really gets on us about, espeically on the mat, is that we say, "Sir" when he address us.

Amir
22nd July 2004, 16:52
On the mat we call the teacher by "sensei" or "teacher" (in Hebrew), off them mat we either use his first name or one of the above "names".

The reason for that is to show our respect to him. I suspect this is doubly important in making a distinction from the common Israeli atmosphere which is very friendly and totally non-hierarchical.

Amir

Mark Barlow
22nd July 2004, 17:24
Kids (16 & under) can call me either Sensei or Mr. Barlow. Adults either refer to me as Mark or Sensei. To be honest, I don't ever recall telling anyone to call me anything. Students follow the example of other students.

Mark Barlow

ShoBushido
22nd July 2004, 18:32
Because I have seen lack of respect paid to good teachers go to bad extremes, we maintain a modicum of it in our dojo. We have formal, albeit short openings and closings to class. We refer to essential locks and commands by their Japanese names. And both myself and my shodan are "sensei" in class. Outside of class we go by our first names with the adults. It is the same respect I pay my teachers, accept I refer to them as sensei outside of class as well.

MikeWilliams
22nd July 2004, 18:47
A couple of times when I (as a brown belt) have been leading a class, I have had students call me 'sensei'. It feels really, really weird. I don't like it at all.

Chrono
22nd July 2004, 19:20
Originally posted by MikeWilliams
A couple of times when I (as a brown belt) have been leading a class, I have had students call me 'sensei'. It feels really, really weird. I don't like it at all.

I feel weird when people call me, "Sir".

Simon Ford-Powell
22nd July 2004, 20:01
I usually let people call me by my name or "sensei", whatever they are most comfotable with, "sensei" is a meaningless title unless someone understands what it really means. I hate "Sensei" off the mat, i do however allow one person to call me that and it is because he is Japanese and 3rd Dan - so I guess he is entitled to. he even does it in Christmas cards!

Chrono
23rd July 2004, 04:04
How many of you will allow students, on the mat, to call you by your first name?

Robert Cheshire
23rd July 2004, 04:34
Our adults can me anything they'd be willing to repeat to their mother! Seriously, They eith call me Sensei, Robert, or Cheshire Sensei. They are allowed to call me whatever they are most comfortable with. Most of our students call me and my teacher Sensei because of the meaning behind it. Off the mat, again, they are to call us what they feel comfortable with and change them depending on the situation. I have found that if they are talking to us about budo/class related things they often call of sensei and when it's a social setting or comment it's by our name.

Our kids are to call us either sensei or Mr. (first name). This is to teach them respect to their elders. We also encourage to show respect to their family members and teachers, etc.

Rogier
23rd July 2004, 10:24
on the one side I tend to agree with letting kids call you sensei or Mr. or teacher (or something in that direction).

On the other end I've always believed that respect is not something that is shown by how someone calls you, but rather how they act and react to you.

Sensei can be said with the person having absolutely no respect for you. They can call me Rogier and have still show lots of respect. Another thing with requiring someone to call you sensei or master (etc. etc.) is that respect is something that you need to earn, not something that you get by default as it comes with a name.

Robert Cheshire
24th July 2004, 04:50
Since I moved into the world of Yudansha I have felt more comfortable calling my teachers by first name off the mat and occasionally on the mat.

My teachers have never pushed or enforced this one way or the other. They, as many of us have posted, feel that respect is earned and not demanded. My being able to call them by first name is respect in the sense that I've become comfortable enough to interact with them as a person and not an unapproachable being.

HinodeBuddha
24th July 2004, 17:00
Whether it is on the mat or off, I refer to my sensei as "Sensei" or "Christenham Sensei", no exceptions. For the first three years of our relationship I didn't even know his first name. This isn't to say that we do not have a very social club, as after almost every class we go out and get a bite to eat and enjoy a drink or two. But in all of this socializing not one of his students call him anything but Sensei or Christenham Sensei. (Though he has never requested or demanded.)

I have been teaching for a little while now myself and I have never requested that anyone call me sensei. (That would be inappropriate.)They do call me sensei though. I would assume from example, and by the standards of the organization, it is the appropriate way to address the teacher.

I will have to say that I do not care for sir or ma'am. I will also say that in a children's class setting I do not think it is appropriate for the children to become familiar with their sensei enough to call him/her by their first name. I think they require a more structured envioronment. I am sure there are places where this works well but I have seen first hand a childrens' class gone awry due to this. (Obviously not this alone as there are many factors, but when we let one thing slide it opens the door to others.)

MarkF
25th July 2004, 19:56
I feel old when students call me "sir." Then again, I'm beginning to feel older.

Sometimes, sensei just comes out especially when a mistake is made over and over. At some point, it is appropriate. I learned that the hard and embarrassing way.

Otherwise, I pretty much am with Rogier and Peter.


Mark

DYUSAN
26th July 2004, 16:50
As for me, my students were never required to call me sensei, but most do while we train. My daughter calls me dad. Off the mat they call me by my first name. But being trained by Japanese instructors for a good portion of my life it was part of the way to show respect( even if they did not deserve it). I would not call them by their first name even if the said I could (too weird).

ShoBushido
26th July 2004, 16:56
I had past and current (at the time) college professors who have asked me to call them by their first name. Could never bring myself to do that either.

Keith Nelson
26th July 2004, 21:25
I've been running a little experiment over the past 3 years with a class I started at a university here. Didn't tell the students what to call me, introduced myself as Keith Nelson, opened classes with "shomen ni rei" & "sensei ni rei" and sat back to see what happened. As students stuck with the training, they would either voluntarily begin calling me Sensei or would ask me what was appropriate within the realm of Japanese martial arts. As I had students who stuck with it longer, it has become incorporated to a greater and greater degree into the culture of the class.

So, I'm of the opinion that they can call me whatever they want, but that, if they're truly focused on training with me, then they seem to end up calling me Sensei of their own accord. Denotes a change in their level of respect or their view towards me, perhaps, although I'm more inclined to think of it as a change in their awareness of smaller, more subtle aspects of training.

Keith Nelson

ShoBushido
26th July 2004, 21:29
Hi Keith,

We missed you this weekend. :(

Timothy.G.B.
27th July 2004, 01:03
I have found that what my teacher has told me makes sense. How you address people indicates the relationship you would like to have with them, but your actions and their actions in return actually reveal the relationship you have with them.

If you call your teacher Sensei, then that indicates the relationship you would like to have with him/her. However, if you are disrespectful, arrogant etc. in your actions towards him/her and your fellow students, this reveals more about your heart than it does about the actual relationship that exists between you.

Calling your instructor Sensei is only a piece of the puzzle. If you behave like a student towards him/her,then your teacher may choose to treat you like a student. Both parties have to recognize the relationship as one of Sensei/Student and behave accordingly. Both get to choose, but unless there is mutual agreement that the relationship is Sensei/Student, you are just training on your own if you are the student! Training in a dojo and being a student can be two different things IMO.

Tim Black

Blackwood
27th July 2004, 01:53
My sensei only wants us to use Sensei when he is in his dogi. Otherwise it is Bob. Or when someone asks who our teacher is, the recognized name is 'Big Bob.'

He directed my daughter to refer to me as Sensei Daddy in my dojo, and she does with a grin on her face. I'm happy with Sir, or Mr. Mark. I never ask someone to call me Sensei.

philipsmith
4th August 2004, 13:43
Interesting spread of views.

In our dojo we call whoever is teaching Sensei on the mat and name/nickname or whatever else off the mat. It just happened but I find that it shows the students that we as teachers respect our colleagues; for example I shall go to a class taken by my kohai tonight and will call her Sensei while I'm training (but not in the bar afterwards).
It somehow tends to develop mutual respect between students too as they follow the seniors example.

Philip Smith

urbalte
25th January 2005, 12:00
In my dojo I'm refered to as "You did that again!? What the hellis wrong with you?"
J/K Actually in our dojo we still call our sensei "sensei." Not that we don't like him, it's just that he's earned it. That and the fact the he doesn't speak a lick of english, so it's easier for him to understand that we're trying to ask him for guidance when we call him sensei.
However, I've also found that with american sensei's or just flat-out western sensei it's a more modern idea to just go by first name or last name, or a variety of other titles. And like pointed out earlier, if this is the way the instructor wants to do it...fine. Whatever works, right? However, with the traditional sensei (the one's actually from Japan) they prefer being called sensei (for the most part). Am I rambling again?

jcouch
25th January 2005, 18:53
Since my school the entire family is the are the teachers (lowest ranking being 3rd Dan), calling them by the last name is really hard. You'll get between one and five responses depending on who is on the mat at the time. :) So. first names typically in our school.

kroh
26th January 2005, 12:01
Every time some one calls me sensei I usually want to turn around for fear that a little old Japanese lady with a big stick is going take it and apply it to someplace uncomfortable. It has been some years since I trained with her but every time I hear that word that is who pops into my head.

In our school we usually have people refer to the instructors as 'sensei' but i try to use English terms with the students whenever possible. We don't converse in Japanese and only use terminology in that language so I always feel weird listening to ethnic Italian (prevalent in my area) people slaughter the language (lol).

Regards,
Walt

hedkikr
4th February 2005, 21:15
Sensei means (loosley translated) "one who is ahead of you in life". It's easy to understand how this could be translated to the narrower interpretation of "teacher". In fact, in Japan, doctors are also referred to as "Sensei" whether or not the doctor is older than the patient because, in terms of medical knowledge, he is 'ahead of the patient'. This is not only confined to teacher-student relationships. I've been been instructed by & interacted w/ Japanese sensei my entire MA life. I noticed that high-level sensei will address one another as "sensei", not because one is higher that the other but as an honorific or title. I maintain as many of the Japanese terms during training mainly to preserve & honor our tradition. We use French for fencing, English for baseball & Latin for law & medicine. I have no problem w/ the use of first names, "Sir" or "Teacher" etc. but I want my students to be comfortable & accustomed to using "sensei" in the appropriate situations - they may meet or train with a traditional Japanese sensei someday. Imaging conversing w/ a high-ranking sensei from Japan visiting your dojo/gasshuku/tournament & a 12 y/o brown belt approaches you calling you "Bob". Sure, the sensei should understand cultural differances but he will most likely view the interaction as a sign of degrading respect or @ the very least, get an odd feeling which he'll undoubtedly recount upon returning to Japan.

I was told early on that in order to have earned the 'title' of sensei, one must be @ least 4-Dan however if a Shodan were to instruct in their own club, their students should call him sensei (sort of like being tenured).

Smart Alex
11th February 2005, 20:42
I can't stand being called Sifu (I teach a chinese art), or sir!!
It makes me feel old!!!:saw:

Chrono
11th February 2005, 21:48
Originally posted by Smart Alex
I can't stand being called sir!!
It makes me feel old!!!

I feel the same way. I'd rather have people call me by my name than anything.

ken_harding
16th February 2005, 13:26
Hi i'm new on here but happened upon this thread and can say I do both and expect nothing if that makes sense.

What I mean is I have one European instructor who prefers to be called by his first name in the dojo. Another who is more senior prefer "sensei" thus I do that in the dojo but Jon is ok outside. A Japanese teacher I train under is sensei all the time.

First time I taught a student said "sensei" when addressing me. I replied my name is ken and that I would prefer people to call me this.

The above makes me horribly inconsistent perhaps but I agree with an earlier post on this thread, it is the actions which show the intent and the true nature of any relationship.

Minhduc.phan
3rd March 2005, 06:17
In the miliatary (US at least), people address each other by rank in formation but call each other by first name other occasion. I am a student, so I would address my master who are a few years older than me "su phu" (Sino-Vietnamese for sifu) when training and first name when outside. With much older master, sifu is the norm. I guess one should know when to be formal and when not to be.

Anyway, in many Asian country, "teacher" is a title, similar to "doctor." When I was a child, my parent alway addressed my elementary teacher respectfully as "teacher." Eventhough my father is a Ph.D and much older. She in turned would address my father as "professor."

Rob
23rd May 2005, 12:58
In my organisation all qualified instructors on the mat are referred to as Sensei X or just Sensei.

I like the element of formality it introduces but on a more practical note it means newbies who's heads are exploding with all the other stuff they're learning only have one 'name' to learn regardless of who is teaching.

Also in the event of someone needing supervision / help on the mat they can just call Sensei and know someone will come.

I hate being referred to as Sensei off the mat, in the pub we're all equal as far as I'm concerned. One student could never get the hang of this until I started referring to him as Sensei back, I pointed out it was as relevent to him as it was to me outside of the Dojo. He got the hang of my name after that.

Rxx

enbudo
26th May 2005, 14:51
I have my students address me as "Sensei." It's simple, really: they are my students, not my friends. Just as I called my college professor, "professor" and I call my doctor, "doctor," I like to keep a little professional distance when dealing with my students. Anyone out there call their parents by their first name? I sure don't -- out of respect for their position in my life.

I've been training with my sensei for 20 years. I've eaten dinner in his house and gone on trips with him. He's still my teacher, and I call him "Sensei."

When I was in the Marine Corps, I would not have tolerated my troops calling my by my name. How does the saying go? ... "Familiarity breeds contempt."

Keeping the professional distance helps maintain order and respect. I'm not any better than everyone else, but I am in charge of my students, their well-being, and their martial education. My peers (other black belts) who are not my students call me "Jason."

Best,
Jason

Sensei Jason Gould
Emerald Necklace Budo Martial Arts
www.karateinboston.com

kenkyusha
26th May 2005, 20:03
[snip]
Sensei Jason Gould

Is your given name, "Sensei"? If not:
1) one does not (correctly) refer to oneself as sensei at all, ever
2) sensei goes at the end of a name, not before
3) sensei is not really a written form of address.

HTH.

Be well,
Jigme

Rogier
27th May 2005, 12:05
How does the saying go? ... "Familiarity breeds contempt."

Keeping the professional distance helps maintain order and respect. I'm not any better than everyone else, but I am in charge of my students, their well-being, and their martial education. My peers (other black belts) who are not my students call me "Jason."


You keep a professional distance by the way you act/behave, having people call you something other than your name will not help.

And as I said before; people show respect in the way they act towards you not by calling you a certain name. I hope you don't really believe that someone respects you more just because you expect them to call you sensei.

Respect is earned.... names don't help.

jest
28th May 2005, 13:02
You keep a professional distance by the way you act/behave, having people call you something other than your name will not help.

And as I said before; people show respect in the way they act towards you not by calling you a certain name. I hope you don't really believe that someone respects you more just because you expect them to call you sensei.

Respect is earned.... names don't help.

Rogier and any other Dutch or French budoka, what are your opinions on tutoyer/vousvoyer? Unlike most people my age (25) I still say 'u' to most strangers older than I am, but I tutoyeer, and call by first name, my kenjutsu and jodo teachers (mid-30s and around 50, respectively, I'm guessing). That might just be the familiar (and contemptless!) attitude in our small Budo club.

Trevor Johnson
28th May 2005, 22:14
I call my teacher Sensei in class and in class only. He winces so much when I call him that outside of class that I've stopped. (I called him that once in the supermarket and once at his daughter's b-day party. At the b-day party he winced and said, "Please don't call me that around my family, my brothers'd never let me hear the end of it. Bob's fine.") In class, especially during spirit training, sensei's important to say, though we do NOT end every other response with it.

Seniors in the group are called Sempai, for us. One Sensei, multiple Sempai. If I'm leading class, it's Sempai, not Sensei. Depending on the group, I may just act as a ranking senior and coordinator, not as a teacher, and so I bow everyone in at the head of the line as I would if Sensei were there. Other times I'm officially "teaching," esp with lower-ranking students who need the formality as a life-line, so then I act as a teacher, and take his place.

Part of the de-emphasis on "Sensei-ing" is that my teacher doesn't want a personality cult or anything like it. He's seen enough teachers treated as "untouchable masters" or some such fiddle-faddle, and he wants no part of that nonsense. He's a fallible human being with his own problems, his own solutions, and his own quirks. (He shares my love of puns, for example. Not sure which of the above categories that falls into...) He wants to be treated as such, not as a demigod, and he feels that this helps. He also likes, outside of class, a good discussion, and, while he's very knowledgeable, he prefers to help us find our own knowledge and solutions, not give us his as from above. Being called Sensei outside of class might inhibit that. We give him great respect, and every time he catches us at it, he gives us a story of his more disreputable youth to burst the bubble. I think worship would probably make him break out in hives...

Smart Alex
29th May 2005, 00:47
Trevor,
Your Sensei sounds like a very sensible fellow, and the kind of person that would be a very enjoyable friend.

Rogier
30th May 2005, 08:27
Rogier and any other Dutch or French budoka, what are your opinions on tutoyer/vousvoyer? Unlike most people my age (25) I still say 'u' to most strangers older than I am, but I tutoyeer, and call by first name, my kenjutsu and jodo teachers (mid-30s and around 50, respectively, I'm guessing). That might just be the familiar (and contemptless!) attitude in our small Budo club.

Hi Joost..
------------------------------------
Just to get the English people up to speed:

Tutoyeren = be on first-name terms

Where the english language just uses you we have various forms of addressing someone. My generation (boy that makes me sound old) was taught, as the generations before, to refer to older people as u (where english would be: you) and friends and children as je (again.. english: you).

This system was kind of messed up when parents and school teachers started telling children they could call them by their first names. I still can't call my parents by their first name and stop using u as they taught me to do this from a young age and at some point they told me I could stop doing it. It just sounds strange.
------------------------------------------

In the last few years I've learned to stop use u with people who have allowed me to use their first name, this of course does not apply to my parents. I still find this difficult with older people who have accomplished far more in life than I have.

I will however teach me children (if I ever get any) to use u

enbudo
30th May 2005, 22:55
Is your given name, "Sensei"? If not:
1) one does not (correctly) refer to oneself as sensei at all, ever
2) sensei goes at the end of a name, not before
3) sensei is not really a written form of address.

HTH.

Be well,
Jigme

1) I agree!
2) I agree -- sort of.... I realize you're technically correct, but it just sounds a little backwards here in the U.S., doesn't it? ... please forgive my westernization for my own covenience.
3) Really? I address my sensei as "sensei" when I send emails....

Anyway, thanks for the response!

Regards,
Jason

enbudo
30th May 2005, 23:10
You keep a professional distance by the way you act/behave, having people call you something other than your name will not help.

And as I said before; people show respect in the way they act towards you not by calling you a certain name. I hope you don't really believe that someone respects you more just because you expect them to call you sensei.

Respect is earned.... names don't help.

Hi Rogier.

I agree 100% when you say that actions and behavior are more important than a title. I certainly don't believe that respect comes from the way my students address me -- geez, how pathetic would that be?

But, I also can't say that the title isn't important or meaningful. It's an interesting subject, and something to think about some more.

Thanks!
Jason

dakotajudo
3rd June 2005, 14:42
I find my role is more that of a coach than a "sensei", so I don't expect the title - I had to break one student (who came from TKD) of the habit of bowing-"yes, sir" every time I showed him something.

But one thing that does trouble me a bit is - will my students know how to act properly around the guest instructor at a seminar?

Trevor Johnson
3rd June 2005, 19:25
At a seminar, with someone you don't know, you tend to get more formal anyway. One of the things we do is go through that stuff several times a few weeks before something important.

ichibyoshi
8th June 2005, 01:13
I'm a first-name kind of guy but I think it is important to accept that I need to be called sensei (although I never demand it, that should be the job of sempai to correct the junior grades), and I need to live up to the title. In kendo in Aus, one has to be 5th dan to be called sensei, it's a big milestone (and a millstone!) and so you've usually been preparing for it for a few years. The priviledges and respect that you garner are more than outweighed by the responsibility IMO. You're always being scrutinised, always an example. It's a lot of pressure. For me, trying to retain my "beginner's mind" is the biggest challenge.

It's also important to recognise the need your students have for you to be a sensei. You are more than a person, you are an ideal.

I'm a high school teacher as well, and I'm never sure whether I should get the kids to call me Ben or Mr Sheppard. A lot just call me sir coz they can't remember my name!

b

gendzwil
8th June 2005, 19:30
It's also important to recognise the need your students have for you to be a sensei. You are more than a person, you are an ideal.
I guess. I don't feel very ideal-like. Most of the people I know who are my godan contemporaries feel just the way Ben & I do - a tad uncomfortable with being called sensei. "Sensei" is always an older Japanese guy to me, to a lot of my friends it's also their fathers and so they probably get that same feeling we all do when we get called "Mr. X". "Not me, that's my dad!"

My students mostly just call me Neil, but when I visit other dojo or seminars I get sensei a lot. They also try to put away my bogu and fold my hakama for me but I draw the line at that.

I call my sensei by first name unless I'm in earshot of the students. He also is uncomfortable with being called sensei all the time even though he is 7th dan. Yet somehow, he has the respect of everybody. I think respect is independant of title. Having said that, I would never dream of referring to a Japanese instructor as anything other than sensei or name-sensei. It's the most respectful (and risk-free) approach.

At any rate, the term is both relational (you are a sensei to somebody) and absolute. In Canada, other teachers are going to start referring to you as "a sensei" at 4th dan and do it fairly consistently at 5th. If I'm talking about someone in the 3rd person to students I will always use sensei, as in "X-sensei will now show you how to do blah..."

Dare Devil
14th June 2005, 03:41
As an assistant instructor I respond to the following: Lacky, servant boy, toady, whelp, anjin-san, walking focus mitt, "Hey, you!", gumbi, Sir Kicky McKick, blindy, squirrel, human punching bag, fist eater, and the goon.

Mostly people just call me by my name, same with my instructors in ever class I participate in; I am not fond of titles or particularly inclined to frequent the places that inssist upon them.

While that first paragraph was a joke, I have been called a lot of those things during training.

Chris O'Connor IV
Well I think I'm funny!

leehoicheun
16th June 2005, 19:45
at our school we follow a pretty traditional ranking in terms of titles. The head instructor is called Sifu (father/teacher). Below is a basic list of them

Hierarchy & Titles
Chung-Si = Grandmaster Of Style
Jor-Si = Founder Of Style (Ng Mui)
Si-Dai = Younger Kung Fu Brother (trained less time)
Si-Fu = Teacher/Parent Figure
Si-Gung = Kung Fu Grandfather (Teacher of Teacher)
Si-Hing = Elder Kung Fu Brother (trained longer time)
Si-Je = Elder Kung Fu Sister (trained longer time)
Si-Jo = Teacher Of Kung Fu Grandfather
Si-Jook = Kung Fu Nephew (student of younger kung Fu Brother)
Si-Mo = Wife of Kung Fu Teacher
Si-Mui = Younger Kung Fu Sister (trained less time than you)
Si-Pak = Elder Kung Fu Brother Of Si-fu
Si-Pak-Gung = Elder Kung Fu Brother Of Si-Gung
To-Dai = Student
To Suen = Kung Fu Grandson (student of student)
Tung-Moon = Fellow Student


But to be honest we really dont use anything other then sifu, sigung, sihing and sije. It's a respect thing within the walls of the school. but outside the school it really doesn't matter. When I first started teaching martial arts I absolutely refused to accept any title. Another instructor put it in better perspective for me and I since then took on my rank title... or should I say... the title given to me of Sifu. But the title really doesn't mean much to me. It doesn't mean I can fight and I do not want to be put on a pedestal. I just want to train and get better :)

ichibyoshi
17th June 2005, 05:27
... "Sensei" is always an older Japanese guy to me, to a lot of my friends it's also their fathers and so they probably get that same feeling we all do when we get called "Mr. X". "Not me, that's my dad!"...

Yeah but Neil you still skateboard don't you? You're always gonna feel 16 in your head ;).

b

PS - Yeah, I *definitely* draw the line at the packing up bogu thing.

gendzwil
17th June 2005, 19:16
Yeah but Neil you still skateboard don't you? You're always gonna feel 16 in your head ;).
Hey, I've got company now - there's about a half-dozen of us geezers who get out on Sunday morning and try to not get hurt too bad. I'm not even the oldest anymore.