Every month I receive at least 3 invitations to martial arts "Hall of Fames". I have come to realize that there must be are 100's of them out there. With each invitation I receive, I also get multiple choice sheets of paper asking which award I would like to be honored with. The choices are endless; I can be "Instructor of the Year", "Master of the Year", and Humanitarian of the Year, or my favorite, "Martial arts legend of the Millennium".

For only $300.00 dollars and up, I will receive an obscenely huge plaque and have dinner with other legends of the millennium at some local Marriott. Does this seem strange to anyone else? Paying to be inducted into a Hall of Fame?

I understand why people create martial art Hall of Fames. For most it is the money. Charging $300.00 or more for each "inductee" could turn a pretty penny. Another reason is that it gives them, the creator of the so-called Hall of Fame, an option to put themselves into it! If it's your Hall of Fame, whose going to stop you?

Lastly, in controlling a Hall of Fame, you can control who gets inducted. You can be "in charge" of who's who in the martial arts. You can say which martial art is legitimate and which is not. Big ego trip. That's all it is.

Next time you visit a martial art website or read a martial art ad in the yellow pages, be wary if the teacher lists any martial arts "Hall of Fames" in his credentials. There are a few well known recognized Hall of Fames out there such as the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in Cleveland, Ohio or the "Baseball Hall of Fame" in Cooperstown, New York. But, there is no official Hall of Fame for the martial arts. No matter what anyone claims.

John Honner is an avid practitioner of the Japanese martial arts and loves to write articles that promote the truth about self defense and sport in martial arts.