Renshi

Many people don’t fully understand or appreciate the scope of the ‘Renshi’ title. I think it’s fair to say that everyone you know has some idea of the meaning of a black belt. They usually will associate with a high level of martial arts proficiency or even romanticize the notion of the bearer being an indestructible fighting machine. The point is, they know and understand that it takes years of devotion and concentrated practice to achieve the necessary martial art skills to be promoted to the rank of black belt. However, when it comes to titles like Sempai, Sensei, or Renshi, there’s a certain level of confusion of what exactly that entails.

A sempai simply means senior student, someone who leads by example and act as a role model for others to follow. A sensei is a black belt who has chosen to teach others to follow in their footsteps.

After years of being a teacher (on average, 10 plus) and continually honing your craft, you may one day achieve the honour of receiving the title ‘Renshi’. The title signifies that you are a polished, expert instructor, who have devoted themselves to the powerful transformational effects that martial arts have when taught properly and with utmost care.

It is not necessarily associated with rank like most people commonly perceive. It’s about a person’s ability to teach and share knowledge with those students under their care. Because it takes many, many years to become an expert (in any field of study), spending an average of 10,000 hours practising the craft, you normally only see very mature and high ranking black belts receive this statute.

Shidoshi Grant