vetting a possible teacher

[Chris McKinley]

Random ramblings intended to rationalize poor behavior., the vast majority of which had nothing to do with either your post nor with anyone's response to it. If you were the greatest guy in the world and you were my best friend, I'd still tell you that you acted like an asshole on this one. Without giving a shit what your personal preference for or definition of frankness may be, you still have yet to provide any explanation of why Mark Johnson, or anyone else for that matter, should care what you think or what you want, or why you even merit wasting the time it would take to explain their qualifications. Nobody worth their salt would give a fuck that you're 50+ years old or that you're the bulldog owner whisperer.

[wuwei sifu]

So far as abdul is concerned

i just spoke with him a few days ago. his mosgue is about a block away from my hovel. i was walking past his car and then relaized he was in it. i stopped to show him a picture of Dr. Chang just to brighten his spirits. he was on the phone and mouthed to me to wait and i did so. he spoke to me about the early days of the tournaments he would attend. of course your name came up when he recalled how some of the judges were. he respected how you were very particular/a stickler (my word) towards the taijiquan people you judged. if i recall pointing out how this or that should be done correctly. he truly respected that about you as he smiled in remembrance, which btw he did during the whole story he relayed to me.

he spoke on how when he 1st. competed that he mostly went in front of karate judges and got low scores in the beginning. this was basically do to the fact that the judges didn't even know what they were looking at/judging at the time. one particular instance i recall was that one time he had gotten a low score form the judge. this judge's teacher came over to him and chastised him for giving abdul such a low score. basically telling him the points of what was actually being vied and how abduls performance was so wonderful. the judge apologized...

Yet, abdul understood and took this all in stride. he said that he was not there so much for himself or to do well; but more to share and let the people see what taijiquan actually was . when he said this i felt the same way about how i make sure i let people see it. i often do my form on a bus stop, or out in a park so folks can see it. i also often teach in an area where folks can see our art. i don't hide it like most of the folks i know who do taijiquan; i feel if i hide it i can't spread it. i love to plant the seed of taijiquan in the minds of passer bye/strangers .

i recall abdul speaking on someone who shall remain nameless . he couldn't recall the dudes whole name, but after he said his 1st. name i relayed his last name cause i knew it could only be him. it was said that what this guy did was hippie tai chi, i'm not exactly sure if that is what you said sifu fish about this dudes form. i do know that this fellow was approached by some senior students of chen man cheng & told to stop teaching that form. i had not heard of this before so it was burned into my hard drive/brain. this dude is sort of famous now so not kind to say his name.

lastly i was at Johns apt. last night and he too recalled that you said something to the affect of the tai chi people scores were too high. this was also said with love & respect and genuine appreciation of your truthfulness. John suspended his class last year, we spoke more on it as i relayed the washing hands ceremony that teachers sometimes do/have. of course the perfect example is in the movie tai chi 2. i think he will start it up again this year if i recall correctly; some of his students meet at a rec. center for the time being. he was very please to visit them their finally & the warmth of his heart and smile was pleasing to witness.

sure some details have been omitted because of space and poor recall, sorry

[wuwei sifu]

Yeah, you come across as assholish for sure. Have I missed something or have you already posted an explanation of why he, or anybody else, should give half a fuck what you think before he's had a chance to evaluate if you're worth wasting his time on?

"you still have yet to provide any explanation of why Mark Johnson, or anyone else for that matter, should care what you think or what you want, or why you even merit wasting the time it would take to explain their qualifications. "

"Random ramblings intended to rationalize poor behavior."

your position mirrors exactly why i made this thread. i find it seriously hilarious that you may not have realized this fact already. i wish we had a rolling lol smiley avatar i would sure use it here. thx. for making me smile Chris!

you seem to think i an obligated to provide an explanation of ...

damn that's even funnier to me. to folks that have a brain i say what i say so they can know me a bit better. i ain't running for office, don't need a pity party or anyone to agree with me. i only offer truth as best i can. no one certainly not you has to agree or approve or me or anything i say or do. i also don't need to answer you in a way that you might be hoping for silly.

so far as intention goes, well your flat wrong. and also wrong on my ramblings being random too. of course we all know it's not the first time you were wrong and it ain't gonna be the last lol.

" That said, if someone came by acting like a prick as the tenor of this wuwei sifu's post reflects, he'd be immediately dismissed. If he didn't leave peacefully, it would not go well for him. He would be arrested at gunpoint or, if he pre-emptively attacked, I and/or my trainees would seriously injure the individual such that he would not be able to leave without medical assistance. '

your perception as gained from the post and then morphed into a face to face is just wrong. yet, if some one shows up acting like a prick of course they should be dismissed, that's reasonable and i agree with you there. all the rest is also unneeded scenarios too frankly. serves no purpose other then telling us how u would respond given the situation; but no one asked you last i checked lol.

but i have to say if he would be arrested at gun point would have to mean that you are a cop or a dumbass that's gonna get sued lol. so far as the other useless scenario you have laid out. assumptions like that can get you ass in more trouble then your mouth can get you out of dude. there's is always someone better & to assume that just because they came to you they can't be better then you is sheer idiocy lol. i would hope you teach your students/trainees much much better.

frankly Chris you sometimes remind me of one of those oxford bull shitters/politicians that try to steer someone into a debate that suits them yet serves no real useful purpose in reality. . smoke a joint if you don't, partake maybe it will clear your mind and heart too. i'll leave it at that Chris

[Mr_Wood]

what was the point of this thread again

[Chris McKinley]

More random bullshit rambling that is uselessly vague and still doesn't address a simple direct point that has been put to you twice now. That's weakstick. You whined in your OP about someone not providing to you convincing evidence of why they are supposedly qualified to teach you, when you yourself seem to think you are under no obligation to provide reciprocating evidence of why you even deserve the time of day. Put simply, who the fuck are you that he should even give a shit what you think about his qualifications? You're a nobody to him, a nobody who also posted his private message to you in a public forum on top of it. You should probably count yourself lucky he didn't beat your ass down as evidence of his qualifications after the bitch-ass attitude you've shown in this thread.

[Jim_F]

hi folks,
thx. for all of the replies.

1st. it was no way to fully present what transpired with us without posting it. we weren't talking about any hidden/secret stuff that should be kept private/personal so that's why i posted what i did. if someone says something personal/private to me i respect that and always will. the stuff i don't hare would make one hell of a book in reality.

also i know how many folks are so i can see how maybe some think i'm rude. if you met me you would not think so though. i speak very frankly and respectfully.
like i said i don't pull punches. i speak to folks who say they know this and that, not knowing what type of background i have or how much i may know about their specific style or in general.

when they finish telling me about what they have studied or say they know; my first statement is always the same . can you show me your kung fu/ what you spoke about. most seem to be surprized that i even asked that question which for years has puzzled me because it seems like a valid question to ask under the circumstances.

so going back to Mark J. i thought about my reply to him each time i did so, i altered it in my mind before writing it so i would be 2 things.
both direct and respectful , as i said and you folks viewed i like to be frank. I know frankness is something that now days seems to be anything but nice/cordial.

Yet, after living 50+ yrs. folks seem to have respected my frankness. i have dealt with complete strangers who always seem to know that i'm not feeding them a bunch of BS. . also to be frank i don't know how they even know that i'm telling them the truth. i have had bulldog(A.P.B.T.) men tell me things over the phone that they have never mentioned to a stranger before. all the old timers who are good/legit dog men seem to be able to smell a bull shitter a mile away.

this is the 2nd. time i have ever asked for this kind of help. i have always have good instincts about people/animals not needing a second opinion etc. etc. .
Yet, i am still changing & growing which to me means maybe i should open up a bit to others and do things a little different then i always have. part of the reason i'm in the situation i find myself is that i didn't wish to make comprises or play along with the standard societal games that are played & adhered too; forcing one to be and act different then what they truly are.

Yes, i took my stands & did the right thing. i also have payed the price for doing so even though it was the right thing to do. Some folks can still respect that, but alot of folks these days simply don't have the balls to do so, even though in their hearts the want to. so i know i made myself vulnerable/opened myself up to criticism by making this post. I'm a big boy now i can handle that & even though my societal peng jin is very weak which annoys me to no end i am still strong enough to handle anything anyone has to say about me/to me. btw i can do so without getting pissed and loosing my cool too.


so far as ego tripping, i have very little left. i don't have to prove that to anyone, but if you were around me long enough you'd agree all on your own that you were just wrong. I'm very much like those A.P.B.T.'S who as tough and game as they are, can also be very gentle & sensitive in a substantial way, not being wimpish/nor lacking any back bone ...

lastly, people always ask me if i know of anyone that teaches this or that style i could recommend . i think about it & then them truth from what i know, i have also on occasional done so with specific warnings based on the person spoken of so they don't get smashed needlessly lol. so thanks for the replies and also thanks for letting me know that my own counsel that i have trusted all my life is still the most important even though my mind, body, and spirit has undergone drastic changes over the last 10 yrs or so

For teachers, there is a serious issue here...dealing with prospective students with mental health issues.

[wuwei sifu]

normally that would be true. but if you didn't know me form the past ypou wouldn't be able to tell i had mental health issue because of how i cope with them.

it's mainly a pain in the ass to me and me alone. unless of course some one goes too far in trying to provoke me physically. only thing that most people get to realize is my recall is bad at times and i can't use my language skills that were once 1st. rate and flexible . even so when i'm angry enuff to hurt someone real bad they don't know it because i contain it well enuff

i could say more on the subject but i think u get the picture. cool breezin mon & peace

[Andy_S]

SNIP
i often do my form on a bus stop, or out in a park so folks can see it. i also often teach in an area where folks can see our art. i don't hide it like most of the folks i know who do taijiquan; i feel if i hide it i can't spread it. i love to plant the seed of taijiquan in the minds of passer bye/stranger
SNIP

I think you are out of line posting a private email conversation online, but the attitude pasted above is, I think, healthy. I am all for openness and transparency...even at the bus stop.

So: After two pages of thread, have you decided to take this guy's class yet? Or not?

[mrtoes]

The trouble is what might be good principles for interacting with people in person makes you come across very badly in written communication. All the context of face to face communication is lost.

In general I think that if you're going ask "challenging" questions then it's way better to just show up and ask them. It takes more balls, all the context is there, and it can be highly amusing for us students

Seriously, I'd strongly encourage you to delete your account of your e-mail conversation with this chap. It's out of line, unfair on him and makes you look really bad.

Matthew

[Doc Stier]

The trouble is what might be good principles for interacting with people in person makes you come across very badly in written communication. All the context of face to face communication is lost.

In general I think that if you're going ask "challenging" questions then it's way better to just show up and ask them. It takes more balls, all the context is there, and it can be highly amusing for us students

Seriously, I'd strongly encourage you to delete your account of your e-mail conversation with this chap. It's out of line, unfair on him and makes you look really bad.

Agreed! And in any event, a person's body will ultimately provide more viable information in 5 minutes or less of observation/contact time than their mouth will in 5 hours of talking about it all!

[Bao]

a person's body will ultimately provide more viable information in 5 minutes or less of observation/contact time than their mouth will in 5 hours of talking about it all!

Qft!

I remember well how I decided to stop listening at a teacher I had many years ago. Instead, I would just watch and feel the quality of his movements. First then I really started to learn from him.

[NoSword]

S

a person's body will ultimately provide more viable information in 5 minutes or less of observation/contact time than their mouth will in 5 hours of talking about it all!

Qft!

I remember well how I decided to stop listening at a teacher I had many years ago. Instead, I would just watch and feel the quality of his movements. First then I really started to learn from him.

+1

By the same token, once I realized this truism I started lightening up around teachers and stopped trying to impress them. A good teacher (or even a mediocre one) knows exactly where you're at and there is no place to hide. I first realized this in my language studies -- a lot of people studying foreign languages put a lot of ego in what they're doing, making excuses and believing they're "secretly" better than they are perceived. The fact of the matter is, any native speaker will know exactly how good you are within a brief conversation. Same applies for most skills.

AK

[Bill]

[wuwei sifu]

what was the point of this thread again

mr.wood,
by this info in this thread folks here didn't get it obviously. if no one new anything about this teacher they should have said so. instead of going in the direction they chose to go. it was their choice to do so & i never intended anything else with this thread.

my niece & nephew do the same thing all the time. i ask them a simple question; but they answer a question that was never asked ,it has become habitual.
yet, they are 15 & 14 not close to being adults or more mature because mommy and daddy babied them...

i can't tell adults to change and expect them to.i can only hint or speak my peace.


yes,i have asked the same type question face to face with no issues . so folks who have a tendency to read something else into what i posted naturally miss the target that wasn't aimed for in the 1st.place.

[XinKuzi]

what was the point of this thread again

mr.wood,
by this info in this thread folks here didn't get it obviously. if no one new anything about this teacher they should have said so. instead of going in the direction they chose to go. it was their choice to do so & i never intended anything else with this thread.

my niece & nephew do the same thing all the time. i ask them a simple question; but they answer a question that was never asked ,it has become habitual.
yet, they are 15 & 14 not close to being adults or more mature because mommy and daddy babied them...

i can't tell adults to change and expect them to.i can only hint or speak my peace.


yes,i have asked the same type question face to face with no issues . so folks who have a tendency to read something else into what i posted naturally miss the target that wasn't aimed for in the 1st.place.

Come on, man... you didn't just ask if people knew about this teacher. You posted private emails between yourself and the teacher in question, wherein you came across rather poorly to many here (myself included). Now you've edited your original post:

Hi yall ,
well, i wanted to know if anyone knows Mark Johson. i'll include some email info he sent me in hopes that it might rings some bells out there.

this should satisfy some, but know that i deleted this since i made my position known, hopefully clearly so . ; not because i agree with your outlook on the issue.

And now you compare us to 14-15 year olds?