Now that you moved on...

[bailewen]

Complex.

My first Shifu was...and still is...YC Wong.

I still really want to go back to him actually. I never did learn Iron Wire from him and that left me feeling pretty concious of the incompleteness of my training in Hung Gar. I eventually learned Iron Wire from someone else but it's just not the same. I don't have the same level of trust and confidence in what I learned as I would have if I learned it from Sifu. Last year I was back in SF for a while and really kind of wanted to train but was absolutely dirt poor the entire time I was there. I think Sifu would have let me train "on the cheap" but I was just too embarassed about my situation to ask.

In any case, I am absolutely "more evolved" (martially anyways) but that has absoulutely nothing to do with my new Shifu. I didn't leave YC Wong. I left San Francisco and here in China, at this point I have become more of an official representative of my new style than I ever was of Hung Gar. Looking back, I can see that I was a really poor student back then. I trained hard but I did not contribute to the school. I focused on work and my personal life. If I had just made the commitment to do the lion dances and occasionally judge at tournaments (Sifu asked me once if I'd be interested in judging at a particular tournament) then I figure I'd have a different sort of relationship.

Anyways, I aways get kind of wistful and a little bit embarrased by my poor social performance back then whenever I think about it. I was very fortunate to have started with someone so top notch. It set the bar pretty high when I was looking for instruction over here. Hard to be impressed by some local Chinese dude making grandeous claims when your original teacher was someone like YC Wong.

[edededed]

I've left my first, second, third... and so on teachers, and haven't looked back. The level of authenticity, skill, depth, etc. is just not comparable with my current teacher. I do think that people like Omar who had very good teachers from the beginning are very lucky, though...

[dtactics]

Just because I'm good at running and fit doesn't mean I'm good at long jump. Sounds like he was mad and just wanted someone to blame other than the situation or himself. And learning Iron Vest for knife defense? Dear good!

I don't think your track and field analogy applies. If this student felt that he was pursuing brand X martial art as a viable way to protect himself from physical altercations and got sliced and diced in the process, I can understand his disappointment with his training.

I warn instructors against teaching garbage because "innocent" habits like slapping the ground (break-falls) for LEOs could render their shooting hand/arm useless or turn into a self-disarm. When a teacher is responsible and professional he has nothing to fear because he had done his level best for his students. On the other hand, if he's lazy and/or careless in what he disseminates as sound fighting skills, then he should feel responsible if his students were hurt on the street trying to apply his lessons.

I'm not suggesting that is the case here, but I've seen plenty of idiot instructors talking/preaching nonsensical theories/strategies as it relates to self-defense and they are simply asking for trouble.

Incidentally three nights ago, one of my students got jumped coming home from the subway. He boasted about how he easily handled his two assailants and trashed-talked at them the whole time. I told him he was stupid for wasting even a second mouthing off as that is all the time needed for them to draw a weapon. The proper thing to do was to take care of business and run like hell out of there!

[canard]

my first told me to go ask my current teacher to teach me.
my training brother and I stood outside his apartment and he eventually took pity on us

[Daniel]

my first told me to go ask my current teacher to teach me.
my training brother and I stood outside his apartment and he eventually took pity on us

Nice. I like that story.

1) First teacher, split 19 years ago, after I realized that the guy A) didn´t know anything about what he claimed to do, B) knew this, C) knowingly taught westerners anyway because, quote, "They don´t know the difference." I actually overheard him saying this last bit to a visiting chinese opera troupe. He didn´t know I spoke mandarin.

2) Evolved incredibly. Actually learned old and genuine daoist qigong and meditation, along with IMA for real combat. A long journey, eating lots of bitter, but now, slowly, starting to taste the sweet.

The deal with how a student and teacher connects, and how this can change, is tricky. The field of how students interact with teachers and vice versa is something I intend to write an article on with a psychologist friend of mine, including things like projection, for example.

I have gone through several teachers over the past twenty years, and kept looking for those I felt were genuine lineage holders from really solid lineages, or close to that level. On the way I have met those who knew facets of the material really well, and learnt some good material, but also gone through a lot of training that wasn´t useful and sometimes even harmful, both to my health and progress.

I just got some help on this subject from Master Chen during his visit in the UK. A student I put lots of time into and gave lots of help slowly slipped into a kind of zouhuo rumo (after getting years of my advice that going into psychic power practices really is harmful, yes, it actually is, you can go nuts for real, if you put your palm on the hot plate it will burn you) and who decided that after five years of some time training he knew more than me after twenty years with lots, and started backtalking me to my senior students. Master Chen helped we with a gift the student had given me, and also said, from his own experience, "It will happen again."

If you teach, it will. And if you´re a serious teacher who really help your students to learn, both in the training and in life, it will cut you with sadness every time.



D.

Sarcasm. Oh yeah, like that´ll work.

[neijia_boxer]

Daniel,

Be sure to teach your students what you know, but know to not teach them everything. there is a saying "the student will try to kill the master."

A big part my first teacher taught was - 'know who you are, not who you should be" so really i am a network engineer not a sifu, great fighter, nor tai chi master. One point I made when I used to teach was to point to the teachers that could provide a specific skill I was under qualified to teach. I always recommended to students to seek out the Grandmasters when they visited, go to seminars, events, tournaments, and even where to go in China.

If your student was obsessed with fantasy masters- then suggest some to him

[Nick C]

My first teacher(s) did a mixed bag of external martial arts which was lots of fun doing when I was a teenager, but not a lot of depth unfortunately. Some unsustainable training practices that didnt suit my knees particularly well either, so left and spent some time looking at various things but not finding anything suitable.

Finally found my current Tai Chi teacher, someone that can demonstrate and teach applications, forms, push hands, and actually allows the students to push and try techniques on him. Given my age now I'm not too interested in going back to more external styles. My needs and understanding has changed from a desire to learn how to fight, to learning an art in its entirety - and gaining the health and MA benifits through that.

Not every teacher or style suits every student. And of course our needs change over the course of our lives I think. Its important for any student to find a teacher that they feel gives them what they are looking for, and not to be afraid to look elsewhere if they are not satisfied. Of course you shouldnt be afraid to discuss any issues you have with a teacher too - if you cant discuss what you are looking for in your training with your instuctor, its a good indication they are not the right teacher for you.

[velalavela]

I've never really moved away from my first Kung Fu teacher or Fut Gar club. But I've been lucky to learn and practice a variety of other styles.I did the overseas travel and work thing but came back to my home city after two/three years in London.

I've been quite lucky in sticking with my original style and through that meeting other teachers associated with that club and learning from them. Or through martial Arts organisations like Chinwoo and IWUF meeting some excellent martial Artists. My older kung fu brother from my original club put me in touch with my Wu Style Tai Chi teacher many years ago.

I still see my Fut gar Grand Master from time to time and used to practice yang Tai Chi with him every morning for years till I moved out of town. We'd talk about everything from the economy, politics to eventually even his own WWII experiences.

It might sound quite corny but I sort of think of my martial arts community/group here as a family.

[Areios]

1., I have a great relationship with my first sifu. And sometimes go back to train with him.
2., Defenetly involved, with many new things and learned very bad things about McDojo openers...

[RobP2]

Be sure to teach your students what you know, but know to not teach them everything. there is a saying "the student will try to kill the master."

Wow. I hope my students get to learn everything I know and more besides. Otherwise what's the point? I don't think that saying holds water in 21st century UK

[johnwang]

I went back to my National Jian Kao high school to see my LF teacher. He was not there. After I told my LF young brothers that I had trained in that high school many years ago, They wanted me to give a speech. I made a big mistake in my speech. I said that they should train some SC if they have the chance. This kind of comment is NO NO in CMA. You just shouldn't walking into a school and suggest that they should train different style. My LF teacher didn't like that and I could feel it big time.

We all did something stupid and then regret for the rest of our life.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

My first teacher is dead, my second has passed as well, my previous teacher and i parted on not the best of terms but not because of kungfu more in line with conflicting world views. Currently, I get along great with everyone I train with.

[mrtoes]

I'm sure I'm not alone in stumbling about with random bits and bobs (mainly various uninspiring forms of tai-chi and some kung-fu) before finding my first proper teacher! Fortunately not too much time wasted before I found someone who could really teach me something (and kill me in the blink on an eye). I think my first ever lesson was a yang style tai-chi class at the local buddhist center, which although I'm sure had it's merits I found made me want to fall asleep. Since starting to train "properly" I've moved country a few times, and so have therefore changed teachers out of necessity. I have yet to annoy anyone to the extent that I am not on good terms with them!

[SPJ]

agreed that it is a 2 way streets.

I have many first teachers.

first teacher in shuai jiao, first teacher in mantis, first teacher in --

--

Most of them passed away.

but whenever, I start to practice certain thing, memories of teachers and classmates would come back.

I meant teachers always live in my heart.

--

Hehe, we all hope that our students would remember us, too.

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