charlie_cambridge wrote:All of the old teachers of his generation and before did the same thing.
Nothing in the old form videos of all the old masters is accurate, they all did many things wrong on purpose.
In their day and age that was considered more responsible than putting real martial techniques in the hands of complete strangers.
Don't know about "wrong" do know some things I've seen are not as detailed nor explained very clearly
why would they be
being just demos of ones work...
A noted teacher I knew gives some of the historical background for doing so...
How do you know if your kung fu is real? Secret teachings, closed-door disciples, and special transmissions permeate kung fu legends. Feuding lineage branches frequently accuse each other of not receiving the true teachings. “Grandmaster never gave them the real stuff, only us!” or so the story goes.
Do genuine masters really withhold their techniques from their students?
According to Grandmaster David Chin, they do. “The old traditional masters, they were so protective of themselves,” comments Chin. “They made sure they could make a living. They didn’t want the students to compete against them.”
In ancient times, a kung fu master’s art was his livelihood, so they were always vigilant against potential traitors. While few still earn all of their living from martial arts, the tradition of secrecy continues to create swirling controversies.
In many traditions, keeping secrets is inherent, not just from students but also from the government.
With our own national security now wrestling with the touchy issue of personal privacy, it’s worth examining how our martial forefathers hid the arts underground.
These subversive masters were catalysts for evolution.
https://www.usadojo.com/keeping-kung-fu ... avid-chin/