Museum or Laboratory?

[yeniseri]

Do you question your teacher? Do you encourage your students to question you? Have you ever found a time where your teacher appeared to be wrong? Are you trying to make your students better than you?

1. I never questioned my teachers to their face. I follwed/copied as they said but I realized the way they did a certain posture depended on how it was used, their state of health at the time and current ability
2. Prof Hou Chi Kwang was older and I copied some things but I followed the same style (Yang) in the vein og Yang Chengfu with obvious changes to fit the 24 form of Da Shr Zhang Dungsheng
3. The few students I have had I tend to be 'standardized' per the Beijingshitaijiquan within a context that they can look up a form on Youtube and at least, follow the posture structure seqyence". When I learned 66shitaijiquan, 30 somehting years ago, I had forgotten it but I was able to find it and allow my student a reference point in the pattern. I use to tell students to always do some research to gain knowledge and get away from these cultic organization to the best of their ability. That was my only warning!
4. With Lu Hungping, his taijiquan version was unique but I stopped practicing his variant but I was able to incorporate baquazhang (basics) that other teachers lacked.
5. I would not say my teachers were wrong but CMA uses have changed to such an extent that postures change due to ability/inability, laziness or lack of reference. How do I use, or not

[greytowhite]

He drew that last one back a lot more than 3 inches
If your relaxed you can do that in your first year of training
If you have a good foundation you can take things from anywhere
Wong Fei Hungs two students did both
One they called the old square rule because he never changed anything
The other one changed everthing

This is not a striking method instruction but an informational transfer AKA "transmission." Who cares how far he drew it back?

[Quigga]

Shaktipat is no mystery

If you claim to be able to deliver a solid strike from 30cm (like 2nd clip), better be able to do it

No disrespect
Looked good what he was doing

[Doc Stier]

As a student, I have always questioned everything from day one, primarily because so many of the martial arts teachers I initially had contact with either claimed to possess skills that they never demonstrated or demonstrated skills which they never taught their students how to develop. In either case, the teachers always maintained their superior status and students perpetually contributed to the teacher's rice bowl income without ever receiving what they thought they were paying for.

Later, my primary long-term teachers actually showed me what to practice and how to practice in order to replicate their demonstrated skills, but with the constant reminder that nobody can practice for you. Real kungfu, they said, can only be learned in your own body through the daily experience of your own training, along with regular validation of personal progress via comparative pressure testing with practice partners. It can't be truly acquired through reading, watching films and videos, or by engaging others in any amount of hypothetical intellectual discourse.

As such, my teachers encouraged me to never take their word for anything, but rather to simply practice what they taught, as instructed, and thereby validate the training material and training methods through my own experience. This system has continued to produce excellent personal results moving forward over time. Just do it!

[wayne hansen]

He drew that last one back a lot more than 3 inches
If your relaxed you can do that in your first year of training
If you have a good foundation you can take things from anywhere
Wong Fei Hungs two students did both
One they called the old square rule because he never changed anything
The other one changed everthing

This is not a striking method instruction but an informational transfer AKA "transmission." Who cares how far he drew it back?

If it is unimportant why mention the 3 inches
What exactly was transféred
I might be a bit dumb but I don’t get the point

[origami_itto]

Shaktipat is no mystery

If you claim to be able to deliver a solid strike from 30cm (like 2nd clip), better be able to do it

No disrespect
Looked good what he was doing

I mean if you can't deliver a solid strike with less than 30cm of wind up what are you even doing with your time? May as well be knitting.

[origami_itto]

As a student, I have always questioned everything from day one, primarily because so many of the martial arts teachers I initially had contact with either claimed to possess skills that they never demonstrated or demonstrated skills which they never taught their students how to develop. In either case, the teachers always maintained their superior status and students perpetually contributed to the teacher's rice bowl income without ever receiving what they thought they were paying for.

Later, my primary long-term teachers actually showed me what to practice and how to practice in order to replicate their demonstrated skills, but with the constant reminder that nobody can practice for you. Real kungfu, they said, can only be learned in your own body through the daily experience of your own training, along with regular validation of personal progress via comparative pressure testing with practice partners. It can't be truly acquired through reading, watching films and videos, or by engaging others in any amount of hypothetical intellectual discourse.

As such, my teachers encouraged me to never take their word for anything, but rather to simply practice what they taught, as instructed, and thereby validate the training material and training methods through my own experience. This system has continued to produce excellent personal results moving forward over time. Just do it!

The secret is practice!

[greytowhite]

He drew that last one back a lot more than 3 inches
If your relaxed you can do that in your first year of training
If you have a good foundation you can take things from anywhere
Wong Fei Hungs two students did both
One they called the old square rule because he never changed anything
The other one changed everthing

This is not a striking method instruction but an informational transfer AKA "transmission." Who cares how far he drew it back?

If it is unimportant why mention the 3 inches
What exactly was transféred
I might be a bit dumb but I don’t get the point

Looked about 3" from the pinch to the actual strike - target's arm moved considerably after receipt of strike. As to what's transferred - that's up to the teacher.

[wayne hansen]

He places the hand 3 inches from the target then moves it further away before hitting
I didn’t slow it down but could see that
If someone with no training at all slaps your arm you will move it away

[greytowhite]

He places the hand 3 inches from the target then moves it further away before hitting
I didn’t slow it down but could see that
If someone with no training at all slaps your arm you will move it away

That has more to do with the wave mechanics of the body - one does not stop a whip from oscillating.

[Strange]

i think the act of fighting, in every sense of the word, may be likened to a very elusive object... kinda like a ghost or spirit.
the various schools, methods, teachers or masters provide a lens with which this elusive thing may be seen
those who care to come an take a look are practitioners like you and me.

the ghost may be elusive, but there is only one type of this ghost spirit.
the teacher provide one lens, but you already have a lens of your own, so there is a distortion of the image
so each practitioner may tell their students the various ways the ghost looks. Some practitioners feel that they know
the image so well already, such that they make their own lens.

whatever lens you are using, it is better that you can see the ghost clearly for what it actually is.
but i think many have not really and clearly seen the ghost yet after many years
you can see how lens maker who have not seen the ghost, would make lens that make very distorted and strange image
of the ghost.

[Quigga]

Nice post Off to polish my mind mirror reflecting Creator's light

[Doc Stier]

At the end of the day, perception is reality for most people. As such, in great part, what you practice and how you practice is heavily influenced by your mental perception of what you're doing and why you're doing it the way you do, as well as your personal perception of what you are actually accomplishing or achieving along the way.

The tendency to perceive personal efforts and progress mostly through rose colored glasses, i.e. as much better than it really is, often leads to inevitable delusions of grandeur, which can't be validated through personal demonstration of fitness, athleticism, or practical skill.

As such, it is generally wise to never underestimate the skill of others, or to overestimate your own skill and development. Just saying!

[Quigga]

Message received

[robert]

Do you question your teacher?

After studying for a year and getting comfortable with the form I decided to continue training. I had no idea how good my teacher was so I started doing workshops so I could meet other teachers for comparison. I've switched teachers a number of times over the years as I've met more people and learned more about CIMAs. If I don't understand something I ask my teacher about it.