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wingchunner
04-12-2002, 02:20 PM
So, here's some thoughtful questions to consider:

1.) Could any person use what I study, regardless of age, gender, size, and atheltic ability?

2.) Is there consistency between what is trained (forms/drills) and taught (concepts/principles within techniqus) and what is used when fighting/sparring?

3.) Do I see real growth in my own personal development in the martial arts?

4.) Could my instructor demolish/kill me/control me with very little effort?

5.) Is my instructor a person of integrity?

6.) Is it possible for me to attain the skill my instructor has?

7.) Is the atmosphere of the school I study in like a supportive, brotherhood/sisterhood or is it caste or dog-eat-dog (competitive) environment?

8.) Does my lineage come from a line of excellent fighters?

9.) What is the relationship like with my instructor and his instructor?

10.) How much time has my instructor spent with his instructor?


Why are these questions important to know the answer to? Because without truthful answers to them there is no possible way that my training would be any good. Here are my answers:

1*.) Absolutely. Without a doubt. I've seen it and realized it. And experienced it!

2*.) No question. This is one of the things that attracted me to Wing Chun and the teacher that I have. I came from several schools where what was taught and practiced was not applied when fighting or sparring. Everyone almost fought like boxers or kickboxers. So, what was the point of doing all of that other stuff? What a waste of time and energy (and money!!!) :rolleyes: It made sense that the way you train should be contributing to the way you fight.

3.*) Yes. I keep a log/journal and looking back over some of the questions that I've asked, some of the things that I've had to work on or struggled through are things of the past now and I'm on to new things. I've put the time in and it's paying off. I have a saying for myself, "if you're not growing, then you're either dead or dying (spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or physically)." Only when something is growing does it have life. If it's staying the same or declining, then either it's dead or dying. I had learned hundreds of techniques and applications, but as I look back now, I see that I really didn't have any real growth I was just learning new stuff, like ornaments on a cut Christmas tree.

4.*) Holy cow! Yes! Sometimes, I feel like a freakin' rag doll in the mouth of a pit bull! My other instructors that I had in the past. Maybe. ...... Maybe. But, I could have given them a good run for their money. But, with the one I have now. No way. He could kill me EASILY, at any moment that I work out with him, if he wanted to.

5.*) Yes. I have been with my instructor going on ten years now and I can say absolutely that he is a person of great integrity. He's my teacher first and my friend second. I love him.

6.*) Yes. And he tells me so. He can't wait until I'm at the level he currently is at. Not only that, he motivates me and pushes me to help me get to that level sooner.

7.*) Yes. I love it. It's one of the best learning environments I've ever been at. It's also one of the most supportive environments that I've been at. But, they don't B.S. either. If there's a weakness or something that needs work on, they'll tell you, in a supportive way.

8.*) Yes. I didn't think it was very important before, but now I am sure it's important. I like the way reneritchie said it in the "Lineage" post: "lineage gives a sense of potential and measure (realization is still dependant on the individual)". I know what my instructor, his instructor, his instructor's instructor, his instructor's instructor's instructor, etc. can do, and I can be just like them if I'm willing to work at it (and acheive realization).

9.*) It is excellent. My instructor looks at his instructor like a father, and loves him dearly. And, you can see how his instructor loves him, too. It's a beautiful thing really, and rarely seen even withing biological families. This impresses me because there is a clearer transmission of information and communication between people when the relationship is such. Without it, the transmission and communication is "clogged" or at least unclear. I didn't realize this fully until I spent time with my current instructor, who has been very patient with me.

10.*) My instructor has spent a lot of time with his instructor, and he with his, and so on. Why is this important? This is something that really impressed me. If we are studying a style that emphasizes sensitivity, then it only makes sense that to increase that sensitivity I need to spend time working on sensitivity with my instructor. The more time I spend with him working on that, the better my sensitivity will work. I have heard that for some it was a rarety for Yip Man to touch hands with some of his students. If Yip Man did something with them, they would exclaim, " I will never wash this arm! Yip Man touched me!" How much information and understanding of sensitivity could be transferred if Yip Man hardly touched some of his students? With the lineage I have, there is no doubt because it is easily verifiable that the people in our lineage spent a lot of time with their instructors. I have no questions about it whatsoever.

I wish I would have known these things many years ago. I would have spent my money better than learning a bunch of Hu Flung Dung stuff. It would be much better to fly across the nation or even to go to another country to find the best that I could than to settle for the nearest dojo/kwoon. I truly believe that it is better to spend 5 minutes with someone who really knows what they're doing than to spend many hours or days with someone that is just so-so. Don't make the same mistakes I made.

Marty