need to rant

[red5angel]

So I got an email today, the shaolin school I have been learning my TMA from is closing!!! That's the second TMA school to close on me in the last year and it's really starting to get to me. The sad thing is, we have some other TMA schools around here, and their mostly mediocre at best. But they somehow manage to stick around, meanwhile the good schools are dropping like flies and its really starting to **** me off.
So, I guess it's off to locate yet another TMA school out there somewhere. I have a more modern school to go to to learn the more popular modern arts but I enjoy TMA and would like to keep learning if possible. I think I'm just really ****ed off about the whole good schools disappearing, bad schools sticking around.

On the other hand I hear there is supposed to be a good plum blossom school around here somewhere, now I just need to find it.

[MasterKiller]

Maybe the teacher will keep a small stable of students. Just because the school is closing doesn't mean he's gonna quit teaching.

Did they say why it's closing? Money? Moving?

[red5angel]

he's going to continue to teach kids TKD classes cause he has enough students to continue that. He would do private lessons but I'd be dumping tons of money that I just don't have on that. If I had the money, he'd certainly be worth learning from but it's nearly impossible for me to afford that.

Basically money. He had a school a few years back that fell through due to lack of interest as well. His two top students, friends of mine talked him into starting back up, but they can't keep enough people in the traditional classes to keep it going, and he doesn't want to sell out, and I personally don't think he should. The sad thing is, because he teaches the way he was taught, alot of people just find it too difficult to stick with. It's all those freakin silk pajama wearing hippy wannabes who want to come in to experience zen, or shaolin, or that sort of crap. When they have to start sweating and when they have to start feeling the pain, they end up going away. You'd think I'd be disenchanted with the whole TMA thing by now, first school was mediocre at best, second school was good but the instructor had issues, third school closed down, fourth school closed down.

[PHILBERT]

Yeah, speak to the Sifu and ask about learning it privately. Or offer to help find a new location. Check around local gyms, the YMCA, Balley's, 24 Hour Fitness, etc. Maybe he can begin teaching Kung Fu at one of those places since alot of them will offer classes. There is an 8 Step Mantis guy near me who teaches at a public gym and has been there for a few years. Same with a Judo school. Heck, I use to take Wing Tsun at a gym.

[red5angel]

I think for the most part he is burnt out trying to get people to stick around. We sort of suspected it was coming but managed to keep him going the last couple of months I think. I can't say I really blame him, when you don't want to give up your dreams, for him that was teaching people that others would never forget, but you can't find the type of people to stick around, what do you do?
The whole thing is a mess, I may be able to work something out with one of the student instructors that would be more reasonable then working directly with the instructor.

[norther practitioner]

:eek:

Sorry to hear that man. I know you were enjoying that...

Working out something with any of your sihings at that school could bode well for now at least. Maybe that and occasional meetings with the sifu.

[red5angel]

yeah I'll have to see what happens. What ****es me off more then anything else is this is one of the few schools in the area that actually spars. There's an MMA school of sorts in the southeast that spars but I'm not interested in Muy Thai, the school I'm taking grappling at does grappling and that 's really it. I don't like not being able to test my techniques out.

[apoweyn]

You could talk to his senior students about training together. Sounds like they'll be at loose ends as well. They can teach you their forms. You can teach them some of the modern stuff you've learned. Everybody wins.

[red5angel]

That's basicaly what I am going into negotiations about. Some instructors are sensitive about that sort of thing, but I think in this case thta is most likely a route we will take.

[Oso]

you could see if the other students want to band together with you and be able to offer him a lump sum to teach you guys semi-privately. That might make it worth his while financially and easier on your pockets.

it's the same everyone, the vast majority of people want the glamour of doing a 'martial art' but don't want to do the work it takes to really train. Sadly, there are plenty of 'teachers' who are willing to offer them watered down training.

If he's got a space to teack TKD and it's paying the bills, then why can't he keep teaching the kung fu?

good luck. maybe all he needs is for you dedicated types to help him through this period of time.

[red5angel]

If he's got a space to teack TKD and it's paying the bills, then why can't he keep teaching the kung fu?

well, he doesn't yet, he had to let go of the space he has, but he said he would be willing to find another space to teach his kids classes.

I think he is just tired of trying to get adults who don't have MTV attention spans. I was only there a few months but I saw quite a few people come and go. The guy has a traditional background and he wants to train people the way he was taught but americans, westerners in general, just don't have the patience or the drive for it. The sick thing is he had a great way of advancing you based on how hard you applied yourself. If you worked at it you got to advanced faster, if you didn't you advanced slower. But people don't want to advanced based on merit alone I guess.

[MasterKiller]

Originally posted by red5angel
If you worked at it you got to advanced faster, if you didn't you advanced slower. But people don't want to advanced based on merit alone I guess. A lot of people think that if they bust a sweat, they are going full throttle. I typically find a huge discrepancy between what I think hard work means and what other think it means, so maybe having a subjective measuring stick frustrates people.

[red5angel]

I just thin that's the best way to do it, you don't work for it you don't get it. I do't get paid if I do't come in to work, why would I get my belt/next form/technique, etc. if I didn't work hard at getting to where I am? What good does it do you if you can't do something well, to move on?

[MasterKiller]

Originally posted by red5angel
I just thin that's the best way to do it, you don't work for it you don't get it. I do't get paid if I do't come in to work, why would I get my belt/next form/technique, etc. if I didn't work hard at getting to where I am? What good does it do you if you can't do something well, to move on? What was his method?

[shannon Ferrell]

Maybe you could meet at the public libary or other public areas for class? Its worth a try, you dont actully have to study at a building. Ask your Sifu about it. Most libaries have a nice meeting area. Ill shut up now.

[red5angel]

MK - he would work with you to see where ou were at, and if he thought you were at a good spot he would show you more. He certainly made you work for it, I worked harder at his school then anywhere else.

[MasterKiller]

Originally posted by red5angel
MK - he would work with you to see where ou were at, and if he thought you were at a good spot he would show you more. He certainly made you work for it, I worked harder at his school then anywhere else. Oh, well I agree with that.

Were there any tests at all?

[red5angel]

tests were optional to get belts. I didn't fuly understand how things were organized but he was associated with some Korean Martial arts association as well. He offered belt tests for those who wanted them so that you could go to tournemants and have an official belt or rank.

[shannon Ferrell]

Whats in a belt, pride,?
I like the fact that your teacher does not really have a belt system. To much ego revolve around sash's.

[SevenStar]

I haven't read this whole thread, so this may have been said, but maybe a group of students can still meet and train together. Also, if running his own place was too costly, maybe he can teach in a local community center, another school, gym, etc.

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by shannon Ferrell
Whats in a belt, pride,?
I like the fact that your teacher does not really have a belt system. To much ego revolve around sash's.

ego revolves around them because you let it. There's no ego at all in my bjj class, and we use rank there. There was plenty of ego at the place where I used to train longfist though, and they used rank also.

[norther practitioner]

Wow 7, with that post, not only do you tell us something, but you confirm it several ways...:D

[shannon Ferrell]

I agree with that. Pride in a lot of ways can hold you back. I myself try not to have pride. It is hard though. In ones school, in ones ability, and in ones Sifu. I would like to just learn Kung Fu, its history, its purpose, its meaning.