Which sifu, Birmingham uk

[pakfayau]

Hi, i'm just starting wing chun, and i'm having a hard time deciding which sifu to go with.

I have two choices.... Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe, and Sifu Abid Mohammed (taught by James Sinclair). Both are well respected but both also say that they are the best. Anyone know about any of these instructors?

any good or bad things about both instructors as well.

Ken

[foolinthedeck]

i know about sifu rawcliffe..
but first let me ask you, have you met both men? have you been to their classes? felt the atmosphere, seen the students? until you do so whatever i say is just another honest opinion.

sifu rawcliffe is head of our association. he is very good despite having been shot and having no hamstring on one leg etc!! he is well respected by ip chun and others in hong kong, he is also well respected by other teachers in the UK.

good things:
very good, top notch for self defence and reality (runs close protection company, has done work for cynthi rothrock)
HUMBLE - a biggy
OPEN MINDED
direct lineage - trains in HK with patrick, Ipchun etc.

bad things:
none.

other guy:
good things:
no idea
bad things:
only thing i can say is that if his sifu is james sinclair its a lesser lineage - but who cares!!!

go to the classes and make you own mind up. But i wouldnt train with anyone else than sifu rawcliffe if i was in brum.

[stuartm]

Hi Ken,

Sifu Rawcliffe is very good and their association is well organised.

From what I have seen of Sifu Sinclair he seems of a high quality and has a strong lineage in Ip Chun Wing Chun. I intend to get him down for a seminar at some point so will know more then.

As for Sifu MohammedI know very little, but one of his junior students came to my class on Sunday and his basics were fine, so why not go along.

I think what is important in a class is that there i sparring , even if it is really light, and some element of groundwork.

Just remember to keep your mind open and go with whatever suits you.

Best of luck, Stu

[pakfayau]

So does anyone else have any opinions?

sifu Rawcliffe says that attendance, punctuality, etc is to be monitored for the first 12 sessions, then he will decide if I am to stay or to leave. This seems pretty strict don't you think?

[foolinthedeck]

did he tell you that personally or did you just get it from his website? it may not be that strict in practice, alot of people say such things to discourage those with no discipline. if you did turn up late do you think that shows you really want to learn? put yourself in the sifus shoes.

but look at it another way - it suggests that he is not in it for the money, which should be a good thing!!! some sifus take anyone who will pay.

[stuartm]

Hey ken,

I think you may have the the wrong idea about Sifu Rawcliffes association. As someone who trained with them for over three years, I can assure you that the '12-week' rule is very informal and not authoritarian in any way. It just gives the sifu the opportunity to assess the suitability of the students attitude more than anything, and gives the student time to see if Wing Chun is for them. After a 3-month period and if the student has attended every lesoon, then generally you can say that they are pretty keen. Also at this point if the student has put in enough effort they wouldnt be that far their first grading and so it is a good time to discuss membership, assessmentetc

I adopt a similar approach in my school under the Samuel Kwok association and Im sure many others do likewise.
Different methods are preferred by different teachers. Personally im am relaxed about attendance, cos at the end of the day if you dont turn up you dont assess and/ or progress. I do however hate slackers, and so my approach is simply to warn people that they will be excused from class after continued lack of attendance.

You can always tell the lazy students. A good example would be that i moved my class lately because i knew full well that only the committed ones would turn up at the new venue which was only about a mile away from the original. Sure enough they couldnt be arsed to get off their arses and jump on a bus, and instead made some lame excuses about 'other committments' and 'preferring other styes'. Suited me fine though as I got shot of the wasters and left with a hardcore of decent students.

Foolins advice is right too - many sifus will keep anyonein their class if it keeps the till ringing - I prefer to get shot of them !!!!!!

Go along and see what the classes are like, Wing Chun classes are usually very friendly and open.

Cheers, Stu

[black and blue]

For what its worth....

Don't know anything about the other chap, but Sinclair is very good.

However, he is very good because he a) has great natural attributes (very fast, very strong), b) trains extremely hard, c) doesn't shirk from 'physical' training..... :)

While that is cool... it may not translate over to you. He can do some great things, but not all of his students will be able to do them. Kinda like Bruce Lee and his students.... did any of them develop to Lee's level? No, probably not.

But Sinclair is truly a nice, friendly guy, who openly shares the knowledge he has.

[wingtsuner]

i would definatly recomend my old sifu mik lane who teaches in erdington. i havent got enough good things to say about him.
hes a 3rd degree technichian and probably the best WINGTSUN sifu in the uk.
his skills are phenomenal hes an amazing teacher and is the most down to earth guy let alone sifu you could meet. most importantly for me anyway is the fact that hes been tested on the street many many times so he knows about the whole phsycology of fighting and also what works and what doesnt.
classes are pritty small and hes really hands on with a nice friendly atmosphere
he also teache eskrima and theres a fit to fight class aswell.

if you need any more info just ask.