FEELERSTRIKE
04-17-2006, 12:33 PM
Dear members,
I will address this to both Shifu & student ( even Shifu were students at one time ) .
Why is it that when a student decides that they nolonger wish to train that it is always the Shifu who people feel sorry for ?
Poor Shifu he has devoted so much time to the student for them to just stop . He has wasted his knowledge etc . Not many people think of the student and why they left .
Prehaps the style was not for them , work commitments , injury , moving away etc all these reasons are just an example .
Have any of you changed teachers in your careers , swapped styles ?
If so why ?
Are you wrong for doing this ?
Have you ever recieved hatred & ill feeling towards you from your ex-school ?
If so why?
I have trained in Northern Mantis Kung Fu since 1988 . I will admit that it has been a love hate relationship over the years with more hate than love .
At the time there was only two schools available here in the U.K. One in the north of England & one in the midlands . For me it was an easy choice as I lived in the midlands .
I was introduced to Sifu's school by a workmate who studied Karate and having never seen Mantis Kung Fu before was impressed . I joined two weeks later .
Please be aware that the U.K. at that time was very limited in Northern Mantis Boxing and quality Chinese Martial Arts altogether . If you wanted it you had to travel .
The class was very hands on with little emphisis on form training & lots on conditioning & full contact . Injuries were very painful & frequent .A small sylibus of forms were taught which increased over the coming years . A ten form sylibus was taught to black sash level in 1988 .
After a few years the only original class member that was left was the assistant instructor to the Sifu as the other black sash and senior classmate had suddenly stopped training .
The training went from one night aweek to five nights aweek with us training at any venue we could find big enough . As with all Martial Art schools the student turnover was huge , I lost count years ago .
Our school introduced Lion dancing to the area for the first time (all the lion kit was funded by the students as well as the hundreds of miles traveled over New Year to the venues) This brought a very good income into the school over the last 10 years . Regular social evenings where well attended with again the students picking up the tab .
As more weaponry became available these were purchased for the Sifu in order for him to teach us . We all had to purchase any kit needed through the school and on many occasions had to reorder as shipments never turned up .
As time continued so did the financial burden with the cost of gradings , lesson fees , weapons etc , somtimes the class was only one or two die hard students but we made sure the fees were paid to the Sifu.
As there was nothing else available in the U.K. on Mantis Boxing we took all our Sifu told us as fact .
We meet members of the other school as well as the old Wah Lum Mantis guys and some of the top students came to us for lessons and seminars , infact one instructor still attends seminars every year with members of his school to catch up on forms he was never taught .
In recent years with access to the internet & forums such as this more information was obtained which led students to ask questions about the training . It also helped to bring in many loyal students who turned up every training night .
When the chief instructor & only black sash left suddenly it caused a huge void which we tried to fill but within a month all the students had left . The constant hour long full contact sparring with the Sifu and the senior students horrified and frightened off the students , after one session one student left so shocked and disgusted by what he had seen that he never returned . He is one of the most respected Karate teachers in the country & a veteran full contact fighter .
Another senior student & chief instructor left that night . He was three months away from his black sash grading which required over 50 forms & which was fully paid . Two days off work and two months of physiotherapy were required. His grading fee has never been refunded & is in the hundreds of pounds .
That was in August 2005 & I will not & have not trained in Praying Mantis Kung Fu since .
I have recieved numerous threats over the months only to find a STATEMENT has been placed pointing a finger at two ex-students . Is this aimed at me ?
Before people take the Sifus side , I must ask you to think of the student .
Why do we walk away after 18 years and a huge financial burdon ? Have we good reason ? Is it the Sifu's fault ? Why is it the Sifu is always right ?
Prehaps something was discovered ?
Why is it O.K. for the ex-Sifu to continue a personal vendetta of hatred against his former long term students by trying to discredit them without cause ?
If all your senior students suddenly leave then as a Sifu you should sit down & start to ask yourself why ?
There is always two sides to a story .
I would like to add that the U.K. now has two other schools of Praying Mantis Boxing although we have lost the Wah Lum guys to another style , a great loss .
I will address this to both Shifu & student ( even Shifu were students at one time ) .
Why is it that when a student decides that they nolonger wish to train that it is always the Shifu who people feel sorry for ?
Poor Shifu he has devoted so much time to the student for them to just stop . He has wasted his knowledge etc . Not many people think of the student and why they left .
Prehaps the style was not for them , work commitments , injury , moving away etc all these reasons are just an example .
Have any of you changed teachers in your careers , swapped styles ?
If so why ?
Are you wrong for doing this ?
Have you ever recieved hatred & ill feeling towards you from your ex-school ?
If so why?
I have trained in Northern Mantis Kung Fu since 1988 . I will admit that it has been a love hate relationship over the years with more hate than love .
At the time there was only two schools available here in the U.K. One in the north of England & one in the midlands . For me it was an easy choice as I lived in the midlands .
I was introduced to Sifu's school by a workmate who studied Karate and having never seen Mantis Kung Fu before was impressed . I joined two weeks later .
Please be aware that the U.K. at that time was very limited in Northern Mantis Boxing and quality Chinese Martial Arts altogether . If you wanted it you had to travel .
The class was very hands on with little emphisis on form training & lots on conditioning & full contact . Injuries were very painful & frequent .A small sylibus of forms were taught which increased over the coming years . A ten form sylibus was taught to black sash level in 1988 .
After a few years the only original class member that was left was the assistant instructor to the Sifu as the other black sash and senior classmate had suddenly stopped training .
The training went from one night aweek to five nights aweek with us training at any venue we could find big enough . As with all Martial Art schools the student turnover was huge , I lost count years ago .
Our school introduced Lion dancing to the area for the first time (all the lion kit was funded by the students as well as the hundreds of miles traveled over New Year to the venues) This brought a very good income into the school over the last 10 years . Regular social evenings where well attended with again the students picking up the tab .
As more weaponry became available these were purchased for the Sifu in order for him to teach us . We all had to purchase any kit needed through the school and on many occasions had to reorder as shipments never turned up .
As time continued so did the financial burden with the cost of gradings , lesson fees , weapons etc , somtimes the class was only one or two die hard students but we made sure the fees were paid to the Sifu.
As there was nothing else available in the U.K. on Mantis Boxing we took all our Sifu told us as fact .
We meet members of the other school as well as the old Wah Lum Mantis guys and some of the top students came to us for lessons and seminars , infact one instructor still attends seminars every year with members of his school to catch up on forms he was never taught .
In recent years with access to the internet & forums such as this more information was obtained which led students to ask questions about the training . It also helped to bring in many loyal students who turned up every training night .
When the chief instructor & only black sash left suddenly it caused a huge void which we tried to fill but within a month all the students had left . The constant hour long full contact sparring with the Sifu and the senior students horrified and frightened off the students , after one session one student left so shocked and disgusted by what he had seen that he never returned . He is one of the most respected Karate teachers in the country & a veteran full contact fighter .
Another senior student & chief instructor left that night . He was three months away from his black sash grading which required over 50 forms & which was fully paid . Two days off work and two months of physiotherapy were required. His grading fee has never been refunded & is in the hundreds of pounds .
That was in August 2005 & I will not & have not trained in Praying Mantis Kung Fu since .
I have recieved numerous threats over the months only to find a STATEMENT has been placed pointing a finger at two ex-students . Is this aimed at me ?
Before people take the Sifus side , I must ask you to think of the student .
Why do we walk away after 18 years and a huge financial burdon ? Have we good reason ? Is it the Sifu's fault ? Why is it the Sifu is always right ?
Prehaps something was discovered ?
Why is it O.K. for the ex-Sifu to continue a personal vendetta of hatred against his former long term students by trying to discredit them without cause ?
If all your senior students suddenly leave then as a Sifu you should sit down & start to ask yourself why ?
There is always two sides to a story .
I would like to add that the U.K. now has two other schools of Praying Mantis Boxing although we have lost the Wah Lum guys to another style , a great loss .