Training with Dr. Jang Zwing-Ming

[Cimaroon]

Dont know if folks have seen this but Dr.Jang is offering an amazing opportunity for students. Off the hook

http://school.ymaa.com/index.php

[TenTigers]

why are you spelling his name with "J"? is he Spanish, or Chinese?

[Cimaroon]

My bad. Yang

[5Animals1Path]

I'm still curious how he's gonna run this, with a yearly graduating class like a normal "school", or if it's gonna be a 10 year intensive with no other students rotating in and out.

[Cimaroon]

From what I read its one group of students. Too bad its limited to 17-23 year olds. Hopefully he finds some solid folks.

[5Animals1Path]

Too bad then, unless he pumps out some ridiculously skilled students, no one's gonna give a huge crap. It's too bad too, once you get passed the way he writes his books, there's some **** usefull information in 'em.

[SaintSage]

Too bad then, unless he pumps out some ridiculously skilled students, no one's gonna give a huge crap. It's too bad too, once you get passed the way he writes his books, there's some **** usefull information in 'em.

What about the way he writes bothers you?

[Cimaroon]

Well, it would seem that whoever gets to train with him with give a crap. Seems like thats more important anyway than what nerds online think.

[5Animals1Path]

What about the way he writes bothers you?

It's too "Chinese" alot of the times. IE, using alot of colorfull metaphors and stories that really don't tell you what's going on until after you already learned what's going on.



Well, it would seem that whoever gets to train with him with give a crap. Seems like thats more important anyway than what nerds online think.

You mean whoever can scrounge up the money to "get" to train with him. It's not like this is an altruistic thing. He's gonna clean up.


Also, most Kung Fu guys are nerds. It kind of lends itself to the nerd "culture".

[Ford Prefect]

I always thought it looked like a good racket. He owns the land, and the "non-profit orginization" is renting it from him. He gets all the facilities and equipment built and paid for thanks to the non-profit status. He gives himself a decent salary as head of this non-profit. He gets what amounts to kids and isolates them from the rest of the world for months charging insane tuition prices... Of course these kids get their tuition back IF they stay all 10 years.

At 18, you really have no clue about life and can't really understand what you're giving up by participating in this. Chances are, more than a few will drop out.

So in 10 years, he'll likely have this personal chunk of land paid for, all those training facilities and all that equipment, on top of the salary he is paying himself for those 10 years and forfitted tuition... Not bad at all considering he wouldn't have had to spend much of his own money.

Maybe I'm just a pessimist.

[cjurakpt]

I always thought it looked like a good racket...
Maybe I'm just a pessimist.

I think that you are spot on - not to be cynical, but he's got the deck way stacked in his favor - also, it's his perogative to kick people out of the program for disciplinary infractions - and he is evidently the sole arbiter of that; no outside, independent review and what not - so you could hang for 8 years and he suddenly decides you are unworthy - buh-bye - and you have no recourse: that's a lot of eggs in one basket; and as for the drop out rate: remember when most of us were all 18 and knew exactly what we wanted to do / be? and how at 28 it was totaly different?

my only question is what 17 to 23 yr. old has the kind of cash available that he is talking about? I can't imagine the folks being willing to foot the bill for that ("Well, he got into Harvard, but decided to go live in the woods with a Kung Fu teacher for 10 years, so that's where his college tuition money is going.")

[IronFist]

I posted a link to this on the main forum a while ago and it turned into a huge discussion... let me see if I can find it...

[IronFist]

Found it:

http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43924

[Ford Prefect]

Heh. Looks like I've had the same opinion for a while. I'm a regular student of Yang's in Boston, so I know tons of people who talk like TC Bob. I still think they are deluded.