Who is Femon Ong?

[stonewarrior67]

This Is A Loose History Of Feeman Ong That Was Passed Onto Me. If There Are Any Errors I Appologize Only To The Ong Family And No One Else. Feeman Was Born In Taiwan And Sent To The Usa For A Better Life. He Graduated From Barberton High School In '48. He Lived On Morgan Ave And By Trade Was A Baliff For The Barberton Courts. He Rec Ma Training As A Youth Before He Left And He Did Go Back To Taiwan To Continue His Ma Study. He Did Study Under Kao And Others. He Passed Away From A Heart Attack In '83 After A Dinner.
Feeman Taught Ma That Was The Real Deal. Period. He Produced Badasses Such As Chicoine, Keen And Allen. We Can All Write As Much Nonsense As We Like 30 Years Later But In That Time No One And I Mean No One Wanted To Be On The Recieving End Of A Beating From Those Three Or Some Of The Other Skilled People...as A Mater Of Fact Go Ahead And Try Your Luck Now As They Are Old Men...allen Would Be The Youngest At 60 Something. Just Keep On Typing Crappola On Your Keyboards Then.
The Tv Series Kung Fu Was Huge In The '70's And So Were All The "sing" Schools In The Akron Area That Feeman Held Onto With An Iron Fist. Northeastern Ohio Was And Has Continues To Be A Hot Bed For Cma Due To Feeman. But As Most Will Acknowlegde The Decline Of Students Due To The Younger Generations Being Hooked On Video Games And Being Lazy. If Someone Bullies Or Beats Up On Me I Will Either Have My Daddy Sue His Daddy Or I Will Shoot Him Because He Cannot Hamper My Personal Growth As I Watch Mtv.
Sadly, Feeman And Others Were Known To Stretch The Truth, Such As He Claimed He Trained In The Shaolin Temple. There Were Indents In The Temples Stone Floor From Him Doing Stances For Years. That He Had Many Death Matchs Where Two Fighters Entered A Large Hole In The Ground And Only One Was Allowed To Emerge. The Sunday Meetings He Held Were A Bunch Of Hocus Pocus For Which He Charged $2.00 A Head. He Started Over Charging For The Herbs And He Became So Caught Up In It He Was Trying To Make His Students Believe That He Was Next To A God. The Point Is That He Did Not Need To Make Up Anything!!!!!!!!! The Man Had True Skill!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rick "john" Allen Was The First To Leave Feeman About '78 And Gene Chicoine Soon Followed Due To The Above. Those Two Schools Leaving Feemans System Accounted For Over Half Of The Systems Students Which Put A Hurting On The Bump Up Money.
Feeman Was A Diabetic And Did Not Take Care Of Himself In The Later Years. Soon After Feemans Death There Were Many Rumors Flying About This And That... But I Wont Go Into It. To End, Feeman Was The Real Deal With Real Skill But Sadly Let It All Go To His Head As Many Do.
Also Mr. Richard Tolson. In Response To Another Post On This Site. I Was Not Present The Day You Say Your Young Students Bested **** Pitt's 6 Year Students But I Did Hear About It. But To Claim That Chicoines Students Did Not Have Any Fighting Capabilities Are Wrong And You Should Retract That Statement. I Was Present The Day Pitts Threw You Down The Stairs Of His School, The Art Of Desire On Brittain Rd In Akron, Oh And I Thought He Killed You. You Could Not Budge Pitts With Flying Kicks And You Landed On The Floor Numerous Times. Pitts Rose To A Green Or Brown Sash Under Chicoine Which Makes You In Error. Not To Make Hate But Just To Make The Record Straight My Friend.

[ekaltenborn]

So to recap your rant Stonewarrior, you admit that Feemon (I believe thats the correct spelling of his name, you may want to check) Lied to his students.

Thats enough right there to discredit him. You opine that hes the real deal.... if he lies to his students, hes a schmuck...

I can believe you people still rant about this guy 24 years after he died......

Some people will just believe anything...

Do some research .... the sets he taught were missing huge pieces... I actually corrected one of his old students bungbo some years ago by teaching the guy the parts he was missing and then backing up the corrections with documented proof that he was just plain wrong... the proof, came from a series of books written by Wong Hun Fun, a famous mantis master.

No doubt the guy could fight, and could teach.... but he was absolutely a bs artist...

like i said... i cane believe people still talk about the guy

[stonewarrior67]

Rant? I wouldn't call it a rant. I was reminescing(sp?) if anything. If your not from the akron area you might not understand. when you were a kid in those days just the name of Feeman Ong held reverence.
Ever think the guy you filled in the blanks for forgot some of the form? You maybe right on i dunno. I did see a film of Kao and recognized the form before i knew who the guy was so Feeman was trained by him no question. But then again when Chicoine met Chang Dung Sheng, Chang reviewed, corrected and threw out some stuff Feeman had taught Chicoine.
Also, If you RECAP, you'll read that it all went to Feemans head. Just as Tyson let it go to his head you cant take away the fact that he was one bad dude.
History stands no matter if we like the characters or not.
Have a good day and keep training hard.

[ekaltenborn]

I dont dispute that Feemon was a tough SOB... I am from Akron, and I do remember those days... and i also know that sadly those people revered a person who was untruthful with them.... of misled them financially with the cost of herbs and such (a nice way of calling him a crook)....

When you look at the folks you mentioned..Chicoine, Pitts, Allen... Yea no doubt they are talented. But when you look at their students... they look unpolished; and god forbid you ask one of them the application for something they are doing... I made that mistake once and after 20 minutes of listening to this young man rant about god knows what... I politely excused myself and told him that frankly if it couldnt be backed up with science, it wasnt real...
I dont know Mr Chicione personally, I hear its a mixed bag- you either love the guy or you dont.... I dont know Mr. Allen either, but the young man I speak of above was one of his folks... And Mr. Pitts, well... I believe he died in prison so we will just leave that one at that.

My point is that if you step outside of Akron, or better yet research some of the great teachers that are there, youll unfortunately realize that Feemon Ong really took his students for a ride.... Lying to them is doing them a definite dis-service.

[IronWeasel]

Stonewarrior,

Long time no see! How ya been?

The rest of us old alumni are gonna get together for some beatin's and some groundwork soon...join us if you're interested. Steve's 40 now, so maybe we can finally whip him.

[JDK]

Thanks for the info Li Ma-Keh, (Boxing was my first love also Mark...glad your son is doing well~) ..(and the Pictures MonkeykingUSA...loved 'em!),.. My son is about the same age, and he likes boxing...but has gone the way of UFC, MMA,Pride Fighting and (unfortunately) prefers to fight on the street most of all
Sometimes I regret teaching him Martial Arts & Boxing beginning when he was 6 years old...he seems to "forget" all the values and moral codes I taught him along the way....and instead of Self-Defense, he is now the designated Fighter among his friends when they are out and about, and someone makes the mistake of crossing them. I am ashamed of this...and if anyone out there has had asimiliar experience with their children, and can offer any idea's or solutions I would be much appreciative. ( Eliom12@sbcglobal.net )


I have been so busy the last 2 months I havn't had time to post or respond.
Thanks again for sharing .

JDK

[stonewarrior67]

i pm'd you

[JDK]

This Is A Loose History Of Feeman Ong That Was Passed Onto Me. If There Are Any Errors I Appologize Only To The Ong Family And No One Else. Feeman Was Born In Taiwan And Sent To The Usa For A Better Life. He Graduated From Barberton High School In '48. He Lived On Morgan Ave And By Trade Was A Baliff For The Barberton Courts. He Rec Ma Training As A Youth Before He Left And He Did Go Back To Taiwan To Continue His Ma Study. He Did Study Under Kao And Others. He Passed Away From A Heart Attack In '83 After A Dinner.
Feeman Taught Ma That Was The Real Deal. Period. He Produced Badasses Such As Chicoine, Keen And Allen. We Can All Write As Much Nonsense As We Like 30 Years Later But In That Time No One And I Mean No One Wanted To Be On The Recieving End Of A Beating From Those Three Or Some Of The Other Skilled People...as A Mater Of Fact Go Ahead And Try Your Luck Now As They Are Old Men...allen Would Be The Youngest At 60 Something. Just Keep On Typing Crappola On Your Keyboards Then.
The Tv Series Kung Fu Was Huge In The '70's And So Were All The "sing" Schools In The Akron Area That Feeman Held Onto With An Iron Fist. Northeastern Ohio Was And Has Continues To Be A Hot Bed For Cma Due To Feeman. But As Most Will Acknowlegde The Decline Of Students Due To The Younger Generations Being Hooked On Video Games And Being Lazy. If Someone Bullies Or Beats Up On Me I Will Either Have My Daddy Sue His Daddy Or I Will Shoot Him Because He Cannot Hamper My Personal Growth As I Watch Mtv.
Sadly, Feeman And Others Were Known To Stretch The Truth, Such As He Claimed He Trained In The Shaolin Temple. There Were Indents In The Temples Stone Floor From Him Doing Stances For Years. That He Had Many Death Matchs Where Two Fighters Entered A Large Hole In The Ground And Only One Was Allowed To Emerge. The Sunday Meetings He Held Were A Bunch Of Hocus Pocus For Which He Charged $2.00 A Head. He Started Over Charging For The Herbs And He Became So Caught Up In It He Was Trying To Make His Students Believe That He Was Next To A God. The Point Is That He Did Not Need To Make Up Anything!!!!!!!!! The Man Had True Skill!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rick "john" Allen Was The First To Leave Feeman About '78 And Gene Chicoine Soon Followed Due To The Above. Those Two Schools Leaving Feemans System Accounted For Over Half Of The Systems Students Which Put A Hurting On The Bump Up Money.
Feeman Was A Diabetic And Did Not Take Care Of Himself In The Later Years. Soon After Feemans Death There Were Many Rumors Flying About This And That... But I Wont Go Into It. To End, Feeman Was The Real Deal With Real Skill But Sadly Let It All Go To His Head As Many Do.
Also Mr. Richard Tolson. In Response To Another Post On This Site. I Was Not Present The Day You Say Your Young Students Bested **** Pitt's 6 Year Students But I Did Hear About It. But To Claim That Chicoines Students Did Not Have Any Fighting Capabilities Are Wrong And You Should Retract That Statement. I Was Present The Day Pitts Threw You Down The Stairs Of His School, The Art Of Desire On Brittain Rd In Akron, Oh And I Thought He Killed You. You Could Not Budge Pitts With Flying Kicks And You Landed On The Floor Numerous Times. Pitts Rose To A Green Or Brown Sash Under Chicoine Which Makes You In Error. Not To Make Hate But Just To Make The Record Straight My Friend.

Good recap stonewarrior67...and as accurate as I have seen posted...thanks.
It took courage on your part ( IMO) to type the truth...not just a sugar coated version.

We need to remember that all of the above mentioned talented, real-deal fighters and teachers , were and are like all of us...flawed human beings.

They ( like us) were and are a mixed bag..so to speak.
The idea that a talented MA Teacher will also be perfect morally, emotionally and financially...is a pipe dream.
And yes....I am very familiar with most of the teachings of the ancients that skill level in the Arts... and Moral growth should go hand in hand.

Real life however....is much more complicated .

Each student, master, etc...has a free will to absorb ALL the training and teachings of the past 5000 years concerning CMA and Tradition.
But it is our choice which path we take, which teachings we embrace, and which ones we disregard. ( many times to our detriment)

Thanks again Stonewarrior67, for pointing out that pride can go to anyone's head..and we can become "full of ourself" and begin to believe our own hype.
( Just like the countless examples of Moviestars and Todays Sport-Millionaire Icons)
In my opinion.....it is much better to stay grounded, and always willing to learn and be taught by another, no matter what our level of skill and acheivments are.
Every man is my student...and everyman is my teacher"-Author ?

JDK

[Royal Dragon]

Sometimes I regret teaching him Martial Arts & Boxing beginning when he was 6 years old...he seems to "forget" all the values and moral codes I taught him along the way....and instead of Self-Defense, he is now the designated Fighter among his friends when they are out and about, and someone makes the mistake of crossing them. I am ashamed of this...and if anyone out there has had asimiliar experience with their children, and can offer any idea's or solutions I would be much appreciative

Reply]
This is why I have drastically changed my stance and decided that it's better to put them in gymnastics when they are young. You get the same bennifits of self esteem, focus and all that, arguably Better conditioning, and no tools of violence.

[Akronviper]

Sounds like every thing I've allways heard, to the point with no B.S

[Sifu Darkfist]

I have a stake in this argument, but i am not going to take it. I instead am interested in all of your upset positon of exageration or lies.

Big news guys most monks are not real regardless of whether they practice the art lifelong or not. I have seen monks eat meat smoke drink take lovers etc.

All fighters use talk to some extent, and all martial arts from the far east have mystical stories or legends this is part of culture.

THose raised in this atmosphere are likely to mimmick it.

If the man is good, regardless of who what where or when he deserves

Now we do not use legend to impose martial stories so these things seem way out of place.

[Akronviper]

I've looke at this issue from many sides (i'm intersted in the local history and lore), But I have found that most students are very loyal and to invalidate just one thing about their teacher, whom they in a way have trusted with their life with, is an attack at them to. Many people in the Akron area still to this day are very passionent about this subject.

The real deal is with or with out stories these men could kick ass and those are the people you want to learn from, not a person who say trust me this will work because my teacher says so but some one who say this works because I did it. In the same hand though you want what you learn to be legit because in life you will show some one your version of a form and technique and it may not be what you think it is. Then when you say that I have been taught from a man from the shoalin temple who aquires this knowledge throgh death matches only you look like the fool and have spent years practicing what you now dont know what it is.

[MonkeyKingUSA]

Also Mr. Richard Tolson. In Response To Another Post On This Site. I Was Not Present The Day You Say Your Young Students Bested **** Pitt's 6 Year Students But I Did Hear About It. But To Claim That Chicoines Students Did Not Have Any Fighting Capabilities Are Wrong And You Should Retract That Statement. I Was Present The Day Pitts Threw You Down The Stairs Of His School, The Art Of Desire On Brittain Rd In Akron, Oh And I Thought He Killed You. You Could Not Budge Pitts With Flying Kicks And You Landed On The Floor Numerous Times. Pitts Rose To A Green Or Brown Sash Under Chicoine Which Makes You In Error. Not To Make Hate But Just To Make The Record Straight My Friend.

My the things you miss when you are away for a couple months!
Since you remain anonymous I have no idea if you were at any get togethers that my students or I had with Richard Pitts Jr. and his students. If you say you were I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you were.
I do not remember posting that Chicoine's students did not have any fighting ability. However, the ones that George, Charlene and I sparred, that were Richard's students, were certainly not very skilled.
As for Richard Pitts throwing me down the stairs of his school and you thinking I was dead, that is quite funny! I do remember something about this incident, though it has been twenty years ago. Richard taught on the second floor of the building behind his father's business. When you came up the stairs, located on the right hand side of the training area, it lead to an open area. When Richard and I were sparring he backed me up to the stairs and pushed me part way down the stairs. I was unhurt. Though it certainly was a good strategy on his part and I don't believe Richard did it intentionally. He and I were friends and always had a good relationship.
If you look back at my posts you will see that I respected Richard and his ability. Especially his conditioning training, which he demonstrated for George and Charlene and taught to me.
I never claimed to have beaten Richard in any type of fight or sparring. The strikes I was able to land, he easily shook off. The strikes he landed I also apparently lived through. Though I might add that we were never trying to kill each other, because we were friends.
As for me landing on the floor numerous times, I do practice Monkey style and ground techniques are a part of our strategies. Whether obvious or subtle.
I visited Richard several times after the "stair incident", including visiting him at his home after his divorce. We remained friends.
My remarks were not meant to smear Richard's memory or disparage Mr. Chicoine's students. I certainly apologize to all if that is the direction my earlier comments seemed to point.

Unanonymously,
Richard A. Tolson

[Li Ma-Keh]

Still discussing Master Feeman Ong,...'because' He did have real MA skills,training and the willingness to share it with others! Because of Master Ong 'Hundreds' of MA students were created! Some stuck with it some didn't,...same at any school or system! Some went on with their training in different directions,(like me),...and are teaching now. Yes,... the good ole' 70s', when you could whip a student up into a 'Kung-Fu' frenzy by talking about phoney CHI stories,...o.k., but LOTS of schools were doing that back then because it was a selling point,(although wrong), and the Kung-Fu T.V. show as well as all of the Hong-Kong MA movies that the easy-sold 17yr. old could see at his/her local Drive-In portrayed it that way! Alright, so'...we know better now. Leaving out parts of forms,...or maybe that's the way it was taught to Master Ong? ALL systems/schools have their 'own' variations that swear it's the real deal! If you understand/know ONE movement well, and anylize it in All directions,sizes of action,with and without a weapon,standing-sitting-lying down,.....then you'll only need that ONE movement! (old' Chinese strategy) I enjoyed my training under Si-Fu Allen and Master Ong and the Sunday Seminars at Si-Fu Chicoines' school. My 'other' teachers since then have given me deeper insight to joint line-up corrections which was the biggest and only change that really mattered. So, no matter where/who you train at/with,...study hard, search for details, get MANY different opinions, then make-up your own mind. I'm sure you'll find ALL of the variations I've found very interesting and an add-on to your training knowledge! Just check out the thousands of 'kung-fu' clips on youtube.com ! That will keep you busy cross-referencing and anylizing for months,..lolol'! Li Ma-Keh