A feeble attempt-I suppose it's worth a try

[Judge Pen]

Fu Pow,

Thanks for indulging me. I think your teacher runs a very traditional school and the way he teaches applications through forms are similar to the way my teacher does. Respects,

JP

[Fu-Pow]

Originally posted by themeecer

If I had said this about SD I would have been attacked on here about how a real teacher would teach you the applications. How it is impossible to figure out the applications by yourself.

There is a fundamental difference here that you are missing.

True, Sifu Mak expects you to figure out the application of movement from the forms. This is the traditional way. However, when you come up with some application he will also correct you.

He has intimate knowledge of the system from training and fighting with it for 40+ years. So he can evaluate your application and go "look here...this won't work very well...here's something that works better and is more in line with the core principles of the style. It might not look exactly like the form, it's simpler but it's something that I've used in real life."

The truth is that forms are more of a way of passing on information in a condensed way. Sometimes, aside from the forms, there are simpler ways to fight using your style that only an experienced teacher can show you.

(As a side note, traditionally in Chinese kung fu schools, they would expect you to warm up and condition on your own. The teacher would show you some movements and then expect you to practice those over and over until you had pefected them before showing you anything else. This is very different from the current 1-2 hr class schedule, forms collecting and rank advancement. Then the teacher might ask you to demonstrate something and he would correct your form and/or your application. )

Cheers.

[Meat Shake]

I understand what you are saying. Sometimes I will figure out and application and be working it, and sifu will notice that Im doing it wrong. Not "wrong" but adding steps into it that make it more difficult than it needs to be. Simple works.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

we dont do forms but a lot of times our sifu will show us a new technique and go over applications the following week.

if you complain he starts ranting about it not being paint by numbers and kicks you in the jimmy.

[Meat Shake]

"if you complain he starts ranting about it not being paint by numbers and kicks you in the jimmy."

I bet the childrens class gets pretty brutal.

[fa_jing]

I don't know about you guys, but if I don't know at least one application for every move I'm doing in the air then I feel like it's a waste of time.

Then again Wing Chun applications are pretty easy to figure out....

[themeecer]

Don't take this as an attack, themeecer, but I don't think SD peeps have ever been criticised regarding how they define applications.

I know I have personally been criticized about this on here. I mentioned one single move out of an entire long form that I wasn't sure of its application and I had a couple people tell me that is a mark of my teacher being a bad teacher.

True, Sifu Mak expects you to figure out the application of movement from the forms. This is the traditional way. However, when you come up with some application he will also correct you.

Ok .... ummmmmmm, I never said that my teacher didn't correct our applications either.

I still can't believe that Fu-pow is not attacked for this and I am the poster child for attacks here. That is so hypocritical.

[Fred Sanford]

you just don't get it, do you meecer? as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. you must be one extremely happy mofo.

[themeecer]

Originally posted by Fred Sanford
you just don't get it, do you meecer? as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. you must be one extremely happy mofo.

You're right FS, I don't get it. I don't understand why many of you act less mature than the 3rd graders I taught yesterday, and take pleasure in trying to bring others down.

[Fu-Pow]

Originally posted by themeecer


I still can't believe that Fu-pow is not attacked for this and I am the poster child for attacks here. That is so hypocritical.

That's cause I don't have any Wookies in my lineage

[Meat Shake]

My karma ran over my dogma.