Is Shaolin-Do for real?

[Judge Pen]

Beware the true power of Shaolin Do black belts

Not that my videos make SD look any better, but I think there is real merit in SD as a art and there are some very poor represntations depending on your instruction. I know some schools that do it right: a balance of conditioning, drills, instruction, application and sparring. I know others that make short-cuts. The second guy in the video is much better than the first. I could nit-pick some of his technique, but I can do that to myself as well (easily).

And these weren't SD black belts. This is a form that is done right before black and its obvious that they were new to the form.

[Mei Hua]

Are we to infer by your comment that these same students would have the right amount of technical skill, application, and core after six weeks of instruction by you?

Just because something is poorly performed does not mean that the original is worthless.

When one has reached the level of brown belt, regardless of style, one has spent enough time and effort in their training to have a solid core foundation and technical ability.

Those forms were not only horribly sloppy, they lacked power, did not represent Tiger very well and sucked. That comes from their instruction and those heading their system and the system itself.

Perhaps to you crappy martial arts are ok as is being a LARPer, not to me

[Judge Pen]

For brown belts, their technical skill and application was horrible!

I have students that have been with me six weeks that can perform better and have a better core than the crap I saw those frauds doing

That is a function of the student and the teacher. I've seen students in SD that were better after 6 weeks also. It just depends. BTW, the second guy has potential. There are a few things in his form that can be corrected and there needs to be that intensity and flavor to the form, but if they just learned the postures, then that's more than forgivable.

[Judge Pen]

When one has reached the level of brown belt, regardless of style, one has spent enough time and effort in their training to have a solid core foundation and technical ability.

Those forms were not only horribly sloppy, they lacked power, did not represent Tiger very well and sucked. That comes from their instruction and those heading their system and the system itself.

Perhaps to you crappy martial arts are ok as is being a LARPer, not to me

Its easy to sit back and say that, but everyone trains for different reasons. Is a teacher going to turn away students that enjoy learning because they may not be very good at it? Or is a teacher going to reward a student for hard work and improvment based upon where they were in the begining? Only a very few number of students actually get "good" at an art, but the rest certainly improve from where they were and have fun doing it. What, pray tell, is wrong with that?

[kungfujunky]

i wasnt saying they sucked lol

if indeed they had just learned that form then they did better than most i have seen new to that particular form.

but i agree jp

the second guy definitely had a better feel for it from what i saw

[Toby]

Is a teacher going to turn away students that enjoy learning because they may not be very good at it? Or is a teacher going to reward a student for hard work and improvment based upon where they were in the begining? Only a very few number of students actually get "good" at an art, but the rest certainly improve from where they were and have fun doing it. What, pray tell, is wrong with that?

I'm not a teacher in martial arts, and I doubt I ever will be (commercially - I might teach my family if they're willing to learn). I've taught both mental and physical pursuits at a high level in the past. I wish you could only teach good students. Teaching good students is infinitely easier than teaching poor students. Poor students also drain resources much more (specifically time). And poor students possibly are a bad investment - I'd personally like to cull them from the group. E.g. there are a couple of guys at the school I train at that IMHO don't belong in the group that they train with, but they've put in time. There are others that are junior to them that already eclipse them. IMHO they'll never get it. One has physical barriers due to advanced age, one just doesn't seem to listen or just isn't aware of his shortcomings. They have a certain rank that means that possibly beginners will watch them and try to emulate them, and that worries me because it could hurt the development of the people watching them. I have definitely heard one of them on multiple occasions telling and showing junior people what to do, and it makes me cringe. It's not my business to override them, but I really have to bite my lip. I can see how teaching kung fu must be hard - how does one deal with students like that?

[Judge Pen]

I'm not a teacher in martial arts, and I doubt I ever will be (commercially - I might teach my family if they're willing to learn). I've taught both mental and physical pursuits at a high level in the past. I wish you could only teach good students. Teaching good students is infinitely easier than teaching poor students. Poor students also drain resources much more (specifically time). And poor students possibly are a bad investment - I'd personally like to cull them from the group. E.g. there are a couple of guys at the school I train at that IMHO don't belong in the group that they train with, but they've put in time. There are others that are junior to them that already eclipse them. IMHO they'll never get it. One has physical barriers due to advanced age, one just doesn't seem to listen or just isn't aware of his shortcomings. They have a certain rank that means that possibly beginners will watch them and try to emulate them, and that worries me because it could hurt the development of the people watching them. I have definitely heard one of them on multiple occasions telling and showing junior people what to do, and it makes me cringe. It's not my business to override them, but I really have to bite my lip. I can see how teaching kung fu must be hard - how does one deal with students like that?

These problems are only compounded when you are running a business--especially if your full time job is an instructor. It's a difficult problem, but in my exerience, most of these types of students eventually drift off because the material and physical demands get too difficult even for the more relaxed standards that they subject themselves to. That, or in the best case, a light bulb goes off and they suddenly start to get it and their form and discipline improve. I've seen both, but unfortunately, the former is far more common then the later.

[Lamassu]

For brown belts, their technical skill and application was horrible!

I have students that have been with me six weeks that can perform better and have a better core than the crap I saw those frauds doing

Yay another one!!! I just love hearing from the peanut gallery that shows up out of the blue and just start talking sh!t about SD! You're so awesome Mei Hua, I must say we're all genuinely impressed over here! Wow, nobody has EVER posted that video on this forum before and no one's EVER accused SD of being fake either. You're so insightful, you've opened my eyes and I have now seen the light. All it took was a super duper awesome martial art master like yourself to point out the blatantly overdone to the rest of us to make me realize that I've spent the last 6 years of my life living a lie *sigh*. Can I join your school and be your student, granddaddy master of all that's awesome Mei Hua? I would just LOVE to learn (insert whatever crappy MA you claim to teach and know) under your wise and experienced tutalage.

[Mei Hua]

WOW!!!!!!!


The number of pathetic LARPers on this forum are amazing, no wonder the CMA's get such a horrible reputation and suck so bad, they have the morons like you fools leading the way

[Judge Pen]

WOW!!!!!!!


The number of pathetic LARPers on this forum are amazing, no wonder the CMA's get such a horrible reputation and suck so bad, they have the morons like you fools leading the way

That's constructive. Get personal why don't ya? If you're not impressed with the members of the forum, then don't post. It sounds as if you don't need any more negativity in your life.

[Lamassu]

WOW!!!!!!!


The number of pathetic LARPers on this forum are amazing, no wonder the CMA's get such a horrible reputation and suck so bad, they have the morons like you fools leading the way

Forgive me super duper granddaddy big kahoona mega master of (insert crappy MA you claim to teach and know). I did not mean to offend, I supplicate myself and humbly beg to learn (insert crappy MA you claim to teach and know). Show me the way of whatever MA you're apparently teaching.

To the rest of the unenlightened SD practitioners out there:
You arrogant dogs!!! How dare you continue to study and practice SD after the great Mei Hua has clearly stated it's crap!! You should all be ashamed of yourselves for not taking his overgeneralized and baseless attack on SD to heart and begin anew...particularly with (insert crappy MA Mei Hua claims to teach and know).

[Toby]

It's a difficult problem, but in my exerience, most of these types of students eventually drift off because the material and physical demands get too difficult even for the more relaxed standards that they subject themselves to. That, or in the best case, a light bulb goes off and they suddenly start to get it and their form and discipline improve. I've seen both, but unfortunately, the former is far more common then the later.

I've hoped for the former with one guy. The old guy - it'll get to hard for him eventually, although he's given a fair bit of leeway e.g. people take it easy on him, he doesn't spar, etc. Personally I avoid training with him, only done it once. I'm scared he'll break (he looks like he's pushing 80). But the other guy, he's been training for maybe 6 years. He's there every day. He finishes work pretty early every day then goes straight to the school, does not quite enough training to break a sweat, then just sits around for a couple of hours until class starts. I've seen him sleeping in his car in the car park. Maybe he doesn't have a home to go to or something, maybe he doesn't like training. But he's always there. If it was me I'd be using the facilities and other people there to train with but nope. He's just there taking up space. He's a mystery for sure. I avoid training with him too . He just doesn't seem to get a lot of the core principles, stuff that's been hammered into us from day 1. Strange.

[Judge Pen]

I've hoped for the former with one guy. The old guy - it'll get to hard for him eventually, although he's given a fair bit of leeway e.g. people take it easy on him, he doesn't spar, etc. Personally I avoid training with him, only done it once. I'm scared he'll break (he looks like he's pushing 80). But the other guy, he's been training for maybe 6 years. He's there every day. He finishes work pretty early every day then goes straight to the school, does not quite enough training to break a sweat, then just sits around for a couple of hours until class starts. I've seen him sleeping in his car in the car park. Maybe he doesn't have a home to go to or something, maybe he doesn't like training. But he's always there. If it was me I'd be using the facilities and other people there to train with but nope. He's just there taking up space. He's a mystery for sure. I avoid training with him too . He just doesn't seem to get a lot of the core principles, stuff that's been hammered into us from day 1. Strange.

I've seen some students like that. Its like they don't have much of a life, but yet they don't fully dedicate themselves to the proper training of martial arts either. That's frusterating.

BTW, what style do you train in ? Nice to meet you here on this train-wreck of the thread!

[mkriii]

Hello Mei, is that you? It's Jade Dragon from the DL.

[Judge Pen]

Hello Mei, is that you? It's Jade Dragon from the DL.

a DL connection? That makes sense....