No Training Better than Crap Training?

[william]

I sometimes think my school is good. But recently I have become more an more disolutioned with it.

More and more we are practicing unrealistic drills, that even the teacher fails to pull off at speed. (to be fair, he does not teach full time, but recently I am starting to question his ability).

The basics are not drilled enough, one of the so called benefits of the school is that you can learn a a host of CMA, the downside is that you dont get really good at any of them.

I am feeling a little p*ssed with it at the moment, so admittedly that is tainting this post.

I used to train in just Wing Chun, for about a year or so, and loved it. Then I moved and couldn't find anything, so left it for a year, but still practiced all that I learnt. Then I came across the school I am at now which clamed to teach wing chun amoung others. I have trained there now for about a year and a half. I often questioned the way they did things at the begining, but it is only now that I am reaching 'intermediate' grades that I realise that I know a lot of stuff not very well and if I am honest feel I would buckle under any real pressure. I dont think this is a case of me not training very hard, I do, and am probably one of the better students. The syllabus is just too varied, and the classes are not structured enough to get any real fundanmentals drilled in.

Enough of the whining. I was talking with a friend of mine, who holds the same opinion as me (he started at the same school about the same time as me, he too couldn't find anything better)

And he said that some times he felt the stuff we are learning is actually making us worse fighters. Too complicated, etc.

I think I may have found out about a Wing Chun school at the other end of town. I am praying that it materialises. Otherwise, I am left thinking, am I wasting my time and money?? Would four hours a week be better spent, working out and beating sh*t into my punch pag and going over old WC basics? Or should I continue on and end up a good at a style that really doesnt appear to be that effective?

What do you guys think? Would really appreciate your help on this one.

W.

[Becca]

"Better to train 10 techniques 1000 times than to train 1000 techniques 10 times."

This aught to be the mantra at any school training fighting techniques. The school you are discribing might be usefull to someone who has already mastered at least on style and wants to breanch out, but only because he/she would already have the foundation to understand what isn't being said and the established training habits to drill properly and on thier own outside of class. To teach this way to anyone else is unrealistic and dagerous, especiall if the student doesn't realize it won't work for them. You have enough training to realize you don't have enough training. I'd bet there are students at that school who don't.

[william]

Thanks for your reply!

What would you do if you were me? Stay or Go?

W

[Becca]

Me? I'd go. You aren't learning anything, it would seem. Don't know about where you are, but here in the U.S. the local recreation centers usually have a decent gym set-up that is low cost. I've always been able to gain training partners there.

[Ludeviews]

Howdy,

Personally I think that if nothing else was available and I enjoyed the class and it didn't cost too much then I'd keep at it.

But I'd speak to your buddy who's also feeling the same and practise the techniques with him with a bit more itensity and realism.

Taters

[Becca]

Also a good answer!

[red5angel]

sounds like crap to me. Some guys want to offer more for less, but I think that's crap.
There's a good example here in the cities. This guy runs a school that is all about high pressure sales and offering you "more bang for you buck". He offers TKD, Taichi, Krav Maga, wingchun, Boxing, and mixed martial arts. he also offers yoga and a couple of other for health classes. He claims to know them all, but he has other instructors who mostly teach for him. It's pretty much all lame.

[Judge Pen]

You've answered your own question. It's not crappy training vs. no training. It's crappy training vs training on your own. Personally, when I took some time off from my formal training, I hit the heavy bag and basics hard. It was one of the best things I could have done, and it made me better when I found a good teacher where I wanted to train. With that in mind, I would leave until you found something else.

[PangQuan]

One question. Do you think, that if you challenged your instructor, he would royally beat the snot out of you, or do you think you may be able to hold out a while?

Just kind of wondering, I know my Sifu would own me in just a couple moves, thats why I stay, I know he is a very good fighter.

To begin with you question your teachers skill, this is not good. I would definately check out the other school. Its not your teacher that you should completely devote yourself too, it is your art/style. Teachers may come and go, but the art will forever remain. Seek the best fountain from which to drink.

[Ming Yue]

Its not your teacher that you should completely devote yourself too, it is your art/style. Teachers may come and go, but the art will forever remain. Seek the best fountain from which to drink.

to carry that analogy further; if the source of the water is pure, but the spigot is rusty, you're still drinking poison.

No matter how good the system, as a student you rely on how the information is passed on to you - the art may remain, but if you can't get any of it in it's essence, you're still screwed. You want a teacher you can trust; you must trust that his/her skill is valid, and also that they'll pass the treasures of your chosen system on to you intact.

if you don't trust or respect your instructor and you want to train seriously, start looking for another school.

[red5angel]

No matter how good the system

how does one determine whether his system is good or not?

[Ming Yue]

well by posting on forums, of course

[Brad]

how does one determine whether his system is good or not?

You usually can't. Wing Chun and some other systems are just too old with too many branches for someone to make an educated opinion on whether the system itself is bad. Even if for some reason you decided Yip Man Wing Chun is worthless crap, you still have other groups of Wing Chun in mainland China and elsewhere. Any style that's branched out like that is going to have crap schools, but you're also going to have good schools too. Even if the original system is severly flawed in design, there's probably going to be someone out there who's managed to fix it.

Anyway, I think being loyal to a style/system doesn't make sense if you haven't experienced significant benifits within that style/system yet. If you don't like a place, leave. It's a school you pay money to learn in. No one's forcing you to go. You'd be better off training on your own for free, improving your athleticism, than spending money on a place that's not benifiting you.

[PangQuan]

its not a style/system is a style/art, this art being martial, or a particular style of this art, one must choose whether the style they do now is to be dedicated to, if not you must still dedicate yourself to your art of martial background. Or you must quit all together and start knitting.

[Shaolinlueb]

if you dont like it leave. if there are no schools around and you really just want to trian, then stay. jsut dont pick up the bad habits. i would leave and try to contact my old sifu about a distant learning program.