Changing Sifu

[Fylus]

Hey,

I am a new comer to Wing Chun and have only been training for a few months but am in a quandary.
I am training with my Sifu but would like to change to another.
My current Sifu is a good teacher who has been trained by Ron Heinberger but i have had feedback that the Sifu I wish to change to has better teaching method and was trained by Ip Chun.

What are peoples views on changing Sifu?
Do people think it is important as to who trained who?
Is it bad 'politics' to change Sifu, does it put a slur on the Sifu's teaching methods that you leave for another?

Fylus

[Jeff Bussey]

Hey Fylus,
I would choose the teacher that could get across to me best. If you like the way your current Sifu teaches then I would stay, not everyone can teach well no matter who they were trained by.

J

[azwingchun]

I agree with Jeff, you have to go where you are comfortable and where you think you will get your best training. If something doesn't feel right, then this can damage your ability to learn.

[bonetone]

If you get married are you going to switch partners everytime you see someone that is more sexually attractive and has better breeding potential?

[whitefox]

If you get married are you going to switch partners everytime you see someone that is more sexually attractive and has better breeding potential?

this is trying to compare apples with oranges.

[reneritchie]

In a normal world, you are just a consumer paying for a service, and if you find a better service elsewhere, that would be where you take your money.

However, it's not a normal world, an emotions get involved, and for some reason, many people don't consider martial arts the same as they consider car garages, dance lessons, or other consumer relationships, so things can become charged.

IMHO, the best course of action is to do what is best for your learning, but to be upfront about it in order to prevent confusion or future problems.

[couch]

I agree with Rene.

When changing Sifu's, always be respectful upon exit and try to be as up front as possible. Even if things are said behind your back or things aren't as amiable after leaving, at least you did the right thing and you can live with that. And who knows, maybe you will be able to return and still play some Chi Sao at your old club with everyone being openminded!

I think it's hard to be a martial arts instructor and not have some emotional attachment to your students and the way they come in and out of the kwoon door.

Tricky, this topic is, mmph!

[Fylus]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I train one to one with my Sifu which makes it more of a quandry, if i was a member of a club i don't think that i would feel so bothered about it but it is because of the emotional attachment to your Sifu who is teaching you a skill, albeit for hard currency, that makes it tough.

If you get married are you going to switch partners everytime you see someone that is more sexually attractive and has better breeding potential?

My wife would kick my arse if i kept switching partners.

[anerlich]

If you get married are you going to switch partners everytime you see someone that is more sexually attractive and has better breeding potential?

That's a bad analogy.

Did you marry the first girl that you ever felt some attraction towards?

A better one in this case is that you've been going out with someone for a few months, and meet someone else you feel you are more compatible with. In that case, you probably want to try and make the split fairly painless for all concerned, but bottom line you have no real obligations and sholud have no major issues, unless the other party is a stalker or similarly wacko.

If you'd been with a Sifu for years and the Sifu had invested a lot of time and energy in you, and had always treated you respectfully, I'd hope you'd show a bit more loyalty.

Bottom line is people and their motivations change and may drift apart, and (thank Christ) learning an MA is NOT like getting married.

One marriage is plenty challenging enough thank you.

Do people think it is important as to who trained who?

It's more important that they are competent both as practitioner and teacher, and that they as an instructor suits you.

[Liddel]

I agree with most said already but also remember the more your with one master the more your natural reaction/sub concious absorbs that style, which in turn means when you go to a new master its harder to adapt to the differences in what or how your being taught.
Everyones different you may have no trouble but its something to be aware of...

In the time you mentioned you've been training, IMHO i think its not to much of a "Dis" to want to change to another master, but i always adhere to the upfront honest policy, being, you should just have a heart to heart with your current master explaining your personal reason for wanting to move on.

[anerlich]

i always adhere to the upfront honest policy, being, you should just have a heart to heart with your current master explaining your personal reason for wanting to move on.

I agree, not so much for "Kung fu ettiquette" but just plain common courtesy.

[planetwc]

Your real determination will be, how accurately can you measure the teaching effectiveness of either teacher?

Lineage is nice, but it only goes so far in the scheme of transmission of martial skill.

You have experience with your current teacher. You can make a judgement there about his willingness to teach you, his willingness to work out and correct you and how motivated YOU are to take his teaching and develop your own skill.

Observe a class with the new teacher, don't rely on the words of others.
Get a feel of if you will click with this teacher and what his approach is.
Will you get the same level of attention that you get from your current teacher?

What are your goals in learning Wing Chun? What do you expect to gain from it?
How will you measure success?

Then, evaluate which teacher will help you reach your goals.

[kungfu cowboy]

If you get married are you going to switch partners everytime you see someone that is more sexually attractive and has better breeding potential?

No! Make new friends, and keep the old ones!

[g0pher]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I train one to one with my Sifu which makes it more of a quandry, if i was a member of a club i don't think that i would feel so bothered about it but it is because of the emotional attachment to your Sifu who is teaching you a skill, albeit for hard currency, that makes it tough.

If you train one on one and you have problems learning or with his teaching methods then maybe you should talk to your teacher about it. Is it a language problem? Is he going to fast? Are you frustrated? You did say you are a beginning student with only a few months of experience. Is the system difficult? Are the movements abstract? If you feel frustrated, maybe you could give your body a few more months to get used to the movement. Kung fu isn't exactly the easiest thing you will ever do. It takes decades to get any "good" (whatever that is). Or maybe you just want to train with some one more famous? It can be any one of these, or something else. Search yourself.

[anerlich]

No! Make new friends, and keep the old ones!

No offence, but IMO where MOTOS are concerned, you'll end up staring Doom in the face.