8-Step at Houston Event in April

[Three Harmonies]

ED
When I first saw this I had the same thoguhts as you... what a great opportunity. But then the details came out and I feel it is a "great opportunity wasted." They could be doing so much more with an event like this, and frankly it seems like a complete waste of time and money.
Maybe, maybe, if I lived within driving distance I would check it out, but no way with the cost of airfare would I fly in.
Too bad!
Jake

[Michael Dasargo]

Hey Jake, ED,

I agree with you guys 100%.

But you guys know me, the idealist. I'll see what I can do while I'm there to influence future events and gatherings.

All the best,
M.Dasargo

[lapu_squared]

I must say I have to agree that the event is no longer specific enough to 8-Step that it would warrant paying for airline tickets and hotel reservations. Originally, we had big plans for sharing more 8-Step publicly. Unfortunately, due to many factors--including some internal politics that I won't go into--the 8-Step sessions kept getting cut.

Having said that, I still think the event would be good to attend for local Houston people with a general interested in various martial arts styles.

Also, I have to say that a lot of effort has gone into bringing some very high-profile 8-Step people here from Taiwan, Canada, and various locations around the U.S. If these people enjoy getting back together again (after decades of not having seen each other in some cases) then we'll have a much better chance of organizing another event in the future that's dedicated more exclusively to 8-Step.

So, I would only ask that those who are friends of the 8-Step community help us out in three ways:
(a) Forgive us for not being able to quite pull it off this time around.
(b) Appreciate that a lot of people have gone to a lot of effort to take an important first step forward in bringing the traditional 8-Step community back together.
(c) Support us in the future when we try to get another event organized that's more specific to 8-Step.

Again, I wish we could have gotten lots of 8-Step material out in the public this time around, but it proved to be just too big a battle for us to fight at this time.

On a separate note, I'll be traveling to Houston and would be happy to meet anyone else who still decides to come, regardless of how many 8-Step events are on the agenda.

[Three Harmonies]

So Su is doing Bagua seminar now!?!?! Strange.

I know I sound like a broken record, but politics will be the death of CMA! Time to start growing up in these respects. Unfortunately there are more people concerned with their own ego than with the art/community at large. Until that changes, nothing will be any different.
Best of luck in the future,
Jake

[Onjer]

I've not been able to figure something out. Grand Master Wei's main student, that was with him everyday for 30 plus years, and featured predominently in his book, was teaching 8-Step in So. Cal. since the late '80's - i.e. Lin Chun-fu. Very few student sought him out.

Never meaning any disrespect to the other students of Grand Master Wei, but most of them spent..., maybe 3 yrs. with him. People traveled to Taiwan to train with them.

I can't quite figure out why he had so few students. It's not like Orange Co. is a hard place to get to. He had a profoundly deep understanding of Wei's art. I'm so sorry so few got to experience it.

[DMK]

Living in the Houston Area I am excited the Demo and workshops will be here.
CMA in Houston is not that big and very little northern flavor. 8 step praying mantis schools do not exist here and havent in quite sometime. I have noticed more modern wushu and southern arts here.
The Demo will show case both modern and classical martial arts.
I am hoping the event has a big turnout, maybe this will open doors for the future .

[yu shan]

Lou

I have thought about this as well. Your Shifu training with Master Wei for many many years. I have come across teachers under Master Lin that claim to still be in SoCal. Do you have shi-xiongs still in L.A. I use to enjoy reading Paul`s posts here, he had quality information about BaBu. How is Paul, you can pm me. Until you arrived here, most of the BaBu posted here is just a bunch of ego sh*t. Nice to hear from a student of Master Lin. I would like to visit you some day.

Jim

[EarthDragon]

Michael D. Any help and effort you put forth would be greatly appricated. lapu and others i would do whatever it takes to promote, coordinate and help bring a 8 step event to NY or where ever, and love to really get into detail with the system and its workings, teachers and masters.

Lapu, see if you can speak with them and lets start working on it after houston

[Three Harmonies]

Mike Martello will be teaching some Babu Tanglang when he next visit's the US. No dates confirmed yet, but we are looking at late Summer, early Fall sometime. Stay tuned.

Yu Shan your post about Babu post's seems a little negative energy wise!

Cheers
Jake

[EarthDragon]

I heard that the last seminar Mike M had, he did no mantis at all..... only the concept of the stance. something about sick of all the hiarchy.. care to ellaborate anyone?

[Three Harmonies]

Not sure who you are talking to, but they are wrong.
Mike works principles of movement. We worked Mantis a whole weekend. I have a guess who you spoke to that came to the seminar, and...well......................

Mike is so far away from the silliness of the CMA that it is not even funny. So I could see how many students did not "get" what he was trying to convey. For the rest of us it was great! Top notch stuff that hardly anyone is offering in todays Chinese Martial Community.

Cheers
Jake

[German Bai Lung]

And even if Mike is working on "only" one stance: for the most it is so much information and stuff to work on, that their Kung Fu would only become better than.
Many teachers should be doing more "basic" stuff instead of teaching a whole form in one day. This brings people nowhere. Even the so called advanced Mantis folk and teacher.

But well ... a seminar and only one stance .. what a waste ...

[EarthDragon]

well, thanks for the replies. And its nice to hear opposite opinions... BTW it was not directed at anyone in particular, just something I heard from another advanced mantis player who made the trip, but everyone is different and what might please one will not please all.

GBL, I totally understand your point. I have been to seminars that try to shove too much down your throat in too little time and you walk away with 20 half a$$ techniques instead of 2 really good ones that you wind up forgetting anyways, but people feel they need to get to most for thier buck and it becomes a matter of quanity, not quality. What a shame

My first MA teacher taught very slowly at times it seemd too slow as i was a teenager and in a hurry to get my black belt.... but after seeing others form it was clear that time and repitition paid off.

[Three Harmonies]

Well I am not sure what/who the "advanced" Mantis student was (most everyone there had less experience than I, and I am certainly not "advanced"). And I have no clue what "stance" they were talking about. Apparently they either are flat out lying, or were not paying attention at all. Mike Desargo was there, but again I doubt he would say something like that as he is still a student and learned a lot more than a stance.
Be careful of who you listen to. People talk all sorts of ****, but few have anything to say.
Jake

[LingChuanPai]

Tho I read the posts here, I havent been posting here in a long while, due to this type of garbage that totally plagues this forum. I attended Sifu Martellos seminar in Seattle. If the person that's talkin trash is the "advanced" one I think they are....they have a long way to go. A person's skill tells alot about their training and dedication to their art. This person came late in the seminar and didnt stay very long. How do you expect to gain anything from a seminar unless you attend start to finish?
First off, Jake holds great seminars! If he brings someone in, they're top notch and he shows hospitality to all above and beyond any standards. Opening his home to me on several occasions. Thanks Jake!
Second, Very few people have the full understanding of body mechanics alone, not to mention the ability to breakdown movement and control to even the most entry level student. Sifu Mike is oustanding as a person. Modest, honest, and has not the slightist bit of bulls*** about him. Too many "teachers/instructors/Gompas/Masters" have some wacky azz stories that never add up in the end and just dissapoint you. The charlatins are many but the Real ones are few. If you never met Mike Laoshi, I suggest you take the opportunity and check out any of his seminars.
Thanks Jake and thanks Sifu Mike!,
~Jason