Over my time spent flirting with martial arts I have become increasingly puzzled by claims of being "authentic" between persons of ability: When two people who clearly know stuff argue about what they know and whose got the "authentic" transmission of their style.
Take, for example, the issue of where your toes should be pointing in Ma Bu. People will get into full blown disputes as to why the toes should or should not be pointed parallel and how that effects the transition into Gong Bu ignoring the fact that actually there are entirely justifiable reasons for both ways.
Why?