Only teach rich students

[David Jamieson]

Train the hungry ones.
They will find a way.

"rich" usually metes out as "lazy and boorish". They can be pain in the ass students.

Train the eager, the hungry, the desirous. Train them until they are no longer eager, hungry or desiring.

done.

[GeneChing]

One shall not sell his/her skills even if he/she will be paid ten thousand ounces of gold, but one may pass on his/her skills to a dedicated student whom he/she has just met on a crossing street

See Traditional Wushu and Competition Wushu by An Tianrong and Aiping Cheng

[YouKnowWho]

I encountered this attitude while living in China.

Its not just about competition. A rich student can afford not to work at all and devote all of his time to training. So he can achieve a higher level. Making training the only thing you do makes a big difference. Even if while working you train every available moment, you still have too many other pressures and stresses to allow your mind to completely absorb the training.

Most great masters are only interested in a student who has the free time to become really good. And most often that is those who are rich, or those who can sacrifice everything else. Free time is the best thing money can buy. Its what I spend mine on.

May be only Chinese can see TCMA development from this angle. Old Chinese saying said, "穷文富武(Qiong Wen Fu Wu) - scholar is for the poor. MA is for the rich". I have not seen anybody who worry about how to make a living all his life and become good in TCMA. The moment that person starts to look good, he joins in work force and worry about his car and mortgage payments.

YouKnowWho, out of curiosity, and of course without revealing too much information, does your friend's students primarily demonstrate their skills through taolu, shuai jiao, or sanda?

There is no taolu in Chinese wrestling. Most of his students compete in Shuai Jiao and Sanda.

[md1]

"Teach ONLY the rich kids" Don't think I ever taught a rich kid. Thinking back over the years I must have taught 5 or 6 kids that didn't have any money at all. I will put them to work cleaning the school though.

I don't make any money at this anyway, most times I just pay the rent.
Guess I never got into it to make money so if I can help someone along to road of life why not.

If they are willing to learn, teach everyone that walks through the door.

[RenDaHai]

May be only Chinese can see TCMA development from this angle. Old Chinese saying said, "穷文富武(Qiong Wen Fu Wu) - scholar is for the poor. MA is for the rich". I have not seen anybody who worry about how to make a living all his life and become good in TCMA. The moment that person starts to look good, he joins in work force and worry about his car and mortgage payments..

Haha, yeah, I've heard that one a few times, Chong wen fu wu..... there is truth to it. Especially if you think about the way things were 100 or more years ago.

I should clarify for everyone else here, It doesn't mean masters sell their skills to the highest bidder, they don't. Its not about the money the master gets, its about the student having free time.

What happens a lot in China is a master teaches a kid for ten years, teaches him well, then the guy gets a job, married and has a kid and forgets all his training and never trains again. The master feels he has wasted his time.

A Master would rather teach a slightly older student who has chosen his lifestyle. And someone who has enough money or who can make enough sacrifices so they can dedicate themselves to training completely.

Look at it historically, The master doesn't want to make a lot of profit, but if they teach you all day every day they need to be kept. And you need to keep yourself while training. That requires a bit of scratch.

[David Jamieson]

In my opinion, a "master" fully expects the student to leave. What the student leaves with is another matter, but they will always leave and make their own way. Just like the "master" has.

[Jimbo]

Of course, there's never any guarantee that any student will stick with CMA for life, rich or poor. Besides the responsibilities of job/family/etc., many (most?) will lose interest or motivation to some degree or other over time. People do find other interests. A teacher should be happy to get a good student. It's not as if people in general are gathering in droves and simply dying to learn CMA. Teaching any student guarantees nothing, no matter how naturally talented, rich, or poor they are.

I will say that even people with less finances can often afford more than they'd admit to, if they really want something. There are 'poor' kids who will drop $300 for a pair of fancy basketball shoes. Lots of people who say they're strapped for cash have no problem spending $150 to $200 or more for a night on the town, every week. I know a guy who goes on surfing trips to Bali for up to 2 weeks at a time about every other year, and he's a far cry from being rich.

In a lot of cases, it comes down to what's really important to the individual.

[TenTigers]

on one hand, you want your students to be able to afford more than simply paying tuition.
If they barely scratch enough to make tuition, then they won't be

buying equipment, gear, weapons
going to tournaments
going to seminars, events

that being said, I do have some students on "scholarship," and some pay through barter (construction etc)
I also sell gear that has been "donated" to the school (left behind by ex-students, or outgrown,etc)
at a much lower cost-$30.00 for hands,feet, head, and chest
as opposed to $194.00 for new complete set.
I also have incentives-say if you bring in people who sign up, one item per new student. If you bring in three who sign up, you get the complete package.
and I have footed the bill for tournaments for top performers who couldn't afford the entry fee.

[David Jamieson]

In a lot of cases, it comes down to what's really important to the individual.

In every case it comes down to what the person values.

Having said that, 300 bucks for a pair of kicks when you are poor means you are also stupid...which is probably why you're poor. Vicious cycle there....

[omarthefish]

The Chinese expression about poor scholars and rich warriors is out of date. It doesn't apply any more.

The main reason is "poor" just aint what it used to be. "Poor" when that Chinese expression showed up meant living in a mud brick home with a dirt floor and eating mainly just thin rice gruel for subsitance with meat pretty much just on holidays and other special occasions. As Jimbo said, there are really not many people out there today in developed countries who are so poor they can not afford any of this stuff.

Heck, I thought I was poor living on a Chinese income and all that (about 550$/month) but I still managed to come up with the scratch for a 5 day trip to Hong Kong to participate in a big tournament. I couldn't have done it on short notice but as long as I knew long enough in advance I could manage. It's just how I have organized my life these days.

Jimbo pointed out $300 sneakers. How about $200/iPhones? The latest playstation? A decent laptop? Everyong makes their choices. Poor is poor but MA just ain't really that expensive.

[Syn7]

Just had a phone conversation with my friend. Through the discussion, there was one subject that interest me. He just told one of his students only to teach rich students. I asked him why and here was the reason that he gave me.

In some TCMA system, to test your skill in tournament environment is "extreamly" important. If you teach a poor student, he won't be able to afford to travel around the world, compete in national level and international level tournaments, and test his skill against the best of the best in the world. That student's "MA skill development" and "MA experience accumulation" will always be limited no matter how talent he is and how good that you may teach him. Of course that student can always compete in local tournaments. He may become a big fish in a small pond. Will he become a big fish in open sea? You and that student will never have chance to find that out.

What's your opinion on this?

Your friend is a wee bit of an elitist d1ckhead. that's my opinion. I'm surprised you associate with people of such low moral caliber. You come across as a real stand up guy. I'm hoping that his words bother you as much as they bother me.

[Syn7]

Also it needs to be said that American poor and Chinese dirt farmer poor are in a whole different class of poverty.

[Syn7]

In every case it comes down to what the person values.

Having said that, 300 bucks for a pair of kicks when you are poor means you are also stupid...which is probably why you're poor. Vicious cycle there....

It's amazing how many poor kids have Jordans. Very sad. When I was in elementary school I was made fun of coz I had cheap shoes. I didn't care tho. I got mine. Of course that has a lot to do with why as a youth I felt justified in taking theirs.

[David Jamieson]

When I was a kid, we wanted Keds.



5 bucks a pair!
I still like em now! lol

[jo]

Tournaments are not worth half a pound of dog poop.

Everyone just kick-boxes and there is the pathetic pitty-pat point "fighting".

Oh...and the dancing competition that is sold as "forms" competition.

Go chase the nice trophies and the shiny medals.

Its your time (and money) to waste.

-jo