backfist

To an extent, I can appreciate Tumadre's (y tu mama tambien, verdad?) point that borrowed time for demos and demo rehearsals has to be taken from somewhere. And that somewhere is often the time allocated for new student prospecting. I trained with a guy who's an outstanding martial artist; got me an extra part in a karate flick that actually got some decent play; and now he choreographs fight scenes in movies. But that all came at a price. I, and probably several other students, were literally starving for more MA knowledge but were being neglected and malnourished because of all the time demo'ing or rehearsing. But in another school, it worked just the opposite. A little time spent for demos worked well because the intent was to attract new students, not for ego gratification. Demos can work well depending on the goal.

Concur.

I'm sure that there are exceptions abounding. The main question, however (why more women than men tend to shy away from sparring) does have some anectdotal accuracy. And in my 25 years of MA training, there was something to this phenomenon. And since I'm short, women who were novice at sparring always seemed to gain their confidence on me. Thus, my comments about confidence.

In a word, confidence. Start out with a women's sparring night or women's sparring hour. Once people show interest, they'll be more confident about sparring in general.

Be wary of anyone in America under the age of 150 who claims to teach "true" kung fu.

I agree. Hung Gar, in the generic terminology of hard vs. soft, is a "hard" style from southern China (close fighting, strong blocks and strikes).

My old school requires various students to lead the class in the school prayer. Being a Christian prayer, it presents difficulties when some students are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. In those instances, some students are not required to recite the prayer. Others can decide if they want to recite the prayer, but without references to Christ. The more I think about it, the more I want to have some kind of official prayer in the class. I might lose a little business, but we can't always allow money to win over our principles.

Again, I was staying on task as far as the topic of politics was concerned. I have no problem with changing, modifying, deleting within a style. Nor do I have a problem with affixing a name to a style. Just wanted to make that clear. The issue of politics came up. I opined that even the mere altering of a form, technique or title will bring about politics. Again, not that modifying or adding a name is a bad thing; often it's good. Politics occurs when anything changes or deviates from the norm. Not that change or deviation is bad. Did I mention that adding a name or changing a style wasn't a bad thing?

I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk, it's just that the very names of the styles suggest a personification of them. Wing Chun today (to wit: Wing Tzun, Ving Tsun, and all the ones with someone's name attached) is no less political than Kenpo (to wit: Tracy's Kenpo, Ed Parker Kenpo, Shaolin Kenpo, Kempo, Chinese Kempo, etc.).

For a while I was opposed to contracts in martial arts. I felt it was the first step to commercializing and selling out. But after seeing otherwise great schools with great instructors move from location to location, eventually closing their doors, I began to realize that contracts served a necessary purpose: if 25% of the students are paying for 100% of the students, the school won't be around long and that loyal 25% will lose valuable instruction.

I've trained under those iron fist, drill sergeant types. While they do attract a small listing of students, they don't and won't stay in business. Today, teaching skills as well as good business and interpersonal skills mean the difference between a closed school and a performing one.

Not sure where the notion that Chinese gung fu doesn't work. Any modern style of MA that "does work" owes its foundation to Chinese gung fu. Japanes martial arts? Descendants of Chinese gung fu. Okinawan MA? Descendants of gung fu. Korean? Chinese gung fu. In fact, it can be argued that martials arts owes its beginnings not to the northern and southern Shaolin Monks, but to Bodhidarma (Da Mo per the Chinese), an Indian aristocrat who shared internal and external exercises with the Monks of the Shaolin temples.

Not to be an antagonist, I'd suggest that merely adding one's name as a descriptor of a centuries-old art is "political" in nature.

When I began training as a kid, it was 20 bucks a month. Pay when you can. Many a good school went under. I will use contracts, but as pro-consumer as possible yet not giving away the store. I trained briefly at a great school in Minnesota and, in exchange for tuition I handled the schools collections, i.e., broken contracts. Students were given just about every conceivable opportunity to stay current, but in the end, one student's training relies on another students payments.

Some MA shools, particularly those that are either Kenpo-based or Hawaiian, begin and end class with a Christian prayer. Have others done this, and if so, how do students/parents view it?

I'm planning it. Even if I only net $100/month, it'll be better than the corporate rut I'm in right now.

I understand where you're coming from, kenpo. Having trained in Kajukenbo since childhood, I learned martial arts training was serious. Very little laughter or play. But one thing that I learned as an adult, and as a hopefully successful instructor, is that kids might not need the "serious" instruction that we received. Basics; fundamentals? Yes. Absolutely. But there are ways of reaching kids and having them maximize their potentials for success while they have as much fun as they can. The serious side of martial arts will become more evident as the kids mature.

I know there are numerous associations out there who are always looking for new or prospective instructors. People who have a dream of owning and running their own MA school. These organizations might be useful and helpful, but I get the feeling that it comes at a serious price.

Good Tip. Thanks.

Thanks much.

I have the vision; the passion and the desire to open and run a MA school of my own. Has anyone successfully obtained a small business loan to get started? Investor capital? Any start-up tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Proper hygeine should be part of the MA school rules. I do agree that pulling a student aside could lead to humiliation and resentment, and should be a last resort. But if good hygeine is a rule that all students must be familiar with as part of their curriculum, then a simple reminder--maybe via a monthly newsletter--might work wonders. It's important that each and every student know and believe that good hygeine is as much a show of respect to their fellow students as a bow or other salutation. Moreover, good hygeine in the MA school is an important health issue.

Being almost 40, my competition is limited to once or twice a year, but I still enjoy it tremendously. My serious competition days were back in the late '70s and early '80s. The days of Howard Jackson, Bill Wallace, Nasty Anderson, Billy Blanks and Ray McCallum. Back then, the CKC circuit was very active here in Calif. Tournaments and competitors have changed quite a bit, but I still manage to have a little fun when I do compete.

ok.

Yes sir. He began training in Jun Fan gung fu, later studying Wing Chun under Yip Man. Ironically, Jun Fan gung fu is also the creation of Lee Jun Fan a/k/a Bruce Lee.