Kung-fu effective?

[Drunken Monkey]

literally or conceptually?

[dippedappe]

well. Would you do both.

[Drunken Monkey]

literally

 

si-fu translates to

 

si=teacher

 

fu=father

 

what it means conceptually, is that the person teaching is more of a father figure.

 

he is there to guide you and to help you and to provide you with support of your training life.

 

it was often considered that your martial arts family is just as important as your real family.

 

i.e

 

not anything like today's version of martial arts schools.

[dippedappe]

not anything like today's version of martial arts schools.

 

But still it should be like that. Right.

[Drunken Monkey]

i'm not sure if it would work anymore.

 

different times, different culture, different society.

 

i have to say that my second wing chun si-fu was like that.

 

there was another guy who trained with us who had a little bit of a problem at home.

 

si fu let him stay with them for a while until things settled down.

 

he also helped him find a job in the mean time and acted as mediator between him and family.

 

but then again, that place wasn't a big time school and it wasn't exactly his main profession.

 

it was his passion as it were and he was kinda old fashioned about training wing chun.

 

he didn't like it when i said i was going to the tkd class at uni.

 

he didn't object as he did say that it would be good to do new things just as long as i don't let my wing chun slip.

 

i think i got extra hard training after that.....

[dippedappe]

I like every classes where we are about only two or three, because then they are tougher and you learn more.

 

But I guess your right.

[Drunken Monkey]

depends on the style.

 

sometimes, it is better to cross hands with as many different people as possible.

 

at the end of the day, how hard you work is down to you.

 

no offence but saying you don't learn enough cos there are too many people is too much like an excuse.

 

granted that when there are a lot of students there will be those who don't work as hard and these people can mean you work less but then, it is your job to make them work.

 

that is kinda part of the chinese family system.

 

you are there not just to learn from the teacher (ignoring the sifu ideals),

 

you are also there to help the newer guys learn.

 

after all, if you can get the new guys to work harder and learn more and get better quicker,

 

then the group as a whole will progress quicker and get onto newer things quicker.

[dippedappe]

Thats where my Not-so-social teacher looses. Only the teacher may help the students. And he has a great habit of not being able to teach us after the class. We never get to the more advanced tecnikes, like dan dau and alike(also nonweapons ofcause). Its because he thinks we arent good enough(and that includes those that has studied for three and four years), only his two faverete students has learned that. And those are just some of the anoying things about him. also, the newcomers(and they breeds like rabits) that are not so serious, pulls us back.

 

I have asked him if we could get a class for advanced students(like almost all other schools have) but nooo.

[Noob]

Just some experiences I thought I'd share, I know it's not like this everywhere. To me, these are reasons why Kung Fu is more effective.

 

It is not the art that is or is not effective, but the teacher and its practitioners.

 

I agree with the fact that effectiveness lies in ones skill, either teacher or the actual practitioner - however I believe that there are certain aspects that will make Kung Fu or any other martial art more effective for a single person. For example, direct one on one training or whatever else.

age/years has no baring on whether or not you are a 'si-fu'

 

you don't suddenly become a si-fu after x amount of years.

 

This part I did know. I guess it varies on the attitude and skill level of the person, I should have written it took my Sifu that period of time.

being a si-fu is about taking on a student.

 

(or someone wants to be your student).

 

not all top class kung fu guys have students.

 

technically, these guys who don't teach (professionally) aren't a si-fu cos they have no students.

 

it is also the case that not all who teach are si-fu cos they consider themselves to be teaching for their own si-fu.

 

I had an idea but I wasn't completely sure that's that being a Sifu meant, some Sensei's in our club don't teach..at least yet. I'm guessing the same doesn't go for a Sifu?

if i were to teach you wing chun, i would say that i was teaching you kinda on behalf of my si-fu.

 

i would also say that i wasn't training you properly and that you'd have to go to my si-fu to learn more.

 

That's a really great example of what it is to teach. My Sifu was only titled Sifu after his Sifu stopped teaching due to old age, and only then was he "oppointed" Sifu by his.

[47MartialMan]

age/years has no baring on whether or not you are a 'si-fu'

 

you don't suddenly become a si-fu after x amount of years.

 

But does age demonstrate more experience?

 

being a si-fu is about taking on a student.

 

(or someone wants to be your student).

 

So, one that teaches, even incorrectly, is a Sifu?

 

not all top class kung fu guys have students.

 

technically, these guys who don't teach (professionally) aren't a si-fu cos they have no students.

 

it is also the case that not all who teach are si-fu cos they consider themselves to be teaching for their own si-fu.

 

if i were to teach you wing chun, i would say that i was teaching you kinda on behalf of my si-fu.

 

i would also say that i wasn't training you properly and that you'd have to go to my si-fu to learn more.

 

But what of a guy, that trained on/off for about 5 years, received a Asst Instructor Certification, and teaches his Sifu's art, but calls it by another name, his newly created name. And he does this without his Sifu's knowledge and blessing?