Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back

[Jimi]

Why do people train in Jun Fan Gung Fu/ Jeet Kune Do nowa days? I am sure many people train in JFGF/JKD for good reason, but it seems to me that there are as many or more people in JFGF/JKD circles now who simply want to be associated with Bruce Or Dan Or whomever they see as an authority just to pat themselves on the back. So many people seem to just want to use the association with whomever to prove they deserve respect (butt kissing), yet I have seen apprentices act like spoiled children at seminars. Calling no apprentice by name, but I was at a Guro Dan Inosanto seminar in 1993 when Guro Dan called everyone into a circle to see a Silat foolowup on the ground. As everyone gathered, an apprentice sat about 15 feet away in a folding chair, arm around his girlfriend with a notebook in his lap and said loudly " out of the way, I can't see". Well everyone looked, saw who it was and scrambled like rats as not to offend this favored "child". I thought to myself, this guy gets private instruction from Guro Dan and yet he feels he is too good to get on the floor to review what he had already had experience with. I paid over $150 for the weekend, and to see an apprentice behave like that got me a little PO'd. Almost a year later, I was lucky enough to attend another of Guro Dan's seminars, yep, the same guy stood about 5- 10 yards away from the demonstration of a Shootwrestling submission and sure enough, a loud "everybody down" hit the room, again people scrambled. I this what an apprentice thinks of his place near Guro Dan? Yes I am bitter, but I don't act a spoiled brat at such a function. I know this is a rant, but I just want to know, do other apprentice instructors behave like this? I am sure that I am not the only one to ever see such behavior. I have not been around Guro Dan seminars in part for this very reason. Anyone else seen anything like this, or am I overly sensitive? If not, I can bury this now that I have gotten it off my chest. Thanks for hearing me out. PEACE

 

[cfr]

I would be annoyed too. Myself, Im in JKD because of where I train, not the style itself. You could almost say we are like a strong side forward kickboxing school that emphasizes a lot on stop hits/ stop kicks/ interceptions. We do practice some trapping/ locks/ sweeps etc. But mostly what we do is punching/ kicking/ elbows/ knees the way I described. We do it often. That is what we work on the most as thats what we believe in. We believe that the more we train those basics, the harder and faster we will be able to punch and kick. I wouldnt care if it wasnt called JKD... in fact I wouldn't care if it didnt have a name at all. Im in JKD simply because it employs the training methods I believe in, not at all because of the name.

 

[Turbo]

If I paid for the seminar I would have told him to get up next time and maybe he will get a good enough spot to watch like everyone else.

He sounds like an ******* !!!

 

[DeLamar.J]

Wait for him to give a sparring demo and then spank him like the child he is.

 

[Jimi]

Thanks Turbo, I agree, he is an *******! But he also has his Instructor rank from Dan the Man! It was a while ago, but it's still hard to let it go. If I were lucky enough to stand with Guro Dan at that level, I would be more helpfull, instead of patting myself on the back. Hey DeLamar.J, I would love to have schooled the guy, but I am sure my Instructor would have been upset with me. (schooled a few other guys acting a fool in my opinion in our club years ago, and my Instructor seemed to feel I should have left my D.C. back alley attitude in the gutter and out of his club, even though the guys were out of line in some drills with me) Maybe this Apprentice/Instructor has changed or some-else may have set him straight. Ever since he temp. lost his seminar privelages (did I spell that right?) he seems to just be happy with hanging the Inosanto flag & getting paid. Still bitter, such is life. PEACE