How do kung fu teachers in China teach?

[kal]

Do they have classes where everyone works together and where the teacher is active and highly involved in the lesson?

Or are they more casual, with students being left to work individually on whatever they want with the teacher coming around to look? (More of a supervised practice session than a formal lesson)?

 

[Xue Sheng]

It depends on the sifu.

It depends on who is being taught.

It depends on the style.

It depends on a lot of things.

Some teach in the park to whoever shows up, some teach in the park to only their admitted students. Some teach in their home, some teach in a school, some do all of the above. Some are strict, some are not, some are openly teaching others are not and some are not teaching at all.

And in China you will also find Muay Thai schools, BJJ schools, Kendo schools and just about any other style you want.

 

[ggg214]

in chinese word, it's said once he becomes your sifu, in whole life you should respect him as your father.
from this, you can figure out what the relationship is between sifu and its student.
therefore, it's hard imagine students in a public class are all accepted as son of the teacher.

 

[mook jong man]

Our Sigung teaches in his home in Hong Kong i think they train everyday from 5pm to 11pm. If you train there you start off doing Sil lum tao form and not much else , then when he thinks you are ready you learn single chi sao , then double chi sau .

It is very informal from what i hear i mean people go out do their shopping or whatever and come back in and keep training. But his most serious students would probably be averageing 6 hours of chi sau everynight .

Not many westerners can stand this type of training , but he does
produce students with unbelievable power . He has said that when he first started with Yip Man lessons did not get interesting till after the first year because all they did was the sil lum tao form , its a far cry from some people today who expect to get taught the wooden dummy form after three months.

Also his teaching method is very hands on he will correct your posture and positioning by physically putting your arms in the right position and indicating which muscles have to be relaxed etc.

 

[Xue Sheng]

In Beijing many see their Sifu 5 to 7 times a week and the length of time training per day with your Sifu varies as do the locations depending on the Sifu. Heck there is a Kendo school there that is open 7 days a week.

But you had best train a lot or you may be kicked out. But again this depends on the Sifu. Many Sifu’s in Beijing today have caught onto the westerner cash cow and for them it is considerably easier, teach less charge more.

I have heard however that some of the more serious sifus have taken there schools to less public places to avoid the non-serious onlooker. Also there are other sifus that will train a westerner as hard as a Beijingren but they will charge you more.

 

[arnisador]

You might look at the book "Iron and Silk" by Mark Salzman for one particular story along these lines.

 

[JadeDragon3]

Depends on the Sifu. A lot of times you will spend the first 6 months or even the first year going over nothing but maybe horse stance and maybe one strike before ever learning anything else. This is to test you and see how dedicated you are and to see if you are of good charactor etc....etc.... Once the teacher determines that you are worthy to teach then you will learn a lot more. Now weather its learning in a group or privately, thats up to the teacher and your relationship with him.

 

[TenTigers]

My Sifu is from Guangzhao. But he lives in NYC Chinatown. He only knows two words in English-"Good," and "Again!"

-and I'm gonna kill the sumbich who taught him,"Again!"

 

[Xue Sheng]

My Sifu is from Guangzhao. But he lives in NYC Chinatown. He only knows two words in English-"Good," and "Again!"

-and I'm gonna kill the sumbich who taught him,"Again!"

My first sifu was from Qufu and he knew "one more time" and after hearing that 10 to 30 times I would have to say I too wanted to kill the sumbich who taught him, "one more time"

 

[JadeDragon3]

My Sifu is from Guangzhao. But he lives in NYC Chinatown. He only knows two words in English-"Good," and "Again!"

-and I'm gonna kill the sumbich who taught him,"Again!"

Thats funny. One of my sifu would try to say "just do it" but it would sound like he was saying "jus doeeeet".

 

[East Winds]

ggg214

"in chinese word, it's said once he becomes your sifu, in whole life you should respect him as your father".

So true. But we don't do that in the west, do we?? That is the way I am taught to respect my teacher. That is also why I do not train any other systems except those attached to Traditional Yang Taiji. Many thanks for that post.

Very bets wishes

 

[JadeDragon3]

ggg214

"in chinese word, it's said once he becomes your sifu, in whole life you should respect him as your father".

So true. But we don't do that in the west, do we?? That is the way I am taught to respect my teacher. That is also why I do not train any other systems except those attached to Traditional Yang Taiji. Many thanks for that post.
Very bets wishes

I have always said that my sifu is like my second dad. We have that student teacher relationship while in class but outside of class he is more than just a kung fu teacher to me. He helps me with any problem i might have, he gives me advice, we go eat chinese food together, we'll go out and get a drink sometimes, etc.... I respect my teacher to the fullest though. I think thats how it should be. He's been my sifu for close to 20 years.

 

[Xue Sheng]

ggg214

"in chinese word, it's said once he becomes your sifu, in whole life you should respect him as your father".

So true. But we don't do that in the west, do we?? That is the way I am taught to respect my teacher. That is also why I do not train any other systems except those attached to Traditional Yang Taiji. Many thanks for that post.

Very bets wishes

And ggg214 is not in the west either, he is in China.

I'm going to regret this and that means that I should hit the back button and not post at all but hell it's Monday and those are never good so here goes

I have great respect for my Yang Taijiquan sifu and he knew I trained Xingyiquan and I do not feel he thought I was showing any disrespect to him by doing so. I also do not feel that I am showing him any disrespect either.

And Tung Ying Chieh had 2 sifus that he appears to have had great respect for and both his teachers seem to have been rather happy with him as well Li Hsiang Yuan and Yang Chengfu.

Sun Lutang had multiple teachers as well as did many of the Xingyi/Bagua people of old. And there are many more as well. And there are also those that trained with one sifu and after that sifu died took a hell of a lot of credit for things that he shouldn’t have and that is, IMO, showing great disrespect. At least one rather well known student of Yang Chengfu is guilty of this.

I honestly do not think that the fact one trains greater than one style is showing any disrespect for a teacher at all. If you are honest and up front with what you are doing and listening to what he/she tells you where is the disrespect?

 

[JadeDragon3]

And ggg214 is not in the west either, he is in China.
I'm going to regret this and that means that I should hit the back button and not post at all but hell it's Monday and those are never good so here goes
I have great respect for my Yang Taijiquan sifu and he knew I trained Xingyiquan and I do not feel he thought I was showing any disrespect to him by doing so. I also do not feel that I am showing him any disrespect either.
And Tung Ying Chieh had 2 sifus that he appears to have had great respect for and both his teachers seem to have been rather happy with him as well Li Hsiang Yuan and Yang Chengfu.
Sun Lutang had multiple teachers as well as did many of the Xingyi/Bagua people of old. And there are many more as well. And there are also those that trained with one sifu and after that sifu died took a hell of a lot of credit for things that he shouldn’t have and that is, IMO, showing great disrespect. At least one rather well known student of Yang Chengfu is guilty of this.
I honestly do not think that the fact one trains greater than one style is showing any disrespect for a teacher at all. If you are honest and up front with what you are doing and listening to what he/she tells you where is the disrespect?

My teacher really didn't mind me studying other systems of m.a. When I went away to college I started studying other systems. I told my sifu back home that it was the only way to keep practicing what I already new and to stay in shape. He was fine with that but made me promise not to forget my roots were in CMA.

 

[Unkogami]

Depends on the Sifu. A lot of times you will spend the first 6 months or even the first year going over nothing but maybe horse stance and maybe one strike before ever learning anything else. This is to test you and see how dedicated you are and to see if you are of good charactor etc....etc.... Once the teacher determines that you are worthy to teach then you will learn a lot more. Now weather its learning in a group or privately, thats up to the teacher and your relationship with him.

Is that how your first year of training was in China?

 

[JadeDragon3]

Is that how your first year of training was in China?

That's how my first year was pretty much when I studied HERE in the USA. But it was under a Chinese man who escaped from mainland China back in the late 60's (i think) and made it here to the good ole' USA. Him and 12 others escaped and only 7 made it.

 

[Unkogami]

That's how my first year was pretty much when I studied HERE in the USA. But it was under a Chinese man who escaped from mainland China back in the late 60's (i think) and made it here to the good ole' USA. Him and 12 others escaped and only 7 made it.

Then when did you train in China?

 

[JadeDragon3]

Then when did you train in China?

Same time you did I guess.

WTF do you mean when did I train in China? I didn't. I never said I did.

 

[Unkogami]

Same time you did I guess. .

1994~95?

WTF do you mean when did I train in China? I didn't. I never said I did.

Oh, you didn't? Ok. Your previous comments sure made it seem as if you had, or that you were trying to give that impression.

I see now.

 

[JadeDragon3]

1994~95?



Oh, you didn't? Ok. Your previous comments sure made it seem as if you had, or that you were trying to give that impression.

I see now.

No I don't think you do see. I never implied any such thing. I was ALWAYS upfront. I stated that my Sifu had trained and lived there for about 7 years or so and that he took some other students there and I had the oppertunity to go but chose to go to Italy with my parents instead. I NEVER implied I trained in China. Thats just your overactive imagination at work trying to figure a way to discredit me.