How much does your Sifu know?

[geezer]

This is really a question about perspective. How much do you feel your Sifu knows... that is, how much do look at him as an authority on technique, on fighting, and on life in general. And, for those of us who are Sifus as well, how should we present ourselves to our students?

 

[Vajramusti]

This is really a question about perspective. How much do you feel your Sifu knows... that is, how much do look at him as an authority on technique, on fighting, and on life in general. And, for those of us who are Sifus as well, how should we present ourselves to our students?

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Oh boy-didya have to ask? here we go. My honest views:
My sifu- Augustine Fong-in wing chun since 1960-(direct student of Ho Kam Ming) and corrected by Ip Man and is an herbalist, acupuncturist and dit da therapy practitioner..
My sigung Ho Kam Ming- 57 years of wing chun and as direct a student of IP Man (class and private)as you can get.
Sifu is as knowledgeable on wing chun as anyone I have met, seen, read etc.Given my acdemic background- I am a persistent inquirer- have not been disappointed yet with his answers.. personal correction by touch of stance, motion, chi sao, gor sao, jong work,pole, knife, TCM. Major fighting experience. Life in general? I listen to him, lots of wise people, but I am an academic, a practicing philosopher, and with life experience- very much an independent person.
To my students- I am friendly, caring, noticing everyone's martial strengths and weaknesses and potentialities- but I keep sufficient distance and presence for teaching
effectiveness and getting their attention. I try to be selective about who I accept asa student and ease people out if the basic posted rules of the kwoon are flagrantly and repeatedly broken..

I thankful for my good fortune in finding my sifu and also thankful for the opportunity to teach something I dearly love.

joy chaudhuri

 

[Eric_H]

This is really a question about perspective. How much do you feel your Sifu knows... that is, how much do look at him as an authority on technique, on fighting, and on life in general. And, for those of us who are Sifus as well, how should we present ourselves to our students?

Well, my Sifu learned the Wu Dang system and Chin Woo curriculum from his dad, then learned Wing Chun from a different Sifu. He's had dozens of fights (that i know about) in his lifetime, knows more than I can ever hope to about Daoism and is a pretty hardcore Buddhist cultivator. At least for me, he's taught me a lot about just being a man and good person in general on top of fight skill.

As for me (who is still pretty young as an instructor compared to guys like Joy) I think the main things to being an instructor 1) being qualified and 2) honesty and integrity. Know what you're supposed to know, don't try to pretend you know the answer to everything, don't take advantage of people, and learn how to be neutral.

(Un?)Fortunately I've had a lot of examples of people in my martial arts journey who were not very good people, sold you that they knew everything, demanded unquestioning loyalty and straight out robbed people. (One still owes me $3k back.) The easiest thing to do is just don't be like them.

 

[geezer]

As for me (who is still pretty young as an instructor compared to guys like Joy) I think the main things to being an instructor 1) being qualified and 2) honesty and integrity. Know what you're supposed to know, don't try to pretend you know the answer to everything, don't take advantage of people, and learn how to be neutral.

(Un?)Fortunately I've had a lot of examples of people in my martial arts journey who were not very good people, sold you that they knew everything, demanded unquestioning loyalty and straight out robbed people. (One still owes me $3k back.) The easiest thing to do is just don't be like them.

Well put. I've also met some instructors who may have been top notch when it came to technique, but were less than stellar teachers, had oversize egos and undersized consciences. And I've met plenty of students who tend to create a cult around their sifus... as though they know everything about everything. Heck I only have a few students, and some of them are older and wiser in life than I am. Sometimes they have more real-life fighting experience, too (I'm a pretty peaceful guy and avoid trouble). But I have knowledge of my art and try to be a good, caring teacher, concerned about giving quality instruction. And I'm honest about what I know and don't know... which may lose me some students if they are looking for a superstar. I've trained with a few superstars. Sometimes it wasn't that great an experience!

 

[phfman]

My instructors were Chuck Norris in the 60's-70's and Dan Inosanto in the 70's-80's. I think they both knew quite a bit and were good role models for my life and outlook. As for myself... I have always approached my students the way my signature line reads....

 

[wtxs]

for those of us who are Sifus as well, how should we present ourselves to our students?

An normal average joe.

I never refer myself as sifu or teacher or let my "student" call me as such, and be honest of my what little WC that I had acquired, and never promote it as the most killer way of self defense.

I don't "teach" because I'm not of "formally" certified, but share and pass on what I know without monetary compensation ... doing my part of keeping WC alive for our future generation .. as we all should.

 

[geezer]

My instructors were Chuck Norris in the 60's-70's and Dan Inosanto in the 70's-80's.

Chuck who?

 

[WC_lun]

I've been in Chinese martial arts for over 20 years. I can't hold a candle in knowledge to my current sifu. When it comes to fighting and technique, everything he teaches is never contradicted by the knowledge I've gained from my own experiences. As far as life in general, we respect each others experiences and learn from each other in that. Niether one of us are a kid who needs the guidance of someone older when it comes to life in general.

 

[yak sao]

Chuck who?

I think he was the guy in those Mountain Dew commercials

 

[Vajramusti]

A Post script- I have done wing chun for a long time. But one has to start somewhere-so I
taught beginners at first when I moved from Tucson to New mexico I was ahead of them but it wasa good "graduate assistantship" experience.Teaching can further one's learning if you have some guidance...and I did.With my sifu's blessing I opened a school.
Missed Arizona(despite it's craziness) and came back to the Phoenix metro and began to teach more and more.
One of my good students is following a similar path- when he had to move away from Tempe- he started teaching a small group in Arkanasas- then he got a public school teaching job in Alaska after his advanced.graduate teaching degree- and now he is also teaching wing chun in Alaska.There are several other students who are also doing some teaching.Learning and teaching are both great journeys- they can reinforce each other.

joy chaudhuri

 

[HonoluluDan]

My Sifu is also an elementary school teacher, so if he slows it down a little bit from there I can usually keep up....:wink1: I think he's a good teacher not just because of his knowledge or technique, but the way he delivers this knowledge to us. Maybe he gets it by teaching kids all day. And unlike other arts I have studied, where the only time you would see the sifu is when you would bow to him at the beginning and end of class, my current sifu actively participates in class. He makes sure he touches hands with everyone. He also doesn't feel the need to reassert his top dog status by beating someone to a pulp anytime someone gets a hit on him. ( Yes I've seen this happen in other styles). He gives positive reinforcement and constructive criticism.

 

[Vajramusti]

He makes sure he touches hands with everyone. He also doesn't feel the need to reassert his top dog status by beating someone to a pulp anytime someone gets a hit on him. ( Yes I've seen this happen in other styles). He gives positive reinforcement and constructive criticism.

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Those are great qualities in a good sifu.

joy chaudhuri

 

[KamonGuy2]

Ive been training martial arst for a couple of decades now and I still cannot touch the experience and knowledge of my Sifu Kevin Chan

I think the question is - can your sifu show you things that you have not seen or trained before and will they acheive your ultimate goals (ie if you are looking to get fitter, will that happen.. or if you want to learn self defence, can you hold your own)

There are plenty of Sifus out there, and they all have different experiences and different knowledge. If you are training as a beginner, it is important that your instructor is competent, but it does not matter that he is a grandmaster etc

I train BJJ quite a lot at the moment, and as well as training under Kevin Chan (black belt), I also train under a purple belt who blows me away by how much he knows. I get exactly the type of training that I want

Just enjoy your training

 

[Domino]

Not all are like this but apart from fighting methods, techniques and timing when we are ready to progress, I think a good sifu can identify weakness' in his students and help in various ways to correct them on their path.