Martial Talk's GMA Martial Arts Lineages

[Tony Dismukes]

He claims to have taken an Oath not to reveal Both his Kenpo teacher and his Wing Chun teacher.

You've probably already figured this out already, but this is total bunk. No instructor makes his students swear an oath not to reveal who taught them. Even if you managed to find one paranoid teacher with such a rule, I can't imagine finding two in a single lifetime.

Now it's possible the guy swore an oath to himself not to tell anybody that info. If so, it's probably for some reason like a falling out with his former instructors, he learned from videos, he lied about his rank, etc..

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I have tried for a few years to research my past lineage for a historical background. mostly because my past instructor will not tell anyone who he studied from in both his arts Kenpo and Wing Chun. He claims to have taken an Oath not to reveal Both his Kenpo teacher and his Wing Chun teacher. When I started martial arts Lineage was not even something that was thought of. I was more into the practicality and effectiveness of the art. The reason for the research is that my past instructor developed his own system of Kenpo by taking Ed Parker's name and attacks from EPAK and creating his own defenses techniques. and after making it through his system my focus started to change and I began to research Ed Parker's actual system. so I wanted to know why he changed his system and what background he came from, mostly because what he created did not flow and move like people from EPAK. So he wouldn't answer my questions and I moved on to another teacher. but to Quote Tony Dismukes "For those of us who are interested in history, it can help understand the background and development of what we study."

2000-2015 Past Lineage (American Kenpo/Wing Chun)
?? Mystery??? ----> Mike Agbay ----> Me
2014-Current Lineage (Ed Parker's American Kenpo)
Chow --> Ed Parker -->Gilbert Velez ---> Doreen Direnzo (Coogliandro) ---> Dave Staples ----> Me

Just my take on this. If someone says they took an oath never to reveal their instructor, they probably don't have any decent background. There may be exceptions, but I wouldn't accept their word that they were. Only if they were truly amazing, both as a practitioner and as an instructor, would I even entertain the thought of training with them.

 

[swhitney222]

You've probably already figured this out already, but this is total bunk. No instructor makes his students swear an oath not to reveal who taught them. Even if you managed to find one paranoid teacher with such a rule, I can't imagine finding two in a single lifetime.

Yup

If someone says they took an oath never to reveal their instructor, they probably don't have any decent background. There may be exceptions, but I wouldn't accept their word that they were.

I agree,

but when I started I was 15 years old and had no education in the martial arts. lineage was not even an idea and was more of an assumption. Once the topic came up I was to far into the system and teaching for him to turn back. So I completed his entire system and moved on.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yup



I agree,

but when I started I was 15 years old and had no education in the martial arts. lineage was not even an idea and was more of an assumption. Once the topic came up I was to far into the system and teaching for him to turn back. So I completed his entire system and moved on.

This, unfortunately, is how folks like that stay in business. Most of us don't know enough early in our training to spot this, especially those of us who grew up watching martial arts movies of the 70's, where this kind of nonsense was commonly seen. Most of us just got lucky and found someone who was a good instructor. I remember my best friend found someone I know now was probably like that guy.

 

[hoshin1600]

this is why the internet and web sight like this are so important. In the past information was not availible we had to accept what was told to us. now with the internet people should be able to know more before starting. but knowing that they should research is another factor.
knowing what you should be looking for is also a problem for new students.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

this is why the internet and web sight like this are so important. In the past information was not availible we had to accept what was told to us. now with the internet people should be able to know more before starting. but knowing that they should research is another factor.
knowing what you should be looking for is also a problem for new students.

And I still see schools/programs with a one-page website, with no information about the instructor, the art, their focus, or anything. Just a picture, the address, and maybe a phone number. That would have been useful in 1997.

 

[Buka]

A martial arts guy taking an oath to shut up about anything is like a fish swearing not to swim.

 

[JR 137]

I have tried for a few years to research my past lineage for a historical background. mostly because my past instructor will not tell anyone who he studied from in both his arts Kenpo and Wing Chun. He claims to have taken an Oath not to reveal Both his Kenpo teacher and his Wing Chun teacher. When I started martial arts Lineage was not even something that was thought of. I was more into the practicality and effectiveness of the art. The reason for the research is that my past instructor developed his own system of Kenpo by taking Ed Parker's name and attacks from EPAK and creating his own defenses techniques. and after making it through his system my focus started to change and I began to research Ed Parker's actual system. so I wanted to know why he changed his system and what background he came from, mostly because what he created did not flow and move like people from EPAK. So he wouldn't answer my questions and I moved on to another teacher. but to Quote Tony Dismukes "For those of us who are interested in history, it can help understand the background and development of what we study."

2000-2015 Past Lineage (American Kenpo/Wing Chun)
?? Mystery??? ----> Mike Agbay ----> Me
2014-Current Lineage (Ed Parker's American Kenpo)
Chow --> Ed Parker -->Gilbert Velez ---> Doreen Direnzo (Coogliandro) ---> Dave Staples ----> Me

I could see an instructor take not an oath to never reveal who his/her teacher is/was...

The student is so awful that the instructor says "If you EVER tell ANYONE I'm your teacher, I'll f'ing kill you!"

 

[Jenna]

A martial arts guy taking an oath to shut up about anything is like a fish swearing not to swim.

..these talking fish again! wait.. what those are not normal cigarettes you been toking!