"Your way of doing WC/WT/VT is so stupid!" ...Or maybe, "Your Sifu is so stupid, he does not really know what is WC/WT/VT!"
I don't if you've ever heard remarks like this, but I sure have. Sometimes coming from ignorant newbies, but also from some old school Chinese instructors with a lot of experience. And they really believe it. I wonder if this doesn't reflect the individualistic and competitive roots of WC/WT in Hong Kong and Fatshan (Fo'shan). Historically there was a lot of rivalry between styles and instructors. And you probably didn't get much of that warm and fuzzy stuff about all kung-fu being good.
The problem with this is that it can really limit you. If someone else does things differently, the assumption must be that they are wrong. Students are told not to visit other schools or practice with other sifu's students... unless it is to challenge and defeat them.
Personally, when I see people doing things differently, I may or may not like what I see, but first I try to consider what they are doing with an open mind. It doesn't mean I will adopt their approach. Just that I believe that there are many ways to get a job done. However, many years back I used to hang with one of these more narrow minded groups, and this attitude didn't exactly endear me with my sifu and my fellow students. And, even today, I hear concern that being too accepting of other groups could lend "undeserved legitimacy" to what they teach.
Have any of the rest of you encountered this? How do you respond to people who practice WC/WT/VT very differently than your sifu?
I don't if you've ever heard remarks like this, but I sure have. Sometimes coming from ignorant newbies, but also from some old school Chinese instructors with a lot of experience. And they really believe it. I wonder if this doesn't reflect the individualistic and competitive roots of WC/WT in Hong Kong and Fatshan (Fo'shan). Historically there was a lot of rivalry between styles and instructors. And you probably didn't get much of that warm and fuzzy stuff about all kung-fu being good.
The problem with this is that it can really limit you. If someone else does things differently, the assumption must be that they are wrong. Students are told not to visit other schools or practice with other sifu's students... unless it is to challenge and defeat them.
Personally, when I see people doing things differently, I may or may not like what I see, but first I try to consider what they are doing with an open mind. It doesn't mean I will adopt their approach. Just that I believe that there are many ways to get a job done. However, many years back I used to hang with one of these more narrow minded groups, and this attitude didn't exactly endear me with my sifu and my fellow students. And, even today, I hear concern that being too accepting of other groups could lend "undeserved legitimacy" to what they teach.
Have any of the rest of you encountered this? How do you respond to people who practice WC/WT/VT very differently than your sifu?