I have GOT to vent...

Off Topic
1

Okay, normally I’m cool headed and all of that, but today…well, I must vent and I think many people will understand.

Quick background:

These days my focus is lifting to get bigger and stronger (just started CW’s ABBH). But when I found out that the gym I go to out here (I am in China for a year) teaches a Combat Art that I have never tried, I immediateley signed up (I have 17+ years MA experience).

We speak different languages but I am able to follow along (experience and all) and see/do better/more quickly than the average student there. Heck, my power kicks are equivalent to the teachers (if not a little stronger), although he has more direct combat expertise and has many small things I can learn which will make my whole a shitload more solid (which is why I’m there)…yeah, the teacher kicks ass, but the students…

RANT TIME:

LAZY ASS STUDENTS (WHO DO NOT USE THEIR BRAINS) TRY TO TEACH ME THEIR FUCKED UP WAYS WHEN I CAN SEE THE SIMPLE/BEGINNER MISTAKES THEY MAKE. HELL, MOST OF THEM CANNOT PUNCH OR KICK PROPERLY!!

THE TEACHER HAS THE STUDENTS “TEACH” ME, EVEN THOUGH I COULD DESTROY EACH OF THEM!!! OH HELL NO! Not the teacher, though…he’s BADASS (again, the reason I’m there)!

DAMMIT, I GET IT!! LET’S JUST PRACTICE AND TRAIN! STOP SHOWING ME THE SAME DAMN THING 100 TIMES IN A ROW LIKE I’M STUPID OR SOMETHING!! I EVEN VERBALLY ACKNOWLEDGED MY UNDERSTANDING 5 TIMES AGO!! YOU DORK, I WAS TRAINING MA A LONG TIME BEFORE YOU STARTED!! NEVERMIND THAT YOU DROPPED YOUR DAMN FRONT HAND TO WIND UP FOR YOUR BACKFIST AND I COULD HAVE NAILED YOUR UGLY FACE 2-3 TIMES BEFORE YOU COULD SAY “MOMMY!”.

AND (not that you would know what this means)nevermind the fact that the reason you cannot see me wind up for power is because I have TRAINED for YEARS and I can make the movements SMALL and fast yet more powerful than your long slow ones. DUMBASS!

I mean, I almost stormed out 3 times today out of PURE FRUSTRATION (way out of character for me)!

I am actually very humble in the class (swallowing pride/knowledge quite often…man, that is NOT easy)…I do the silly little things everyone else does so that I do not “rock the boat” or to usurp the teachers place. For example, the stereotypical 20 pushups and situps at the end of class…but to make these productive I have added CW’s “100 Reps…” artice so that I can maximize this.

Okay, done ranting.

Hey, I know there are many people out there who have had similar experiences. How the HELL did you deal with such BS??

2

Let me get this straight:
This “teacher” is letting students do things wrong, but he’s a badass, so that’s okay.
Seems to me that’s not a good teacher, regardless of his skill.

Sounds like it’s time to move on to me.

But then, I’m not you.

3

Was that rant just a bit confusing?

4

In the immortal words of Mr. Miyagi “Wax on, Wax off, Daniel son,”. Daniel son didn’t get it at first either, but then he became the… Karate Kid. Trust in your teacher grasshopper!

5

Miyagi also said: “No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher. Teacher say, student do.”

6

Either the teacher is “badass” or he is not. If you understand what they are showing you, why does it sound like they think you are getting it wrong?

With your experience it sounds like you can “gloss over the cracks” in the style he is teaching using your own knowledge and that the beginners think that your way is wrong.

For instance, take a kickboxer doing an effectivekickboxing block in a taekwondo class. He needs to be “corrected” as he is “wrong”. You said you never trained this way before after all??

Also, a lot of teachers will let beginners make large mistakes as long as they “get the gist”, sometimes beginners think that they actually know what they are doing thanks to this (necessary) phenomenon.

Is there a language barrier/an experience barrier/an attitude barrier or something else at work here?

How about a nice chat with the instructor to sort things out?

7

AND I have realized that they are a little prejudiced.

“Only Chinese people can Learn Chinese Martial Arts. And, Chinese Martial Arts cannot be taught by Non-Chinese People.” My best master was Korean who taught me my favorite Style (a Chinese style that I spent many years in)…to which people here assume I learned Taekwondo…bullshit, man.

To be fair, while I have heard this from other people…I have not directly heard it from the teacher in question…but maybe he’s thinking it…language barriers and all…

Pisses me off. makes me want to learn it SO well that I can whup the tar out the teachers ass…but that is assuming that he’ll actually SHOW me something…

8

It sounds very much like a cultural difference is in effect here. Even with as much MA experience as you have, either they do not understand or appreciate that in China. In fact, I would bet that they discount quite a bit of it, strictly because that you learned it outside of China. This is not to say it is right or anything to that extent, but you will just need to appreciate how their culture operates in difference to your own (I am assuming you are Western).

Did you have a lot of background on Chinese culture prior to moving to China? In their culture, the relationship of the student to the master is not one that if often questioned. If you are not able to adapt to that culture, you are just going to have to leave that class because they are not going to change.

9

I have been thinking about this for a while now and this is what Ive figured out…and Kuz and jaimeo have touched upon what I was thinking.

I learned Chinese MArtial arts in America (Los Angeles) from a Korean man who learned in Korea from a Chinese Master. Yes, there is a kind of prejudice here for Chinese Martial Arts.

“Chinese martial arts can be learned in China. Only Chinese people can truly learn Chinese Martial Arts. Non Chinese People cannot teach Chinese Martial arts…” etc…

To be fair, I have not heard this from the teacher (Language barrier IS in effect) but I have heard it from some random people.

I am planning on having my most trusted student (I teach English) go to dinner with the instructor and I. Ever so carefully we will delve into this problem. Must tread lightly…teachers tend to be rather touchy…I should know, I was one for a few years myself. My student will smooth over the rough edges that will happen…she is excellent about helping me.

jaimeo, it is easy to gloss over the cracks…and as for the style, it is just a unique style of Kung Fu…pureley combat. Combining the punches and footwork of western boxing (which I have many years exp.), and vairous Kung Fu kicks and throws/locks (which I have more years experience than boxing). It is unusual to find such a mix of modern/traditional and west/east combined into one style. That was the initial appeal of it. Also, it is not that it I have never tried it: the thing is that I had to take time and combine my styles on my own back home, (for ex.: “okay, Jab, Low sidekick to knee, backfist to face, frontkick, reverse punch, block, grab incoming punch, stepin throw and control”)but here I am learning basically the same thing I was doing back home by myself…I would like more input and other ideas…know what I mean?

Kuz, I think your first paragraph is right the hell on. I studied about 7 years of personal research into China culture/history/philosophy. never thought I’d ever get here, so did not learn the language. The thing is that they seem to doubt that a western man can have any knowledge about these things. The younger people who actually speak to me for a decent length of time realize how informed i am, but as for the older ones (and the ones I am unable to communicate with)…well, you get the point.

10

Just that he’s a “badass” fighter doesn’t make him a good teacher.

A “badass fighter” might kick your ass but a TEACHER will pick up your mistakes/weaknesses and correct you.

A “badass fighter” are always trying to be the best. A TEACHER will be proud if his student surpas him in skill/technique.

What are your goals? Do you think this “teacher” can get you there?
Good luck.

11

Kungfudude,
With an ecclectic body of knowlege and a functional mindset that it sounds like you have, Jeet Kun Do might be right up your alley. I haven’t been involved or investigated it in a long time,(about 15yrs.)but it is the style Bruce Lee developed for what seems like similar reasons to that which you are experiencing. Dan Inosanto was his training partner and became the head of this shcool after his death. The last I knew, it was only available in California and I doubt that it moved into China, but it could be something to investigate.