[QUOTE=LoneTiger108;996601]
Well, I’ve only ever had one Wing Chun Sifu, and have yet to find any other (not that I’m looking!)[/QUOTE]
I don’t KNOW you bro 
Besides, you do WC, that doesn’t count.
Try them all…
I have only taught a hand full of people, but I was adement about them training what they are taught at home. If they did not train it I would easily be able to tell. If they didn’t I would assume that they were ****ing around on off days. I did not include physical training in our sessions, that was expected to be part of their home work. Going to another sifu would take away from that time. Also, this forum is a very good example of everyone having differing opinions and doing things much differently. This would only serve to conflict with your own teaching methods. If a student came to me and was doing something that was not yet part of the instruction I would assume that the other guy was skipping stuff and moving ahead of me. I would not like this at all. I apprentice individuals in other things, and they are not allowed to seek advice as such from other sources. Once they are to a level that they want to seek different advice and instruction they would be free to go.
They would be free to go at any time of course, but in order to learn from me they would have to focus on what I was teaching them and not sharing that time with someone else. It is difficult to teach, especially when the student is preoccupied or focused on something else other than what you want him focused on. And especially difficult if the other sifu is contradicting your instructions.
[QUOTE=Taryn P.;996323]I do. I like the different perspectives, but it’s hard when you learn two or three different versions of the same form and have to remember to do it THIS way in front of teacher 1 and THAT way in front of teacher 2.
There have been a few cases of one flatly contradicting the other on technique or on instructions- blessedly only a few- but that can get very awkward.[/QUOTE]
You make a valid point there.
IMHO, one should build solid knowledge in one system before adding another lineage or style.
HW108
It seems reasonable that one should build an understanding of WCK before one moves onto something else.. Still, the problem remains how does the student know if what he has learned is of any real value, if in fact it is WCK?
If the base of training the student is getting is garbage how will he know it? If the student moves on to learn from another teacher the same problem presents itself.
Is the first base the same as the second? Is either valid? Is either invalid?
The Kuit may be helpful in finding out… But if everyone changes the Kuit or has a different interpretation then again how will the student know?
This business of TMA is not regulated and yet a lot of money is involved for certain people. These days you can find ‘well known masters’ doing all kinds of absolute crap and the crowds cheer them on…
Where is the real WCK?
Who has it and who doesn’t?
And if you can’t really answer that with any real certainty then what’s the point? Perhaps as Kevin says, it might be better to train with them all first off, do the research, and then make your decision about who and what you really want to train…
Or just not learn the same style from two different lineages or instructors. If you’re going to learn another style, learn something that fills a gap or something you know won’t be derived from your current curriculum
Or just not learn the same style from two different lineages or instructors. If you’re going to learn another style, learn something that fills a gap or something you know won’t be derived from your current curriculum
[QUOTE=YungChun;996867]It seems reasonable that one should build an understanding of WCK before one moves onto something else.. Still, the problem remains how does the student know if what he has learned is of any real value, if in fact it is WCK?
If the base of training the student is getting is garbage how will he know it? If the student moves on to learn from another teacher the same problem presents itself.
Is the first base the same as the second? Is either valid? Is either invalid?
The Kuit may be helpful in finding out… But if everyone changes the Kuit or has a different interpretation then again how will the student know?
This business of TMA is not regulated and yet a lot of money is involved for certain people. These days you can find ‘well known masters’ doing all kinds of absolute crap and the crowds cheer them on…
Where is the real WCK?
Who has it and who doesn’t?
And if you can’t really answer that with any real certainty then what’s the point? Perhaps as Kevin says, it might be better to train with them all first off, do the research, and then make your decision about who and what you really want to train…[/QUOTE]
You make good points. I keep saying that most TCMA out there is “Mcdojo” but people take it the wrong way, even though deep inside they know that I am saying the truth and that there is more than good chance they themselves have gotten their ignorant and or negative view of TCMAs by training in such schools.
There is no easy answer to your question. Personally speaking, I had no idea what real kung fu was all about until I started training. How did I find a genuine sifu? No trick to it, I was just very lucky. Through him I learned how to recognize good kung fu schools and then I got lucky again because I actually found one when I moved countries.
I could give some advice on how to recognize the signs that a kung fu school is not a real deal school but even though it would help some people, that advice would not guarantee results.
I guess one could advice any one who wants to study kung fu to first find some good literature on authentic kung fu and then use that info as a basis for their quest. Of course, that is not easy either, but depending on his or her intellectual capacity one can at least increase one’s chances of finding a real deal school.