and, for those who choose to disrespect martial artists, regardless of who, by making value judgements based on hearsay and photograph assessments, with no first hand experience to claim, tell me you have at LEAST heard the one about ‘respect your elders’. the man’s over fifty.
mantiskid
ask better questions.
you asked "just wondering if jon funk is actually as good as he says he is’’
i’ve known him for almost ten years and have never heard him once say “i’m really good” or “i’m better than so and so”.
and stacey…
if in fact his cousins and brothers are making negative comments on his ability to fight, i GUARANTEE it isn’t to his face. you know how they USED to settle things, right? he he he. i certainly haven’t heard about anybody stepping up to the plate, have you?
who cares, I didn’t state a fact, only my perception.
I couln’t give two ****s if he’s good or not.
" In fact " Jon has been approached on one or two occasions in the past and backed off. Also, I’ve seen him spar a little and it seems like he uses karate more than Kung Fu let alone Mantis.
jon funk backed out of a fight? serious? so was he scared or just using his head, hahaha…
i’ve read some articles of his where he said that he was being followed by some guy once and just gave him a look that scared the guy away, hehehe…
i never knew he did karate. where did that come from?
It’s not that he knows a Karate style. It’s Karate flavor…you know , tournament point fighting style.
I see you guys still have nothing better to do with your time …othher than pick on SIFU JON FUNK :mad:
Are any of you guys as good as him???
Just because you know kung fu…karate or what ever your
art may be doesn’t mean you have to fight every so called
Billy Bad A#* that challenges you
If indeed Sifu Jon Funk was challenged and declined to
fight…that does not mean he was affraid to fight…he
proved he was the better person than his so-called
challenger..if indeed Sifu Jon Funk was challenged
and declined to fight…Iwould view the situation like
this…do you whup on a child because you can or
have to???
I leave you ladies and gentlemen as i came…in peace
As one of Sifu Funk’s cousins in the Wong Hong Fun mantis line I wish to make a few observations:
-
That so many people spend their time discussing Sifu Funk, positively or negatively speaks of the tremendous impact he has had on Kung-Fu, our definition of it and how we practice it either in compliance with or in opposition to his vision of it. Few people have such a legacy.
-
Sifu Funk is secure in his opinions and methods. He and his Kung-Fu has been shaped by many influences, in my opinion, he was shaped most of all by his teacher, Master Cheng, (as it should be). Kung-Fu is an individual discipline, a freeing discipline and Sifu Funk is a clear example of this.
-
Let me assure you that none of Sifu Funk’s brothers or cousins, as I know, criticise his fighting ability. But let me also assure you that there is much criticism and lively debate between us of our generation both in public and private forums, and yes, even “face to face”, (When you are secure in what you do, you can do this), on the definition, scope practice and application of the art we love.
The pursuit of such questions about masters and their methods is not a negative thing in itself. I have heard Sifu Funk himself actively encourage such inquiry. However, the one asking the questions should be ready to hear the answers and not feel bad when those don’t match preconceptions.
I wish you well,
Steve Cottrell
Dear Sifu Cottrell,
That’s most beautifully said. Hope all are well with you.
Best regards
Robert Hui (Mantis108)
Hopefully…this negative nonsense about Sifu Jon Funk can be
put to rest…well said…Sifu Cottrell
This is getting interesting.
You can believe what you want…
I know for a “FACT” that some of Sifu Funk’s brothers & cousins have criticized him. Not only is he aware of it but he know’s who they are. So I find it kinda hard to believe you, sifu cottrell when you say that no one in the Wong Hung Fun lineage has criticized him.
Now you honestly might not know what the deal is but then again you just might be trying to down play the Fact that he has been criticized by his brothers & cousins from the Wong Hung Fun Mantis line.The bottom line, there is no way around it like I said before you can believe what you want…
PEACE:D
RAYNYSC
You said,
“I know for a “FACT” that some of Sifu Funk’s brothers & cousins have criticized him. Not only is he aware of it but he know’s who they are. So I find it kinda hard to believe you, sifu cottrell when you say that no one in the Wong Hung Fun lineage has criticized him.”
I actually said in the previous post:
"Let me assure you that none of Sifu Funk’s brothers or cousins, as I know, criticize his fighting ability. "
"But let me also assure you that there is much criticism and lively debate between us of our generation both in public and private forums, and yes, even “face to face”, (When you are secure in what you do, you can do this), on the definition, scope practice and application of the art we love. "
Obviously I said there was criticism of Sifu Funk among those of our generation. You mischaracterized what I said for your response. Such disingenuous tactics do not speak well of you personally and detracts from your credibility.
Further, it detracts from your legitimate argument, that I in fact agree with, that Sifu Funk’s approach to the art, (as all of our approaches do), deserves critical analysis and that it should happen in a public forum.
Then you said:
“Now you honestly might not know what the deal is but then again you just might be trying to down play the Fact that he has been criticized by his brothers & cousins from the Wong Hung Fun Mantis line.The bottom line, there is no way around it like I said before you can believe what you want.”
Sad and a very weak statement for two reasons. One that you might accuse me of misrepresenting the truth (“play down the Fact”) when I am and have been for years a critic of Sifu Funk, and secondly that I might wish to “get around” what you have said or negate it in any way. In fact I wish you could provide us on the list or me privately with those persons I could confer on this matter and learn more in this regard. Facts and truth are always welcome!
So far though, you have misquoted what I have said in order to allow yourself an answer, you misrepresented my intentions and insulted me. Therefore, I believe I understand the nature of your inquiry and know a lot more about you now, (and since we are on a public forum, so do many others). By the way what lineage are you, (I do not wish to embarass your sifu so please do not say)? I know many good sifu in NY and find such conduct uncharacteristic of their approach in discussion.
I hope this is not the whole of what you have to offer. I truly hope this was only a lapse on your part. My appologies for having to point such things out but you left me no choice. I look forward to productive dialogue.
Respectfully,
Steve Cottrell
I saw him perform a two men set one time in Cali, and it was horrible. He did this slow motion thing.
I would no more sit in on one of his classes then I would sit on a “stacey said” plug found behind a “stacey said” theatre.
(edited to remove content by BTL)
Yes, he is.Now, can you please stop and go workout so,that you can be.
I don’t think anyone has questioned his fighting ability. After all, who has he fought ? I saw him spar very briefly and he scored numerous times on his partner ( student ). However, what he used was not Kung Fu…definitely, not mantis.
I think the criticism is all about legitimacy within the 7 Star Praying Mantis system. I believe Mr. Funk will be the first to admit that there are people out there that have questioned his and his teacher’s legitimacy and the people who have are from the WHF side.
This is not something that anyone on this forum started. It started way before. However, there are people here that are curious and want to know. No one here should be criticised for asking questions or for stating their opinions pro or con.
Mr. Cottrell, no disrespect intended toward you but you must remember that Sifu Cheng’s credentials were touched upon on the mailing list awhile back. Mr. Funk had to explain that his Sifu was unable to make the trip for his certificate because he had the flu ( which BTW , has to raise some eyebrows ). Perhaps the wording in your first post was a little confusing. Are you criticising, or are you defending Mr. Funk ?
It doesn’t surprise me however, because you seem to be a very humble person who likes to state the good qualities in a person. You have nothing bad to say about anyone and always try to stay neutral. That is very admirable of you. Your moderation on the mailing list is a testament to this fact and you should be commended.
Personally, I don’t have anything against Mr. Funk. He writes a decent article once in awhile. His play on mantis forms is not bad either. My only gripe with him is his attitude toward other mantis practitioners , especially those of the CCM sect , but I will not get into that here. He comes off as if he knows more than anyone else and that is a huge turnoff. That being said, I don’t really care much one way or the other about the man.
This is a public forum and people can say whatever they want to. Why is it that the minute anyone says something negative people question what lineage they’re from or who their Sifu is? Can’t a person have an opinion without it reflecting on their Sifu or school ? I am well aware of martial virtue and everything it entails but a student can still have his or her own opinion and should be able to express it.
Side subject
Originally posted by loki
[B]<removed content>
This is a public forum and people can say whatever they want to. Why is it that the minute anyone says something negative people question what lineage they’re from or who their Sifu is? Can’t a person have an opinion without it reflecting on their Sifu or school ? I am well aware of martial virtue and everything it entails but a student can still have his or her own opinion and should be able to express it. [/B]
Public forums are a blessing & a curse.
People may say whatever they want to without being held accountable for their words hiding behind an internet name. Critisizing from behind a fake name is cowardice. I often wish I had the power to remove those with fake I.D’s or no location specified. Statements made here should reflect upon yourself in “real-life”…thus reflected upon your school, your teacher, your family. If you cannot make a statement that they too can stand by or at least respect as an in-earnest opinion, then why even make the statement?
Anyway,…back to the regularly scheduled program.
Best Wishes,
~BTL
Ok so now that I’ve misquoted what you have said in order to allow myself an answer not to mention misrepresented your intentions & insulted you as you put it.
“Let me assure you that none of sifu funk’s brothers or cousins,as I know,criticize his fighting ability.”
First of all it doesn’t matter if it’s his fighting or teaching ability that is being criticized the “FACT” still remains that he has been criticized in the past & you by your own admission you’ve been a critic of sifu funk for some years. So now I ask you whats up with that? Why didn’t you just come out & say that you were a critic right from the start insted of down playing the fact that you have criticized sifu funk before reguardless of reason…
It looks to me if there is any lapse it’s on your part, anyhow since you believe that you understand the nature of my inquiry & know a lot more about me now…
Tell what I’m going to do if you really want to know more then e-mail me privately & I will be more then happy to provide you with the info that you wish to see heck I’ll do you one better I’ll send it to you from the source itself…
Oh by the way there’s no need for any appologies when one is looking to find out the truth behide the facts that is of course if the facts & truth are welcome…
Peace:D
i’ll have to agree with RAYNSYC, i’m not a big fan of jon funk either, but i don’t know if he is as good as some of you have mentioned him to be. i’ve heard about the sparring in which doesn;t resemble mantis at all. so how would that make him great at mantis if he can’t even use the techniques of the mantis in sparring?
the most annoying thing i find about jon funk is the that he always says the same things. he thinks that being a student of al cheng and relating to whf clan makes him great. and the fact that he’s an 8th line descendant of the founder. i’m sure many of us can say that too, but do we?
in the pictures you see of him doing a technique, he always makes a stupid face as if were some real tough guy. i don’t like that at all