Sifu Troung has already agreed to accept me as a correspondence student, and has furthermore invited me to visit his school, and extended an invitation to join his school as an active student via his correspondence program. We have shared numerous emails to which after evaluating my history and experience he has made the decision to accept me.
Gee Billy, I think someone’s getting a bit hot under the white collar. Perhaps you should apply as well; perhaps you may learn something.
Say what you will, I couldn’t care less. It is obvious that you are on the same level as MoQ and like him, if it were left up to you these arts would die off in your greedy, self-serving hands.
When I said this program would benefit the whole CMA community, I meant it, I did not mean myself alone. It is too bad that you are too narrow-minded and self-serving to see that.
Anyone with more than a brain-stem to work with can clearly see how this type of program can only serve to insure that the art of Pak Mei remains alive and out of the self-serving hands of morons like yourself exclusively.
Sounds to me like someone’s afraid their precious art might be made available to more than their close-nit, self-approved group.
How truly sad for all of us.
Thank God for people like Sifu Troung. He is a man among men here. I think all of us should be eternally grateful that these arts are not left solely in the self-serving hands of people like yourself.
Flame away moron. I think your agenda is obvious to all, and your position painfully clear.
Oh you’re right, you’re quite a guy and Truong is a lucky man. I must commend you on your heartfelt altruism, my agenda does seem selfserving in comparison…
In the west, there is a belief that simply because someone wants to learn something, they should. This is clearly not always the case, and Bagwa has thusfar been very kind to demonstrate this point for me. Thanks Bagwa!
BTW, just wondering if you showed Truong this thread, or perhaps the one you started in the Shaolin forum?
Ngor Mei, maybe you’d like to direct your Sifu to this discussion, perhaps he’d like to rethink a few things…
Kevin & others,
I hear you, this isn’t exactly an “either or” proposition. I don’t think anyone is trying to tell Sifu Truong what he should or shouldn’t do, nor is anyone suggesting that teachers can never put material on tape to give to students. People are just raising legitimate concerns about who should or should not be trusted with said material. And how exactly does one go about deciding the sincerity of someone from a few emails and an occassional phone call? I submit that it’s very difficult and fraught with peril. But I’m sure he’s a better judge of character than myself, so, like I said, my fears are allayed somewhat.
nice post, i blieve that we should give knowledge out, people like cloud one and sui fuw have problems with this. i said exactly the same thing about man kwong fong and wing lam, these guys have put tapes out why havent they complained to these masters. gealousy can be bugger! but something is better than nothing…even if its by video.
I agree with most of ya’ll and disagree with most of ya’ll(southeast USA talk,lol),most important,I’ve made some good friends on this forum.Friends that started out as enemys.
At first I was against the video issue,my concern
was that our system was/is in danger of being
watered down.
If you learn from video’s and do good
cheers to ya.
If ya don’t do good,oh well…
There’s the brotherhood of Bai Mei/Bak Mei/Pak Mei/YKM gate keepers that will keep this
precious art alive.
Enough bickering,lets get together and keep this alive,for the next generations
Excuse my spelling,its been a long day.
TN is right about the gate keepers, Bak Mei is not on any endangered systems list, the art is very much alive, and has been kept so by the hard work and sacrifice of those who love it, not by technology.
I guess I’m just shocked that any system with roots in antiquity has survived this long…I mean, how did Bak Mei and Lung Ying and Hung Ga and all these other fine systems make it to the present day without the entire curriculum being video taped?? I guess these past GM’s and Sifu’s who neglected to sell their art to anyone with a pocketfull of gold were just being “self-serving” :rolleyes:
Thank God for present day Americans and their clear thinking magnanimous ways, showing us all the folly and selfishness of the great masters of old.
Not only did Sifu Troung accept me, he also went on to say that learning by his videos is the same as being taught by him in person, and that they will be completely different from others’ videos. He has made it abunduntly clear, that once I begin the program I will be considered an active student of his, and furthermore that when I complete the program I will be given full teaching rights to represent the system. If you’ve got a problem with that, then contact him directly. I guess you just like playing kung-fu police, where you patrol and report all infractions and set the standard for kung-fu excellence, judging who and who shall not be accepted. Well, brother, it ain’t your call. So Sorry.
FT, I have not been the one flaming here, just defending our right to study what we wish. Perhaps you should turn your thoughts to billy and MoQ. They seem to think they hold the key to the gate of Pak Mei. Remember, it was Billy who accused me of having no concern for anyone but myself. Re-read this string my friend.
Billy, report whatever you like to whomever you like by whatever means you like. It’s all simply acting out of jealousy due to the fact that I might actually inherit something that you had to go to the trouble of getting in person. Green does not suit you well.
It matters little to me from anyone’s standpoint or opinion.
Billy, why don’t you apply for position of moderator on all of the active forums here. Then you could fullfill your Barney-Fife post-patrol fantasy.
Say whatever you like, I’m inheriting your system, and that’s the truth here.
No, you’re not the one flaming, you are just calling everyone who has raised legitimate concerns and asked legitimate questions “morons”, but, like I said, judging from some of your previous “work” on these forums, you really aren’t flaming here, usually you are much worse than this.
Before you, yet again, accuse me of being a moralist or being pious, please note, I actually think very little of myself, I just happen to think even less of you…
Your puerile reactions to everyone who has questioned this are on the order of a child fearing his favorite toy is about to be taken from him, when, in fact, no one least of all myself has ever said that you can’t or shouldn’t be allowed to embark on this endeavor if you are sincere.
I am actually glad that Truong has agreed to take you under his wing, you are clearly in need of some direction and I think he can provide it, I just hope there is far more on those tapes than mere forms. He certainly has his work cut out for him…
I also think it’s interesting you assume I too study Bak Mei, wouldn’t that make us brothers of a sort? Curious how you choose to address your training brothers, but I’m sure that’s something Truong can work out with you…
I am also wondering about the “Bagwa”…are you planning on dropping this, or will you do both at the same time? What’s going on? You study with Erle in Oz also, by tape as well I assume? Have you now purchased every tape in his catalog and are now looking to add yet another complete system to your collection? Once you have all of Truong’s Bak Mei, what’s next on the agenda? What will you dabble in after this?
Yes, I think it’s sad that a system like Bak Mei can be relegated to nothing more than a single shelf in your extensive Kung Fu vault, but, as you have previously pointed out, it’s not my call…
I think it’s great that Truong has authorized you to teach, and I am sure that you will no doubt look to profit off the art in whatever way you can. But, again, what about the Bagwa??? Setting up shop in a strip mall and teaching Bagwa AND Bak Mei, with nothing more than a tenuous video attachment to either??? God bless America…
Oh, and I AM curious, DID you happen to mention to Truong that you post on this forum and does he know your handle? I asked these questions previously and you ignored them, they weren’t rhetorical if you were confused.
You needn’t worry about me reporting anything, I am certain that you were sweet as sugar in all of your emails with Truong. Did you completely avoid using the phrase “pig f*cker”? That must have been difficult for you…
if someone learns by video and is a competent practitioner and their gungfu is good, does that make them less of a gungfu man? does that make their art any less useful or ‘complete’?
You guys are right. Whatever benefits the individual practicioner is all that matters. If there is the possibilty the art could be cheapened or harmed, however remote, so what, as long as the individual can learn Bak Mei without getting off the couch, that’s all that matters. My priorities are clearly way off here, you’ll have to forgive me…
Haven’t we learned anything from Karate???
Everyone decries the gross commercialization and “watering down” that has plagued the Japanese systems, the so-called “McDojos” ever present in the west. But when it’s something really cool that they want, like Bak Mei, they’re all willing to abandon the established protocol and jump on the corporate bandwagon simply so that they can get their hands on some. I’m merely asking some questions and advising a little caution, that’s all, but do whatever you want…the traditions are almost dead in the west anyway.
if it is done properly with the right people, then it can work. the videos cannot be mass produced. it must be treated the same as if this person was training in the kwoon. the teacher needs to get to know the student, anything of value will only be given to those students that show dedication and loyalty to both sifu & system.
it is inevitable that in the future there will be videos of every form of every style available… there is nothing we can do about it - it is just the way the world is heading. isnt it better that there is legitimate courses from respected sifus available amongst all the trash?
you have to remember that even in a face to face school situation, people can still leave & use whatever they have learnt in any way they want.
To all those who learn off video.
Is this a two way thing?
What I mean is does the students return a video of themselves doing these forms, techniques, two- man practice?
If they don’t, how does the Sifu know what is to be taught to them next?
If you teach Jik Bo as your first form (as an example) what is the use of teaching the next form
if the students can’t do TTFC and there body posture isn’t there, they have no GING, these are but a few of things to mention.
Please enlighten us how you can tell???
