oh, and in agreement with AZWC, my sifu has said that usually in an altercation, the kind where a disagreement escalates as opposed to an attack out of the blue, if the other person finds out you know something about fighting, they usually will not want to fight.
“oh, and in agreement with AZWC, my sifu has said that usually in an altercation, the kind where a disagreement escalates as opposed to an attack out of the blue, if the other person finds out you know something about fighting, they usually will not want to fight.”
Or they pop their trunk.
fa_jing and Phil redmond
Actually, what I took from my Sifu’s statement was that the more kung fu I learned, the more aware of my surroundings I would be and the more understanding on how to get myself out of a situation, hopefully before it happened.
Not to mention, the mental aspect of keeping a cool head when confronted in this type of situation as well as plain confidence. When I look back at all the fights I have been in, I can honestly (though not proud) say that I could have walked away from many of them. But I was too arrogant and/or c@cky at the time. 
Fa_jing
As far as letting the other person know that I know something, this is usually the opposite of what I do. I am not the biggest guy on the block. So by presenting my weapons/tools (in my experience) doesn’t seem to scare many people. In fact I have found that if or when I have done this, it escalated the situation.
OK, that’s what my sifu said and he left it at that, however I think that there’s another way to interpret that then what you guys are saying. That being, not that you stick out your hands in the man sao/wu sao position (my sifu would be more likely to fight with closed fist anyway), nor do you scream “I AM A NINJA, FEAR ME!!!” Rather, as the pushing/whatever begins, just by virtue of your initial reactions, the way you stare at them, move, or deflect/control their movements, they will know something’s up pretty fast and back off before things get hot and heavy. See my sifu’s also speaking from the perspective that he probably is not going to beat down someone right away just for trying to start something. That’s his choice, others may have that survival instinct kick in and break the other guy right away. Also he’s a police officer, and can’t respond over and above the level of threat. Again, this only applies to certain scenarios, probably to the personal experience of my sifu, not against a real attack. The kind of scenario that starts small and escalates, where the other guy may be testing him or tenatively entering into the altercation, or “Sizing you up.” My sifu with his police work, usually knows what kind of person he is dealing with. Like I said before, this isn’t a true self-defense situation, rather, it is a situation that alot of us may get into that begins with an exchange of words.
Phil:
As regards your question about which sifu’s have had real fighting experience - call my lawyer - he prefers to answer those kinds of questions for me…
Later,
Victor
Grand Master Henry Leung has met every challenge victoriously. Leung Sifu has fought some of the toughest street thugs as well as highly skilled martial artists. James Cama Sifu was there and saw many encounters. Cama Sifu has continued the tradition and has touched hands many times. James Cama and his students are known for their fighting prowess as well as their traditional transmition of the art of Wing Chun.http://www.geocities.com/wingchunbuddhahand/index.html
I think that every student at one point in their journey has wondered if what they are learning is truly effective. The real question should be, “Am I truly effective” instead of, “Is what I am learning truly effective”.
Whether a sifu has had a successful history of applying their skills or not is only relative to who is relaying the history. Can you truly believe the martial history without bearing witness? How many sifus would actually stand up and say “I have lost a ton of fights but my WC is still effective”?
Like the school teacher who tries to teach their students to read and write, a sifu can only hope that the student practices enough to become proficient. The determination and drive to become better if not the best lies solely with the student.
Bottome line: If a sifu does have a successful history of using their WC skills against others, that does not mean that a student with inherently become a good fighter.
Just my chump change! 
Kevin
Originally posted by Phil Redmond
[B]“oh, and in agreement with AZWC, my sifu has said that usually in an altercation, the kind where a disagreement escalates as opposed to an attack out of the blue, if the other person finds out you know something about fighting, they usually will not want to fight.”
Or they pop their trunk. [/B]
HAHAHA … Phil you are from tha hood !!! 
-David
Originally posted by Spectre
Like the school teacher who tries to teach their students to read and write, a sifu can only hope that the student practices enough to become proficient
Kevin
Reminds me of my economics teacher back in high school. He was explaining to us about the stockmarket- when to buy and sell, what stocks are good at the moment, what are bad stocks etc. The smart*** of the class raises his hand and asked ‘so how come you’re still a teacher and not a millionaire?’
we got a lot of homework that night…
KenWingJitsu & tparkerfo. Both you guys have fought from what I’ve read. I Really respect that. Did you guys learn from fighters or non fighters?
Both. To explain, a lot of the people I “practice on” or practice with< are not fighters…but I test what I know against fighters and most of who I learned form are people who are known fighters, or have fought at some point in time. I much prefer to learn form somone who has been in the fire so to speak. Theories are great, but you never know till they’re put to the test.
Hey KWJ,
Did you ever try to join one of Ernie’s Sunday sessions in Pasadena? They have professional boxers, thai boxers, wrestlers, JKD, etc… Great place to get some practical experience.
Regards,