What is the #1 thing you look for when visiting a kung fu school for the first time?
This question is asked under the assumption that the school offers a style you want to study.
I understand that, ultimately, the decision comes down to a multitude of factors, but I am looking for just one thing. What’s your top priority? The first major thing you look for when you open up the doors and visit a kung fu school for the first time that will have the most influence or impacting impression of the school.
Is it the size of its class?
The location? (i.e; stand alone school, in the back of a magic and costume shop, in a plaza strip, someone’s garage, etc.)
The price to join?
Awards and trophies that are showcased or lack thereof?
The appearance of the instructor?
The ability of its students.
It’s lineage?
Is it independent or part of a larger organization?
etc.?
For me, it comes down to my first impression of the instructor, not in regards to his physical appearance, but his ability to communicate honestly with me. Are we able to immediately establish a trusting teacher/student relationship. Whether his school is filled with talented students or terrible students is irrelevant to my personal growth and study in a given school, I want to know if he can personally teach and communicate with me effectively.
That is a good question. The one thing I look at as soon as I walk in the door is how the students act. I can tell everything about a teacher, what he is and is not teaching, and how he teaches by the way his students conduct themselves. The physical features you mention mean nothing to me.
One thing that I have gotten tired of when walking into a kung fu school and speaking to the Sifu for the first time is getting the overly used paraphrased quote/philosophy from Bruce Lee about “empty your cup”. To me it’s just become so expected and such a formulaic marketing technique of almost every sifu to try and capture the interests of potential new students. “Bruce Lee” and “empty your cup” have become such buzzwords in the kung fu school world.
And I get it, there are still large majority of potential new students who have never visited a martial arts school before and therefore have never, or at least very rarely, came across the quote/philosophy. But it’s like, there are other MA philosophies and great martial artists out there to rip off, lol.
One thing that I like is when a teacher is confident enough to let his senior students spar with outsiders who visit the club. If the senior students cant handle themselves against a stranger in class… then they don’t have much chance protecting themselves outside of class. I have seen some teachers who wont let outsiders do any kind of partner work with their own students… to me that just shows lack of confidence.
Also, I cant stand a teacher who spends the whole class dissing other styles… it just old and boring.
I was looking at weapons as empowerment. Realizing that I could not walk too far with a spear or knife, I started looking for empty hand fighting. If the NRA had a strong presence in NYC, I would have joined them first and foremost.
[QUOTE=xiao yao;1278126] Also, I cant stand a teacher who spends the whole class dissing other styles… it just old and boring.[/QUOTE]
Xiao Yao,
I am right there with you. I have seen plenty of that and to me it raises a red flag that the instructor is likely a bit delusional as he romanticizes the style. Every style has its pros and cons and every style is effective for somebody. Just let the style speak for itself.
[QUOTE=Wuxia007;1278124]One thing that I have gotten tired of when walking into a kung fu school and speaking to the Sifu for the first time is getting the overly used paraphrased quote/philosophy from Bruce Lee about “empty your cup”. To me it’s just become so expected and such a formulaic marketing technique of almost every sifu to try and capture the interests of potential new students. “Bruce Lee” and “empty your cup” have become such buzzwords in the kung fu school world.
[/QUOTE]
Actually, the ‘empty your cup’ thing isn’t Bruce Lee. It is a famous Zen Koan, attributed to the Japanese Master Nan-in of the Meiji era (1868-1912). Many of Lee’s most famous words of wisdom were poached from Zen. I even wrote an article related to this. See An Iron Head Points to the Moon: Shaolin Wushuguan’s Senior Master, Monk Shi Sugang (MAY+JUNE 2005).
[QUOTE=Wuxia007;1278124]One thing that I have gotten tired of when walking into a kung fu school and speaking to the Sifu for the first time is getting the overly used paraphrased quote/philosophy from Bruce Lee about “empty your cup”. To me it’s just become so expected and such a formulaic marketing technique of almost every sifu to try and capture the interests of potential new students. “Bruce Lee” and “empty your cup” have become such buzzwords in the kung fu school world.
And I get it, there are still large majority of potential new students who have never visited a martial arts school before and therefore have never, or at least very rarely, came across the quote/philosophy. But it’s like, there are other MA philosophies and great martial artists out there to rip off, lol.[/QUOTE]
I’ve never had any teacher, Chinese style or otherwise, use the ‘empty your cup’ phrase with me. At most, they would ask if I had any previous training.
I’m also lucky that I’ve never had any teacher who constantly ragged on other styles. When I was very young, I did train for about 18 months under a Shi-to ryu karate sensei from Japan who on rare occasions made fun of other styles, mostly Chinese styles, and once I heard him criticize Korean vs. Japanese-style punching, but that’s about it.
[QUOTE=xiao yao;1278126]One thing that I like is when a teacher is confident enough to let his senior students spar with outsiders who visit the club. If the senior students cant handle themselves against a stranger in class… then they don’t have much chance protecting themselves outside of class. I have seen some teachers who wont let outsiders do any kind of partner work with their own students… to me that just shows lack of confidence.
Also, I cant stand a teacher who spends the whole class dissing other styles… it just old and boring.[/QUOTE]
I take issue with this actually. This happened at our school about a month ago. A kid came in off the street (I mean an adult but a kid compared to me ) said he’d been doing MMA for a year and wanted to spar my best student. I feel as a teacher it is my responsibility to protect my students not only from their stupidity but the stupidity of others. Also if you’re traveling around issuing challenges, then be a man (or woman I guess) and ask to fight the teacher. Which is ultimately what I told the kid, me or nobody. He decided to put gloves on… it didn’t go so well for him.
Hopefully he will workshed some stuff before going around and trying to issue challenges again. I dunno.
I have no doubt that my students could have handled themselves against him (or anyone at that skill level), but I’m also not going to throw them to lions inside the school which is supposed to be the place they feel safe trying all the fake dance moves I’m teaching them.
If the teacher is a bad ass or not. I know most of you won’t agree with me but I only like training under a bad ass. I don’t particularly care how great of a teacher they are. It doesn’t matter. It did in the first few years but not anymore. My very first long term gong fu teacher was not the greatest of teachers, he wasn’t bad just not great, but he is a total bad ass and I’m glad the way things turned out in the long run. Everyone learns differently, personally I learn best from.getting my ass kicked. Martially, I respect power and the ability to use that power. Its my job to make what you teach me work. Show me, watch me, test me, beat me. That’s the best formula for me to learn, so for me to learn my best, you need to beat me, and to do that you need to be a bad ass.
) said he’d been doing MMA for a year and wanted to spar my best student. I feel as a teacher it is my responsibility to protect my students not only from their stupidity but the stupidity of others. Also if you’re traveling around issuing challenges, then be a man (or woman I guess) and ask to fight the teacher. Which is ultimately what I told the kid, me or nobody. He decided to put gloves on… it didn’t go so well for him.