[ Post a Response | North Shore Wing Chun Kung Fu Forum ]
Posted by A PUNK on 8/27/2001, 1:27 pm --Previous Message-- Andrew- Thank you for your insightful response. It was a lucid explanation of the life of a dork and more importantly, a clear demonstration of my point. From the day you enter any martial arts school, you are told that the techniques you will be learning are "deadly" and should not be used capriciously. While that concept is true to an extent, it is more likely the teacher is brainwashing his students into into a false confidence, teaching not to fight, because you are "deadly". This technique is also used on younger dorks, as their mother tells other children will not play with them because the dork-child is "special". However, I am adamant in my belief that Sifu is not one of these teachers; a teacher can only teach as fast as his student will learn.
: As a currently enrolled dork I feel I need to
: respond.
: Schools grow, age, shed their dead skin, and
: regrow. Sometimes students only come for
: a little while just to learn a little bit
: and gain a bit of confidence. Usually 99%
: of students don't remain. Those who do
: stay longer learn more and when they feel
: they have grown enough they leave and
: start their own school or just live life.
: The school has just gotten a bunch of new
: students in the past couple months. They
: are doctors, lawyers, computer specialist,
: etc. - in other words, all are egghead
: dorks who don't use muscles - just brains.
: Yet, all are smart enough to realize that
: there is at least a 1% chance that they
: might have to deal with an unarmed
: conflict sometime in their lives. This is
: what the school is for - teaching dorks to
: defend themselves in an emergency
: situation. The school gives them a
: strategy, a plan to deal with it, how to
: avoid it, and confidence that they will at
: least have a chance if they had to go into
: an unavoidable fight. Dorks who learn
: self defense for a few years become
: dangerous dorks; and it matters not which
: art you choose, that dork will become
: dangerous because he's a martial artist in
: dork disguise.
: In this school it is true that there is a
: much less emphasis of fighting. That's
: because we emphasize destroying, maiming,
: and (hopefully never) killing. We don't
: practice to fight. We practice to take
: out the eye balls, low balls, break
: joints, spit in faces, rip ears off, stomp
: on ankles, and bite noses off, and of
: course punch. We are taught that if we
: cannot avoid physical conflict you will
: defend your life in the extreme. This is
: not boasting. This is just reality.
: Unless you are looking for a fight a
: physical conflict will involve your life
: and/or your general health for the rest of
: your life. This is reality - dirty and
: unheroic.
: Speaking as a dork I can tell you I don't
: know how to fight. But I am learning how
: to avoid strikes and lash out permanent
: damage to my assailant.
: In the school we can only practice these
: things. We use minimum protection -
: goggles and cups. People do get hurt in
: the gym. I practicing with one of my
: older brothers who has 100X more fighting
: experience than I do in physical conflict.
: I have been punched by him dozens of
: times in the chest/stomach. These were
: not taps (from my perspective) but punches
: which bring me to the ground. One time I
: walked into his palm and clocked myself to
: the ground. And he is always holding back
: his power. Yet, as a dork, I'm learning
: how I'm getting hit, correcting myself,
: how to protect myself, and getting used to
: pain. Dorks are not used to pain but Sifu
: says get used to reality. But you don't
: do this with beginners. You do this more
: and more as you learn. I think I'm
: learning more from my older brother
: because this is the first time for me with
: physical contact in my life. At least
: until I joined this school a year ago.
: The methods in this school don't usually go
: with sports fighting because we practice
: for saving our lives. Not our honor or
: feelings.
: Since you were once interested in Wing Chun
: please come to the school and train.
: Maybe we can learn from you. Together we
: all can learn from each other. It's not
: just a saying but a maxim we use in the
: school.
: Besides Yip Man looks like a dork.
:
My point is further enforced by the means by which you train. It is highly dubious that the students are not ever trained in a real fighting situation with real reactions, not just other fighters providing barely noticeable resistance. While chi sao-ing is a pleasant respite and drilling a great party favor, more can be done to prepare yourself for reality.
Throughout the course of our male lives, we have all had brothers, friends, and a random assortment of meatheads punch us in the chest, stomach and shoulders. It simply part of being a guy. Citing this tidbit of information only proves that your are of the male gender, which is not what I previously suspected. Until you have been hit two or three times in the nose, your eyes tear up to the point where cannot see and blood is all over the front of your shirt, and your opponent feel like you still haven't had enough, you can bet your practical fighting experience is somewhere above a pansy and a sissy.
You seem to rely to heavily on the possibility that you know "deadly" techiniques when really I am questioning you committment to fight. Fights are very rarely won on one or two punch, or a quick eye-gouge or shot to the leg. There is the possibility of missing. There is the possibility that the guy's just too angry to quit. I am not saying that anyone should actively look for a fight, just be prepared for what might happen. It may not be as clear-cut as someone squaring off with you "Hollywood" style. You may get punched several times and have to get back in it. Whether you like it or not, fighting is a physical exertion.
Andrew, I would sincerely like to thank you for you candid response. It took a lot of courage to write some of the things you wrote. And when it is all said and done, you are right about one thing: I should be in there helping you learn and learning from you.
Message Thread:
« Back to thread