School Selection

Gung Fu Training

The Selection of a Martial Arts School

by Si-Fu Edward Joseph Laramie

In ancient China, when one wanted to study the art of Gung-Fu one went to the village Si-Fu (Master).  The Si-Fu was revered for his martial arts skills and for his medical skills.  Being a Si-Fu was a position of great power and responsibility.  The Si-Fu’s had to care for the injured and the sick in their village, they were the law keepers, and they had the task of protecting the village from marauding thieves and bands of rouge soldiers.  If their martial arts skills were not adequate, they quite often wound up dead or so badly beaten that they were useless to the village for protection.  With a defeat or death of the Si-Fu, his art would not have been passed on because it would have been considered flawed.  On the contrary, if the Si-Fu was great then he had many students and his village was prosperous and protected.  His arts would then be passed on through many generations of students.

How does this relate to the present state of martial arts?  Today, the student seeking martial arts instruction typically opens a phone book to find the school with the biggest, glossiest, and most mystifying advertisement.  Not knowing any different, the new student would be impressed by the number of martial arts weapons hanging on the walls of the club or the number of people strutting their purchased black belts while wearing their authentic looking school uniforms.  Other enticements include the promise of receiving “secret and deadly knowledge” -- knowledge that is usually reserved for those worthy (and wealthy enough) to receive the privilege of studying privately with the “Master”.  Then there is the declaration by certain clubs, that their members do not attend any tournaments, because their skills are too deadly to use in competitions.

Such promises can easily entice the student to enroll.  All the student has to do is sign the first contract that will buy the uniform, the test, the belt, and one year of training.  After this is, he or she can sign another contract while the master sends him or her to a credit loan company to get a loan to pay for all the inside training.  Then, the student will have to sign an agreement that he or she will not reveal the secrets of the art to people on the outside.

The legitimate schools, I do not mean to offend.  However, there is a need to expose the ones who do exploit students.  The student needs to be discerning, and ask the appropriate questions. 

Lineage --
What and where is the lineage?  Is it in some distant land that easily hides a non-existent background?  Is it very secret and obscure?  Does this school allow visitors to watch, comment, and speak to the great masters?  Or is this a school where one has to join before even seeing a class behind a veiled training hall?  Is the head instructor there or is he away on some mystical journey through an eastern land learning the long lost secrets of a bygone age?

Experience --
It would be better to join a school that attends tournaments and does not place well than to attend a school that has never been to a tournament but says they could win all.  Do the instructors participate in full contact sparring or kickboxing or are they only deadly by word of mouth (their own).  It is a good thing if the instructors have been fighters, security personnel, bouncers, doorman, etc.  These types of instructors are befitting of students.  They have real experiences to call upon to help their students develop their discipline and their ability to survive. 

Price --
The price of training should be within reason.  A school does need help in order to provide a high level of instruction, but this requirement should not be abused.  In the old days, the students were from the village and they provided the Si-Fu and his family with food, shelter, and other necessities of life.  They also performed the required chores so that the Si-Fu could focus on his teaching.  In turn, the Si-Fu taught the students the necessary wisdom and skills to survive.  There is a saying, “Your parents gave you life, but it is the Si-Fu who keeps you alive”.

In closing, you must choose carefully.  Find out how a school or Master can benefit you.  Trust your feelings.  If you have any doubts about the authenticity the teachers, then keep looking.  A school should serve your physical needs and your well-being while sharpening your mind with the knowledge of Gung Fu.

E. Laramie