Question i've done more investigation then the average person and i have come to the conclusion that none of the martial art schools in my town are really very good.
My question is, in a city with a reasonable asian population how would someone anxious to learn real kung fu from a traditional teacher even find one? going door to door isnt the best idea....i wonder if trying chinese medicine and acupuncturists might help (because of the common practise of both fields that many persue) even if i do find one...what do i say? i am young and dont have any serious commitments so i could train full time if the teacher was say....retired? any insight would be great !
thankyou
Answer Dear Spencer,
You’re asking a person that almost 40 years ago went door to door in Philadelphia Chinatown looking for a kung fu school and found a great one. That was pure luck and the fact that I had a Taoist teacher from China who helped me know what to look for. Back then it was not a fad or money maker and there were very few schools so most were authentic. Today it is not so easy on many levels; for one thing when you are accepted by an authentic teacher he is basically inviting you to be part of his family. He needs to be able to trust you and trust only develops over time. I know many people who claim to know a lot of kung fu and who will tell you all the masters they studied with. The problem is no teacher is going to teach anyone who hops from teacher to teacher the heart of their style. He may teach them some form and whatever but never the real deal, they only reserve that for a select few who have proven themselves. It’s like marrying someone who’s been married five times before; they can’t establish a long time relationship so why trust them? This is how an authentic teacher will look at you, so, if you do find someone it will take a long time before they trust you to really teach you. It will take years.
Another problem is that just because they are Asian doesn’t mean they know something substantial. I know a Chinese fellow that has over a dozen schools and yet learned very little kung fu. He’s a great salesman and although he cannot substantiate his background he has many students. They are not learning an authentic style but they think they are. Even if you find someone in the Asian community you need to check out their lineage and make sure there are those that can collaborate their story, as in group school photos, school history,etc.
I strongly suggest reading Adam Hsu’s “The Sword Polisher’s Record” so you get an understanding of what real kung fu is. It’s a great book and you will learn a lot from it. You’re idea of talking to acupuncturists is not bad; they may or may not know someone. Learn to make friends in the restaurants and businesses so that people are comfortable talking to you. You can check out the parks early in the morning and see if anyone is practicing and gradually approach them over time. A lot of Asians know a little kung fu but few Asians know a lot of kung fu.
I’ll finish with a great story a student named Jim told me years ago because it is a paradigm for this situation. He was a cop who worked part time in a kitchen of a large restaurant. There was an older fellow there from Vietnam and he suspected he had some advanced fighting skills. He asked him often to teach him and the fellow would reply, “I don’t know anything”. This went on for a year or two and one night when Jim was leaving the kitchen out back he saw the Vietnamese guy’s young son walking across the parking lot. He was accosted by a gang of local white kids who started pushing him around and shouting racial slurs. Jim sprung into action and started punching out one of the gang and pulled the young kid behind him. He said he had decked one guy when all of a sudden, out of nowhere from behind him, the older Vietnamese guy came flying. He landed in front of him and in a few seconds had knocked everyone down with kicks. Jim was absolutely stunned by this guy’s ability. Later the fellow said he would teach him because he was now an ‘uncle’ to the family, he had protected one of their own. So the moral is; you’re not invited into the house until the family trusts you. Good luck.
Joe
