The Traditional and Good Masters
Traditional masters are like walking history books of martial art; they possess a high level of skill (much higher than contemporary "masters.") and they are very difficult to find.
Where are they most likely to be found:
>Certain parks
>In their residence
How they operate:
Some of them, if not many, will hide a few things from their students and desciples; the reason being is that it has to do with tradition and how things were run back in the ancient days (sometimes when a master teaches everything he knows to a student, the student in the end, ends up betraying the master or use the martial style in illicit ways thereby disgracing the martial school)
>They will teach you stances, certain key principles and forms of the style they specialize in
>Occasionally they will embark a few Kou Juei (martial proverbs)(take those proverbs seriously because these words are as valuable as gold once you fully comprehend what it truly means and how it'll help you in terms of the style you're learning)
>How to get your Master to help you more beyond the normal scope is to simply talk to the person and ask intelligent questions. However, try to ask the question(s) only once or twice or else all you'll most likely get from asking a question one too many times is this "you may be good at academics, but in terms of martial art, you still need a little more work." Or the respective master might just simply shake his/her head gently and smile then tell you to practice more (they're not refusing to help you, they just think you're not ready yet to be given new materials)
>In a traditional martial school always talk to your Seniors as much as possible because often what they say reflects what the Master is teaching but it is materials they have discovered themselves through those teachings. Hence, it'll save you a lot of headaches, time and frustration if you're able to digest those materials that are given to you during your conversations with your Seniors. Also, the main thing to remember is that Seniors are often far more patient than the Masters are so keep that in mind.
Things you shouldn't do when you have a traditional master or when you're in a traditional martial school:
>Do not get a tattoo (Too late in my case)
>Do not tell your Master that you're also learning the same style or another style from another Master. You can, but you'll have to make arrangements for both Masters to meet each other. Failing to do that will make you seem as if you're trying to deceive the Master, betray the school or worse, implying that whatever your Master is teaching you is not good enough.
We've talked about the fake and the traditional masters. It is only fair that we cover some of the traits of a good master(s).
Price they charge:
>Depending on the respective master, some charge by the month some charge by the hour. For me I pay $50 per hour for my instructions. I've heard that certain masters charge $80 per month. Or, believe it or not, $3000 for a segment of the martial system.
Traits:
>When you ask them questions, they will try their best to answer it to the best of their ability (traditional masters, depending on how much they trust you, will either walk away or take you for a walk around the park)
>Through their instructions you will be able to feel certain improvements, psychological and physical changes within the body. For psychological it can be simply the development of confidence within yourself. For physical changes and improvements it can be that you're able to feel that you're becoming faster, able to generate a greater amount of power, able to generate power more efficiently, your body and muscle becoming harder naturally. If you're an internal style practitioner, you'll be able to feel that your dan tian is slowly developing.
>They will occasionally tell you certain principles and concepts when they remember it as they see you practice.
>Instead of simply telling you a lot of deep concepts, philosophies etc. about the martial system, these masters will walk you through these concepts and ideas so that you're able to digest them.
>Instead of telling you inspiring stories about the ancients and how masters of old were able to do this or that, they will guide you, teach you how to improve on your own martial skills. They are focused on the now and will teach you practical things. They will help you on your martial progress and how you as an individual, is able to make that progress.
>They will give you constructive criticism (but be careful, some fake masters will simply criticize you for the sake of it so that you'll think that they're the real thing) Knowing when one is giving you constructive criticism and when one is saying that you're wrong for the sake of it depends on your own relative judgment.
>They tend to keep you after your session despite you telling them that it's time for you to leave and not bother them anymore, they keep you after anyways. This shows one thing: they're really trying to help you improve, they're really teaching you something. They are not in it just for the cash.
Fake Masters
How to tell if a martial Master is well, fake:
Things to avoid:
>Avoid schools/masters that advocate their martial style as being authentic such as "I teach authentic Chinese martial art;" if what he/she teaches is authentic, the master in question does not need to add in the word authentic to begin with. It's like saying Panda Express is "authentic" Chinese food.
>Fake masters go straight to the payment plan
>They will keep on telling you that you're making progress. Rarely do they offer constructive criticism. Praise is good right? Yes we all like to be praised but during one's martial career, if the substance the teacher/master teaches are indeed authentic, it will be very hard to grasp and learn. Therefore your progress in the art tend to fluctuate, sometimes high sometimes low. No one can be expected to be successful throughout the course of being a martial artist.
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