Letter to Teacher

This is an E-Mail that I thought about sending to my teacher. I don't want to annoy him, but I also think some of this is important for him to know. My teacher (he does not want to be called Sifu) earned a second degree orange sash in Liu Seong Kung Fu from Master Willem Reeders who was chinese/dutch in descent. I have been training for only 5 months.
Teacher,
I am really fighting with myself not to become discouraged. I guess I expected more from myself when I began training. I have never been particularly athletic and am beginning to wonder if kung fu is too advanced for me at this point. It seems that I have touble with even the very basic movements. I can't believe that my coordination is so poor. On the other hand I think it is important for me to face the challanges of mastering my body and mind. The only thing that keeps me going is my motivation. I want to learn the art for it's physical, mental and self defense benefits.
I am very interested in Liu Seong kung fu and want to learn the art in it's entirety. I don't want to just go through the motions, but I want to learn the art well. I also have interests in eastern culture in general and am eager to learn more about Chi and other eastern concepts.
I apoligize for not trying harder in Thursday's class. What can I do to improve myself It's really hard to ignore how easily your other students seem to grasp the simple drills that I find difficult. Sometimes I feel like I'm wasting your time and the time of the other students.
Does anyone out there have any opinions on whether I should send this

I can only speak from my perspective, but I would personally be encouraged to receive a letter such as this from my students.

It would let me know you realize there is a problem, but more importantly that you are very willing to work on it.

Quite often one of the major problems instructors face is convincing the student there is something wrong ("but that's not how Van Damme does it!").

Your letter shows coutesy, insight, and the knowledge that you may not be perfect yet.



On the other side, I'll be willing to bet you are not as bad as you think you are.

When it all comes down to it, there are only two types of students.

Those that are not as bad as they think they are.
And those that are not as good as they think they are.

Anyway, good luck with your endeavor.

Hey Raymond! Keep your head up! I am sure there are many times that all of us get discouraged and frustrated...I know I do! As for not being athletic enough, with time your body WILL get to be more athletic, if you train hard! You'll see your flexibility, stamina and strength all increase, and you'll be amazed at the changes in yourself! Just keep on trying your best, and I'm sure any Sifu would love to have someone like you for a student!

Krissy

Raymond,
I would not be too discouraged, when I first started and indeed recently I have been the one who was slow to learn something that other students found easy. It is just the way things are, but from what I have seen everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Just because you find a certain techinique or drill hard right now, doesn't mean that they will all be like that. I have seen people that had the hardest time throwing a basic kick, catch on to an advanced theory in no time at all. I am sure you will find that you too have such capabilities. As well what master Banks said is right, any Sifu would be pleased to have a student so honest and humble learning from him.. like he said there are only two kinds of students... and he is right! Perservere brother, the real measure of Kung Fu is the hardship endured by each of us, it makes us what we are to become. Smile!

I kinda know what you are going through. I started studying gung-fu maybe 9 months ago. But you have to realize that progress is made slowly. There really is no need to feel bad about your ability. Rome wasn't built in a day and people spend their entire lives studying martial arts. 5 months is not nearly enough time. There is no need to apologize for not trying harder. You most likely tried your hardest Its just that the execution was not there. You passed 5 months and that in itself is an acomplishment. In the short time I have been practicing I have seen people show up for a months worth of classes and then just drop out because, I assume, they are not seeing the progress they thought they would. Realizing that you will be limited in the beginning of your studies is the first lesson I have learned. Then you find ways of upgrading your level. Do you just need help learning the basic movements, do you need to improve your flexibility, do you need help with the self defense aspect. Think about it. Analyze where you are at as far as performance. Then come up with a plan to get better. That is what self-cultivation is all about. Use your mind to make your body better. Talk to your teacher before class. E-mail can be impersonal. Ask him what he thinks of where you are at and ask him what does he think you can do to make yourself better.

Don't give up!!
Even though you may not feel that you are improving now, you are!! You just can't see that you're building a solid foundation. The extra effort you are putting in at the beginning will help you greatly later on. I bet that if you compare yourself now to how you were when you started then you would see the improvements. Your hard work and perseverence will make you a much better artist in the long term!

I agree with feih-feih, talk to your sifu don't e-mail him. You'll be showing courage and respect and more importantly you'll get an answer right away.

Hang in there!

Raymond and I have swapped a few private messages about this and I thought it may be beneficial for anyone reading this topic to read an excellent article about this by Dr. Yang Jwing Ming


article

In my dojang there is a story that is told to all the new people that start up...It is the story of Edisons lightbulb. When Edison was trying to get the lightbulb to work he didnt get it the first time nor the second or third. In fact it was something like 7000 different designs that didnt work. Needless to say his financial backers were wondering how it was going. When they finally came to him and said "Hey Tom, do you know how to make a lightbulb yet" He turned around and said "Nope, but i know 7000 ways not to." And we all know the outcome. The point is, if you keep up your study, and practice what you say you "Cant do" over and over and over, (with proper instruction) :P You WILL get it. It may take you a lifetime. But hey, martial arts is not a sack of potatos that you can just walk into a store and buy. The truth is that it does take hard work, and dedication, and sacrifice, and blood sweat and tears, and i guarantee if you quit you will feel like complete **** if you are a true martial artist...i would say good luck but i know you wont need it in the end

It has been my experience that it is better to say what's on your mind in person rather than to write. Better to ask for instruction each time during the action. Your letter sounded nice, and you sound like a nice person.
As far as athleticism goes, well, that comes with time. Important thing is not to let performance anxiety get in the way.
It's quite an education, and there are lots of factors which come into play. A bit of acquired flexibility and muscle tone can make all the difference, make you feel better so you can do more. You might consider a longer warmup, done before class. Taking notes after class, writing down new moves, describing them for reference, and reading this before class, can be very helpful. Working cooperatively with another student often helps. Watch how a more advanced student moves. Some times it is a matter of doing exercises to open the hips more. If that is one of the stumbling blocks for you, get cracking cause you can do it! Just be sensible.
take care,

passingthru

I'm sure most of your query has already been answered by now, however my opinion is that you should realise that it takes time for anyone starting a martial art to establish their co-ordination - and in that time you should try not to be discouraged if your classmates are improving faster than you are, because your training really should just be about your own personal skills and building on them.
Persevere and keep trying your hardest in class and in time your skills will increase and it'll become easier to take on new techniques.

You would be far better off, I believe, to approach your instructor in private when he has the time(or schedule a time with him), and express to him personally what you wrote in the letter. I feel that the personal approach will yield better results much quicker. This is, IMHO, a situation that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. Everyone, I think, goes through this at one time or another in their training. I know that I did, and going directly to my instructor was the best thing that I ever did to solve, what turned out to be, a simple problem. Don't give up!!! Communicate your concerns to your instructor!! Remember the old saying, "The only stupid question is the one not asked." I wish you luck.

__________________
Lance Hyatt

"Avoid rather than check,
Check rather than hurt,
Hurt rather than maim,
Maim rather than kill...
For all life is precious,
Nor can it be replaced."

I agree with passingthru; I think you should request extra attention WHEN you are having trouble.

Every time I feel frustrated/discouraged, I just practice harder and longer to catch up to where I think I should be.

Have patience.

Raymond.

Here is my advise. Been doing MA for 20+ yrs and studied a few styles.

Speak to your Sifu about your worries, and discuss it with him.
Sending the letter will still result in the same disucssion anyway, IMO.

During the Discussion your Sifu will most likely ask you where exactly your problems are.

I had and still have to do the same at times when I learn a new style/form.
Sometimes a small correction in private can make a huge difference.
Sifu also do know a lot more than they normally teach and he/she might be able to give you a few extra stretches/Qi-Gong or similar to assist you.
Finally, remember that your Sifu is your guide along the road to good MA but he/she cannot help you if they are not aware of problems.

You said that you only been doing it for 5 month in my style that is the equivalent when our Students start to remember our 1st From(7 min.) in full, it will take them another 4month b4 they can execute it fairly well.
In some KF styles it can take 5~6 yrs to learn a Full Form, so don't be impatient.
My personal advise to you is relax, enjou your training and don't try to push yourself to excel, your progress will be twice as fast.

Peace.