Standards.... What we owe our students! It is sad to see the number of sell outs in the Martial Arts. Some of it so blatant that is is downright embarrassing! The number of Grandmasters, Masters and Museum Directors willing to certify people, not based on knowledge, skill and ability, but based on money, ego and status. We as teachers owe it to the students who have actually worked for their certification, to maintain the standards that they have met. To issue a certification or recognition to one who has not met the standards for rank, certification or position, is to DEVALUE what others have actually worked for ... and earned, it also calls into question every certification you issue! My former instructor, Samuel KWOK did this with a magician in Indonesia. This guy was very famous, and KWOK thought that making him an instructor would be good for his status, so he was made an instructor and association representative, even though he had not had any formal training in Wing Chun, but had only studied from our videos and books. This decision on Kwoks part DEVALUED what I and every other KWOK student had worked for! This hurt my relationship with my teacher and was one of the major cracks which eventually lead to a total break in our relationship! I myself, have been blessed with some great students. Some have become instructors, and others are in my Instructor Training Program. Manny Lopez, Lafayette Harris, Jeff Benton, and Jason Korol are certified instructors. All have worked very hard for what they have EARNED! I have others who are Training Group Leaders who have worked hard to develop their skills to be in line with our standards. They are authorized to run groups at various levels of knowledge and skill. I owe all of these dedicated students my promise to maintain the standards and integrity of our training program. To do less, to certify or back someone who does not meet our standards, would be a slap in the face of all who have worked so hard to EARN their current certification and position! I also owe a vow of integrity to many of the friends and instructors I have been fortunate enough to meet and build relationships with. David Peterson, Miguel Quijano, Dustan Carol, Gregory LeBlank, Pablo Ramos.... And many others I call friends and Brothers. I have a responsibility to these fine men and Martial Artist, to maintain high standards of quality and Integrity! There are too many Grandmasters and Masters who are willing to sell certification, and in turn sell-out their students. Without standards, the Wing Chun we have been taught will diminish as we pass it on to future generations. We must not make Wing Chun weaker because of our involvement. I promise my students, friends and Brothers in the Martial arts to continue to push to keep our standards high, and our integrity intact! -Sifu Tony Massengill
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 04:49:54 +0000
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