Dean Chin's Jow Ga Kung Fu Federation

Recently, I had done some soul searching after a few eye-opening conversations with my elder Kung Fu brothers. On three separate occasions, I was told that I tend to live in the past, as I’d been told many times over the years. Naturally, due to ego, I resisted and rejected those assessments. But with some reflection, I realize that yes, I do. I mean… look at this entire blog. LOL

At 55 years old, I’m not completely a dinosaur. Certainly not to my septuagenarian brothers. Yet in many ways, yes I am–I long for the days of old, many bouts with depression because I constantly compare myself to the man I was 20 years ago–even to guys half my age. While I have resisted becoming a Kung Fu Al Bundy (“scored two touchdowns in one game in high school!”)–someone else’s got that covered–I am most certainly guilty of looking at the state of Kung Fu today, then looking back at the state of Kung Fu 40 years ago, then shaking my head. I need to work on that…

There are indeed many lessons young people can learn from the past. At the same time, there are many lessons people from the past can learn from the present. Kung Fu, like all things good, must evolve and update itself. We must fight the urge to hold on bitterly to the things as they were back then, and allow natural progression to bring things to the modern day. The last article discussed Kung Fu for the future. For this one, I would like to discuss Kung Fu for the present. That is, what we can do so that our students can prosper today.

1. Consider loosening up some traditions. Not suggesting we eliminate the hand greeting or Sifu title! However, some traditions are indeed outdated and weren’t even that great when we did them “in Chinatown.” For example, is it really necessary that every gathering of Kung Fu guys be in a Chinese restaurant? After all, most of us are not located in Chinatown. There are plenty of restaurants whose proximity brought us new students. Wouldn’t it be fair, then, if we brought some of our students to eat in their establishments? I’m sure some of my students would actually enjoy some Soul Food or Indian cuisine. Who made the rule that Kung Fu cats must only eat Chinese food? Or imagine if you went to your favorite clothing store, and the manager stuck a mop in your hand and told you to clean the floor while still charging you full price for your gear? Or you were late to a dentist appointment and the DA had you sit in Horse stance or do pushups? Just saying. Let’s keep the traditions that actually make sense and have a purpose, than have them just because our Sifu did it to us.
2. Accept that not everyone gauges themselves by tournaments. I was a tournament fighter, but I was told 25+ years ago by a student that the thought of fighting in front of 300 spectators scared the hell out of him. I reassured him that I would not force him to compete. Guess what happened maybe a year or two later? He asked me if I thought he was too old to compete, and he entered–and won. One tournament, and he never did another. This student is today close to 80 years old and he still keeps in shape. Had I not received good counsel years earlier, I might have belittled his concerns and lost him as a student. In days past, our teachers were much more competitive than today’s teachers so many of us were compelled to compete in order to build our school’s reputation. Today, with social media there are other ways to do so. Competition is still good–they are great places to “try out” one’s skills and sharpen teeth–but not everyone wants to do so. There is room in every martial arts community for the various specialties and activities. Let students gravitate towards those that tickle their fancy. Some will want competition, some will enjoy demonstrations, others will enjoy lion dance, while yet others are satisfied attending class and learning new skills. Avoid imposing your desires onto the students.
3. Utilize lesson plans. If you’ve never used lesson plans, you’d be surprised how helpful they are. There are several types and each have their functions. Curricula and lesson plans are different things. Curriculum is the long term plan–what students will learn from one level to the next, and may be as long as a year or two per level. The lesson plan is what is taught day by day, month by month, or even 90 days at a time. Say for example, according to your curriculum, a student will be considered a beginner for the first two years. In those two years, he or she will learn three forms, and maybe 150 techniques. Your curriculum may divide all that information into three or four sublevels. Let’s call them “Beginner level I”, “Beginner level II”, and “Beginner level III”. You might designate each level to be taught in 9 month blocks, learning one form and 50 or so techniques. So for Beginner level I, you plan for what is taught in months 1, 2, 3, all the way to 9. This will help you keep the classes focused and goal-oriented/goal-specific. Using this tool, your classes are efficient and it ensures that students know what they need to know by the time month #9 rolls around and they are both knowledgeable and skilled, ready for their exam. Money and time well-spent. This is much better than yesteryear’s method of standing in front of the class asking yourself, “What did we work on last week?”
4. Be encouraging, helpful, and inspiring. We live in narcissistic times, and students are often used to teachers who are motivated by money or ego, or other reasons. Many of our students were raised in households with divorced or estranged parents, and they crave that parental connection. When we run our schools like a drill sergeant or dictator, we miss the opportunity to give our student that connection that martial arts teachers often can. Remember, we are here to do more than impart fighting knowledge. We are first in the business of helping the students become better versions of themselves. Whether adult or child, they may have insecurities they haven’t spoken on or a host of many other things we can help them with. Without prying into their lives, by simply being a higher version of ourselves as teachers, we automatically help them with that. Students rarely know what’s bothering them, let alone will they ever tell you. By being encouraging, always available, and inspiring to our students we automatically have that covered. Kung Fu is a difficult enough activity to learn. Helping them through the frustrations of learning a new skill, even if only being encouraging while they struggle to learn–we help build up their self-esteem. And don’t think this only applies to children; adults have them as well. There are students who are overweight, those who are self-conscious about looking ridiculous, maybe even dealing with low self-esteem from having been bullied or picked on as a child or teen (or even in their adult life!). Being encouraging and gracious will help those students grow in ways we may never know. It isn’t always about the fighting and forms. When they do well, acknowledge it. If they struggle, give them a little extra instruction. If they get frustrated, reassure them that they’ll get it if they keep trying. This improves them as a student, and the extra patience improves you as a teacher.
5. Value Student Retention. Always remember that a martial arts school is not just a family or lineage of martial arts–it is a business. And in order for that business to exist, it must retain its students. When students quit, it isn’t because “this generation doesn’t understand commitment”–as I’ve heard many martial arts students say–it’s because, for whatever reasons, that martial arts school couldn’t keep that student’s interest. There are too many schools that have held onto students for decades for the excuse that it’s the generation to blame to be credible. Some schools have simply done the right things to keep students interested while others have not. Perhaps at a later time, I will write an article to expand on this subject. For now, let’s just say that students quit for mainly either of three reasons–their goals are not being met, their budget does not allow them to train, or their life’s commitments have gotten in the way. The last two are mostly out of our control, although you can reduce tuition for a student if they simply cannot afford classes. The first reason, goals not being met, is not only the main reason students quit but the hardest one for teachers to accept. We must know what is important to the student, and use everything in our power to help them achieve those goals. Oftentimes, we can help the students achieve their goals but for whatever reason we aren’t accomplishing that. Perhaps the student is bored. Or they want fitness but we are pushing forms on them. Classes may be too difficult. Or too easy. There may be a ton of reasons but students don’t quit schools where they are happy, progressing, and prospering. It is important that each time you are about to lose a student, you know why and find a way to keep them interested. When you do lose them, make it a priority to find out why. Quite often it will be difficult to find out the real reason why; students are often embarrassed and don’t want to hurt your feelings. However, pry ever so gently, because you will need this information to grow as a teacher. This is a tough pill to swallow: Most of the time a student quits, it is our fault as teachers. Their job was to bring the interest and enthusiasm to match it. Our job is to fulfill that interest and keep it. It’s that simple.
6. Your school must be “all things for all people”. Many will argue against me on this one. They say you “can’t please everyone”, but a martial arts school should be one of those exceptions. Perhaps we cannot offer quite everything, but we certainly have to offer as much as we can deliver. And not in every class, too. As Sifus, we have multiple talents and skills–we can teach fighting, forms, fitness, weapons, lion dance, etc. We should be able to have separate classes where students who are particularly interested in one aspect or another can select the classes and programs that suits their needs. Kung Fu should not be one-size-fits-all. It is a very lazy method to tell students you need it all, so just come to class. That’s a good way to build up the enrollment of the school down the street, I’m sure that Sifu will enjoy your philosophy. Some of us do not have the schedule or floor space to accommodate everyone. But at least isolate some aspects, where most of your students can get what they need, even if they have to occasionally train in an aspect that they aren’t completely excited about. If possible, I would also recommend offering a less intense class for students who find it difficult to keep up–for example I had a class for older adults–as well as a killer class for the Kung Fu diehards who want to train like they’re in a Shaw Brothers movie. Assign time for free practice, as some students lack space at home to practice, as well as make yourself available for private lessons. There are students who need extra attention, and arranging for a private lesson is much better for continuity of the class than having the entire class pause while you help one or two students learn something that the rest of the class already knows.

Hopefully these suggestions can help you run a more effective program. If you have suggestions you’d like to share, please comment below! If you like what you see, we’d like to invite you to subscribe to our blog off the main page and please share our articles! If you are on social media please look for our like page and private group on Facebook and add us! Thank you for visiting our blog.