Uncle Sifu

This weekend we went to the birthday party for the child of my childhood friend. While we were leaving her husband expressed interest in putting there kids into Woo Ching White Crane as well interest in revitalizing the school. I was surprised that there were people out there who were thinking about the school so much but I guess I shouldn't be.
I brought this up with my Si Hing's. But basically I think the school is where we want it. Yes we would like an influx of interested students, but not a huge influx to the point of looking like a commercialized enterprise.
 I think the best thing for the system would be a different for of expansion, i.e. more locations.
And the more I thought about it, the group my friend was proposing would be best run by the children's Uncle.

A lot of people always back off when I suggest that they teach martial arts. They will say, "Oh I am not at that level." And yet there are tons of successful schools run by people who know very little about the martial arts when they begin. After practicing by themselves they seem qualified enough as masters. Now you can tell a difference if you are from a traditional school. But can most people? No. This doesn't mean you are "fake." It just means that there is always room for improvement. Even the greatest masters you could ever think of the legends that became Gods, Guan Yu, or legends that became folk heroes, Hung Hei Goon, Wong Fei Hung... I'm telling you if you asked them, they would say that they have things that they are still working on too. I'm sure of it.

Plus when you learn from a relative, or a childhood friend the feeling is different. It's better to learn three moves in this way than to learn a million moves at a commercialized school, or even a traditional school. Because if you have an emotional attachment to your Sifu going in, then the Kung Fu you learn will feel more like an heirloom. It's like an antique chair or vase. If it is bought at auction for 3 million dollars... well that's nice. But if it was passed down through the family generation after generation.. even just one generation, that is more valuable.

Plus I realized that this Sifu I am thinking of could also learn how to make heads and make drums, and together with his friends could form a pretty solid group. And I know that when I was kid, that's what I would have wanted to join. But since my family was small and not in the Boston area, I the school that felt most like my childhood memories of places my father had taken me, and could fill in the spaces I was looking for.. ... a father figure, Traditional Chinese Culture, lots of older male figures, and badass Kung Fu.