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[kfletcher]

Well said master Gatewood.
Kenneth

[usnken]

Master Cory,

Have you, after all these years, come up with an answer for that question Jimmy posed to you?

I would guess we should try to do as much as we can to preserve the art but it seems things still end up getting watered down. Here are some of my thoughts...we should:

1. Share stories of Jimmy, though they tend to change over time; remember that game children play where they line up and a secret is whispered into one persons ear, and then the secret gets whispered to everyone in the line and at the end what they said is nothing like the original secret.

2. Teaching the same way we were taught. It is scary to hear Master Gatewood state that Jimmy stopped teaching classical aspects of Kung Fu, because not only does that leave gaps in our art, but it also causes others to want to add what they think is missing into the art from—stuff they learned from other sources.  For example, I read that Jimmy had the knowledge of Chinese bone-setting. How many KFSS schools teach this nowadays? Or herbal medicine? If it wasn’t taught by Jimmy, then we didn’t learn it….and people might try to later add it back in,…but will it be accurate?

3. Writing down as much as we can. This lesson-writing debate has been rehashed again and again….

4. Learning from the 1st gen masters. Hey—why not try to get as close as we can to the source?!? ?

5. Watching videos of Jimmy (though, I understand people with lots of Jimmy footage choose not to share them, so I would hope they might not make comments on where the art is going…).

6. Establishing a nationally recognized standards committee. I have heard discussions of this in the past, but I think the idea faded (correct me if I am wrong).

I suspect a number of things stand in the way of these things: money, time, laziness, ignorance, ego, etc. Basically, my point is that the art may be suffering, but I think many people are trying to preserve it by simply teaching what they were taught….when we could be doing much more. I sometimes wish a KFSS student somewhere would win the lotto and be able to devote time, money and effort in creating a massive compilation of documents, videos, lessons, etc. and anything else about the art …and maybe even open a centralized school/training hall where we could all go to learn more. 

Of course, I am just venting a bit due to some personal frustration….

[ccory]

Ken your thoughts are good and most of them are being done today. Most of Jimmy’s students have been sharing his stories, Here in Tennessee, we require the students to write down their lessons and most of the Instructors here require students to show the notes to them. About learning from 1st Generation Masters, I found when I came out to Tennessee for a seminar several years before I moved here, that Bat McGrath had taught his students the same way he was taught, with lessons that Jimmy gave us. We now have 4th generation Masters and the Art still looks the same as I taught it in California. I am proud of all the San Soo men and women in Tennessee. I am the Great Great Grandfather of these 4th Generation Masters here and I have never once had to ask what are they doing? Do I have the answer? No, it is the students and Instructors who hold the answers to that question. If they have confidence in the Art and pass it on as they received it instead of "Improving on it" the Art will stay powerful and pure.

About the National committee, We had a standards committee once, and as everyone said, we had a lot of little kings in their own kingdom, more worried about ruling their small domain than looking at the big picture and thinking bigger. Jimmy’s dream was to see San Soo across the nation. He lived to see that, but we could do so much more with a strong association behind us.


Chuck

[RonG]

Usnken,
You ended your posts with some very idealistic comments, I used to have them also until the battles of all the San Soo Generals proceeded to fight to control the Art.  I recovered from many bloody battles, scared and lost the ideals of organizing a cohesive San Soo Group.  My whole idea of filming was to someday donate them to the San Soo Museum that I was sure we would have, "Oh , naive me".  Eveyone started demanding that I must make them available to them (one guy even posted to others to get themselves a boot legged copy), when technology made it easier to make digital, I spent many thousands of dollars to have it done.  I have made some available but few seem interested and I did pull back doing others because of the attitudes.
When you ask a question of me, you do not get a changed version as I have most of what he said on tape or video, I taped him constantly even when I worked out I left it running on his desk.  I did lose about 200 audio tapes when my house burned but he repeated stories often so I still have much of it.
I have tried many things including the San Soo Journal, weapons, learning directly from Jimmy (using him teaching and breaking it down) but as everything I have tried support lacks and then it just fades away.
I would like to do something also but when you try to organize all the little kingdoms, it never seems to go anywhere.

[RonG]

PS,
You mentioned bone setting and herbs, there are things he knew and things he didn't, as time passes I am sure people will say he could fly.  I had many conversations with him about such things and it is my personal opinion that he was not highly skilled in these areas, remember he was very young when he left China.  His superior skills were in combat and body mechanics.
Chuck will get a laugh out of this, when ever one of us was hurt, broken finger/toe, cut, blister, etc., he would go get his masking tape and put it on you or tear off a piece and watch you put it on.

[ThomPayson]

If I am not mistaken, I believe this same master decided that belt system we all came up with was not good enough for him so he added colors to the belts as well. Even using red which is a color saved for masters only. I always thought that consistency was a good thing for the art. White, Yellow, Green, Brown and Black was good enough for Jimmy, good enough for Chuck and I think should be good enough for all the rest. Of course that is only my opinion.

[RonG]

Thom,
There were many types of students in El Monte, most were technique oriented who learned just lessons, they refused to move to upper levels and concepts.  Jimmy said to work reversals but hardly anyone did, they worked out the same by doing the same thing over without ever exercising their mind.  Now they have made up their own styles without fully comprehending the foundations of our Art.  They feel they have the ability to make a more complete art, which I have not yet met one who can.
There are many types of instructors, some are ego driven who think the are the greatest, they strut, create titles almost demanding a throne, they promote very young people to Master (people in early 20s, how can this be if you can't receive a blackbelt before 18, which whores out our whole belt system).  When you see them in action you wonder what art they are showing and how they got so bad.
There is another type who is money driven, I would warn that just because you may pay much more for lessons does not mean that you are getting better lessons, you should visit other schools to decide.
Then there is the instructor who strives to teach as he was taught, he still spends time experimenting and growing in his understanding of San Soo, he may show you some other techniques but he tells you were he saw them.
He is the guy that if he were to see Jimmy, he would give him one of his big smile and say, "You a good boy, you teach good".  I can only imagine what he would say to these other guys.