Hello All,

I am still just a beginner in Xingyi, and I wanted to get some opinions on Hsieh's book. I don't know what style the author knows, but some of it looks like the Hebei I am familiar with. It is certainly a thick book with forms and applications, so I am curious to see what those with more experience think of it.

Thanks,
Richard

Hey Richard,
I just got my hands on this book also. It is a good book for a beginner. However, I would suggest to listen to your Sifu more than a book in your developing years.

All in all the book is good, but if you want to read up on theory... buy Liang Shou Yu and Dr. Yangs book, this is a great book(hobei style).

I find his postures to be off base. A friend told me that that was because he didn't know hsing-i, he just copied what he found in a chinese book and printed it as his own information.

Ya never know... it is hard to tell by a book.

Thats why I try to buy books from authors my Sifu knows about.

do you speak Chinese sleepydragon?

I started learning Cantonese, but it is a long long process. I dont think I will ever learn to read Chinese though, too damn hard!

THEN STOP USING TERMS LIKE 'SIFU' YOU CHI-HUGGIN' MAGGOT.

Just because someone calls someone 'sifu' doesn't mean they are a chi-huggin' maggot as you so creatively put it. I don't like the term sifu because I'm not chinese and don't speak chinese (did try to learn japanese once so I could more easily play old super nintendo games only released in japan but thats another story).

The English word master is ok with me but only when in the context that the person called master is a master of their martial art. Not my master. I am American, no man is my master. In the United States people shake hands instead of bowing. That's because each man (or woman) is equal. Teacher is a better word for our society.

What about Grand Poobah?

In China, the word "shifu" is virtually never used when addressing a teacher of martial arts. It is the correct term when addressing a Buddhist monk or nun, or a master of a trade (like a tailor).

The correct term for a teacher of traditional martial arts is "lao shi," meaning, literally, "teacher."

The correct term for a teacher of Wushu or Sanda is "jiao lian," meaning "coach."

No one calls martial arts teachers shifu (except in the West).

Bob#2...
You are without a doubt a JERK. I have no doubt you need to be beaten... and if your real life personality is anything like your internet... then you must be use to being called a jerk.

Tim,
Thanks... I appreciate the information.

I have always called my teacher Sifu... he never told us not too.

Why do teachers ask to be called Sifu in the west?

"Why do teachers ask to be called Sifu in the west?"
It all goes back to a popular little television show from the 70s called 'Kung Fu' staring David Caradine.


Jovial, Educational, Respectable, Knowledgeble
(JERK).

Pretty witty comeback there Bob#2.

Everyone likes to be mind controled a little or maybe a lot. Its up to them.

We called our teacher by his first name, which would probably shock a lot of posters here. However, most westerners equate the word "sifu" with a teacher of chinese martial arts, hence its common usage in that regard obviously.

Now, though, I guess I must add a new definition: "controller of minds"

In my experience it's the southern style teachers that use the term Sifu, not the northerners.

Agreed that it's become a "western" term at this point, but there are some old school guys from Canton and Hong Kong who use the term Sifu, and it has nothing to do with the TV show....

-Jess O

My teacher told me that in Hong Kong the instructor is sifu, his wife is sima(?)and there are a whole other bunch of names for kung fu brothers, elder kung fu brothers, his sifu etc.. they all start with "s" if i remember correctly. But when in Rome... I call him by his first name, when i met his teacher i used Mr. - . Unless your able to speak cantonese or mandarin who knows what your saying,isn't there eight tones? maybe your calling your teacher a turtle and he giggles to himself all the time.

Chinese is too hard to pronounce. With all their tone inflections and yowling they might as well be cats howling at the moon to me. Get a real alphabet people can read. Heck, the Egyptians moved from glyphs to a script sytem thousands of years ago because glyphs were too hard to write and use properly for serious writing. And how to chinese people use computers? Type? Huh? Japan has 3 alphabet systems. One is phonetic like our alphabet and is used for new words taken from other languages and stuff. Makes sense. I've given up on learning oriental languages. I'll stick to spanish and ancient greek. At least I didn't have to totally learn a new alphabet for them.

p.s. the entire calling your teacher a turtle and him giggling sounds kinda...ok...really gay.

Ok, how about "chuckles in a manly fashion" and "bear".And anyone with a name like yours who studies greek shouldn't be throwing any stones. I think the chinese have a phonetic alphabet too, but your right, it does seem complicated.

I don't go for all the bowing either.I imagine it depends on whether your learning at a more commercial school. You can show respect for someone without debasing yourself by your words and actions.

Actually, Mont Cessna is a family name going back many generations and hundreds of years ago my ancestors were living in a castle in France torturing peasants or something for fun or training for a war so HA! And yes, there is a Cessna, PA with a statue of General Cessna who fought in some war. And I am related to the people who founded Cessna Airplane but not close enough to be rich. And there really is a chatteou Cessna in France. So double HA! And I am a senior in highschool so studying Greek isn't TOO geeky. To erase any doubts I study greek between sets when squatting or deadlifting hundreds of lbs on my home gym and gruting manly. So triple HA!

p.s. "chuckles in a manly fashion" and "bear" are acceptable.

p.p.s. I just can't get over the fact that I theoretically have a semi-legal claim to raise an army and conquer France. (and yes, it is now 3:30 AM in PA)

My ancestors are French as well -- the smart ones who realized that they couldn't beat the Germans or the British in Europe and moved to North America instead to steal land from the native Indians.

Alcohol, guns and smallpox work well against those who aren't prepared!

My ancestors moved to the USA around 400 years ago. So I suppose they too realized that killing people who never invented the wheel with guns, swords and small pox would be a lot easier than defeating a european country in a war. You gotta love those European settlers who used germ warfare hundreds of years ago. Quite resourceful.

Almost as resourceful as Haiti rebels who made bullets for their rifles out of wood to save lead and prevent friendly fire accidents in the early 1900's (the bullets would burn up past around 100 yards, plenty of range for jungle warfare and still firable and accurate out of the same rifles u.s. marines used back then with their lead bullets)

as a matter fact, in SE Asia in the 80's, the cook was a sifu, so was the taxi driver and the bellboy. So much for sifu/shifu!!