on Martial Arts Association, “You must realize that just because you have signed up at some martial art school does not mean you are a student, you are merely a customer” The difference between student and customer is very distinct. A customer thinks “What can I get from Kung Fu,” where as the student thinks “What can I give to Kung Fu.” A student does not think of himself, but he thinks primarily of the teacher, and secondly about the other students. A customer always seeks recognition and rank, contrary to the student which just seeks to be the best practitioner, for the style. If you decide you are a student then you are most definitely a customer, for only the teacher knows who is who. Thus your aspirations should be that some day your teacher considers you his student and not simply a customer. Now all of you might be thinking, “I see it all on tv and in the movies, it looks easy.” Well-let me tell you that a lot of the things you see on tv and in the movies is often exaggerated and glamorized. Special effects are used, and routines are choreographed by stuntmen. In real life situations you won’t catch a bullet with your hand while jumping in the air and kick somebody’s head off. It just doesn’t happen, and contradictory to what Kung Fu stands for. Yes, there are some people who keep it real. Movie stars like Jet Li and Jackie Chan both use Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. Yet I must remind you that they are very skilled practitioners who have about 20 years of experience each. Bruce Lee also studied Northern Shaolin Kung Fu and later developed a method of his own called Jeet Kune do. This goes to show that Northern Shaolin Kung Fu has produced many of the best martial artists then, as well as now.Now in all this rambling I hope you have learned something. That Kung Fu is not merely a sport. It has historically and culturally been regarded as the greatest of all martial art...
