distance/correspondence courses

[xiongnu_luohan]

I just started talking about this on another thread and I realized I needed to start a thread on it - let's talk about distance learning & correspondence courses.

I think these courses are fine as long as you see your teacher every about 2 weeks. I think it would talke much longer to learn this way but there's nothing wrong with correspondence materials as long as you are learning from a real person a couple of times per month.

I think the ideal situation for distance learning is where you live 1-2 hours from your school. In that case you can use correspondence materials & private lesons with your teacher on the weekends or every other weekend.

I don't think it's realistic to think you can learn cma with seeing a teacher regularly, it's just too difficult. My experience in cma is not as great as others but in my view you have to go slow in cma. You have to learn a couple of steps/postures in a form carefully before you go on to the next thing. But I also realize that not everyone can get to a class 2 times per week. I don't think you can learn from a dvd because the dvd doesn't give you feedback on your posture and movement. But I think dvds would be a great way to review material that you have already been taught in person.

I hope more people consider distance learning as a way of getting involved with cma. But they should understand that they need to see a teacher regularly as that's the only way to progress. I would guess that the history of cma is full of people who saw their teachers 2-3 times per month. Maybe I'm wrong and I don't really know.

So my opinion is this: if you can find a school that is 1-2 hours away and they have a correspondence program you should consider it. If you fiund a correspondence program but the school is farther away then you shouldn't do it unless you have the money to travel to the school 2-3 times per month. Remember though some people do have that kind of money.

CMA is about hard work & coaching. The coaching comes from a teacher and that's the way it is. But I think people need to distinguish from a correspondence course where you have no regular teacher vs. a program where you get taught 2-3 times per month and use dvds to review things.

Well that's my opinion. Feel free to give yours.

 

[Xue Sheng]

First I am usually dead set against distance learning any MA or correspondence courses but then my definition is different form what you are saying.

But distance learning defined as seeing your sifu every 2 weeks would be fine. Even every couple of months depending on your level, the sifu and the style. I know of a guy that sees his sifu about every 12 to 24 months but he is then spending pretty much 6 solid months, hours a day, with his sifu and then has a 1 to 2 year on his own. His sifu is in China and he is in America.

I have considered distance learning myself, in China, but I am not sure that seeing a sifu every year for 2 solid weeks is enough to make it worth it and that is what it would have to be right now if I were to do this. And to be honest I do not think I would get any better sifu in the styles I train there since both I have now are long time martial artist both born raised and trained in China. To be useful it would have to be in the same styles I currently train here IMO.

I did consider trying to train with a Yiquan instructor in NYC a while back and that would have been once a month and I SERIOUSLY considered making the trip down near NYC once a month to train with Ren Guangyi and his teacher Chen Xiaowang (about once a year) in Chen style a few months ago, but I decided against both because of the time, distance and cost.

Dr Yang in Boston use to have 3 day seminars every 6 months and I think that is pushing it a but it is still much better than learn by video or by phone or via the web.

But there are some cases in the early and even late stages where you may see your sifu only once every few months. He gives you something to train and then you go train it, if you do it right when he next sees you he shows you more if you don’t… he tells you to go practice more or, like what recently happened to me... He asks you if you are serious or not.

A correspondence program to me is one where you do not see a sifu at all, you buy videos and books from somebody and try to learn by using those and that is not good at all. But this is my definition and I understand you are using a different definition.

 

[East Winds]

I currently have two teachers (both teaching the same Traditional Yang Form). One, my main teacher, lives 300 miles away and I see her about every 12 weeks. My other teacher lives in America and I see him about once a year on his visits to the UK. This works very well and is similar to what Xue Xheng describes. I take notes during the seminars and use these as "distance learning material". But I would be against learning purely from video tapes or books without the input of a good teacher.

Very best wishes