Do not mistake kindness for weakness

 

Too often people mistake kindness for weakness, this is foolish.

 

Master Ip Chun once said to me “Only ever play that little bit better than the person you are teaching, that way they are always being encouraged to try that little bit harder”.

This is of course a great idea as the student is always thinking, ‘I nearly got him this week, if I keep training then maybe soon I will get the better of him?’

There are two side to this, the first I have just mentioned, the other is that sometimes the student can start to think that they’re not improving as they never win.  It is at this time I explain how the techniques I used to get so easily, now I do not even try, and that each month or so I feel like I have had to change up a gear to match their development.

 

I believe only a bad teacher hurts a student.

I do not need to hurt you in order to teach you.

But occasionally it is nice to ‘show the student‘ what they need to be aiming for (and who is the boss).  🙂

 

Being kind and occasionally letting the student ‘win’ in Chi Sau is one thing but should not be thought of as a weakness of the teacher.