Showing Respect is a Question of Character
A young man walked into my kung fu class one evening and wanted to take lessons. A couple of the guys knew him from high school so naturally, I welcomed him like any other student.
He claimed to have had other martial arts experience. He was slender, short, and very fast. He had a lot of potential.
But he had no respect.
Since he had experience, when the sparring part of the class began, I asked him to spar with me so I could see how advanced he was. This young kid began dancing around and trash-talking me, moving in and trying to hit me, taunting me. It was laughable, since he had no skill but plenty of speed. I was able to hit him at will, but I was astounded by the fact that he would taunt a teacher. I had never run into that type of attitude in a student.
Within a couple of classes, this lack of respect translated into behavior throughout the class. I pulled him into another room and told him to either show a little respect to the art and to the teacher or don't come back. He settled down a little bit, but over the next couple of months his disrespect was obvious. I warned him again.
He only lasted another class or two and then he was gone forever. I never liked to see students leave, but in his case, I was relieved.
A week ago, he was sent to prison for 18 years for masterminding an ecstacy ring in the Quad Cities.
Most of the students who enrolled in my classes were fantastic people. To my knowledge, this person is the only one who ended up in trouble with the law. Based on the attitude he showed toward me and to the arts I teach, I can't say I'm surprised. It's a question of character.
--by Ken Gullette
Try Two Weeks Free and Get Step-by-Step Training in Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua from Basic to Advanced Skills with No Mystical Mumbo-Jumbo
More than 850 Video Lessons and Downloadable pdf documents -- and You Get It All During Your Free Trial!
Click this Button to Learn More and Watch a Video!
Author - Instructor
Ken Gullette
I have practiced martial arts since 1973 and began studying the internal arts in 1987. My goal is to cut years off your development time by coaching you in the real skills for high-quality Tai Chi, Xingyi, Bagua. To see more about my bio, click the "About Ken" link on the menu at the top of this page.
Stay connected with news and updates!
Recent Posts
Categories
All Categoriesfull contact vs point sparring
how to succeed in martial arts
how to use chi kung in daily life
how to use qigong in daily life
internal fighting arts podcast
ken gullette on kung fu conversations podcast
mindset of successful martial artist
principles of body mechanics in martial arts
what is body method in tai chi