Are you a teacher or a fighter?

That is a question of which the answer requires honesty, not only to your sifu (teacher), but to yourself as well. Why do you learn martial arts?

Sifu Chan once told us that he believed that there are only two types of martial arts student. There is the 'teacher' student and there are the 'fighter' students, and each has their own traits. Ultimately which group you belong to is determined by the way you learn, apply and appreciate the art?
So before we continue ask yourself: are you a teacher or fighter?
Now let us explore the difference.

A teacher student will endeavor to learn all the small nuances and intricacies of a martial art in order to pass on accurate knowledge to future generations of martial artists. By understanding the subtle nuances, a student can properly execute a move with proper timing and precision, proper angling and distance, and most importantly with proper force behind each move. All these things require intimate knowledge of the art.
The fighter student will endeavor to seek one thing, the knowledge of how to injure people. Impatience is in part responsible for the fighter student's lack of skill in the basics of an art, since they often have a false sense of proficiency. Failure to even attempt the practice of the basic elements of an art is often preceded by the phrase: "pfft, I already knew that." and often succeeded by the question: "why don't you teach me something more useful?" As a result, the 'fighter' student will always be one step behind the 'teacher' student, since they will have only acquired a rudimentary understanding of how things work.

Speaking from personal experience, I've learned that the studying of martial arts will change a person. I found myself applying some stances to stabilize myself on a bus or subway, or using the knowledge of how to apply force to do every day tasks.
In order to properly understand this next section, please consider the following hypothetical situations.

* [You are walking down a street alone late at night when from the shadows a man with an obviously feeble excuse for a weapon (but nonetheless still a weapon) stops you and demands that you hand over all the cash you have on you. what do you do?]

* [You are walking down the hallway of your school when a bully starts harassing you verbally; making reference to aspects of your personal life which you would have rather kept private. what do you do?]

* [You are in the middle of a sparring session with another member of your martial arts club, when your opponent accidentally strikes you with more force than intended, and you are knocked down. what do you do?]

Think about them. And I mean seriously think about them. Forget about giving the 'right' answer and just answer with the very first thing that pops into your head. What do you do?

Here is where the difference between the teacher student and the fighter student comes into play.
The teacher student will have listened to this particular lesson from their master, as all masters will have given this lecture. A martial artist will have the skill, but refuse to use it unless absolutely necessary. Instead of thinking with their fists, they will think with their heads. A well-disciplined mind will shrug off the thought of fighting in favor of attempting to defuse a potentially bad situation. And where does this discipline come from? For a martial artist, it is the discipline of the martial art itself. Or more directly, from the master who is teaching the martial art. The 'teacher' student will have learned that the only way to properly learn their art is to practice what they are told, and continue to practice when they would rather stop, because they understand that their master has a reason behind everything they teach. That is teacher-student discipline. You also learn student-body discipline, which is quite simply your body doing what it is told, when it is told, and with precision.
The fighter student, however, will be rash and abrupt. Having not paid attention during that particular lesson, and having built up a false sense of skill in their martial art, they will embrace their anger and the instincts, which follow: fighting. What's more is that not only will the fighter student attack the source of their anger, but do it badly and without skill. Analyzing their fight (which, in the first place, probably could have been avoided), you would see that since they didn't build their skill in the basics, they either a) use moves that their art probably advised them would be ineffective, and/or b) attempt in vain to execute a complicated maneuver. In the end, they succeed only in injuring themselves. The fighter student's lack of discipline allows them to be blinded by rage, rather than to listen to the quiet voice of reason. What's worse is if the fighter student, in their arrogance, goes out into the world LOOKING for a fight. They can very easily go from being the victim to being the bully or ruffian.

So what do you do? What do you do in those situations?
In the first situation, you should take a good look at the robber, hand over your cash, and call the police. 'Why?' you might ask. Well, quite simply, the robber's not worth the trouble. He's still armed. Even if you could disarm him and scare him off, you risk getting yourself hurt. Or worse yet, getting the robber hurt. If the police ask you whether you have a martial arts background, you'll have to say yes, and YOU might be the one who gets in trouble for not attempting to dispel the situation peacefully. E.g.: in Canadian law the robber can still charge the person being robbed for 'aggravated assault' even though they were committing a felony at the time. And even if you are acquitted, the charge remains on your permanent record forever tainting it.
In the second situation, you should just ignore the bully and walk away. Reacting to his words would have validated whatever accusations he might have said, as well as have let him win the fight. He bullies you to get a reaction. If you react, his mission is accomplished. And what's worse, if he knows that he can get a rise out of you, you'll end up a consistently reliable source of entertainment to the bully.
In the third situation, you should shrug off the strike, get back up, and continue training. What your opponent did might have been aggravating, but it was still only an accident. Besides, the fact that your opponent was able to land the blow shows that you were either not paying attention, or are in need of more training. Take that shot as a blessing, since chances are you won't make that mistake again.

The martial arts aren't only about fighting, they're about learning how to cope with life, solve problems and think around corners. What better way is there to learn to live life with discipline and honor? As a martial artist it's your job to think more than five minutes ahead of you, not only in the ring, but also in all of life's decisions. Always remember that you represent your martial arts club at all times. So next time you're in a conflict, think to yourself: "will what I do here today be a credit to my master, to my school, and to Chinese culture?"
Most importantly, you must analyze the way you think about the martial arts, and the way you learn them. And you've got to ask yourself: are you a teacher or a fighter.
It has always been Sifu's hope that he would train a group of teachers to pass on the knowledge with which he has graced us, and perhaps even innovate it further to fit with the times. Remember what we will teach and the way we teach our students one day will be very much the same way our master taught us, so in that way Sifu's knowledge (and the knowledge of those before him) can be shared.

Forever the student,
Chan, Matthew J.

Matt Chan is a martial artist, over his six years of experience in martial arts; he has been formally trained in Wushu, Bagua and Wing Chun. He has also received informal training in Tai Chi, Shotokan Karate, Tai Jutsu, grappling and Tae Kwon Do. He is currently learning Wing Chun from Sifu Nelson Chan of the Christian Wushu Fellowship, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The opinions of this article are solely those of the writer and are not the expressed opinions of the Christian Wushu Fellowship.