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Back to basics!   This is a beginning technique. Anthony is currently working on higher level material than this but he knows the value of going back to basics.   Always bringing the basics up with you is the path to success in Shou’ Shu’. As well as in anything else you are trying to achieve.   If we forget the basics and do not develop them as we go then eventually we are working from a weak foundation. Or at least a foundation that is too weak to support our new knowledge. Since we have nothing to stand on we can’t reach up and therefore we are stuck.   Conversely, if we work basics just as hard as the new shiny object then we give the new shiny object value. Without the basics, it is nothing more than theory. Not practical, not applicable, and useless.   Bringing the basics up and working them just as hard as the newest thing is rare. It is one of the few things that separates those that have massive success from those that have little success.   When Shifu Liz Weaver tested for her black belt under Da’ Shifu (she was the last to do so) a high ranking black belt who was trying to deride her credibility said “Her lower material is way better than her advanced”. His tone clearly stated that he was trying to discredit her.   I felt a heavy weight in my gut. I had trained her hard. She had trained hard. Even Da’ Shifu had spent a great deal of time and effort training her. (Which was just one of the sources of jealousy, no other black belts got this attention from the Grand Master). We wanted to be so proud of her and here was this piece of doo doo thrown right into the middle of the celebration.   Then I looked at Da’ Shifu and I said:   “Isn’t that the way it should be?”   He smiled   Then he laughed   Then he put on his mighty Da’ Shifu face and in his tone that said to everyone that this statement would be the final word, he said   “Damn right, I wish they were all that way”   Then he walked off to put his arm around Shifu Liz so he could parade around his newest black belt.   I watched from a distance with that feeling of pride that drives my entire life. The feeling of seeing one of my students suceed.   Moral:   1) Basics, basics, basics 2) Be proud of other’s successes   Both of those things make the world a better place  

Some time ago I did this little experiment. The idea was to put a “BIG” Shou’ Shu’ video out into the wild and then make sure it was seen by those who had never seen Shou’ Shu’ before. Then to try to decipher what they were seeing based upon the comments. When I say big I mean a technique that has large motions so it is easy to see. This technique is big but admittedly there are some subtleties, that just made it fun. I was able to reveal (in the comments) what was in plain sight before. The first guy to jump into the comments was a perfect victim. An experienced martial artist in an art which has at least some similarities to ours (minus the magic). Some people even claim we are an offshoot of Kempo. I think from the comments it is obvious we are not. He completely missed all of the subtleties of the technique that made it work. Additionally, we had a number of people jump in and say they could practice it and get it down and it was good. This is highly unlikely. It’s possible that these people have alien brains that can detect all that info and absorb it, then transfer it to their bodies. However, it is much more likely that they are suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect. The Dunning Kruger effect is why we have to protect this information. It’s not that we don’t want to give the information out. We certainly do. But if we give it to those people it will be watered down and lost like all other arts. That is the biggest challenge. To make the info freely available to those who will value it and strive to understand it to it’s fullest while at the same time protecting it from those that think they understand it but have no clue. We need a new form of creative commons license with a mechanism to make it work. In other words, governance (Vitalek please make this possible) And thirdly we have a few people trying to understand what they see. These are the ones we want. These are future (or present) Shou’ Shu’ students. These we must gather up and teach. How they responded is a clear signal that they desire to learn. And that is all that is needed to be a good Shou’ Shu’ student. Xue Sheng.   Click through and read the comments. It is enlightening       /