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Dragon Form The Dragon form that we teach for White Belt, comes from the Hung Gar system. It is a very good form for basic students learning how to step, walk, block, punch, and kick for the first time in sequence. Why Sifu Fiedler picked this form for white belt is very easy. It was one of the best forms he seen for this level of student. It also gives a very private respect for Grand Master Chan of the Green Dragon Kung Fu school in Edmonton Alberta from where this form comes. Sifu Fiedler rarely talks about Grand Master Chan, the reason being he was not a private student of this great Hung Gar Master. However he was taught by Grand Master Chan a few times, and sat in his office and talked for hours about the martial arts and other amazing topics. Sifu Fiedler's really gives a great deal of respect to this Hung Gar Master, and even goes so far as to say he wish he would have had more time to train under Grand Master Chan. He also writes that Grand Master Chan was one of the most down to earth old world Grand Masters you could ever get to know. He was always mild mannered, and gave respect to his students to an extent not seen in most clubs. He is a true Great Grand Master of Chinese Kung Fu, as he also has training to high levels in many other Chinese Martial arts. Sifu Fiedler says those first few lessons standing in front of Grand Master Chan, he tried as hard as he could to be noticed. And he did it.
After one of the lessons at Green Dragon Kung Fu School in Edmonton, Sifu Fiedler was asked to come in to talk to Grand Master Chan. Sifu Fiedler sat down across from Grand Master Chan and they started to talk about many interesting topics, Grand Master Chan, was so down to earth, and so kind spirited. Sifu Fiedler had a few lessons privately with Grand Master Chan, not that the other students were not, it was only because the other students had to leave after the class, Sifu Fiedler stayed late, and that is how he got to train with this amazing man and was able to ask him questions and he always made everyone feel so comfortable. He feels very fortunate to have gone through what he did when he did, as he says in his diary, he got to the right place, at the right time, to meet the right people. One such person was Grand Master Mark Chan. Other forms that Sifu Fiedler kept from Green Dragon was, Moi Fah, meaning, "Picking Flowers", and a form called, "Monk Form". When Sifu Fiedler started to learn Tai Liu Chuan Fa, he found it extremely hard to learn. When he would go back to Edmonton for three months, he had to help teach in GM Chow's club, you see Sifu Fiedler was related to Grand Master Chow, Grand Master Chow is Sifu Fiedler's brother in law, or was. That is another reason why Sifu Fiedler learned what he did when he did. Without knowing Grand Master Chow, he says he would never have met Grand Master Chan, or Grand Master Tallbear. That is the difference between masters who feel comfortable with their own knowledge, and masters who are frightened their students might to go learn from some other master and not come back. Think about it like this, if a Grand Master teacher, was really who they say they are, really have the knowledge they say they do, would they not be more secure with themselves. I find it so amazing, that the teachers that really should not be teaching, are the type of teachers that tell their students, oh don't go to that teacher, because you will ruin my style, it will become corrupted. Well sorry to break your bubble, but that is not the reason at all, he is worried that his students are finally going to see that what was being taught to them, is sub standard. Again something to watch out for, and to pay attention to how your own teacher acts. I remember Sifu Fiedler long time ago, always telling his students to go and learn somewhere else. Even when his students would make it to university, Sifu Fiedler would always ask them, if they had enough time to go and find a good martial arts teacher in what ever city we were in. You want to know what the funny thing is, every single student came back disappointed, they all came back not believing what they seen in Cities as big as Toronto and, Montreal. Yet how happy they were to know that what they learned was so unique, and in such a small town. Every single one of them came back with a story of not believing what was being taught in other schools, something they never had a chance to see in small town Pembroke. Sifu Fiedler would tell them to join other martial arts systems when they moved to the Cities, so that they would be able to continue their training. 90% of what was being taught was commercial type martial arts enterprise. These were schools that cared more about winning trophies then they were teaching self defense. Sifu Fiedler says that he really did not think that it was as bad as they were telling him, but as more came home, they all told the same story, and most of these students were black belt level. "Forms Are The Dictionary of Motion". With every step you take while walking through your forms, always remember, you are walking in the same foot steps of every Master and Grand Master who walked in these same forms before you. This alone gives me goose bumps, it makes me feel like I have a great service to perform as part of the martial arts history, by keeping the forms as original as they were taught to us.
Sifu Dee From the Notes of Sifu Fiedler
Dragon Form In the background, you can see Sifu James Gallant teaching his daughter and a few other students the Dragon form
Much more to come
Sifu Dee
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