http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5d3ZlvWrFsSince Sergio renew his attack and disrespected the HKB KF family, here is some info to educated everyone!
Sergio was the one behind all the attack on you tube and face book in the first place. This is just part of it what many Masters around the world had testify Sergio's true character.
Supporting Document I.Sergio’s Leung Ting Wing Tsun background.
Sergio went behind his Wing Tsun teacher trying to get to Grand Master Leung Ting. Later on he went behind many teachers’ back and tried to recruit their students in the Leung Ting organization. He ran up high to the top and had training with Grand Master Leung Ting. This strategy – starting within a kung fu family and then climbing to the top by any means necessary – eventually become his action guide. His plans were to become a big organization, rather than competing toe-to-toe with Grand Master Kernspecht. Sergio thought that he would study other Wing Chun lineages, which in turn would give him an advantage.
The first time Sergio was in Germany training with Grand Master Andreas Hoffmann of the Chi Sim Weng Chun lineage was 2005. Sergio actually came to visit Grand Master Hoffmann on the same week that Sifu Benny Meng was there. The first impression Sergio gave to everybody was bad. He felt he knew a lot about Wing Chun, and told the two Masters that Leung Ting Wing Tsun was the best Wing Chun. Now, understand the context here: Sergio just came into Grand Master Hoffmann's HQ - having never met Grand Master Hoffmann before and the first words out of Sergio's mouth was that Leung Ting Wing Tsun was the best. Also without taking into consideration that Benny Meng, also in the Ip Man lineage, was there, from a different line than Sergio. It showed that protocol, etiquette and humility didn't exist in Sergio’s world. Today, whenever the name Leung Ting came up, Sergio doesn't hesitate to tear down the name of his former lineage. Sergio now says that the Leung Ting Wing Tsun is the worst Wing Chun out there.
After a few short hours of discussion Sergio wanted to demonstrate his Leung Ting Wing Tsun skill. So he touched Sifu Benny Meng hands, attempting to show him something about his Biu Ji. Sifu Benny Meng put up a Jong Sau, he quickly breached it and then tried to laap it, but his attempt failed. His horse was weak and his hands have no energy. His movements might look good to an uneducated martial artist because they’re fast, but he has no substance to his kung fu. Sergio tried again, and it still didn't work. For some reason after this, he didn't talk as much about how good his skill was. A few minutes later it was Grand Master Hoffmann's turn to try Sergio’s skill. Grand Master Hoffmann played Sergio like a little child. At one point, as Hoffmann was continually demonstrating his superior skill, Sergio screamed out “stop, please stop!” to which Grand Master Hoffmann replied “no, a warrior does not quit,” and Hoffmann continued. There was nothing Sergio did that was effective against Grand Master Hoffmann or Sifu Benny Meng.
After this experience, Sergio quickly changed his tune. He said to Grand Master Hoffmann, “this must be the real Wing Chun. I must learn this. I have a 20,000 member’s organization, and I will promote this.” These were Sergio’s own words at our first meeting.
Later on, Sergio quickly joined and became Grand Master Hoffmann's student. Sergio put out a message to his International Wing Tjun Organization (IWkO) that he had been training under Grand Master Hoffmann for two years as private student (in reality, less than a few months of training).
Not long afterward from this relationship, Sergio urged Grand Master Hoffmann not to teach the outsider anymore, Ving Tsun Museum curator Sifu Benny Meng.
Within a year of this short relationship, Grand Master Hoffmann decided to kick him out because Hoffmann found out that Sergio was creating lots of politics and was disloyal. Sergio tried to go behind Hoffmann’s back, going straight to Hoffmann’s teacher.
Ever since Hoffmann kicked Sergio out, Sergio has been launching a personal and professional attack on Hoffmann's organization. Finally Sergio went to Hoffmann's teacher in Hong Kong , Sifu Cheung Kwong, and used $50,000 Euros to pay him so he will agree to do a video interview talking about Grand Master Hoffmann. After editing the video he planned to use this in public to destroy Grand Master Hoffmann. Sifu Benny Meng find out about all of this in May of 2010 because Sergio e-mailed Sifu Benny Meng and offer to fly him to Hong Kong , saying that he has some new research information that the VTM need to know about the truth behind Grand Master Hoffmann's lineage. This was the time that he showed Sifu Benny Meng his plan to destroy Hoffmann. Due to Sifu Benny Meng insistence and advice not to do that, Sergio has not put the video out to the public yet. As for the information he shared with Sifu Benny Meng, it was less about historical information and more about being spiteful. Just information he put together that served his own political agenda.
It was at this time in Hong Kong that Sifu Benny Meng took the opportunity to update Sergio on the research Meng had accomplished for the Ving Tsun Museum. This was the first time Sergio had the opportunity to experience the Hek Ki Boen system. Sergio was amazed at Benny Meng's power and knowledge of the Shaolin Wing Chun, which is a secret society version of Wing Chun that he had never experienced before. Up to this point, his experience was in the Leung Ting Wing Tsun and the Chi Sim / Tang Yik lineages.
According to Benny Meng's research, the Chi Sim / Tang Yik lineage is not the same lineage as Wing Chun; it is closer to the lineage of Hung Kuen. The Chi Sim / Tang Yik lineage does not contain the core system of Wing Chun: Siu Nim Tau, Chum Kiu, Biu Ji, the wooden dummy and the weapons (long pole and double knives). While Sergio claimed to the public to be a researcher of Wing Chun, until the moment they spoke and Sifu Benny Meng showed him the Shaolin Wing Chun systems he had no idea about the big picture and the evolution of Wing Chun. His limited exposure to Wing Chun research and Secret Society Wing Chun like Hung Fa Yi and Hek Ki Boen surprised him totally. During this time in Hong Kong , he asked Benny Meng if it would be the possible for him to learn Hek Ki Boen. Sifu Benny Meng told him he would relate the request back to Grand Master Lin.
Not long after this Sifu Benny Meng flew to U.S. and met Grand Master Lin (June 18th - June 21st 2010). None of them, Sifu Meng and Suhu Lin, realized Sergio’s true character and he started to play his old tricks again. He quickly told Grand Master Lin that he is a Grand Master with a 20,000 member’s organization and over 90 schools. Sergio stated that he wished to learn Hek Ki Boen and wanted to promote this system. Sergio said he realized that this is the original Wing Chun. He was really impressed with the Hek Ki Boen system and with no hesitation Sergio asked to join the Instructor Candidate Program. He went through the Instructor Candidate Program application process, and since Sifu Meng was the one that introducing him to the family, the basic rule was that Sergio will go under Sifu Meng and become his student. Sergio quickly gave very strong objections with some lame excuses that his teachers (Sifu Cheng Kwong, Sifu Sunny So, Sifu Clifford Ip) would not allow him to study under Sifu Meng. He insisted that he should become Grand Master Lin’s direct student. This was one of the first action that shows Sergio's true characters. Humility does not exist in Sergio’s vocabulary. Later on, Sifu Meng and Suhu Lin find out the real reason that he wanted to become a student of Grand Master Lin, which was to get close enough to destroy Hek Ki Boen and the reputation of the Hek Ki Boen successor.
As Sergio, Sifu Meng and Suhu Lin got to know one another there were many occasions that Sergio told Sifu Meng and Grand Master Lin that money can buy everything. Not long after he joined the Hek Ki Boen suddenly there was Internet attack on the Black Flag Wing Chun family. Hek Ki Boen had been out since 2005 and really expanded to the international community after 2008, when Grand Master Lin went full-time promoting the system. Up to this point, there was absolutely no attack on the black flag Wing Chun in public or in private. And many of the Internet attack coincide with Hek Ki Boen activities as though there were an inside member tipping off the attacker. Also Sergio would always be the first one to call Grand Master Lin or Sifu Meng to express his concern about the Internet attacks.
Today Sifu Meng, Suhu Lin and HKB members realize that he is the attacker on the Internet. Suhu Lin had a government Internet hacker trace the Internet address the attacks came from, back to Hong Kong close to where Sergio hangs out. It all makes sense now. Sergio never had any intention of learning or promoting the Hek Ki Boen system. When he flew Sifu Meng to Hong Kong in May of 2010 his intention was to trick Sifu Meng to join him to attack Grand Master Hoffmann. Of course, Sifu Meng realized that this would not be a righteous thing to do, and refused. Grand Master Lin and Sifu Meng told him not to do that. Now that he is a student of Hek Ki Boen, as well as based on the principle of Mo Dak.
Sergio's original plan at that moment was to destroy Hoffmann so he can promote his own organization IWKA as a unique association that teach multiple identity of Wing Chun. Then suddenly, he ran into Sifu Meng, and had exposure of Hek Ki Boen. This disrupted his evil world domination. So right from the beginning his plan was to come and learn the skill of Hek Ki Boen and repeat his evil tricks, which is to burn the bridge and destroy the reputation of the Grand Masters and their arts.
From the time that he got accepted into the Instructor Candidate Program, there were many Internet attacks. He gave Grand Master Lin many crazy suggestions about how to run the Hek Ki Boen organization. For example, he suggested that Grand Master Lin should leave his family and the Hek Ki Boen headquarters school and live in Europe and train exclusively himself and his down-line three months at a time. It was also during this time that he created many lies about his own organization not wanting to join the Hek Ki Boen. The truth of the matter is that he never had the intention to convert his schools and his organization to Hek Ki Boen.
It is very clearly stated that when someone joined the Hek Ki Boen Instructor Candidate Program, the intention is to become a Hek Ki Boen representatives and the Hek Ki Boen lineage will be the only identity. Hek Ki Boen family will give the teacher plenty of time to convert one's schools to Hek Ki Boen. Of course Sergio did not have this intention right from the beginning, but he told the Hek Ki Boen family that he will convert all his schools over to HKB. So he came up with many excuses about his down-line not wanting to join.
Also, it was during this time that he starts to break many of the rules and regulations of the Instructor Candidate Program agreements. Instructor Candidate Program is the instructor candidates, which means that they are in the training process of becoming a teacher. During this process, one is not qualified to teach their own students on Hek Ki Boen and to do public seminars on Hek Ki Boen. Hek Ki Boen family found out that he was publicizing his seminars as Ip Man workshops, but in essence, he was teaching Hek Ki Boen.
He had only had a few lessons from Suhu Lin, yet he here he was, teaching HKB to the public. Then he started teaching other Hek Ki Boen Instructor Candidates. All of this was in direct violation of the agreements, protocols and etiquette.
As headquarters responded to each infraction, coming up with solutions and rules to stop this behind-the-scenes violations, he started to tell his down-line Instructor Candidates that the headquarters is only interested in money, in business. He makes them think that all the headquarters cares about is controlling the Candidates, not promoting the System. He tells his down-line that he has the international experience as well as the big organization to promote the Hek Ki Boen much better than Grand Master Lin. He further creates lies, saying that he hates politics, and he only want to learn the art and promotes Hek Ki Boen but Grand Master Lin and Benny Meng are the bad guy who tried to control him.
Just to clarify what kind of teacher Grand Master Lin truly is. In the headquarters as well as in the U.S. Candidates never needed, or heard Grand Master Lin lecture them on rules, regulations and protocols. A hundred percent of the time was learning and training in the system of HKB. There was no need to spend time on rules and regulation, because there was 100% trust and commitment.
In Sergio's case it was opposite. After only a few times of training, we receive information that he was already teaching Hek Ki Boen to his students and promoted himself without giving credit back to HEK KI BOEN. This was going on from the time that he started learning. We also find out that he started to teach a lot of inside information of HEK KI BOEN to his students.
Sergio tells Grand Master Lin not to wear T-shirts. He must wear this beautiful color uniform so that he stand out as the Grand Master. In his organization, he tells everybody to act with righteous behavior of a teacher or master so the student will look up and respect them. Sergio gave many suggestions to create the image of a Grand Master in front of the members. Grand Master Lin had always behaved just being the way he is, which is simple, direct, with openness and humility.
The key is that Grand Master Lin is genuine.
During the time (Nov 19, 2010) that Sergio tested level one HEK KI BOEN in the headquarters, some of his true character and nature also came out. This was the first time the instructors had ever witnessed a martial artist with the title of a Grand Master taking the tests while indulging in profanity, over and over again. Whenever he made a mistake, the F-word would come out of his mouth very loud and clear. There were regular students, as well as youth in the audience witnessing this test.
This test was videotaped, if there is any question about this, members may view it to verify these facts. He did not meet the standard for the HEK KI BOEN test. He could not exhibit self-control. He was from that point, on probation as an Instructor Candidate.
As rules and regulations come out to answer each of his infractions, he starts to get very upset. He makes up stories to his down-line that he was the one that is willing to teach, where Grand Master Lin was holding back on everyone. Of course, everyone that is a student of Grand Master Lin can testify that this is a complete one hundred percent lie.
Benny Meng has attested personally that he himself has never seen a teacher who has such a high standard of teaching ethics. Grand Master Lin is focused, motivated and willing to give an answer to all questions. He never puts people down or rebukes anyone for asking a question. Meng says that Grand Master Lin's teaching has, within a single year, helped him to exponentially increase his power in close quarters.
During Grand Master Lin's last trip to train Sergio and his down-line Instructor Candidates in Hong Kong in March, Sergio surprised Grand Master Lin with an ambush together with Sergio's down-line.
Sergio and his group told Grand Master Lin that the rules and regulations they had signed onto, were impractical. It would not work, he said, a real Kung Fu family would take a “democratic approach.” He had about 20 plus Instructor Candidates under him and declared that the Instructor Candidates should be the ones to vote for the rules and regulations of the program.
Of course Grand Master Lin was surprised that Sergio would think that students untrained in this System should decide how it should best be administered and taught.
When Grand Master Lin refused to change the rules for Sergio, in front of everybody, he said to Grand Master Lin “fuck this, this is BS. I just want to learn HEK KI BOEN.”
He behaved childishly and allowed his ego to blind his common sense. Sergio's behavior is another sign that he never had intention of staying with HEK KI BOEN for long. As a matter of fact, this ambush in Hong Kong might have been planned much earlier than 2011.
Sergio's tactics: he uses his Sergio channel on youtube to have an excuse to interview many teachers and lineages. The idea is not to promote the other system; instead, the goal is to use social media to promote himself. He hides like a wolf under sheep's clothing, creating an image of seeking out the truth of Wing Chun when in fact he's only looking to steal information and students.
Anyone who has one-to-one interaction with Sergio will come to realize he really doesn't care about the truth. He's using everyone and everything, including his current teachers in Hong Kong (Sunny So and Cliff Yip) to further his own agenda with no regard for their future or reputation. Any martial artist should be able to stand on their own skill, knowledge, and experience. Sergio, instead, stands behind a list of lineage heads with which he's trained (relationships broken or strained) as if spending time with someone authentic guarantees that Sergio will also be authentic. The sad fact is that his negative character only continues to grow.
Sergio travels in search of different lineages; when he meets young and upcoming martial artists, he will steal them away from their Sifu and promise that they will become rich and successful like him if they sign up. He then sends them to different counties to establish territories under his control. He initially tells everyone how big his organization is - claiming 90 schools and over 20,000 members. The truth is that he only lists less than 5 direct Sifus under himself actively teaching and promoting his IWKA organization not counting his HQ staff in the Netherlands. Which means he's either lying about the number of direct Sifus under him or about the size and scope of his organization.
Now that the Hek Ki Boen family has the support of many well-known Sifus who have come forward to report how they have been victims of Sergio in the past, or had formal interaction and came to know his true character, all are willing to step up to the plate to testify about Sergio’s abuse in the martial arts community.
Now that Hek Ki Boen family knows he never had the intention to learn or preserve HKB, but rather he recognized a special skill that he wanted to learn and then destroy the source so he will be the only person to have it.
As soon as Suhu Lin and Sifu Meng found out about Sergio’s inconsistent behavior and tricks, the Hek Ki Boen family started to come up with safeguards to protect the system. Sergio started to realize Suhu Lin was on to him and he would not get much more out of Suhu Lin, so Sergio started to sabotage Suhu Lin and the Hek Ki Boen family.
Suddenly, he wrote an email to Suhu Lin (quoted below in green) lying about meeting a descendant of a HKB Grand Master in Hong Kong. Sergio’s story was fabricated – it’s a similar story he has used to attack other lineages, about meeting an unknown descendant of a lineage who provided secret information.
Sergio knows there are instructors in the HKB lineage who are very poor, and are targets for Sergio’s philosophy of ‘money can buy everything.’ Unfortunately, Sergio discovered a weak link and flew to Indonesia to pay the weak link off so that Sergio can say that he is still learning HKB from a secret person and discredit GM Lin and the HKB Grand Master Council with this an unnamed source.
Currently Sergio is making personal attacks on Suhu Lin and the Hek Ki Boen family, and trying to burn the bridges between the HKB lineage and the rest of the martial arts community by stating that it’s a system that GM Lin “made up.” Third, he’s re-writing history by stating that HKB did come from the secret societies but is not Wing Chun.
Everyone who is genuine and has had a chance to learn the HKB system will see that the system is a gem, a diamond, in the martial arts world. Now, Sergio, due to his own selfish nature is trying to destroy the system. Benny Meng says that personally, he will not let that happen. Since 1993, Sifu Meng has been on the path looking for the truth behind Wing Chun’s history and development, his research completed with HKB.
Supporting Document IIfrom Sifu .........
Yes good to hear from you and Sifu Lin. It is a pity that Sergio didn't change, he is in his world domination and destroying family trip. If you split from Sergio you will face hard times thru him. he will attack you with the help of other people, he will contact teachers of Sifu Lin. Also he will attack you personally and your family. I went thru this the last 5 years and it still going on. I don´t take part in this political internet war and concentrate on my teaching and spreading our beautiful art.
Dear Master Lin,
from my long time friend Master Benny Meng I have the information that my ex student Sergio Iadarola likes to learn your wonderful system. I was in the same situation in the year 2004. Many people contacted me and try to warn me not to accept Sergio as a weng chun student. I told them I cannot except someone from weng chun. I try to live with my family, friends and students the way of compassion, so for me was clear: Everyone has to get a chance. So, I allowed kim to do Baissi to me and let him promised to be loyal to me in my work for weng chun. I thought I can change him. It was a big mistake, he cheated me, my friends and because of his unethical behavior I kicked him out 2006. Since that he is attacking me, my son, my family, my Grand Master Wai Yan in any way, which is unbelievable. He contact my old Yip Man Ving Tsun Sifu in Hong Kong, who stopped Kung Fu since the eighties and gave him 50 000€. for this money my old Sifu give him a letter that I´m a bad person and gave to Sergio all the private things I gave to my old Sifu, like photos from my dead father, letters, photos, videos etc. I don´t like to bother you with more stories, but we have too many stories. On his family tree you can see that even he changed his Baisi to me, today he is claiming that I´m his kungfu brother.
You can also ask Sifu Benny Meng about Sergio Iadarola´s behavior or Grand Master Flavio Behring from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or former teachers from Sergio: Sifu Tam from Wing Chun ( England ), Sifu Schäfer from Netherlands, Sifu Kernspecht from Germany , Sifu Leung Ting from Hong Kong, Sifu Zenk from ´Germany, Sifu Edel from Germany and many more.
If you will teach him he will be very friendly in the beginning but your Black flag family will harm a lot like the Leung Ting family and my Weng Chun family and more.
Sergio will come to you and telling you that he is only searching for the truth and likes to learn the system, he will offer you contacts to many people etc. He will also offer you to fulfill important wishes. If you ask him about the people who speak bad about him he will show you a lot of his "proofs" why they are bad persons. I went thru the same thing with him.
I like much Master Benny Meng , he told me how wonderful your system is with you as a great Master, so I hope my experience can help that you don´t need to face the same like we face with Sergio.
Below is some information from former Sifus of Sergio Iadarola about his behaviors. This information is published on the internet.
Respectfully,
GM ......
Supporting Document III.here from his Wing Tsun Sifu: more on his site: Sifu Schäfer from Netherlands
http://www.nwto.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=222&catid=49&Itemid=124&lang=demore on another page
http://www.nwto.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=246&catid=49&Itemid=124&lang=deyou can find more on this page about the behavior of Sergio Iadarola
here from another Wing Tsun Sifu of Sergio: Sifu Tam from England
A DECLARATION
At the beginning of 2000, our website was in the process of being amended, and unfortunately before we were able to renew our Domain name, a Dutch student who had attended classes with Sifu Tam, decided to buy our Domain name. We were unaware that he had done so and only found out quite recently. Upon investigation, this student became extremely belligerent and defensive, and it became obvious to us that he knew he had done something on the sly, but wasn't prepared to be honorable about ... .
Supporting Document IV.THE DUTCH SIDE BEHIND THE TRUTH ABOVE
from Frank Schäfer Sifu
NWTO alias EWTO.NL
I don't want to wash any of his dirty laundry in public, so I leave out the strange private-related points and limit myself here to the purely Wing Tsun-related matters. When Sergio was 14 or 15 years old, he became my To-Dai. At that time he was quite a normal group student. Later he spoke about the plans of doing Wing Tsun for his living and around his 9th SG, he started to take some private lessons from me. Due to his financial circumstances he helped me with my classes, while getting lessons and some 'pocket money' for it in exchange. He even was allowed to teach his own students every Friday in the academy, without paying a cent for rent (or those done damages in the gym); not even to mention all the private students he got from me for his financial surviving.
His first TG was done well prepared; then somehow Sergio lost interest in his own regular Wing Tsun workout. He didn't took any lessons from me anymore and missed most of my TG-preparation classes that period of time. Also he was refusing to join/assist a couple of important Dutch Wing Tsun-events. His own m.a. interest was more to find around the 'Gracie-grappling' than around Wing Tsun. Also the fresh started Wing Tsun-class in Almere, that I have specially given to him, was not developing in any direction at all, because of his attitude. Anyway, due to a couple of very strange excuse-stories (extreme family matters) I allowed him stupidly in 1997 to go for his 2nd TG. While he was actually poorly prepared (in 1997 he took and - for the first time - paid for exactly two private lessons) I hoped that would motivate him.
First, he was more than one and a half hour to late for his examination (so, I had to excuse him). Second, he came without any money in his pocket (so, I had to borrow him that too). Third, the way he presented his forms and his techniques was full of serious mistakes (because I told my Si-Fu 'that it must simply be his nerves' and I promised to take care about that poor 'day form' of Sergio in future my Si-Fu decided to gave him unless the shortcomings the second TG). It was clearly not one of the 'being proud to be an instructor days', seeing one of my better students performing like that - but that day in the summer of '97 was the last time I did some training with Sergio.
Instead of working now more at the academy doing some fundamental re-training, he has chosen to travel around to search some (none existent) secret short-cuts. A couple of weeks after his 2nd TG he wrote me a letter, that he is still grateful but that he want to leave Holland to return to his family in Italy. Shortly after that letter he contacted my Si-Fu (Kernspecht) with the desire to become an independent Wing Tsun-chief instructor for Holland . My Si-Fu told him, that this option was just not available because he would have to negotiate with me and no one else. As long I'm the Dutch Wing Tsun-headman as long the people would have to deal with me if it is regarding Holland .
So, Sergio decided to start a slander campaign against me with the only goal to get me expelled, so that he could be my 'replacement'. But lies can normally not been proven toward smart people, that's why he was acting without the wished result (believe it or not, he even tried to create a situation where a guy should make me agree to an obvious criminal activity while recording my voice - unfortunately for him I was just talking naively all the time about Wing Tsun...). So far, he became expelled the first time.
After a couple of months, I talked with my Si-Fu and he advised me to accept him back in the Wing Tsun-family. I (hardly) agreed with that, saying: 'I will follow your advice; but I'm also very sure, that we all will regret that decision one day'. My Si-Fu responded directly: 'That could be true, so don't blame me if it was the wrong advice - I just tell you what I think is the best'. Fair enough! However, Holland was of course out of the question but he could still do some productive things in Israel - actually he failed; then Scotland - again without any result; then he finally tried to establish in Asia (and illegally in Italy and Holland ) again.
S.I. has learned the first layer of the seven basic Chi-Sao sections from me; also I showed him the Biu-Tze form with two or three elbow fighting applications. The last thing I've showed him was the first and second section of BT-Chi-Sao. Because of his none progressive direction, I refused of showing him the Muk-Yan-Chong-Fat until he finished his homework first. He also tried to learn the 'Ancient SNT' from me, but it was somehow to difficult for him to grasp the concept of it or to work hard enough on it, so, he dropped that subject rather quickly. After all, it seems that S.I. likes his own 'mosaic martial art' (stealing all the times from many pools and directions) much more than the 'authentic Wing Tsun way' (learning your life time from one pool and direction). So, I guess it will not take too long until also S.I. will decide to wear some yellow dressing - or to use the Chinese name of his wife...
Regarding that new formed 'rebel alliance': The meaning was probably to make their point of view more believable in public. For me it only shows, that they don't really believe in their own 'I'M THE GIFTED ONE AND THE ONLY INDEPENDENT SUCCESSOR' stories. But let's wait and see for how long the 'united rebels' will enjoy that cooperation! One of my former Sidai (younger kung fu brother) has sent me a Mail where he stated, that he acknowledges the self-given title and grade of S.I. This statement would be much more interesting, if it wasn't done by just another rebel of our branch; also his opinion doesn't change any of the mentioned points.
BTW: To use the silly excusethat 'it must be the fault of the EWTO-teaching, that S.I. was unable to defend against Pak-Dar' is again typical; but any 'master level' should somehow know that there are about ten different ways of giving a Paak-Dar with at least twice as much approaches to solve the attack... However, this kind of 'YES, BUT IT WAS NOT MY FAULT' habit is a very human thing. This defense mechanism can be found everywhere, not just within the world of martial art; so it doesn't need any further psycho-logical comment here.
The Chinese call these kind of humans 'bamboo people' (caught in a section, can't see the whole thing). There is one good thing attached toward the whole outcome: The people can now clearly verify what a kind of guy Sergio really is - and how ridiculous his slander campaign of the last five years actually was (and probably always will be). And the 'bottom line fact' is, that I'm still a part of the worldwide Wing Tsun-family, while S.I. - with or without A.F. & H.J.R. - is not!
Probably like many others of the Wing Tsun-family I got their kind invitation for a 'friendly cooperation meeting' - but I prefer to spend my limited time with my own To-Dai and fellow instructors rather than with my former students and ex-colleges. The funny thing is, that I received and refused already that kind of letters in 1982 as a German SG-level instructor, when the first 'rebel alliance' was formed under the label of a Chinese VT Grand Master. History repeats itself over and over again - and if I remember well, the whole incident has triggered a lot of progressivism within the EWTO that time.
These people made their own decision to split apart from the EWTO and IWTA, everybody is free to do so. But my choice is clear and no story, fabricated or true, could make me a traitor on my Wing Tsun-family. There is always a choice available; so, it does not mean that I'm just a blind follower but a guy with his own free will - and I really can not identify myself with the needs and goals of this 'revolution'.
What I am in the world of martial art, I am mainly due all the things my Si-Fu and my Si-Gung has taught me with all their trust. Why should I kick them in their butt for helping me improve? Just because of some 'waiting time' between the instructor levels? I'm more than happy with the way and with what they teach. So, I can't find any logical reason to throw away my self-respect and my Wing Tsun-life. The only thing that really annoys me, is the way how some of them choose to talk about their former m.a. relationships. In some cases it looks like a 'War of Roses' - just less funny.
They should now stop that and start teaching their own m.a. - or what is it all about? And to claim that their own 'alliance-style' is more authentic Wing Tsun than the system of Great Grand Master Leung Ting himself, is simply too ridiculous to deserve any further comment here.
KIND REGARDS,
Frank Schäfer Sifu
NWTO alias EWTO.NL
PS: I have hesitated for about five years, before I did my personal statements on the public section of my site regarding the case S.I.. I ignored it as long as I could, but all these offensive ego publishing's forced me to react, that's why I was expecting a lot of attack-mails after my official responses. The surprise was a positive one, between all the mails of the last months there was just one single hate-mail (and that was done of course anonymously); that's somehow far less than I would have guessed.
To me that indicates, that I was on the right track by expressing my opinion here frankly. Maybe, it was a mistake to reveal that too - but I'm willing to take the risk of being wrong with my own point of view. Don't forget that my time schedule does not allow me to join all these forum groups. If you have something directed to me, don't leave a message in a forum; but send me a mail. But once again: I will NOT reply on any anonymous sender or on insulting and pointless attacks; my time is too precious for wasting it on reacting toward such senseless 'write-things'.
