Sifu's       Journal

About me:

 My name is Sifu Frank "Jew Hung Loong" McCarthy.  I am a senior student of the American Hung Sing Kwoon under Grand Master Dino "Jew Tien Loong" Salvatera (formerlly called the Tien Loong Gung Fu Club).

I was born in 1968 on August 30th, in San Francisco, California, and grew up in the city's Mission District.  Where I lived you learned about life so much earlier than in the suburbs which lead me into gangs, and such.

Prior to joining my first gung fu school, because of the fact that my family was heavily involved with the martial arts and held black belts, I basically grew up around it my whole life, and was no stranger to the basics of any martial art.  I joined the Tien Loong Gung Fu club in 1981 when I first moved into the Sunset district.  This was the first time I have come into contact with a real Chinese Gung Fu school. 

Yet, the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut system was all I was looking for and from that day forward I personally chose to never join another school.  Today, with as many martial arts schools, and styles popping up, I still feel that the Choy Lee Fut system has everything a fighter is looking for.

My sifu was an ex gang member of one of the most notorious gangs in Chinatown.  His street credibility was easily verifiable, and this was one of the reason I was attracted to the Tien Loong Gung Fu Club.  And I was so used to the street thug types that anything less wouldn't have set well with me. So with my sifu being who he was, and the fact that he knew how to use his Choy Lee Fut in real combat I appreciated it more than someone who had never been in  a fight in his life.

I mean, how could a person who has never been in a life and death situation teach you how to effectively protect yourself.  Real street capable fighters could tell instantly if you have the experience.  But, in commercial schools there is the "Liabitility" thing, and cannot train you properly how to use gung fu to your best interest.

My sifu, was the epitimy of what I was looking for in a sifu.  However, training there was rough at times.  I had to co-exist with a race of folks who've been treated improperly by those who looked like me, and at times I believed I was the scapegoat for many of my classmates aggressions.

When I joined the Tien Loong school, I had no idea there was a sort of a ban on NON CHINESE from learning authentic Chinese Martial Arts.  So that was something I had to deal with.  There was always the thought that Chinese students would get taught the real stuff, while the lowly gwai lo learns to scraps to the system. But I was a quick learner, and anything my sifu taught me, I made sure I could make it work on the street, even if he made it up right there on the spot.

In my eyes, it's how well the martial artist understands fighting and has knowledge on the usage of techniques within the system that no matter what a students learns, he/she or me will make it work. Period.

Culturally, I was in the doghouse on this one as well.  Although I grew up with asians my whole life, I was still an outsider to the inner workings of Chinese culture, ettiquette, and so forth.  And being non chinese, I didn't expect my Chinese classmates to teach me to be chinese, nor did they want to teach me.  Hell, I'm not Chinese!!!

But, because I've been a CLF student going on 26+ years, I've picked up a few things here and there.  More often than not, I learned the "Chinese" way the hard way, by making mistakes, and sticking around to suffer the consequences rather than leave out of embarrassment.  By doing so, I have learned the hard way because I wouldn't  let it happen again.

For example, my sifu, classmates and I attended a funeral for one of our Si-sook Gungs'. I had never been to a Chinese funeral before, and was totally mezmorized by the events.  Suddenly, I noticed that everyone had their backs to the family at the grave site and I started to slowly scan the area to realize I was the only one not with their back turned.  I looked over my shoulder, and my classmates were giggling over their shoulders benefitting from my embarrassment.  However, I learned from that experience and will never let that happen again in the future.

KEEP COMING BACK FROM TIME TO TIME TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE LAST ENTRIES..............

Training under my sifu

When I joined the Tien Loong Gung Fu club I had no idea what training in this type of school was like.  It wasn't a formal setting like typical Karate schools. Most of the students were Asian (mainly Chinese) and the day I walked into the school their faces had the look of "what is this whiteboy doing here?"

Being raised in the Mission I was already accustomed to doing what it took to fit in since my neighborhood was mostly NON-WHITES.

I was a little hard headed street kid who loved to fight.  My sifu (Dino Salvatera), I knew from the start was a fighter by the way he carried himself, and his tattoo's.  I sensed that he had some type of street background, and that convinced me I was in the right place.

My sifu was in his mid 30's (at the time)  I would say, and still deeply connected to the Chinese Underground at that time.  I recall him heading out for Chinatown to train while he left the senior students to look after the class. These senior students were also the ones who started out the newbies like me.  You were taught only a few moves at a time.  You were also expected to find a corner and practice those moves by yourself until Sifu or someone sifu designated to add more, did so.

To an average American "Real" traditional training could seem boring at times and  could very well be a reason to look for another school. Sitting in Horse stances until you could barely hold yourself up, not really learning anything else.  But, I stuck in there, and realized as I went along that a new student was taught slowly to see if he will stick around, or bounce only after a few lessons.

I completely understood that if this was the process then just go with the flow.  I found my corner and practiced my few moves over and over again regardless of how boring it got. I believe it was like 3-6 moves in about 3 months.   The whole purpose was to teach you good training habits, and to teach you patience, not forgetting giving you a chance to perfect those few moves.

The usual method of learning under Grand Master Salvatera was to practice on your own, unless doing two-man spar forms.  We were told to practice  to execute our techniques   as if we were out on the streets using our gung fu in real life combat.

Pretty much at our school the gung fu we learned was for serious self preservation, and not for competition. The past masters of our branch had always been real hardcore fighters and I think is the reason why our school is great to learn how to use your Choy Lee Fut.

We were almost never shown how to use the techniques, but were expected to somehow figure them out.  Speaking for myself, I respect this kind of training because it forces you to make it (the gung fu)  your own.  It was almost like "forget how 'I' use it, how would "YOU" use it?

I also recall making the mistake of asking a senior classmate how to use a certain move.  I should have known better by the look on his face when he said to me "kick me here," and when I did he used the move on me FULL BLAST sending me to the floor screaming in pain.  From that point on I never asked how to use a move, I just had to figure it out for myself.

When it came to sparring we also never used gloves.  At the time I joined the school I was thrown into a few sparring sessions and I know that my Chinese classmates were testing me out by wanting to spar the "newbie."

The reason why we sparred with no gloves was because we felt that each person had a job to do, and if either one wasn't doing their job someone was going to get hit.  What I mean by "having a job to do" is that when you are practicing two man sparr forms, sparring, or even drilling, as long as you are the one doing the attacking then you should always try to strike your partner as if he were someone out on the street trying to harm you.

On the other side the partner being attacked also has a job to do.  He has to protect himself.  As your classmate tries to hit you with each strike, if you don't properly protect yourself whether thru blocking or evading, you are going to get hit.  And, if you get hit that's not my fault....that's yours. You didn't do your job well enough.  That's the reason for sparring without gloves. It forces you to eliminate any mistakes, or wasteful moves.

Personally, I feel that's a good way to practice.  Sometimes you get a few bruises here and there but out on the street it's way more violent and less predictable, so I want to prepare my students to effectively protect themselves if ever the occasion arises.

(under construction)

Thoughts about:  "Loyalty"

As a student of the Martial Arts,  loyalty is in my opinion one of the most important virtues a student must have.  WHen you take someone as your sifu, you are basically adopting the person as your parent.  In most cases Sifu's are men, and he would become your 2nd father. And if it is a woman, then She would become like your 2nd mother.

When I took Grand Master Salvatera as my sifu, I took that very seriously.  Since I was new to Chinese Martial Arts, I was a non-Chinese in- for the most part-an ALL CHINESE school of gung fu.   I just sat back, stayed quiet and watched my what my senior classmates (si-hing's) did, and how they treated my sifu.  The way they were treating him was part of the  Chinese culture, and  (they) would not try to teach me how to "BE" Chinese.

One of the things I learned by being a student of the Tien Loong Gung Fu Club was  it was a very serious Taboo for a student to "Jump Rank," meaning once you take a sifu you should never leave him to join your "Teachers Teacher" called your Sigung.  It is considered to be one of the highest offenses, especially in my school.

At the same time,  your teachers teacher should never accept his grand students as new  students.  It is looked upon as "stealing students."  Stealing students regardless if its by another teacher or your own is also not acceptable.  Especially when it's done by your own sifu. 

For example, If my student left my school to join my sifu's school, in my school the student would get asked to leave.  If my sifu was to take my student in instead of telling him "I'm sorry, you are a student of my student and I cannot let you join my school, then my sifu would be committing an unforgiveable act.

I know some may not mind, but personally I would NEVER in my LIFE ever try and ask my sifu's sifu to become my new sifu and disrespect my sifu, causing him to lose face.

As a sifu, I am giving a huge chunk of myself to my studtents..  To me, I've realized being a sifu is much like being a parent.  I mean, when new students come in and they are clueless to the martial arts, they remind me of infants who (in gung fu) don't know how to stand, crawl, much less walk.  As their sifu, it is my job to show them how to do all that.

There is nothing like watching your students when they are in the Intermediate or advanced levels doing what you taught them, and doing it well.  You have a feeling of "their gung fu came from me!!!!"  Look at them.  And it's a beautiful feeling when your students come to you for the first time and say "Sifu, i had to use my CHoy Lee Fut today to save my life and it worked."