Introduction
Lineage is a touchy subject, for many people. As a Wing Chun practitioner, I can tell you that when people hear I do Wing Chun, 99% of the time their first question is: “What lineage do you study?” That inquiry was usually followed by, “Who was your Sifu?”
This has always irritated me because I don’t understand what difference it makes. After all, if you come to me for lessons, then who cares about my Sifu? He’s not the one teaching you; I am. Therefore, the only person whose skills should concern you would be mine.
Right?
Well, yes and no.
We do not live in a black and white world, my friends. When it comes to martial arts lineage and its importance, there are plenty of gray areas to be explored. I hope to cover some of that ground in this post.
Anyone who tuned in last month might think this topic is redundant for me. However, while it might seem the same at first, it does have a different take on the issue.
What Does “Lineage” Even Mean?
Maybe I should start by defining the term “lineage,” at least with what it means to me.
“Lineage” and “martial art style/system” are not interchangeable terms. Some people think they are, but they are mistaken.
A “martial art style” is the overall, umbrella name for what is taught in a school. For example, if you see the word “Aikido” in a school name, then you will be learning Aikido there.
However, you might see two Aikido schools in your neighborhood. One of them says, “Bob Clark’s Aikido.” The other says, “Alan Ormsby’s Aikdio.”
What that means is, at the first school, you will learn Bob Clark’s interpretation of Aikido, while at the other school you would learn Alan Ormsby’s.
That’s all “lineage” means: the way that the practitioner interpreted the art.
First, let’s delve into three reasons why this doesn’t matter.
Why Lineage Doesn’t Matter – #1 – Promotion
In a world where would-be martial artists are flooded with options, it’s important to stand out. Look at it this way: in the area where I live, there are countless Tae Kwon Do school.
- Pai’s Tae Kwon Do
- Pil Sun Tae Kwon Do
- Brunswick Lee’s Tae Kwon Do
- Adirondack Tae Kwon Do
- Columbia Tae Kwon Do
That is what I can name off the top of my head. If I did a Google search for “Tae Kwon Do schools near Troy, NY,” I’m sure that at least 80% of the results would be for that style.
Therefore, you have to stand out. Why would you go to Pai’s over Brunswick Lee’s? If a school doesn’t make that differentiation, then potential students could wind up going to a competitor’s school.
Ah, but here’s the thing: does the fact that one school is different mean the other is bad?
To bring my example back to my own style, there is someone in the area who teaches the Ip Ching lineage of Wing Chun. Then there is someone else who teaches the Leung Sheung lineage. If you watched them both do the first form side by side, you’d be able to see they approach the art differently.
But does that difference mean one lineage or the other is bad?
No. It just means it is different, and the would-be student has to make a decision as to which one they prefer.
Why Lineage Doesn’t Matter – #2 – Politics
Sometimes a martial art has huge organizations and/or federations get behind it. Any time there is a governing body that sets up rules, things can get ugly.
Whenever you hear about one lineage claiming another is not “authentic,” that is a case of politics. For example: in the Wing Chun world, a gentleman named William Cheung has named his lineage “Traditional Wing Chun” and claims that what his teacher (the late Ip Man) taught everyone else was watered-down and useless.
Anyone with even one analytical brain cell should immediately ask the following question: “What made him so special that he was the only one Ip Man chose to teach the ‘real’ thing?”
That alone is enough to plant a seed of doubt, which will one day blossom into a beautiful tree. It is an outrageous claim to make, and I wish more people would question it.
Why Lineage Doesn’t Matter – #3 – Personal
This one overlaps with Reason #2 since, obviously, if an entire organization (which is made up of people) doesn’t like a particular instructor’s personality or attitude, then that is both political and personal. However, for the moment I am talking about one instructor to another.
Let’s say I meet another Wing Chun teacher, and we get to talking about things other than our art. The topic of religion comes up, and he doesn’t like my stance on it. Next thing you know, he is running rampant on social media saying that my Wing Chun is garbage, and I don’t know what I’m doing.
You might think this doesn’t happen, but it can, and it does. In fact, something similar happened to me. (I am not going to go into details, but I will say this: what happened amounted to being sucker punched.) People have a hard time believing martial arts instructors could never engage in such childish behavior, but it is absolutely possible, and I will tell you why:
All martial artists (including instructors) are human beings too. Therefore, they are susceptible to the exact same character flaws that the rest of us “muggles” are.
Lineage – All in All, Just Another Brick in the Wall
Having said all this, I don’t want you to think I am 100% anti-lineage. The reason I rail so hard against it is because, in the hands of humans, lineage becomes a divisive thing.
Instead of being used to celebrate our differences and embrace diversity, it is used to criticize. People get so locked in their way of doing things that they think it is the only way they can be done.
If you meet someone from the same style but a different lineage, and you show them how you do a certain technique, it’s not often that they compliment you for having an interesting interpretation. Instead, they say, “I thought you said you practice the same style as me?”
When I was a kid, teachers and parents talked about the importance of being yourself, how that is a good thing, and so on. However, judging by the way the rest of the world acts, very few people appreciate that. Being a beautiful and unique snowflake isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.
However, there is a reason why I feel lineage is important, and it is a huge one.
Why Lineage Does Matter – Authenticity
You got it.
In this day and age, where there are endless streams of YouTube videos where people give tips and ideas on how to train in a martial art, some of them even going so far as to record the forms, you need to know you are getting the real deal.
Imagine if your “Master” turned out to be a “YouTube Master.” You’d feel like a chump for having devoted so much time and money to them. Not only, but you would most likely have been taught a handful of skills that would be absolutely useless on the street!
Let me clarify my term: when I say “YouTube Master,” I mean someone who never attended a single martial art class. Instead, all they did was browse YouTube videos until they “learned” all the techniques and forms in a style. Then they advertised for students as if they were a seriously-accomplished badass.
Of course, people could still be lying when they claim they are descended from a certain lineage. However, if you were willing to do a little legwork, then you could expose their deception. What I mean by that is, you would be more likely to find out they were a fake if you knew their lineage.
If you ask someone what their lineage is, and they won’t tell you, that doesn’t automatically mean they are a phony. However, if they refuse to answer and the things they teach you seem ineffective, that is when you should start to do your research.
Conclusion
For the most part, I think lineages are nonsense. They started out as a good idea because they were originally intended as a way to say, “Hey, I’m different.”
Leave it to human beings to take a good idea and turn it into a bad one because, instead of honoring that diversity, people say, “Yes, you are different…and you suck!”
Lineages can and should be used to validate the authenticity of an instructor. It is when they are used to separate and divide that they become a problem. Sadly, that is the most common reason they are used. I do my part to fight the good fight, but it might be too late for this old timer.
Next Generation of Martial Arts Instructors, are you reading? Are you hearing me? Are you agreeing with me?
Because if so, the ball is in your court.
His YouTube channel (Geek Wing Chun) gives free training tips and ideas for people who want to get better at Wing Chun but can't make it to class as often as they'd like. Check it out by simply typing "Geek Wing Chun" into the YouTube search field!
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