my years at west-wind

**beka** · Posted On: 6/22/2005 8:27pm

Originally Posted by nikyu

I have no idea why people get sucked into WW then stay so long, maybe we were all brainwashed.

That's my theory.

:5shocking

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 6/22/2005 8:33pm

Originally Posted by nikyu

good question......when I left, actually a few months before I left, it just occured to me that I had no desire to kiss anyone's ass anymore....no matter how much I loved learning Bok-Fu, I was 38, and it was time for my life to begin again.....I have no idea why people get sucked into WW then stay so long, maybe we were all brainwashed.

If you started to read up on actual brainwashing, you might be shocked and amazed at the resemblance to the curriculem you described - the seperation, the isolation, the careful management, the slow indoctrination, the financial "working" of you. . .

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 6/22/2005 8:34pm

and, in other news, I can't spell on wednesday.

**DuckofDeath** · Posted On: 6/23/2005 2:56am

Originally Posted by MrMcFu

I can not recommend Carlos Machado's school enough. Go if you can afford it.

Click on Texas Schools > Dallas Metroplex, and you'll get links to the Machado school and other BJJ schools:

http://www.txmma.com/

**feedback** · Posted On: 6/23/2005 3:15am

Originally Posted by JohnnyCache

and, in other news, I can't spell on wednesday.

You think your wednesdays are bad; people around my area are starting to call fridays "disapearing minor day". *skips town*

**1bad65** · Posted On: 6/23/2005 9:09am

Duck is correct. TXMMA has a great school listing. Most tend to be BJJ/MMA schools. Don't forget about the Lion's Den, Guy Mezger is a total class act.

**Wounded Ronin** · Posted On: 6/23/2005 10:37am

Originally Posted by JohnnyCache

If you started to read up on actual brainwashing, you might be shocked and amazed at the resemblance to the curriculem you described - the seperation, the isolation, the careful management, the slow indoctrination, the financial "working" of you. . .

Definitely. Thing is, "brainwashing" can and does happen to plenty of intelligent people who get involved with organizations like WW.

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 6/23/2005 1:01pm

Or Hubbardism.

**Anthracis** · Posted On: 6/23/2005 1:41pm

I'm sorry for your experience nikyu! I had a similar experience for a few months at Eastern Ways Martial Arts in Sacramento. www.easternways.com Everything you described is identical to this place...right down to the handshake and block. I'm glad you're out of there. Go to the Machado school in Dallas. Just be careful with your injured areas!!!! Good Luck!

**Poop Loops** · Posted On: 6/23/2005 3:17pm

Originally Posted by nikyu

hey thanks, will look into it.....as soon as i get out of debt....lol...and yes I was very deep into westwind, there were times I was told things that I am sure other students were not privy to. I think one of the things that attract people to that school is how damn charming the teachers could be, they would fawn all over you......at first..... then the higher rank you would get, the more you were treated like they were paying YOU to be a student there.....does that make sence to any of you??? The thing that really got to me was being shuffeled around from teacher to teacher....I would bond...get attatched...than wham...off to another. Then after months or years learning from one teacher, the next would come in and tell you all the things you needed to change, and If you said anything about the way another teacher taught you that particular move......well, watch out, you would spend the rest of the lesson getting lectured on being disrespectful.....any other former students of WW out there??? Would love to have a chat with you.

Temple Kung Fu does something like that. In the one year that I trained with them, I had 3 different teachers, and like you said, they all told you to do the technique differently. I left in a year when I got my yellow belt and realized that I don't know ****. That means they aren't teaching me ****, so I left. My parents were mad at me, EVEN THOUGH they were paying like $2k per year for it.

It's funny, because just after I got my yellow belt, the head guy at the school came up to my dad and told him I should start doing the adult class. I was 14 at the time, training with 7 year olds...

Lets back up a bit. I started training WITH my dad. I was promised a blackbelt in 2 years because of their "intensive program" 3 times a week. I only trained twice a week and my dad trained 3 times, and got private lessons. I got a discount since my dad trained too. He was moving a long about twice as fast as I was.

So anyway, the guy says I should go into the adult class, which is more expensive. My dad says it's too expensive, and I can't for now. Then the guy suggests I get a part time job to pay for it. What the ****? I mean yeah, having a job is a good thing, but I am fucking 14 (most places need you to be 15.5 here), and isn't that just a TAD bit too personal?

Anyway, I think a lot of these places are run like this.

PL