Fang Shen Do

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:01pm

Originally Posted by Haru_the_larger

As much as we would like for FSD management to jump into this thread and start talking, they simply won't. It really is as simple as that. It would be wonderful if they actually did something to defend the school, the system, answered some questions, added to the discussion or just about anything else, but they won't. They have known for ages about this thread. They have probably known about it since stringfellow first posted actually. They have acknowledged the thread by talking about it in class. As has been discussed in this thread they believe themselves to be above the rest of the MA world, and they would not debase themselves by coming on here and speaking plainly. The other reason, of course, is that coming on here and discussing things will make sijo no money. I am sure that this book was hastily written during the last three months as some sort of response to what is going on here. Sifu Scott is the only one of the "senior management" to even make an attempt at trying to have a rational conversation on here. Despite repeated attempts, sijo has still not come on. I imagine that one message will be the first and last message from FSD management, other than to perhaps post about the release date of their movie(s) or other books.

IIF - I am Canadian as well for the purposes of your list.

SB - That picture has a 905 area code. I looked it up (the area code that is). It must be the "Toronto" location. With that area code it would be probably on the west side of Toronto going towards Burlington, Hamilton, Oakville and London. Thanks for posting that Matrix video. I hadn't seen it before. Perhaps you could grab and post the "Thrill seekers" video.

Sorry Haru those were names off of the first 3-4 pages.

If he(or whoever) doesn't put it into context like "this has proof of the MMA fights'" it is considered trolling/Spamming.

This account could be banned, that is what I'm driving to at this point.

**Slug** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:18pm

Originally Posted by FSD Management

To all bullshitdo member:

Due to popular demand and a curiosity by the public (through internet postings), Grandmaster (Sijo) J. Patenaude will be publishing his 5th book, detailing the origins of his martial art: FANG SHEN DO. The book is scheduled to appear under the title: Fang Shen Do; The True Story.

For more information, please check this link:

http://www.learnkung-fu.com/pressrel...ue%20story.htm

Thank you

Management

Isnt it great how people try to give themselves legitamcy by posting a picture from a seminar with Dan Inosanto?

Slug

**TKD Black Belt** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:18pm

"Complete with pictures from the past (examples below), the book is sure to invoke strong feeling in all who read it. You may love him, you may hate him – But now (for the first time) – you will be closer to understanding him – Sijo J. Patenaude"

Will there be a movie of the week? Man I love people who talk about themselves in third person.

I remain,

TKD

**Slug** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:35pm

I do not know anything about FSD except though the stories on this thread and the videos posted. There are some students that rally behind each other to debunk credibilty, normaly I would think that this was just 'sour grapes' except I heard this same song before back in 1993 in Los Angles from some people that bailed on Modern Wing Chun or Whatever.

To be fair I should ask Guro Dan if he remembers these people and forward him the link to the picture next time I drop by the academy.

Maybe he can shed some light on this but I doubt he would post on the forum.
As far as I know Guro Dan only has Bob Carver whom Ive met once at a seminar years ago as his Instructor in Ottawa.

Slug

**Shadow Ragno** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:39pm

So I read, and then read again the article on Stringfellow's opinion about Fang Shen Do Kung Fu. I respect everyone's opinion, and I appreciate what Stringfellow has to say. However, I have been a Fang Shen Do Student for over one year, I am a proud BBC member, have attained the blue sash level, and the gains that I have achieved both physically and mentally are outstanding. Say what you will about this system of Kung Fu, you must admit that it is not all negaitive. I take advantage of as many classes as possible training between 8 to 10 hours a week with the Sifus in Montreal and Laval, and have been treated with great respect by each of them and have felt like part of their family. I don't care that I pay 175$ a month, so what!! Where can you go and get an intense, amasing workout these days in martial arts where the energy levels of all students is so obviously positive, intense, and inspiring?? I respect all Kung Fu martial arts, including the traditional systems of Wing Chun, Hung Gar, and Shaolin, however, Fang Shen Do is more than just learning martial arts. It is physical coditioning, relief of stress, gratification with instant rewards and long term effects. I don't know which Club Stringfellow belonged to, but the Clubs I train at our highly effective. On more than one occasion I had to put my skills to use in real confrontations, and so far I was on the standing end of the ordeal. Come on, be honest, being a martial artist is totally within. Whatever style you train with and whatever school you attend is not what makes you the utlimate fighter. It is who you are! when i started training in Fang Shen Do, I was obese, slow, weak, and totally not motivated. Within one year, I have put on muscle mass tha is so outsanding, lost so much fat on my body, gained speed, strength and confidence, and have positive motivation. But it wasn't Sijo JP or my Sifus who did this for me, I did it, with their guidance. With their example. All the Sigus are in tremendous shape. They are a perfect example of what a martial artist should look like (male and female). So what if they don't compete in events or tournaments, so what if Sijo trained with a Bruce Lee student (James W. DeMile) or not. Not's not the important thing here. I used to be one of those guys who that that if you really wanted to learn martial arts, then you should be taught by some old oriental fellow or his descendants and do all sorts of bullshit forms or katas to become a martial artist. BULLSHIT! Man if you can trap your opponent, kick and punch the **** out of him using all the weapons of your body, take down or grapple and close with finishing blows, than you are an accomplished martial artist. And guess what, you learn all of these things in Fang Shen Do.
I often seek guidance from the Sifus, and they have always been more than kind in sharing their views. Their advice has only helped me in the long run. So they bad mouth other systems. That's ok, no? If you are so proud of something you do or own, then why promote something else? I am pretty certain that I can kick anyone's ass who has trained as long as me in whatever style, and if I don't, then so what! It doesn't mean that Fang Shen Do failed me, or benefited me. The animal is within, and if you don't know how to harness it, then no training will make you win fights.
Stringfellow also mentioned that Fang Shen Do students are not taught how to deal with real confrontations. WOW, couldn't be more wrong. We have actualy done role playing in class where we pretended to be sitting down in a metro car and someone attacked us, or at times we pretended to be at a bus stop waiting for the bus and were attacked and taught how to deal with it. There is so much intensity in each class and sweat and conditioning and skill that whether or not I am a Kool aid drinker I love it and keep going back for more. Oh and yes, why pay $175 for that, well, to be honest with you, because there are no schools that charge less than that that offer you what Fang Shen Do does, not in Quebec any ways. I can train 7 days a week, take regular classes, BBC classes, weapons classes, spar every day if i want, all for this low price. There are day and evening and late evening classes. There are weekend classes, private classes, and some darn good seminars. Oh, and about the seminars, i was never forced to take any. Sifu would make an announcement once a week about the upcoming seminars, and you can sign up or not, student's choice. So why pay for seminars?? Let me tell you why! A seminar lasts between 2-3 hours long, and is very intensive. Would you or I work 2-3 hours in one day without getting paid? Hell NO! We need money to survive, and we all want to make a nice living. This bullshit that true martial arts masters are supposed to be old, wise, and poor is a farce. If martial arts schools were not financially successful, then there wouldn't be any around and we would become extinct.
Again, I respect what you have to say Stringfellow, but I think you are just a little dissapointed with all the money you have spent, and with the little gains you have achieved. Maybe somewhere during your training, you weren't inspired enough and lost interest, thus neglecting what you could have learned in class and let yourself go. Good luck to you. I am a martial artist with a black belt in Shotokan karate, and now a blue sash in Fang Shen Do Kung Fu, and I am darn proud of it!!

Shadow Ragno

**Shadow Ragno** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:40pm

So I read, and then read again the article on Stringfellow's opinion about Fang Shen Do Kung Fu. I respect everyone's opinion, and I appreciate what Stringfellow has to say. However, I have been a Fang Shen Do Student for over one year, I am a proud BBC member, have attained the blue sash level, and the gains that I have achieved both physically and mentally are outstanding. Say what you will about this system of Kung Fu, you must admit that it is not all negaitive. I take advantage of as many classes as possible training between 8 to 10 hours a week with the Sifus in Montreal and Laval, and have been treated with great respect by each of them and have felt like part of their family. I don't care that I pay 175$ a month, so what!! Where can you go and get an intense, amasing workout these days in martial arts where the energy levels of all students is so obviously positive, intense, and inspiring?? I respect all Kung Fu martial arts, including the traditional systems of Wing Chun, Hung Gar, and Shaolin, however, Fang Shen Do is more than just learning martial arts. It is physical coditioning, relief of stress, gratification with instant rewards and long term effects. I don't know which Club Stringfellow belonged to, but the Clubs I train at our highly effective. On more than one occasion I had to put my skills to use in real confrontations, and so far I was on the standing end of the ordeal. Come on, be honest, being a martial artist is totally within. Whatever style you train with and whatever school you attend is not what makes you the utlimate fighter. It is who you are! when i started training in Fang Shen Do, I was obese, slow, weak, and totally not motivated. Within one year, I have put on muscle mass tha is so outsanding, lost so much fat on my body, gained speed, strength and confidence, and have positive motivation. But it wasn't Sijo JP or my Sifus who did this for me, I did it, with their guidance. With their example. All the Sigus are in tremendous shape. They are a perfect example of what a martial artist should look like (male and female). So what if they don't compete in events or tournaments, so what if Sijo trained with a Bruce Lee student (James W. DeMile) or not. Not's not the important thing here. I used to be one of those guys who that that if you really wanted to learn martial arts, then you should be taught by some old oriental fellow or his descendants and do all sorts of bullshit forms or katas to become a martial artist. BULLSHIT! Man if you can trap your opponent, kick and punch the **** out of him using all the weapons of your body, take down or grapple and close with finishing blows, than you are an accomplished martial artist. And guess what, you learn all of these things in Fang Shen Do.
I often seek guidance from the Sifus, and they have always been more than kind in sharing their views. Their advice has only helped me in the long run. So they bad mouth other systems. That's ok, no? If you are so proud of something you do or own, then why promote something else? I am pretty certain that I can kick anyone's ass who has trained as long as me in whatever style, and if I don't, then so what! It doesn't mean that Fang Shen Do failed me, or benefited me. The animal is within, and if you don't know how to harness it, then no training will make you win fights.
Stringfellow also mentioned that Fang Shen Do students are not taught how to deal with real confrontations. WOW, couldn't be more wrong. We have actualy done role playing in class where we pretended to be sitting down in a metro car and someone attacked us, or at times we pretended to be at a bus stop waiting for the bus and were attacked and taught how to deal with it. There is so much intensity in each class and sweat and conditioning and skill that whether or not I am a Kool aid drinker I love it and keep going back for more. Oh and yes, why pay $175 for that, well, to be honest with you, because there are no schools that charge less than that that offer you what Fang Shen Do does, not in Quebec any ways. I can train 7 days a week, take regular classes, BBC classes, weapons classes, spar every day if i want, all for this low price. There are day and evening and late evening classes. There are weekend classes, private classes, and some darn good seminars. Oh, and about the seminars, i was never forced to take any. Sifu would make an announcement once a week about the upcoming seminars, and you can sign up or not, student's choice. So why pay for seminars?? Let me tell you why! A seminar lasts between 2-3 hours long, and is very intensive. Would you or I work 2-3 hours in one day without getting paid? Hell NO! We need money to survive, and we all want to make a nice living. This bullshit that true martial arts masters are supposed to be old, wise, and poor is a farce. If martial arts schools were not financially successful, then there wouldn't be any around and we would become extinct.
Again, I respect what you have to say Stringfellow, but I think you are just a little dissapointed with all the money you have spent, and with the little gains you have achieved. Maybe somewhere during your training, you weren't inspired enough and lost interest, thus neglecting what you could have learned in class and let yourself go. Good luck to you. I am a martial artist with a black belt in Shotokan karate, and now a blue sash in Fang Shen Do Kung Fu, and I am darn proud of it!!

Shadow Ragno

**Slug** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:46pm

Originally Posted by Shadow Ragno

So I read, and then read again the article on Stringfellow's opinion about Fang Shen Do Kung Fu. I respect everyone's opinion, and I appreciate what Stringfellow has to say. However, I have been a Fang Shen Do Student for over one year, I am a proud BBC member, have attained the blue sash level, and the gains that I have achieved both physically and mentally are outstanding. Say what you will about this system of Kung Fu, you must admit that it is not all negaitive. I take advantage of as many classes as possible training between 8 to 10 hours a week with the Sifus in Montreal and Laval, and have been treated with great respect by each of them and have felt like part of their family. I don't care that I pay 175$ a month, so what!! Where can you go and get an intense, amasing workout these days in martial arts where the energy levels of all students is so obviously positive, intense, and inspiring?? I respect all Kung Fu martial arts, including the traditional systems of Wing Chun, Hung Gar, and Shaolin, however, Fang Shen Do is more than just learning martial arts. It is physical coditioning, relief of stress, gratification with instant rewards and long term effects. I don't know which Club Stringfellow belonged to, but the Clubs I train at our highly effective. On more than one occasion I had to put my skills to use in real confrontations, and so far I was on the standing end of the ordeal. Come on, be honest, being a martial artist is totally within. Whatever style you train with and whatever school you attend is not what makes you the utlimate fighter. It is who you are! when i started training in Fang Shen Do, I was obese, slow, weak, and totally not motivated. Within one year, I have put on muscle mass tha is so outsanding, lost so much fat on my body, gained speed, strength and confidence, and have positive motivation. But it wasn't Sijo JP or my Sifus who did this for me, I did it, with their guidance. With their example. All the Sigus are in tremendous shape. They are a perfect example of what a martial artist should look like (male and female). So what if they don't compete in events or tournaments, so what if Sijo trained with a Bruce Lee student (James W. DeMile) or not. Not's not the important thing here. I used to be one of those guys who that that if you really wanted to learn martial arts, then you should be taught by some old oriental fellow or his descendants and do all sorts of bullshit forms or katas to become a martial artist. BULLSHIT! Man if you can trap your opponent, kick and punch the **** out of him using all the weapons of your body, take down or grapple and close with finishing blows, than you are an accomplished martial artist. And guess what, you learn all of these things in Fang Shen Do.
I often seek guidance from the Sifus, and they have always been more than kind in sharing their views. Their advice has only helped me in the long run. So they bad mouth other systems. That's ok, no? If you are so proud of something you do or own, then why promote something else? I am pretty certain that I can kick anyone's ass who has trained as long as me in whatever style, and if I don't, then so what! It doesn't mean that Fang Shen Do failed me, or benefited me. The animal is within, and if you don't know how to harness it, then no training will make you win fights.
Stringfellow also mentioned that Fang Shen Do students are not taught how to deal with real confrontations. WOW, couldn't be more wrong. We have actualy done role playing in class where we pretended to be sitting down in a metro car and someone attacked us, or at times we pretended to be at a bus stop waiting for the bus and were attacked and taught how to deal with it. There is so much intensity in each class and sweat and conditioning and skill that whether or not I am a Kool aid drinker I love it and keep going back for more. Oh and yes, why pay $175 for that, well, to be honest with you, because there are no schools that charge less than that that offer you what Fang Shen Do does, not in Quebec any ways. I can train 7 days a week, take regular classes, BBC classes, weapons classes, spar every day if i want, all for this low price. There are day and evening and late evening classes. There are weekend classes, private classes, and some darn good seminars. Oh, and about the seminars, i was never forced to take any. Sifu would make an announcement once a week about the upcoming seminars, and you can sign up or not, student's choice. So why pay for seminars?? Let me tell you why! A seminar lasts between 2-3 hours long, and is very intensive. Would you or I work 2-3 hours in one day without getting paid? Hell NO! We need money to survive, and we all want to make a nice living. This bullshit that true martial arts masters are supposed to be old, wise, and poor is a farce. If martial arts schools were not financially successful, then there wouldn't be any around and we would become extinct.
Again, I respect what you have to say Stringfellow, but I think you are just a little dissapointed with all the money you have spent, and with the little gains you have achieved. Maybe somewhere during your training, you weren't inspired enough and lost interest, thus neglecting what you could have learned in class and let yourself go. Good luck to you. I am a martial artist with a black belt in Shotokan karate, and now a blue sash in Fang Shen Do Kung Fu, and I am darn proud of it!!

Shadow Ragno

The above message was brought to you by the Nut Huggers group of Kool-Aid drinkers local 448...

You know it may have gotten some credibility if you did'nt end wiith an assholish jab mimicing what a previous 'Sifu' said about Stringfellows commitment.

Now after all that earnest effort you just came across sounding like a mouthpiece

Slug

**Stringfellow** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:47pm

First, congrats to Haru for getting post #1500!

Now, about the book, I actually see this as a positive development. I, for one, would be glad to hear the story of FSD straight from the horse's mouth. I've never understood the secrecy around his past before. Openness and transparancy in an organization is a good thing - it keeps you honest. I'm glad to see this first step and can only hope that this leads to more of the same.

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 2:50pm

Hmmm......................Interesting. I'll let someone pick you apart. Paragraphs are your friend.

All I'll say is this, you are doing other schools and students a disservice by trying to lay the blame at their doorsteps. For those reading, this is another tactic in my MA cult signs. Maybe I will write a list one day.

Meng MAo saw on another thread how close I am to predicitng responses.

This is another step. Oh the Sijo's school is best, I can't control what happens outside of my school. Fine why do you continue to take a cut from these schools? Why do you visit these schools, for seminars, if they are so bad?

**TheDingo** · Posted On: 5/04/2006 3:25pm

Being an ex-FSDer I have to chime in again.

1) Marketing for FSD follows the late-night infomercial trend. Laughable and it sucks entirely (IMHO)
2) FSD is way too expensive for what it is, and not nearly as bad-ass as it pretends to be ("The Way of Survival" slogan still makes me giggle).
3) I believe (IMHO again) a lot of the techniques are useless outside of training excercises.

BUT
1) People are paying for it and enjoying it. Let 'em :)
2) Some people are finding value in it. It is a good workout -- heck I can do a lot more pushups now that I ever could before.
3) like anything -- what you get out of it also depends on what you put into it. Choosing a different MA still won't necessarily make one a better martial artist. It's up the individual to do the work, but the quality of school gives guidance.

FSD (and other MAs) are like the S.C.A. midaevil society -- wearing hockey equipment and beating each other with rattan swords won't make you a knight of the round table, but it can be fun.

We are all (well mostly) adults here. I walked away from FSD when I thought I wasn't getting the quality for my money that I should be getting. Not seeing techniques for the tests until a private class just before was useless. The apparant foundation techniques on which we were supposed to be tested and developed were not even being taught, and if so, more of an after thought. Without a strong foundation, everything is weaker. Training was all over the place and lacked focus.

Now if someone feels like they are getting what they paid for -- good on 'em. I happen to think otherwise but that is a differing opinion.

Now, about the book.... I'd take a glance at it from a bookstore, it would be interesting to know more about the man and his claims.

But once again back to the cheesy marketing... to quote the link provided about the book " the truth will be heard. And as the saying goes “It will set you free”"

Holy crap. It will set me free? Free from what? How will it do so?

Christ I hate catchphrase marketing which *actually* doesn't make any sense. I have to go feel self-empowered by pimping my tomato.