Complaint Review: Wujido Institute - Dallas Texas

I took private lessons from Grandmaster James Harkins around 1992 even before had set up the school. He is absolutely fabulous. Only reason that I stopped is because i moved far away.

For those who thinks that he is too expensive, you do not deserve him. While he is expensive, he is world-class master and if you think that way, you may find someone else. Not everyone rides a Rolls-royce.

He is a very spiritual being and a scholar as well, he had learned Chinese and ancient Greek and Hebrew and Aramaic in order to read and study the spiritual classice.

I LOVE you Dr Harkins-You are a beautiful human being! ---  Irshad Alam

I took private lessons from Grandmaster James Harkins around 1992 even before had set up the school. He is absolutely fabulous. Only reason that I stopped is because i moved far away.

 For those who thinks that he is too expensive, you do not deserve him. While he is expensive, he is world-class master and if you think that way, you may find someone else. Not everyone rides a Rolls-royce.

He is a very spiritual being and a scholar as well, he had lkearned Chinese and ancient Greek and Hebrew and Aramaic in order to read and study the spiritual classice.

I LOVE you Dr Harkins

Dr. Harkins, I would like to offer my sincere apology for my previous letter last year. I can only reflect back and see how clouded my judgment really was. The fear of not having enough money to support your family can have some very adverse effects on how you perceive certain things. Ever since I left your school I simply feel run down and every inch of my body misses the intense training you offered me everyday. I feel so ashamed for the way I acted and cannot believe I was so selfish about being promoted. Looking back I understand that it is never about achieving a superficial rank but about creating a better character in myself and those around me. I came across this web site today and was sadden by the things people said about the school. Those of us who have left and matured can see how incredible the time spent was. I can also see the poor character traits expressed here from students claiming to be apart of other schools. Lately I have been searching for another place that I can join and start training once again; however I cannot find any worthy of yours. I feel very ashamed that I ever perceived your school as being money hungry or anything like that. Clearly the majority of other schools out there only care about trophies and point scoring. My deepest apology to you and all of your staff for my actions last year; I can only hope for forgiveness and the ability to return and honor the contract I signed with you. I would also like to thank you for the compassion you showed me when money was tight and my daughter was being born. It helped more then you could ever imagine.

I just want to know if his lips move when he talks kinda like the cheesy old kung fu movies from the 70's cause he sounds alot like that. "My Kung Fu will destroy your crane style fighting, prepare to die" what a load of crap, i would'nt join his school and not cause of any of the comments here by ex students but cause of the crap that spews from the MASTERS mouth. Harkin do you really believe the crap you are saying?? Maybe you forgot what the word TEACHER means to teach not to spend your day on here calling people idiots and how your kung fu beats all other styles. Me personally i would just pull my glock and end the fight, but hey i am no kung fu master either...

I have always thought you went at things by thinking a little too hard. Sometimes the intellectually gifted can outsmart themselves. I have had my own experiences with this. I want to encourage you in the best way that I can and say that in some respects you remind me of me. My root teacher who is a true master in every sense of the term and in my view is and would be rated in the top ten masters of China, if he were Chinese, but he is not. I also went on an "it's traditional" bent and it lead me to well over a dozen masters mostly oriental. I learned a few things that can help you. Tradition is the farthest point on a line that leads to the origin of an art. Don't be too traditional. It may make your Chinese teacher happy, but you will always be an "American" or "Non-Chinese" to him. If you stay on that point you will NEVER achieve the essence of a style. You can only become a caretaker and not a lineage holder. Every great system has a beginning and that beginning is always a great master who didn't care what other people thought about his "style" or the variations he introduced. The idea of a style in itelf is an artifact and obscures the truth. Even masters can be misinformed. No one is perfect. You can learn from anyone. Remember that mastery is self-taught. Sometimes a Wushu/Kungfu teacher is teaching you things only for the purpose of not teaching you what matters most. If a teacher will only teach you a form (any form, whatever forms you are looking to aquuire) then learn the forms you want and don't make the mistake of thinking he is your "master". He may be a master but he is not your master. He's a businessman and he is selling you a form. Nothing wrong with it. I was Ronin for many years studying with other teachers but I came back to my master and with a powerful and renewed and very high opinion of his wisdom, knowledge, and legitimacy. Whereas you hope to someday repay your new teacher with wealth and so forth. I am already doing it, having no financial or contractual obligation. Currently my teacher is doing missionary work in some of the most dangerous regions and countries on the African continent. Courage sometimes means realizing that there are more things in this world than Martial Arts and that Kung Fu is a tool, not a goal. If it is your only goal then your life will be very limited. God bless and good luck in your training, however if you want to write me. Write to me, don't post on this site anymore.

As for me using "anonymous" as name, it is simply because I did not wish to be contacted or cared much for discrediting anyone or anything. I apologize if it seemed deceptive. I would like to apologize for my previous statement that Wujiquan does not exist and so forth. Although the age (of the actual system, not philosophy) of the actual system is unknown to me, I have indeed seen that it exists. It is very much like any other internal system, only focuses on "intuitive boxing," stripped of all excess forms and focuses on direct and internal methods of attack. The philosophy, from what I have barely seen is a very deep and impossible to summarize. Its system seems to have, just like today's internal systems, chi gong, moving postures, basic attacking drills, tui shou (push hands), etc. I also saw some very interesting primitive drawings of what seems to have come from Ancient natives of Mexico, in chi gung postures and even stances commonly seen today. I would also like to apologize if it seemed like I was trying to discredit the teacher or his school. It is only natural for him to have to defend himself, after all people are calling him a fraud. Although you might say he is being harsh on the people posting here, I think anyone in this situation would do the same. Given the fact that many people could stumble upon this if they are students (especially in todays internet age) or want to be, it is natural for the owner to take action. I admit, I saw this site BEFORE I started training there. Even after all the one-liners, the contract, and the fact you couldn't see the classes, I still decided to train there. Call me stupid but I saw it all as one big test, I was more than willing to learn. I left not because I lost trust, in fact I was sad when I left, but I left because I could not afford it, and moved much farther away than I was before. Also, the area in which it is located in is close to a very financially secure area, and most of the people who train there are working adults, some with their own businesses. Therefore paying the contract wasn't as steep as it might seem. Also the atmosphere is very serious one, and so is what you are learning and the information put forth immediately. It is true, you will not find that at any other Tae Kwon Do, Karate, or Contemporary Wushu school. Harkins is more than willing to share his experience with others, and obviously everything can't be taught at once, but he still does not hold back important information. The Bells and whistles that go off to most people visiting are 1) the billboards, 2)what appears to be "salespeople" at the front (really just students), 3) its contract, 4) The wording, and the fact that you can't see a class before you sign up. This is enough to throw anybody off. Yet it is a suitable way to run a business, and doesn't really affect the quality of the teaching whatsoever. From my experience, it was a great place to train for physical conditioning (in specific to martial arts as well), martial application, effective theory and application, mental conditioning, an environment where everyone is willing to learn. A turn off might be the contract and "secretness" of various things, as well as the social disconnection from classmates (not in class though). It all depends on what you want, and just as in various martial art systems, you can't expect to be taught everything, pay four your belt, and move up into a rank you have no place being in. There was no maltreatment or "abuse," in what was going on, and although misunderstood (or hard to understand), Mr Harkins was definitely not a bad man. I understand the cultural racism, and how the word "traditional" is often milked upon schools. Some schools even attempt to fake lineages, or use their ethnicity (example:someone of the orient)to somehow gain credibility to whatever it is they are teaching. It is important for a martial art to never be confined by its traditions, and I feel we need more qualified instructors to develop and strengthen these dying arts. I had heard many people insult the school, from teaches to previous students. Even then I never once agreed to their claims, and have always stuck to the fact that I did learn a lot. And even IF I could learn more elsewhere, it certainly did help propel me in the right direction, and helped pique my interests in certain aspects I had not previously found before. On my previous statements, I did not have time to look over and double check to see what might of been perhaps offensive or simply brash. Obviously, as I have already stated some of my statements were both inaccurate and ignorant. But at least I can see this and apologize for it. If I didn't, I feel there are parts of me that won't be able to flourish, as accepting mistakes is part of development (especially as a martial artist). I hope I cleared some things up, thanks.

Wuyiquan Wuji Wu Chi Chuan Is Known by all the instructors at the Beijing Wushu University to my knowledge and was the reason I was invited 4 times in 2000 and 2001 Master Cheng the great undefeated Suai Jiao grandmaster and founder of International Suai Jiao was a practitioner of Wujiquan and acknowledged it as the ancestor of modern styles in print back in 84. Some think I am now the formost practitioner, but I am not one of them. I am aware that many non-ignorant martial artists don't know about Wujiquan. It is not necessary for me to call them ignorant to say that they are mistaken and are just not aware of the truth. I urge the superficial to look deeper. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing they say. It may take a few years of study and research but you will find the historical truth. Wuyi is "former Han and later Han" so dates back to 1st century BC and is battlefield Wushu It is "Old Wushu" to quote Master Yan Hong Wei professor at the Beijing Wushu Department and my friend. I hope some day to invite my friends to the school, but as most Chinese from the mainland know, Visas are a tricky thing. Anyway, that is how he referred to it in our discussions. It is very PC to refer to everything in reference to the modern term Wushu. Wuyi is more primative than any other style of extant Chinese Martial Arts and has an appearance similar to Xingyi Quan (but it is not Xingyi)which is a "great grandson" of the system. I teach therefore the ancient battlefield skills. I really love and respect modern Wushu but I do not teach it nor am I interested in Qing,Ming Dynasty or Hong Kong or Cantonese versions of 16th and 17th century Kung Fu. There is a lot of research to be done concerning Wushu and no one has all the answers least of all me. But I think it is an ongoing study and "tradition" is only a starting point. Since Wuyi is fragmentary (forms and sets of routines are relatively modern) It is the principles and foundational styles that make up the templet and Wuyiquan is NOT A COMBINATION of the other styles. We teach BaGua Zhang, Xingyi Quan, and the 12 styles linking routine and the 24 styles 52 step linking routine and various other routines based on need. I have devised a few routines of my own using the raw material of Wuyi to teach its principles as well and I freely disclose when I do this to my students. If you want to say it is my style I cannot stop you, however I do not consider it my style anymore than Einstein considered e=mc2 as anything other than a universal truth that he discovered but did not own or invent. So too Wuyiquan is not "my" art. An example of how rediculous this idea of "traditional Chinese" can be sometimes is the 4 corners cloud hands routine which I personally devised and developed in the 80's while teaching in Arlington TX. I found it remarkably humerous that several years later a Vietnamese Hung Gar/Shaolin master (Ng I believe was his name, but I cannot be sure) who had a school close by was claiming to teach the "ancient traditioinal" secret routine of "4 corners cloud hands" really a hoot. (requires no further comment) This was a routine I had developed myself and promoted successfully now being passed off as a traditional Chinese routine by a Traditional Chinese Master. Of course I was not given credit. (hmmm...) So you see, all this "traditional" business is a little pretentious. I teach traditional Kungfu/Wushu but I view it as a form to form phenomenon and through individual lineages e.g. Loong Quan L1 routine can be traced back well over 900 years and has variations in Laos, Cambodia, Fugien, Hebei, and even Tamri Island in the Island system of Japan. No one can name the original author of the form but it obviously was a good routine to last this long. "I wonder if the monks at Shaolin criticized him because he made up a non-traditional animal form?" *** ON another note at the 2001 Taiji Invitational there were a large number of very famous Chinese masters of Taiji. I feel Yang Zhen Dou performed the most maticulously clear and accurate routine of all demonstrators. but among many of the famous chinese masters were at lease 50% of the most strange and unrecognizable personal styles of "tai chi chuan" much of it seemed rediculous and certainly not conforming to the "Shen Fa" of the taiji style. My point is that no one talked about how so and so was a fake, insecure, not traditional and everyone who performed WAS ACCEPTED AS A TRADITIONAL CHINESE TAI CHI STYLIST no matter how bizzare their form. Not so in America where Chinese Cultural Racism is a defining characteristic of the styles. And where there is a small qliche of Americans who are attached to this kind of thing. Perhaps the definition of traditional Chinese Kungfu/Wushu is actually "invented by a Chinese person in his back yard yesterday" and is more a comment about cultural arrogance and racism than it is about anything else. I am sure that comment will be interpreted as arrogance by the few. In my over 3 decades of MA study I have met few "traditional" stylist who could stand on their own outside the use of the word "traditional" Perhaps that's why so many Chinese martial artists disliked Bruce Lee. He didn't hide behind the brand name "traditional". He even called his are American! **** As for Wuyi. Wuyi is my passion for many years and I always seek to learn more about it and to develop the principles of the oldest extant Chinese Martial arts. I have little interest in modern or pseudo-ancient arts. I do have interest always in any person or teacher who is exceptional regardless of his claim. I claim nothing for myself but only seek to develop my art and protect my students of which I have many and I have trained thousands over the years. Not everyone is happy here because their personalities dislike a strict discipline that ensures the SAFE AND CORRECT PRACTICE OF A REAL, EFFECTIVE, AND DANGEROUS MARTIAL ART and those that are not comfortable enough in their own skin to take a little discipline leave and then try and justify themselves in whatever way they can. I think that a traditional form that is not understood and studied in a profound way is a waste of time and if someone learns a form and then somehow thinks they are better than someone else for that reason has only found another form of ignorance and self-deslusion. Further, the arrogance of claiming to be more humble than someone else is far more sinister than one might first realize. My teacher says. "If you cannot apply the form in real combat you cannot be called a master of anything, you are still only a student." I was reading in the biography of the great lady mTsyorgal a few days ago and there was an interesting statement attributed to the great Padmesambhava. "Brave men fight and are fighting and the cowards are hiding" The internet, being a vast bastion of nut-jobs and I would have to say that there are many cowards who find the anonymity of the internet empowering, has brought us both the good and bad. But mostly not so good. I remember Alex, a confused student who always got his a*s kicked by other white and yellow belts compared to whom he always thought he was superior, would repeatedly rationalize and externalize his view. It had to be that he had studied Karate or Tae Kwon Do before he came to the school. He had a nice "looking" side kick. He had this problem that made his root so flimsy that you could cough on him and knock him down. One had to be especially gentle with him. Maybe in comparison with some other teachers his root would be good. He always had a very convenient memory about things. I hope all my ex-students find a way to continue their study of martial arts. Many of them come back after studying with famous teachers. I don't mind. I think one has to view martial arts in the broadest possible way to benefit the most. **** If someone feels fear at a place like our school it is an internal dialogue and has nothing to do with our school or me because we have designed everything to be as safe as possible. In fact our safety record is unmatched. That person may project a reason for the fear that is internal and externalize it and be unable to understand that the cause of their own fear is within their own mind. ****** I Give homege to all the masters who have taught me, and there have been many but I especially thank my root teacher to whom I call my father even more than he who was my father in the flesh. My Martial Arts goal is to elivate the practice of Martial Arts beyond that of "traditional" practice. The MA master is like an insect compared to the great masters who have changed the face of our world. No one remembers them and that is as it should be. Transcendance is not a matter of traditional or non-traditional. In fact trascendance is so rare as to be "non-traditional" by definition and so is often misunderstood. My experience with "cliqish" traditionalists is that they are often mired in ignornance,incapable of seeing past their own self-limitation and weakness, and then there are those masters who transcend their chosen art. My root teacher is one of the great ones (in my opinion, of course) and whose praises I will always sing. Of all the teachers and masters I have known and there have been many I have found none superior. But at this level I think the idea of "better" or "worse" have no meaning. Further, just because I feel this way about my root teacher and I am his loyal student does not make me either good or bad, knowledgable or ignorant. This is and has always been my responsibility alone. I support my root teacher to this day and I have no contractual or "business" obligation to do so. This is not an empty assertion from a "millionare wannabe who criticizes me for being a success" but a fact complete. I ask nothing from him but to maintain our relationship and to teach me whatever he thinks I need. When I was young and stupid I used to question what he taught me quite a bit. I had to learn a lot more before I realized. Thank you everyone for reading this post and remember that there are many more articles and information about the school at our website. Zai Jian (Chinese for "see you later")

Wuyiquan Wuji Wu Chi Chuan Is Known by all the instructors at the Beijing Wushu University to my knowledge and was the reason I was invited 4 times in 2000 and 2001 Master Cheng the great undefeated Suai Jiao grandmaster and founder of International Suai Jiao was a practitioner of Wujiquan and acknowledged it as the ancestor of modern styles in print back in 84. Some think I am now the formost practitioner, but I am not one of them. I am aware that many non-ignorant martial artists don't know about Wujiquan. It is not necessary for me to call them ignorant to say that they are mistaken and are just not aware of the truth. I urge the superficial to look deeper. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing they say. It may take a few years of study and research but you will find the historical truth. Wuyi is "former Han and later Han" so dates back to 1st century BC and is battlefield Wushu It is "Old Wushu" to quote Master Yan Hong Wei professor at the Beijing Wushu Department and my friend. I hope some day to invite my friends to the school, but as most Chinese from the mainland know, Visas are a tricky thing. Anyway, that is how he referred to it in our discussions. It is very PC to refer to everything in reference to the modern term Wushu. Wuyi is more primative than any other style of extant Chinese Martial Arts and has an appearance similar to Xingyi Quan (but it is not Xingyi)which is a "great grandson" of the system. I teach therefore the ancient battlefield skills. I really love and respect modern Wushu but I do not teach it nor am I interested in Qing,Ming Dynasty or Hong Kong or Cantonese versions of 16th and 17th century Kung Fu. There is a lot of research to be done concerning Wushu and no one has all the answers least of all me. But I think it is an ongoing study and "tradition" is only a starting point. Since Wuyi is fragmentary (forms and sets of routines are relatively modern) It is the principles and foundational styles that make up the templet and Wuyiquan is NOT A COMBINATION of the other styles. We teach BaGua Zhang, Xingyi Quan, and the 12 styles linking routine and the 24 styles 52 step linking routine and various other routines based on need. I have devised a few routines of my own using the raw material of Wuyi to teach its principles as well and I freely disclose when I do this to my students. If you want to say it is my style I cannot stop you, however I do not consider it my style anymore than Einstein considered e=mc2 as anything other than a universal truth that he discovered but did not own or invent. So too Wuyiquan is not "my" art. An example of how rediculous this idea of "traditional Chinese" can be sometimes is the 4 corners cloud hands routine which I personally devised and developed in the 80's while teaching in Arlington TX. I found it remarkably humerous that several years later a Vietnamese Hung Gar/Shaolin master (Ng I believe was his name, but I cannot be sure) who had a school close by was claiming to teach the "ancient traditioinal" secret routine of "4 corners cloud hands" really a hoot. (requires no further comment) This was a routine I had developed myself and promoted successfully now being passed off as a traditional Chinese routine by a Traditional Chinese Master. Of course I was not given credit. (hmmm...) So you see, all this "traditional" business is a little pretentious. I teach traditional Kungfu/Wushu but I view it as a form to form phenomenon and through individual lineages e.g. Loong Quan L1 routine can be traced back well over 900 years and has variations in Laos, Cambodia, Fugien, Hebei, and even Tamri Island in the Island system of Japan. No one can name the original author of the form but it obviously was a good routine to last this long. "I wonder if the monks at Shaolin criticized him because he made up a non-traditional animal form?" *** ON another note at the 2001 Taiji Invitational there were a large number of very famous Chinese masters of Taiji. I feel Yang Zhen Dou performed the most maticulously clear and accurate routine of all demonstrators. but among many of the famous chinese masters were at lease 50% of the most strange and unrecognizable personal styles of "tai chi chuan" much of it seemed rediculous and certainly not conforming to the "Shen Fa" of the taiji style. My point is that no one talked about how so and so was a fake, insecure, not traditional and everyone who performed WAS ACCEPTED AS A TRADITIONAL CHINESE TAI CHI STYLIST no matter how bizzare their form. Not so in America where Chinese Cultural Racism is a defining characteristic of the styles. And where there is a small qliche of Americans who are attached to this kind of thing. Perhaps the definition of traditional Chinese Kungfu/Wushu is actually "invented by a Chinese person in his back yard yesterday" and is more a comment about cultural arrogance and racism than it is about anything else. I am sure that comment will be interpreted as arrogance by the few. In my over 3 decades of MA study I have met few "traditional" stylist who could stand on their own outside the use of the word "traditional" Perhaps that's why so many Chinese martial artists disliked Bruce Lee. He didn't hide behind the brand name "traditional". He even called his are American! **** As for Wuyi. Wuyi is my passion for many years and I always seek to learn more about it and to develop the principles of the oldest extant Chinese Martial arts. I have little interest in modern or pseudo-ancient arts. I do have interest always in any person or teacher who is exceptional regardless of his claim. I claim nothing for myself but only seek to develop my art and protect my students of which I have many and I have trained thousands over the years. Not everyone is happy here because their personalities dislike a strict discipline that ensures the SAFE AND CORRECT PRACTICE OF A REAL, EFFECTIVE, AND DANGEROUS MARTIAL ART and those that are not comfortable enough in their own skin to take a little discipline leave and then try and justify themselves in whatever way they can. I think that a traditional form that is not understood and studied in a profound way is a waste of time and if someone learns a form and then somehow thinks they are better than someone else for that reason has only found another form of ignorance and self-deslusion. Further, the arrogance of claiming to be more humble than someone else is far more sinister than one might first realize. My teacher says. "If you cannot apply the form in real combat you cannot be called a master of anything, you are still only a student." I was reading in the biography of the great lady mTsyorgal a few days ago and there was an interesting statement attributed to the great Padmesambhava. "Brave men fight and are fighting and the cowards are hiding" The internet, being a vast bastion of nut-jobs and I would have to say that there are many cowards who find the anonymity of the internet empowering, has brought us both the good and bad. But mostly not so good. I remember Alex, a confused student who always got his a*s kicked by other white and yellow belts compared to whom he always thought he was superior, would repeatedly rationalize and externalize his view. It had to be that he had studied Karate or Tae Kwon Do before he came to the school. He had a nice "looking" side kick. He had this problem that made his root so flimsy that you could cough on him and knock him down. One had to be especially gentle with him. Maybe in comparison with some other teachers his root would be good. He always had a very convenient memory about things. I hope all my ex-students find a way to continue their study of martial arts. Many of them come back after studying with famous teachers. I don't mind. I think one has to view martial arts in the broadest possible way to benefit the most. **** If someone feels fear at a place like our school it is an internal dialogue and has nothing to do with our school or me because we have designed everything to be as safe as possible. In fact our safety record is unmatched. That person may project a reason for the fear that is internal and externalize it and be unable to understand that the cause of their own fear is within their own mind. ****** I Give homege to all the masters who have taught me, and there have been many but I especially thank my root teacher to whom I call my father even more than he who was my father in the flesh. My Martial Arts goal is to elivate the practice of Martial Arts beyond that of "traditional" practice. The MA master is like an insect compared to the great masters who have changed the face of our world. No one remembers them and that is as it should be. Transcendance is not a matter of traditional or non-traditional. In fact trascendance is so rare as to be "non-traditional" by definition and so is often misunderstood. My experience with "cliqish" traditionalists is that they are often mired in ignornance,incapable of seeing past their own self-limitation and weakness, and then there are those masters who transcend their chosen art. My root teacher is one of the great ones (in my opinion, of course) and whose praises I will always sing. Of all the teachers and masters I have known and there have been many I have found none superior. But at this level I think the idea of "better" or "worse" have no meaning. Further, just because I feel this way about my root teacher and I am his loyal student does not make me either good or bad, knowledgable or ignorant. This is and has always been my responsibility alone. I support my root teacher to this day and I have no contractual or "business" obligation to do so. This is not an empty assertion from a "millionare wannabe who criticizes me for being a success" but a fact complete. I ask nothing from him but to maintain our relationship and to teach me whatever he thinks I need. When I was young and stupid I used to question what he taught me quite a bit. I had to learn a lot more before I realized. Thank you everyone for reading this post and remember that there are many more articles and information about the school at our website. Zai Jian (Chinese for "see you later")

Wuyiquan Wuji Wu Chi Chuan Is Known by all the instructors at the Beijing Wushu University to my knowledge and was the reason I was invited 4 times in 2000 and 2001 Master Cheng the great undefeated Suai Jiao grandmaster and founder of International Suai Jiao was a practitioner of Wujiquan and acknowledged it as the ancestor of modern styles in print back in 84. Some think I am now the formost practitioner, but I am not one of them. I am aware that many non-ignorant martial artists don't know about Wujiquan. It is not necessary for me to call them ignorant to say that they are mistaken and are just not aware of the truth. I urge the superficial to look deeper. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing they say. It may take a few years of study and research but you will find the historical truth. Wuyi is "former Han and later Han" so dates back to 1st century BC and is battlefield Wushu It is "Old Wushu" to quote Master Yan Hong Wei professor at the Beijing Wushu Department and my friend. I hope some day to invite my friends to the school, but as most Chinese from the mainland know, Visas are a tricky thing. Anyway, that is how he referred to it in our discussions. It is very PC to refer to everything in reference to the modern term Wushu. Wuyi is more primative than any other style of extant Chinese Martial Arts and has an appearance similar to Xingyi Quan (but it is not Xingyi)which is a "great grandson" of the system. I teach therefore the ancient battlefield skills. I really love and respect modern Wushu but I do not teach it nor am I interested in Qing,Ming Dynasty or Hong Kong or Cantonese versions of 16th and 17th century Kung Fu. There is a lot of research to be done concerning Wushu and no one has all the answers least of all me. But I think it is an ongoing study and "tradition" is only a starting point. Since Wuyi is fragmentary (forms and sets of routines are relatively modern) It is the principles and foundational styles that make up the templet and Wuyiquan is NOT A COMBINATION of the other styles. We teach BaGua Zhang, Xingyi Quan, and the 12 styles linking routine and the 24 styles 52 step linking routine and various other routines based on need. I have devised a few routines of my own using the raw material of Wuyi to teach its principles as well and I freely disclose when I do this to my students. If you want to say it is my style I cannot stop you, however I do not consider it my style anymore than Einstein considered e=mc2 as anything other than a universal truth that he discovered but did not own or invent. So too Wuyiquan is not "my" art. An example of how rediculous this idea of "traditional Chinese" can be sometimes is the 4 corners cloud hands routine which I personally devised and developed in the 80's while teaching in Arlington TX. I found it remarkably humerous that several years later a Vietnamese Hung Gar/Shaolin master (Ng I believe was his name, but I cannot be sure) who had a school close by was claiming to teach the "ancient traditioinal" secret routine of "4 corners cloud hands" really a hoot. (requires no further comment) This was a routine I had developed myself and promoted successfully now being passed off as a traditional Chinese routine by a Traditional Chinese Master. Of course I was not given credit. (hmmm...) So you see, all this "traditional" business is a little pretentious. I teach traditional Kungfu/Wushu but I view it as a form to form phenomenon and through individual lineages e.g. Loong Quan L1 routine can be traced back well over 900 years and has variations in Laos, Cambodia, Fugien, Hebei, and even Tamri Island in the Island system of Japan. No one can name the original author of the form but it obviously was a good routine to last this long. "I wonder if the monks at Shaolin criticized him because he made up a non-traditional animal form?" *** ON another note at the 2001 Taiji Invitational there were a large number of very famous Chinese masters of Taiji. I feel Yang Zhen Dou performed the most maticulously clear and accurate routine of all demonstrators. but among many of the famous chinese masters were at lease 50% of the most strange and unrecognizable personal styles of "tai chi chuan" much of it seemed rediculous and certainly not conforming to the "Shen Fa" of the taiji style. My point is that no one talked about how so and so was a fake, insecure, not traditional and everyone who performed WAS ACCEPTED AS A TRADITIONAL CHINESE TAI CHI STYLIST no matter how bizzare their form. Not so in America where Chinese Cultural Racism is a defining characteristic of the styles. And where there is a small qliche of Americans who are attached to this kind of thing. Perhaps the definition of traditional Chinese Kungfu/Wushu is actually "invented by a Chinese person in his back yard yesterday" and is more a comment about cultural arrogance and racism than it is about anything else. I am sure that comment will be interpreted as arrogance by the few. In my over 3 decades of MA study I have met few "traditional" stylist who could stand on their own outside the use of the word "traditional" Perhaps that's why so many Chinese martial artists disliked Bruce Lee. He didn't hide behind the brand name "traditional". He even called his are American! **** As for Wuyi. Wuyi is my passion for many years and I always seek to learn more about it and to develop the principles of the oldest extant Chinese Martial arts. I have little interest in modern or pseudo-ancient arts. I do have interest always in any person or teacher who is exceptional regardless of his claim. I claim nothing for myself but only seek to develop my art and protect my students of which I have many and I have trained thousands over the years. Not everyone is happy here because their personalities dislike a strict discipline that ensures the SAFE AND CORRECT PRACTICE OF A REAL, EFFECTIVE, AND DANGEROUS MARTIAL ART and those that are not comfortable enough in their own skin to take a little discipline leave and then try and justify themselves in whatever way they can. I think that a traditional form that is not understood and studied in a profound way is a waste of time and if someone learns a form and then somehow thinks they are better than someone else for that reason has only found another form of ignorance and self-deslusion. Further, the arrogance of claiming to be more humble than someone else is far more sinister than one might first realize. My teacher says. "If you cannot apply the form in real combat you cannot be called a master of anything, you are still only a student." I was reading in the biography of the great lady mTsyorgal a few days ago and there was an interesting statement attributed to the great Padmesambhava. "Brave men fight and are fighting and the cowards are hiding" The internet, being a vast bastion of nut-jobs and I would have to say that there are many cowards who find the anonymity of the internet empowering, has brought us both the good and bad. But mostly not so good. I remember Alex, a confused student who always got his a*s kicked by other white and yellow belts compared to whom he always thought he was superior, would repeatedly rationalize and externalize his view. It had to be that he had studied Karate or Tae Kwon Do before he came to the school. He had a nice "looking" side kick. He had this problem that made his root so flimsy that you could cough on him and knock him down. One had to be especially gentle with him. Maybe in comparison with some other teachers his root would be good. He always had a very convenient memory about things. I hope all my ex-students find a way to continue their study of martial arts. Many of them come back after studying with famous teachers. I don't mind. I think one has to view martial arts in the broadest possible way to benefit the most. **** If someone feels fear at a place like our school it is an internal dialogue and has nothing to do with our school or me because we have designed everything to be as safe as possible. In fact our safety record is unmatched. That person may project a reason for the fear that is internal and externalize it and be unable to understand that the cause of their own fear is within their own mind. ****** I Give homege to all the masters who have taught me, and there have been many but I especially thank my root teacher to whom I call my father even more than he who was my father in the flesh. My Martial Arts goal is to elivate the practice of Martial Arts beyond that of "traditional" practice. The MA master is like an insect compared to the great masters who have changed the face of our world. No one remembers them and that is as it should be. Transcendance is not a matter of traditional or non-traditional. In fact trascendance is so rare as to be "non-traditional" by definition and so is often misunderstood. My experience with "cliqish" traditionalists is that they are often mired in ignornance,incapable of seeing past their own self-limitation and weakness, and then there are those masters who transcend their chosen art. My root teacher is one of the great ones (in my opinion, of course) and whose praises I will always sing. Of all the teachers and masters I have known and there have been many I have found none superior. But at this level I think the idea of "better" or "worse" have no meaning. Further, just because I feel this way about my root teacher and I am his loyal student does not make me either good or bad, knowledgable or ignorant. This is and has always been my responsibility alone. I support my root teacher to this day and I have no contractual or "business" obligation to do so. This is not an empty assertion from a "millionare wannabe who criticizes me for being a success" but a fact complete. I ask nothing from him but to maintain our relationship and to teach me whatever he thinks I need. When I was young and stupid I used to question what he taught me quite a bit. I had to learn a lot more before I realized. Thank you everyone for reading this post and remember that there are many more articles and information about the school at our website. Zai Jian (Chinese for "see you later")

Wuyiquan Wuji Wu Chi Chuan Is Known by all the instructors at the Beijing Wushu University to my knowledge and was the reason I was invited 4 times in 2000 and 2001 Master Cheng the great undefeated Suai Jiao grandmaster and founder of International Suai Jiao was a practitioner of Wujiquan and acknowledged it as the ancestor of modern styles in print back in 84. Some think I am now the formost practitioner, but I am not one of them. I am aware that many non-ignorant martial artists don't know about Wujiquan. It is not necessary for me to call them ignorant to say that they are mistaken and are just not aware of the truth. I urge the superficial to look deeper. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing they say. It may take a few years of study and research but you will find the historical truth. Wuyi is "former Han and later Han" so dates back to 1st century BC and is battlefield Wushu It is "Old Wushu" to quote Master Yan Hong Wei professor at the Beijing Wushu Department and my friend. I hope some day to invite my friends to the school, but as most Chinese from the mainland know, Visas are a tricky thing. Anyway, that is how he referred to it in our discussions. It is very PC to refer to everything in reference to the modern term Wushu. Wuyi is more primative than any other style of extant Chinese Martial Arts and has an appearance similar to Xingyi Quan (but it is not Xingyi)which is a "great grandson" of the system. I teach therefore the ancient battlefield skills. I really love and respect modern Wushu but I do not teach it nor am I interested in Qing,Ming Dynasty or Hong Kong or Cantonese versions of 16th and 17th century Kung Fu. There is a lot of research to be done concerning Wushu and no one has all the answers least of all me. But I think it is an ongoing study and "tradition" is only a starting point. Since Wuyi is fragmentary (forms and sets of routines are relatively modern) It is the principles and foundational styles that make up the templet and Wuyiquan is NOT A COMBINATION of the other styles. We teach BaGua Zhang, Xingyi Quan, and the 12 styles linking routine and the 24 styles 52 step linking routine and various other routines based on need. I have devised a few routines of my own using the raw material of Wuyi to teach its principles as well and I freely disclose when I do this to my students. If you want to say it is my style I cannot stop you, however I do not consider it my style anymore than Einstein considered e=mc2 as anything other than a universal truth that he discovered but did not own or invent. So too Wuyiquan is not "my" art. An example of how rediculous this idea of "traditional Chinese" can be sometimes is the 4 corners cloud hands routine which I personally devised and developed in the 80's while teaching in Arlington TX. I found it remarkably humerous that several years later a Vietnamese Hung Gar/Shaolin master (Ng I believe was his name, but I cannot be sure) who had a school close by was claiming to teach the "ancient traditioinal" secret routine of "4 corners cloud hands" really a hoot. (requires no further comment) This was a routine I had developed myself and promoted successfully now being passed off as a traditional Chinese routine by a Traditional Chinese Master. Of course I was not given credit. (hmmm...) So you see, all this "traditional" business is a little pretentious. I teach traditional Kungfu/Wushu but I view it as a form to form phenomenon and through individual lineages e.g. Loong Quan L1 routine can be traced back well over 900 years and has variations in Laos, Cambodia, Fugien, Hebei, and even Tamri Island in the Island system of Japan. No one can name the original author of the form but it obviously was a good routine to last this long. "I wonder if the monks at Shaolin criticized him because he made up a non-traditional animal form?" *** ON another note at the 2001 Taiji Invitational there were a large number of very famous Chinese masters of Taiji. I feel Yang Zhen Dou performed the most maticulously clear and accurate routine of all demonstrators. but among many of the famous chinese masters were at lease 50% of the most strange and unrecognizable personal styles of "tai chi chuan" much of it seemed rediculous and certainly not conforming to the "Shen Fa" of the taiji style. My point is that no one talked about how so and so was a fake, insecure, not traditional and everyone who performed WAS ACCEPTED AS A TRADITIONAL CHINESE TAI CHI STYLIST no matter how bizzare their form. Not so in America where Chinese Cultural Racism is a defining characteristic of the styles. And where there is a small qliche of Americans who are attached to this kind of thing. Perhaps the definition of traditional Chinese Kungfu/Wushu is actually "invented by a Chinese person in his back yard yesterday" and is more a comment about cultural arrogance and racism than it is about anything else. I am sure that comment will be interpreted as arrogance by the few. In my over 3 decades of MA study I have met few "traditional" stylist who could stand on their own outside the use of the word "traditional" Perhaps that's why so many Chinese martial artists disliked Bruce Lee. He didn't hide behind the brand name "traditional". He even called his are American! **** As for Wuyi. Wuyi is my passion for many years and I always seek to learn more about it and to develop the principles of the oldest extant Chinese Martial arts. I have little interest in modern or pseudo-ancient arts. I do have interest always in any person or teacher who is exceptional regardless of his claim. I claim nothing for myself but only seek to develop my art and protect my students of which I have many and I have trained thousands over the years. Not everyone is happy here because their personalities dislike a strict discipline that ensures the SAFE AND CORRECT PRACTICE OF A REAL, EFFECTIVE, AND DANGEROUS MARTIAL ART and those that are not comfortable enough in their own skin to take a little discipline leave and then try and justify themselves in whatever way they can. I think that a traditional form that is not understood and studied in a profound way is a waste of time and if someone learns a form and then somehow thinks they are better than someone else for that reason has only found another form of ignorance and self-deslusion. Further, the arrogance of claiming to be more humble than someone else is far more sinister than one might first realize. My teacher says. "If you cannot apply the form in real combat you cannot be called a master of anything, you are still only a student." I was reading in the biography of the great lady mTsyorgal a few days ago and there was an interesting statement attributed to the great Padmesambhava. "Brave men fight and are fighting and the cowards are hiding" The internet, being a vast bastion of nut-jobs and I would have to say that there are many cowards who find the anonymity of the internet empowering, has brought us both the good and bad. But mostly not so good. I remember Alex, a confused student who always got his a*s kicked by other white and yellow belts compared to whom he always thought he was superior, would repeatedly rationalize and externalize his view. It had to be that he had studied Karate or Tae Kwon Do before he came to the school. He had a nice "looking" side kick. He had this problem that made his root so flimsy that you could cough on him and knock him down. One had to be especially gentle with him. Maybe in comparison with some other teachers his root would be good. He always had a very convenient memory about things. I hope all my ex-students find a way to continue their study of martial arts. Many of them come back after studying with famous teachers. I don't mind. I think one has to view martial arts in the broadest possible way to benefit the most. **** If someone feels fear at a place like our school it is an internal dialogue and has nothing to do with our school or me because we have designed everything to be as safe as possible. In fact our safety record is unmatched. That person may project a reason for the fear that is internal and externalize it and be unable to understand that the cause of their own fear is within their own mind. ****** I Give homege to all the masters who have taught me, and there have been many but I especially thank my root teacher to whom I call my father even more than he who was my father in the flesh. My Martial Arts goal is to elivate the practice of Martial Arts beyond that of "traditional" practice. The MA master is like an insect compared to the great masters who have changed the face of our world. No one remembers them and that is as it should be. Transcendance is not a matter of traditional or non-traditional. In fact trascendance is so rare as to be "non-traditional" by definition and so is often misunderstood. My experience with "cliqish" traditionalists is that they are often mired in ignornance,incapable of seeing past their own self-limitation and weakness, and then there are those masters who transcend their chosen art. My root teacher is one of the great ones (in my opinion, of course) and whose praises I will always sing. Of all the teachers and masters I have known and there have been many I have found none superior. But at this level I think the idea of "better" or "worse" have no meaning. Further, just because I feel this way about my root teacher and I am his loyal student does not make me either good or bad, knowledgable or ignorant. This is and has always been my responsibility alone. I support my root teacher to this day and I have no contractual or "business" obligation to do so. This is not an empty assertion from a "millionare wannabe who criticizes me for being a success" but a fact complete. I ask nothing from him but to maintain our relationship and to teach me whatever he thinks I need. When I was young and stupid I used to question what he taught me quite a bit. I had to learn a lot more before I realized. Thank you everyone for reading this post and remember that there are many more articles and information about the school at our website. Zai Jian (Chinese for "see you later")

Dear anonymous for your information my training is over 3 decades and the teacher that I supposedly only studied with for 6 months and who has never heard of me, Dr. Brownridge awared me a 9th degree black belt May 29th of 2004 I am 53 and I started at age 17 My taiji teachers were Song, h*o, Du, Chen, and Yang Jun (6th generation Yang family) that would be 5, yes count them 5 taiji teachers with whom I have studied anywhere from 35 to 150 training hours of Yang and Chen Style Taiji. The list includes 4 Shaolin Master 3 BaGua, 5 Xingyi, Iquan, Chigong and so forth Now if I list them do you think these few arrogant people like Roch and so forth would no longer criticize me? I can Guess who you are anonymous and I would have to say it is really something for you to present such a confused psychological profile on someone you cannot possibly know anything about. But everyone is entitled to their opinion and if you are an intelligent person I expect your opinions are subject to change as you get more information. I wish you well with your studies and we will see if you have the same opinion after a few more years of dedicated work in the Chinese arts. I know what is out there. I know what people consider "traditional". I have my own opinion about that and it has evolved over a lot of years of being exposed to what you are going through now, only you are at the beginning of your journey and not at the end. I remember the first time I traveled to Bejing and was in the company of several staff taiji instructors for the Beijing Wushu university. Two good friends Li Jung Hwa and Yan Hong Wei who are expecially talented and teach Chen Taiji and Yan, the Chinese Tae Kwon Do course at the University. There were other teachers there as well, June 2000 We were having fun discussing Tui Shou (push hands) and form in Taiji and one of the Taiji Instructors was brutally criticising me and my "American" taiji so after a while I got up and sent (fa jing) the teacher accross the room (about 15ft) and then sat down. The discussion was over. I am aware of the cultural arrogance of Chinese Wushu teachers and prefer to have fun with it and see the positive in things. The Demonstrations you described are reproducable here at the school but your teacher knows that they are Wushu "tricks" designed to convince students and observers of some magical Chi ability that doesn't really exist and students with any time have been in classes where these demonstrations are not only shown but the trick is exposed. But you were never in one of those classes were you? I have been invited to Beijing 4 times and not to learn but to teach and associate with the professors and department heads, of whom I count as good friends. I speak Chinese (Wo Hui Shuo Hanyu) and do not see the fact that I can refer to stances and techniques in Chinese as any proof that I am "traditional" any more than if someone is Chinese they are automatically a good teacher or if they engage in the "so and so was my teacher". I have taught thousands of students, my teacher has taught far more than me and you can count on two hands the truly exceptional students. So how can it matter if so and so is your teacher and we have to know that this does not guarantee a person is any good. If you have a good teacher be thankful and dedicate yourself to your study. I often demonstrate how to knock people out with a light touch and in some cases cause someone to collapse from a distance of 10 feet without even touching the person. You have not been allowed to attend those classes as you were never a high rank. Why is it that we have so many students who have studied before and already had black belts before they came here. Are they somehow ignorant and you who have not accomplished very much somehow know more? Does that mean my art is traditional because I am famous even in Beijing for one finger skill? I am not really part of that game and I don't think it is very helpful. I think if you like and trust the teacher you are with now this is good and makes for a good beginning. Beginners are easy to push around. 15 years ago when I had a group in Arlington I used to regularly demonstrate root by warding off the push of 12 students and bounce them away. There is however a trick and if you know it, even a beginner can wreck the demonstration. Want to know what it is? I'll bet you do. I wager your teacher has not shown you this trick has he? In our school you know that there are many, many students far more powerful than you and still three, four, five students cannot throw me or take me to the ground. This doesn't mean anything. It may prove that I have a little skill. But it says nothing about if my art is traditional or not. There are traditional arts that are profound and powerful and there are traditional arts that are not particularly. two years ago a Sanda (full contact) champion came by the school and he was defeated by Taylor who was a blue belt at the time. Defeat easily as I recall. I then proceeded to throw Taylor around like a little child. The champion from QingDao province was so impressed a swore an oath to defend my honor. Do you think I should send him to your teacher? Would he be afraid you think? My dear anonymous. try to relax about what you think you know about Chinese Wushu. The traditional "game" is nothing but MARKETING. You can study Chinese Wushu and not worship Chinese culture or think the word Chinese has anything to do with how you lift your hand or foot. Most Traditional Chinese Martial Arts come from outside China! At what point do we start or stop in this quest for a definition? Shaolin comes from India, BaGua comes from the Middle East, Chen style comes from the Northern Tribes OUTSIDE of China. Everything depends on how deep you want to look. There is a lot of good martial arts out there and just find your niche and enjoy yourself, have a good time, be respectful and appreciative of what you have received from your teachers. that is my advice. It doesn't matter who is better or worse. It only matters if it is useful and contributes to your life in a real and positive way. IF you have found that, good for you. take care and I hope your holidays were good take care and don't forget to hear our side of the story by coming to our school and visiting our website which has streaming video and articles about our philosophy and approach and make up your own mind. In the mean time we will keep growing and producing high quality martial artists and that means others will keep taking shots at the school and criticizing it. We on the other hand will keep doing what we do better and better and I am sure that will irritate some people to no end. bye bye

I am the same person a couple rebuttals up named as anonymous. Obviously I still wish to remain so and have no interest in anything else. This is not so much defending the school, rather reflecting upon this and the school after a couple months of leaving Wujido. I was a pretty loyal student to Wujido, and when I told that I was leaving High School and probably going to a different college, they did everything in their power to convince me to stay. What was worse is that they even tried to convince me to sign the contract ANYWAYS, even if I was leaving. Their excuse: "most of our students who leave love our school so much that they pay anyways, even if they only come once a year" I guess as a sign of respect. While I understood I wasn't dumb enough to sign another one. Another alarming thing was that I was 17 at the time, not sure if I was old enough to sign a contract but I was about to turn 18. I made up an excuse that I would come back and sign but I had to discuss things with my parents. They then proceeded to try and convince me to sign by myself anyways, wow that's low, getting a minor to sign a contract he obviously doesn't want. Then, strangely enough (I think he records or films everything that happens even in the sales room) Master Harkins comes in and he is like "what's going on," The young man, scared, replies "Oh nothing sir we are just going over the contract and he's talking about how he might go to college and not be able to come back" With enraged eyes the master then tells him and me (looking at me) to "Get on with it" as a sort of subtle intimidation towards me. I think the young man was more concerned because he and I actually talked a lot and were on pretty good terms, he didn't want to create a distrust with me or the master, he was also perhaps in a way, trying to help. Nevertheless my parents talked to them and they agreed to do a 6 month (addendum is it called?) contract in which if after 6 months I wanted to break the contract I could. And I did, first of all because I couldn't afford it, and second of all because I moved pretty far away. Anyways after that I was quite sad and began buying tons of literature on traditional Chinese Martial arts as well as researching a lot. Regardless of its cowardly tactics, what Wujido teaches is very good. Because of it I have developed a STRONG root, and every other style of Chinese martial arts is very easy for me to learn, since his system is a hybrid of many that come and fit well together. It is a very powerful system, and I am sure that any of you supposed JKD or Krav Magra fanatics fought him, you would be defeated easily. I sparred him once and it was scary, sure I was scared because I knew that if I hit or resisted he would unleash hell on me, so I didn't really do anything. I let him hit me etc. to see what happened. When I did manage to block or defend against one of his attacks, he went all out on me, never really hit me or hurt me he was gentle, yet for every block I got he "hit" me (as if in punch with power but so accurate that it only touched me) about 10 times all in vital spots. There is no doubt this man can fight, and if you listen to him and really practice the things he teaches you would be amazed. If you want to learn how to fight, and fight well with traditional methods, then its worth EVERY PENNY. But it takes time and dedication. But if your looking for a humble master, or a true traditional style look elsewhere. What is taught here is a hybrid of styles and knowledge (not a bad thing, since he focuses mostly on Shaolin principles especially at higher levels) and some very efficient fighting techniques (the ground fighting is insane) and he is not such a bad guy once he trusts you. What is most interesting is his agenda, or his motives. What is it he wants? Is it just money? Or does he want a cult-like following? Let me assure you, it is not a cult or anything of that sort, but he has a strange way of dealing with things. He is often funny, and nice in some ways, but at times he is VERY arrogant and cutthroat in his manners. I think it is possible he is very insecure, that someone will find out who he is, who his masters are and the claim as to what he really teaches. He claims that what he teaches are secrets, and in some ways they are. But you can find anything he talks about if you look hard enough. The only difference is that he puts it into such a deep comprehensive system that it works. I am now involved with some true non-ignorant martial artists, who have trained far longer than Harkins has and have all come to a chinese immigrant teacher (who can't speak very good English) who is surprisingly quite young (almost 40) and teaches many things. Most of these guys have lived in Dallas for a long time and know of all the masters and dealings in the area. They operate by word of mouth and often find classes that suit them in their journey, what's most surprising is their knowledge of Master Harkins himself. This Chinese teacher is VERY humble and VERY nice, I was a little surprised and skeptical, because I was so used to Harkin's bow-down-and-worship methods that it was hard to respect such a humble man, even though that is what I have always sought. The only drawback is he doesn't teach you applications of fighting methods immediately, but when he does let out his knowledge it is very surprising and very powerful. He teaches Wu, Chen (his forte), Yang, and Wu-hao styles of TaijiQuan as well as XingYi and BaguaZhang. He is proficient in all of them and I have not seen a single master who's technique is better than his. Actually most of these men/women who train with him have trained in other martial arts for YEARS, one of them a GRANDMASTER of mantis (which was hard for me to believe) until I realized that he is well known all through out Dallas and even the United States. Another had trained in Hung Gar for 23 years straight, and now seeks to learn with this man. The most amazing thing, is that he is not only humble but CHEAP, if you can't afford it he will bargain with you and sometimes even teach you for no cost (if you really can't). This is the kind of man you WANT to pay. In fact, I made a secret oath to myself that when I make my first million, I will come back and donate a vast amount of money so that he can start his own school and prosper a bit more in America. I just want to let you all know what the true face of martial arts is, this man was hard to find and you can only find him through word of mouth. But nevertheless he knows what he is talking about and I realized just how good he is when I did push hands with him, he then let me do anything I wanted to him, imagine you punching, pulling pushing with every part of your body and a man just sitting there NOT MOVING bouncing you off of him without even using his hands. I experienced it for myself, and it is amazing, he says his master is 10 times better. Anyways back to Harkins, one of the men there who has been studying for perhaps 20-30 years knows Harkins, or at least used to. He met him about 15 years ago and before there was any Wujido. He says that he was the same even back then, and has no doubt that harkins could kick his a*s. But what's more interesting is he talked to one of the masters Harkins claims to have trained with back in his hometown and the man says he's never heard of him. What's even more interesting is he knows the man Harkin's learned BaguaZhang from and he says he only learned for 6 months and then never came back again. Judge for yourself the character of Harkins, it is a very tricky and elusive one. Does he seek to make a name for himself internationally like so many other Great Masters have? Does he want power, or is it just money? Does he have something grander, perhaps something of better nature for us in store? Or is it only for himself? The man is very "shady" and his intentions are masked. Who did he learn from, is that why he is so insecure about seeing who watches his classes? He definitely has something to hide, I have visited MANY schools and they have ALL said the same thing about Harkins. Nobody likes him, there was a yoga class who was also a master of Tibetan Kung Fu (or martial arts) and Harkins got the property owners of the area to force the business out. That is how ruthless he is. I do not mean to make his character look bad, he is not a bad man. He is just a business man above a teacher, a guide, a master. And like many of you, it is hard to respect a man who concerns himself with such things. Oh by the way, nobody has EVERY heard of Wujiquan, his supposed ancient secret art. He says he trains you in this for it: BaGuaZhang, Eagle Claw (for Chin-na), Monkey, I-Quan, Snake, Sun TaijiQuan, Staff, Spear, Sword, and Saber. For any of you smart enough to know, that is EXACTLY what WujiQuan probably is, he just combined his knowledge of all those and formed it into one very nice sounding name. One that sells and gets people to believe he is some sort of God. Wuji has many meanings, Chaos, or Non-Extreme, among many things. In Taiji, it is used to describe the Oneness and emptiness of the mind before practice of Taiji, as it is supposed to be free of thought. As for the "abuse," there weren't any real abuses while I was there. He told me once of the importance of realistic training in some way or another. I then understood why he was sometimes rough on his students, because they would never ever know how to fight if all they did is hit air or use theoretical knowledge. You had to understand what it was like to be hit a little, and how to avoid it in the future. For example he once made us do drills with a fake sword (rolling, jumping, break falls, as if someone was trying to kill you), he then got out a heavier real sword (not sharpened though) and immediately everyone's performances dramatically increased, as if they were fighting for their life. He knows people's pain thresholds very well and I've never seen him once seriously injure a person, as he is more than capable of. If he wanted to truly injure somebody he would permanently disable them or even worse, kill them. Although I have seen him go a little hard on people who resist, but the reason being because he's trying to teach something to a group of people and that person "messes up the lesson" so to speak. So in that sense he can be a little selfish. But for the most part, he knows people pay a great deal of money, and because of that he does not hold back on his knowledge. Anyways, as a former student, I can say this: I have learned much from him and his school. But I do not approve of his methods. For true martial artists: good luck in your journey.

Consumers, Please consider the points: This is simply a forum to which many individuals are able to come who have been wronged by Wujido for various reasons. This site can also be used to contact witnesses if one needs testimony or witnesses. Stated complaints from myself and others have centered on misrepresentation of what the class entails, lack of proper instruction, lack of mutual respect, cavelier physical endangerment of students, tardiness of classes, poor progression of students, inability to appreciate financial considerations, overcrowded classes, herb pedaling, high prices, and on and on. You can go to the Better Business Bureau and see Wujido reported there as well-is that a legitimate entitiy James? Why don't the other schools have near the complaints? Ask yourself if a traditional martial artist would stoop to posting a students' finanacial status on the WWW, advertise on billboards, make fun of a students' obesity as in his previous post, pedal herbs, and make these ridiculous claims about his yellow belts never losing to another schools' black belt, and even use the word, "duhh". Is that a taoist expression?Exactly what university did you get the title Dr. or professor? I'd really like to know. The claim about his yellow belts is true if he qualifies it with "yellow belts never spar anyone visiting from another school" What a con job. As for me I am at a great but tough school now taking both jiu jitsu and kickboxing with very reputable people. There is a very positive open atmosphere at this school and yes YOU CAN VIEW THE CLASSES BEFORE YOU SIGN UP!!! My contract ended with Wujido when they misrepresented themselves so appallingly. I owe them nothing. I have honored every contract in my life, but I feel very strongly that they are indecent people. I will be responding no further.

"NO BLACK BELT FROM ANY SCHOOL FROM ANY STYLE HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO DEFEAT EVEN A YELLOW BELT FROM THIS SCHOOL. Imagine that." Yes, I can imagine a liar telling yet another lie. It's so funny how out of touch with reality you are. Instant karma's gonna get you.

Consumers, I posted these messages for the benifit of consumers-not to engage in personal attacks. If you spend time on this website or on the one by the better business bureau you will find many rational complaints against the Wujido. Just ask yourself a few questions. Did James deny throwing down the student and placing his weight and knee on the students' head? Deny he humiliated him? These incidences of abuse and humiliation are documented here. What kind of place would make the outrageous claim that no black belt has ever beaten a yellow belt from their school? I had asked several students there about this and nobody could recall of any Wujido students ever fighting someone from another school. That is simply an advertising ploy. I assure you if that they truly opened themselves up to challenges or competition they would get their butts handed to them-but they DON'T. Since they never fight anyone else they can make this claim-albeit it steals an idea from a few car salesman. Does a true master post financial information about students' finances, make fun of obese people(hipocracy?), use word like "duhh", and make personal attacks? Please James tell us where you earned the right to be called professor or "Doctor"? Probably the internet. As an attorney I will only say that my contract was nullified when you grossly misrepresented your business. I will respond no further.

The reason why there is so much negative listing has to do with the nature of the internet. The school is very successful and so because of its high profile and rapid and ever growing success the school draws detractors (even from competitors who hope to get competitive advantage using this site)and cyber smear. But not as much as you might think. The smear is very localized and only really at ROP and fully 50% or more is very positive. The ROP is the source of most if not all. We just endured an election that had some of the worst invective I have ever experienced heaped upon a person of unimpeachable character, but about whom 48% of the population is willing to believe almost anything. I think students should not bother making comments because they will be ridiculed or ignored because the negative cyber smear junky always has an agenda. The first post in ROP was a 250lb 5'3" jellybean cyber-geek type who was offended by the traditional Taoist Technique format he did not understand or respect and who never attempted or trained. He Left after only one class although many persons smarter, more successful and better suited to self-cultivation have stayed and continue on to this day. Among them are CEO's, Physicians, Attorneys, Successful people from all walks of life and our negative poster was an unemployed code geek. You do the math. After that, 80% negative posts were outright fabrications by persons who never set foot in the school and know nothing about us. The other 20% are people who owe us money and so their agenda is what it is. They tell a distorted story line, some based on a reality such as the fact that we charge money for lessons and we expect people to pay as with all businesses. Duhhh... (That includes all MA schools, fitness centers, yoga schools, health spas, GNC, CVS, Law firms and so forth that hope stay in business) The details however are always wrong or changed in ways to "SPIN" the cyber-smear in a negative way. Notice that no matter how reasonable the arguments put forth the positive posts (there are many) are ridiculed and the intelligent and thoughful people are insulted and slandered along with the school. Rock, if that is your name. YOU ARE A LIAR and delusional. I don't believe you and no one should believe you. Dale is a fine person and IS NOT MY EMPLOYEE although he has worked for me and done internet work for me in the past and that is probably WHY he noticed the post in the first place. I thank him for his post. Thank you Dale. Dale is intelligent, responsible, gainfully employed, father, taxpayer, hard-worker, and no body's fool. I cannot say that about you Rock, if that is your name. You on the other hand probably owe me money, are unemployed and this is just an exercise to excuse yourself and really has nothing to do with the school. Wujido has rapidly moved into the top 5% of MA schools in the country based on recent surveys and statistics. THAT IS WHY YOU FIND SO MUCH SMEAR on the internet and the ROP is the source of almost all of it. ROP uses untested, UNFOUNDED, UNVERIFIED information and sources and is merely a site that gives vent to powerless persons who often project their own shortcomings and wonder why they always lose. The ROP is WITHOUT GOVERNEMNT SANCTION, NOT A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS SURVEY GROUP, OFFSHORE CYBERSMEAR SIGHT. The only reason it is not sued out of existance is because it is offshore. That being the case, I want to thank ROP because if it wasn't for ROP we would not have such a successful internet site. That site was put up so that the smear from this site would be countered by a website that represents the philosophy, teaching, attitude, and activity of our school and students of which I am extremely proud and to this day NO BLACK BELT FROM ANY SCHOOL FROM ANY STYLE HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO DEFEAT EVEN A YELLOW BELT FROM THIS SCHOOL. Imagine that. Maybe that is why we get so many Cyber-Challengers. Internet fools and anonymous losers who can sit in their little rooms holding themselves and do little else. Rock, if that is your name, you appear to me to resemble that statement. Every response only shows how desperate you are to find an excuse that explains away your own failure. That white belt you mentioned just received his Yellow belt Dec. 6th. I did not notice you at the event. The truth of what happened is simple and uncomplicated. By the way, what is your real name and how much money do you owe the school? How long have you been unemployed? You think that might have something to do with why you are posting here?

It is interesting that you guys respond to these reports so quickly. Student-employees are you? How come when you do a search for other schools do you not see all the fraud warnings as you do when you type in "wujido fraud". Go ahead, log out and type in "wujido fraud" and see the multitude of responses. Try it with all the other schools in the metroplex and you will find a scant few if any. Dale, not once did I write or imply respect and discipline were not expected or the norm to procure martial arts success. On the contrary it is very appropriate to give significant respect to instructers. Again James, takes it beyond that-to the point of humiliating and endangering students. You pathetic wujido people are like battered wives, scared to even really look at James, assert a criticism about the class, and never asking yourself if theres anything better out there. There are a lot better places to train if you do a little research-without the long expensive contract. Pathetic

It is interesting that you guys respond to these reports so quickly. Student-employees are you? How come when you do a search for other schools do you not see all the fraud warnings as you do when you type in "wujido fraud". Go ahead, log out and type in "wujido fraud" and see the multitude of responses. Try it with all the other schools in the metroplex and you will find a scant few if any. Dale, not once did I write or imply respect and discipline were not expected or the norm to procure martial arts success. On the contrary it is very appropriate to give significant respect to instructers. Again James, takes it beyond that-to the point of humiliating and endangering students. You pathetic wujido people are like battered wives, scared to even really look at James, assert a criticism about the class, and never asking yourself if theres anything better out there. There are a lot better places to train if you do a little research-without the long expensive contract. Pathetic

It is interesting that you guys respond to these reports so quickly. Student-employees are you? How come when you do a search for other schools do you not see all the fraud warnings as you do when you type in "wujido fraud". Go ahead, log out and type in "wujido fraud" and see the multitude of responses. Try it with all the other schools in the metroplex and you will find a scant few if any. Dale, not once did I write or imply respect and discipline were not expected or the norm to procure martial arts success. On the contrary it is very appropriate to give significant respect to instructers. Again James, takes it beyond that-to the point of humiliating and endangering students. You pathetic wujido people are like battered wives, scared to even really look at James, assert a criticism about the class, and never asking yourself if theres anything better out there. There are a lot better places to train if you do a little research-without the long expensive contract. Pathetic

Actually, Dr. Harkins prefers that students do not dignify this site with responses, but I'm going to risk it this time anyway. Surely you know that everyone who visits the Rip Off Report can click a little checkbox to receive notifications whenever anyone makes a new addition to this thread? I saw your comment a couple of days ago because I was notified when it was posted. I assume Bruce was notified too. For his part, Dr. Harkins made no more than a passing comment about it, a small jest. He said someone on the web complained about how he "abuses" white belts, but they must have never seen how much he "abuses" the higher belts. So let's talk about this "abuse". Two or three weeks into my training at the Wujido, while lecturing on proper punching technique, Dr. Harkins punched me right below the solar plexus while I was in horse stance - hit a white belt in the stomach! All it did was knock a little breath out of me, and knock me back exactly horizontally about two feet, still in a horse stance. I learned a lot from that demonstration. One of the most important things was the incredible control Dr. Harkins has in his technique. He's applied quite a number of techniques to me over the 4 years I've been there, punches, kicks, locks, throws, pressure points, but he's never actually hurt me. What I mean is, it hurt at the time, sometimes a lot, but the pain always went away quickly, and I was never bruised or cut. This in itself has taught me a lot about martial arts and the true goals of fighting. Dr. Harkins knows how much his students can take, and he has enough control to only apply that much and no more, and he does it to teach you what it's like to be on the receiving end of a properly done technique, so you'll know better how to do it yourself. You did come to the Wujido to learn how to fight, didn't you? You know fighting involves being struck, locked, and thrown, don't you? Still, I've never known anyone to be injured by Dr. Harkins. As far as being obsequious, that's just a gross exaggeration. Dr. Harkins expects respect not for himself, but for the school, and for the office of Master of the School which he holds and represents. It's just a matter of standing at attention when he enters or leaves a room you're in, and most often he immediately tells people to carry on with what they were doing. And students do bow when he offers comments or when he teaches them something, but they also do that to any of their older kung fu brothers. It isn't something to be taken personally, neither on the giving nor the receiving end. It is an expression of respect for experience earned and for the art itself. At 48, I'm one of the oldest students by age, but I have no problem bowing to someone half my age or even a third mt age if they have achieved a higher level of expertise and understanding than I have. But kung fu means discipline, and showing respect is a discipline in itself, an art in itself, and thus another form of kung fu. It's something that you get good at, that comes naturally after long practice, but that can still be continually improved, just like any discipline or art. So you're complaining because you didn't expect fighting and discipline at a martial arts school? Maybe you weren't listening when they went over the disipline part, because I've overheard it being emphasized many times to others who were interested in taking classes at the Wujido. You say you've taken martial arts before, as if that gives your opinion some extra weight. But there are many Wujido students who have come from other schools and have stuck with it for years, because Dr. Harkins gives them the kind of powerful, meaningful instruction they were looking for, that's why they've stayed. As far as higher belts progressing at an abominable rate, I don't know what that's about. I've been there four years, and I admit I am one of the slower students. So from my perspective, I've seen a number of students progress as many as three, maybe four belts in the time it took me to go up one belt. The Wujido is not a belt factory, you have to earn your belt, and the techniques at each belt level are such that it isn't safe to pursue them unless you are well grounded and well conditioned in everything that you are required to learn before. And yes, higher belts do teach a lot, but everybody who's ever taught anything knows that teaching is necessary to deepen your own learning. I discovered that in many other areas of life before I ever went to the Wujido. But I don't know how you couldn't have noticed the higher belts off to the side learning their own higher belt stuff while the white belts were learning their own stuff. Could it be that you were actually concentrating that hard on being a student? If so, then there may yet be some potential in you. In any case, on Wednesday nights there's a special class for blue belts and above where the higher belts learn more intensely. I recently got my blue belt, and I've learned blue belt techniques in each of the three classes I've attended since then. Finally, let me talk about Zach's comments, a previous poster. He's got to be a teenager because he still thinks he knows everything, even more than teachers who have been honing their arts for at least twice as long as he has been alive. Without giving away any of the school's techniques, let me just say that Zach's comment about breaking a Wujido student's thumb is ludicrous, he just hasn't understood what the technique is about. Do a search on the web and you'll find there are some other arts that use a fist similar to the one Dr. Harkins teaches. Everything Dr. Harkins teaches is backed by painstaking research and analysis. This is Shaolin Kung Fu taught as a living art, not as some collection of techniques blindly passed down through the ages. Anyone considering taking classes at the Wujido should take the negative reports here into consideration. If you are that kind of person, another school might suit you better. But also consider what you need to bring to your study of martial arts, as quoted from the Wujido website, 1. A Sincere Heart 2. A Persevering Spirit 3. Energetic Effort 4. Hold the Discipline Close To Your Heart 5. Train Focus 6. Respect Self And Others 7. Embrace the Good; Reject the Bad

Bruce, It is amazing that the very day I placed a complaint on the board that you posted a follow up. Could you have been asked to post or posted rebuttals before on James' behalf? Obviously you have some connection to this site. Tell me. If the institute has discipline and extremely rigid/intimidating codes of conduct why do they not carefully explain this to prospective clients? If as you say it is some ancient code of behavior centuries old why don't they expound upon this on the interview that you will be expected to be overtly obsequious. BECAUSE... People wouldn't join. BECAUSE they want your money. He is not some mystical teacher. He is a charleton and a quack. My fellow martial artist friends in the metroplex think similarly. I could go on and on but the bottom line is that James is a joke among martial artist in the area-an herb pedaling joke. Enlightened?

I have been a student at Wujido for many years--although my career there has been in suspension as i have had to deal with lots of family health issues over the past few years and could not dedicate my time or focus to Wujido. Look, Dr. Harkins is a world class master. He has his idiocyncracies, I'm sure; as do we all. But the bottom line is he promises to get you into the best shape of your life--and that is totally, wholly, and completely true. You have to understand, this isn't some gym where you go to boss around the trainers and staff. This is a school that follows ancient principles of decorum and respect. For many modern people it must seem strange. But it is a breadth of fresh air. It's one of the few places I've been where the only thing that matters is how you treat others and how hard you work to achieve your personal best. Sometimes Dr. Harkins might seem a bit harsh in his attitude, but that is because he is pushing you to a higher place. Clearly, Wujido is not for everyone. But no place is. Sorry you were unhappy, but your representation of your experience seems to me a misrepresentation. I would also say, that even though I have been missing in action for a while because of life issue's, I always get friendly callas and postcards checking in on me. Most appreciated! Student

THE INSTITUTE IS A FRAUD As a student who has taken martial arts before I came to Wujido prepared to work hard and to see things with an open mind. However once classes began I realize that the institute is all about making money and that James H. is a total fraud. My compaints are many: The respect expected by James is beyond excessive-to the point of being humiliating to any given student. For example, students are expected to bow at every comment or suggestion he makes. You must stand at attention when you first spot him across the room and remain that way until he acknowledges your prescence. Sometimes he will mill around, talking to other people for an extended period of time-leaving you there for 10-15 minutes at attention. Several times he had his lackey, Mark chastise a group of us well meaning students and make us do push ups for not getting out of our seats quickly enough to bow to James. This is not even in class-this is before class in the common area. Instructors certainly deserve and warrent respect, but James h. takes it to the level of being a borderline personality disorder. I have well founded concern for student safety in the class. When James does actually come into the final minutes of class. He has a very pompous and cavelier attitude with tecniques he puts his students through. I have seen him throw several day old white belts hard to the floor who have no experience with falls and tumbling. One day a student offered slight resistance to a tecnique(very slight and probably because he misunderstood something as white belts do)only to be thrown to the ground whereby James rested his knee and significant body weight on the agonized students head. When I inquired about this behavior I was told that this display of superiority was sometimes required to maintain discipline. What a joke! To humiliate, endanger, and put down a student is not something a reasonable instructor should do. The classes taught have very little substance to them. They are always late and consists of 90% exercises and 10% kung fu-all this could be done by videotape in your own home. There is no scheduled plan and most classes are taught by lower ranks. Alarming to me is the low level of instruction given to upper level studens. They spend all their time teaching and progress at an abominable rate. What is taught is not effective martial arts. Lastly, the guys at Wujido are best described as "whores for money" and unworthy of any respect. They let you see no classes up front, throw a contract in your face, and ask you to sign. Why do all the other schools in town let you participate in a class and not them? The answer is abvious-you wouldn't join the tripe of a school they have if you shopped around or participated in a class. They give you a 5 minute trial lesson in a hallway that consist of a few exercises and punches and throw a contract in you face. I asked when I signed up if they would hold me to the contract if I were injured or disgruntled. Their response was, "we don't want you here if you don't want to be here." Their formal collection letters say differently. I was told by a staff member that I should try some of their herbs-that most all students take them with great benifit. It turns out most students do not take them-it was just another con/sales job. Harkins runs his school not with the old guard tradition of teaching an art and discipline-but of making money like a health club. He signs up(he does significant advertising and billboards)too many students knowing that many will not tolerate his attitude or tire of the meaningless classes and quit coming to class-while continuing to pay. The dropout rate is huge, but their model works, If he can keep signing people up who don't show up for class he makes more and more money without having to expand. There are very few upper level belts because so few people stay on-not because to its too hard or they couldn't hack it-but because its a lot of empty promises that they can't keep. Eventually they realize their pawn status and quit. If you read these reports and still sign up with them you'll be sorry.

Just don't go. That is the simplest way not to get ripped off by this company. Just avoid it. Here are the problems and reasons why you should not attend... First off, the 18 month contract should sound warning bells. Who knows what will happen in 18 months? From any of the testimonies (from those who aren't fanboys), you can tell that Wujido feels like it gave you goods and services worth $2000+ when you step inside the secret room and start training with them. Over $2000 worth from just one class...think about it. And they are very rigid about NOT letting you out of the contract. Nobody on this website yet has said that Wujido Institute let a person go without paying, even after they have moved. That is my experience also and I was badly burned by them. Secondly, for the price you pay a month, even if you are able to attend classes, you really don't get that much. Jeet Kune Do, the martial art invented by Bruce Lee, costs less than half the price a month than Wujido does (comparing the last estimate I saw: JKD was $60 and Wujido was $130) and in my opinion JKD is a far superior self defensive martial art than kung fu. As I've said in my post complaining how Wujido ripped me off, I am currently taking Krav Maga (Israeli Self Defense...a modern secular approach to fighting and protecting yourself and others) and that only costs 85 to 75 bucks a month. Plus the people I have dealt with are far more flexible when dealing with payments and contracts. Thirdly is Dr. Harkins. From what you have seen on this website and if you go to the Wujido website and read the interview with Harkins, you can tell this guy has an ego problem. It would be funny if he weren't a real person with a real school of martial arts with real devotees and fanboys. Harkins has serious problems, you should be able to tell just from this page... Not only did he post financial information about a student (and who knows if he really posted the right student's information...anyone can come here with the name Richard and Harkins just assumed he knew who he was) on this webpage, he said he would raise prices for classes just because he got pissed off at what people were saying here. Where is the discipline that Harkins preaches about? Where is the humility to admit that he did wrong? He cannot even fess up that he took people's money, instead it is all their fault. Personally, I am not seeking reimbursement for the money I have paid to Wujido Institute or Dr. Harkins. All I am interested in is stopping these people from ripping off others. And at the last, I just want to add this note...do not use what you have learned from these ancient martial arts for practical self defense. Kung fu might look good, but the first time you get into a proper stance to fight someone who is hell bent on hurting or killing you, you will get your nuts kicked into your throat. Wide stances just are not practical, sorry to break it to you devotees. I have been in many self defense/martial art classes where a teacher has said something that flies in the face of common sense and if I were to follow their advice in a real fight, I know I would get hurt or killed. Recently I had an Arnis (a stick fighting art) teacher tell me that I could use a knife in the same way I use a stick...and I guess I could if I wanted to get my guts slashed open. You see, being a fanboy can really blind you to reality. My teacher has this facination and love with Arnis, which is fine, but when he gives bad advice that would lead to someone getting killed, I have to draw the line. What really scares me about Wujido is that I believe Harkins is a nutcase and would give bad advice to those out on the street. For example, I know how Wujido (or kung fu) practitioners throw punches, and the first thing I would do if faced with one is to hold out my hand to break the thumb of the person throwing those punches (those of you who have studied this KNOW what I am talking about). It just is not practical. Anywho, I hope you don't deal with these people @ Wujido, and if you do, I really, sincerely hope you have a good workout with Harkins...just don't go all fanboy and fanatical and you should be fine (if you can afford it). :)

I came here and saw all the responses to this training facility before I attended it. I admit, I had great skeptisism when I joined, especially after reading these. Yet as in any martial arts training you must be willing to learn and dedicated to the martial art. The problem with the most of you (who are complaining) is that you are seeking some secret to beating someone up, or a secret to living longer (tai chi) and/or pain relief, which aren't bad reasons, but they will get you nowhere in the end. About a year into the training, I realized it is almost like a test, designed to keep only the most dedicated and most interested students. Why? because the concepts and techniques we learn ARE truly dangerous and even just one month training there will give you much more benefits than 1 year in another basic school (like karate or TKD). I am not a "pawn" or "huuman shield" in fact I hardly no the master, have had no conflicts with him, although I do have people at my school who have. And you know WHY? because it was too HARD for them, they could not handle the physical training (which is MINIMUM compared to what real Shaolin monks did) and for beginners everything is slightly watered down. If you are looking to learn a bunch of fancy modern wushu forms, go elsewhere, because this is traditional kung fu ,designed for true self defense. Most of the advanced instructors cant kick very high (they are older) but they are extremely disciplined, lethal, and very knowledgeable (you can tell when they get 6 vs 1 and even I who has been practicing since the age of 5 could not get a single hit on them, the master is a completely different story). In fact if you stick with the training, and are there to truly learn you will see just how much you learn. Just as the website says the basics/fundamentals are the most important aspect of training, if you cannot even pass or grasp the first lesson the more advanced forms of Shaolin will be impossible to understand. Just as you learn, all the later forms etc. derive from the basics, even all other martial arts derive from the white belt rank level. If you somehow truly master the white belt rank than you will have mastered most other contemperary martial arts (TKD, Karate, Grappling). Studying here is hard, only two times a week (but you can make up classes), and is not for the weak minded. You will truly reap the benefits if you stay long and are willing to learn. This obviously means that the master IS a business man and is qutie strict with it, but EVERYTHING is pretty much explained to you before you sign up. I think there is reason and motivation for what he is doing, perhaps he has a dream of becoming a huge internationally known school, or perhaps he just wants to expand. Although somewhat those ambitions are somewhat greedy, YOU GET what you PAY for. He deserves the respect he demands. Most people who complain about the discipline and ethical code of the school are your average person who demand respect simply because they are american citizens. In that respect, you get it, only you go in there to learn humility while learning the martial arts. What true shaolin monks had to do in order to learn and get the benefits from it was thousands of times worse, this is only a glimpse and perhaps the only legal way of doing it. This class is NOT for the weak and undetermined, I have seen even little kids who have been there a long time because of the benefits. Me? I hardly go and EVERY time I do go I improve by a a wide margin. It is the most complete traditional martial arts training I have had, the benefits depend on how much you put into it. If you are lazy and skeptical, you will never improve. I chose the anonymous name simply because I do not care about this legal crap or anyone else's opinions. I do not wish to be contacted or argue with anyone, I simply came to humbly state my opinion. Thank you.

James, Checked out your very own site. Not one negative comment on YOUR testimonial page...hmmmm. One cannot ask many people the same question and come up with NO negative opinions in this world. That means that either you asked ONLY folks who you knew would give you glowing reviews or you chose not to publish anything unfavorable about your "school". Compare both sites: here, we have negatives AND positives. Your site has positives AND positives. You have a glass jaw. Dish it out, can't take it. Your website is yet another testimonial that you do not believe in what you teach. There is balance in all things..except YOUR website. Take a hike and go spread some more propaganda about yourself. I prefer the "balanced" path as it is what is present in Nature and the laws of the Universe. Your balance is way "off"; better meditate on that and bring your Yin/Yang, I Ching self back to reality!

James Harkins, First of all, let us once and for all get out legal terms straight. "Slander" is a SPOKEN UNTRUTH. Oral, auditory, being able to be heard with the ears. Do you HEAR anything on this site? "Libel" is a WRITTEN UNTRUTH. Think of a label, like "lawsuit-happy pinhead" which I am applying to you today! Is that untrue? I think NOT! There is absolutely no way that slander can be commited on this website! Second, I could care less about your special brand of mystical, magical self-defense crap classes. I'd rather have a gun, myself, since most of the bad guys do these days. Others that do care, should feel that they have received value for their dollars. If they do not feel that way, it is your job, moron, to find out why and correct the matter! Is that too complicated for you? Your job is not to attack the poster; you are supposed to correct the problem and ask the original poster to post that all is well. If he does not want to do that, then you can post it yourself. A former student of yours was not entirely pleased with the classes. So what! The one given in life is that all people will not be satisfied all the time in spite of ones' best efforts. It is the state of the world. Evidently, there are those who are happy and the Ed of this site has given them an equal forum. That is called "discussion" and "fairness"; done long enough by enough folks, the problem can be worked out as a rule. Unless some ungraceful clown goes nuclear and attacks with a full-frontal assault as you have done. Then it turns into a barroom brawl and no one wins and nothing gets accomplished! Do you understand the concept of "fairness"....I doubt it! "Give-and-Take"; a foreign concept for you. You do not seem very wise for a self-proclaimed Master... You have a BIG problem. How can someone who teaches meditation techniques resort to the low tactics of name-calling and printing folks financial matters on an open site? How can you be so overtly elated over other people's troubles?? You may know the METHOD of what you teach, but you are not capable of following the philosophy. In other words, you do not practice what you preach! You are a fraud, trying to teach what you yourself do not comprehend or believe in or practice. You are a blatant showman, on a par with a certain Mr. Barnum. The veneer is what matters to you, it is painfully obvious. You have undone yourself by your own hand, right here on the ROR where we can all watch. Feel better now? "Commitment, integrity, discipline, and hard work"....Bull caca! "Courage, compassion, self-discipline, and non-violence"...horse feathers. You are "committed" to collecting your fees, obviously posess no "integrity" (how would you like your bill-payment history on this site?), "discipline", I see little evidence of that in you, and "non-violence"; yeah, I'll bet you're non-violent! You have no right to call anyone else a bully! Where is YOUR compassion? Rather than try to find the root of the original poster's unhappiness, you chose to counter-attack in a very unprofessional manner, considering you self-proclaimed profession and ideals. The original poster's report was not so bad; you have exacerbated the issue and attempted to inflame the situation while hiding behind lawyers. How COURAGEOUS on your part!! Charlatan!!! You, sir, are a fraud, a sham, and a poor recommendation for your own supposed ideals. That is my statement and I will stick with it until the end of time. You are attempting to step on my Constitutional rights to speak in an open forum. You have proven youself, in your own posts, to be just what I accuse you of being. You are an egotistical a*s with absolutely no humility, also not in keeping with your supposed ideals! I make no claim to be anything except a totally PO'd American and I am not trying to teach that to anyone! Take a copy of your post to your embroidery shop lady and see if she still feels that you are a "nice guy" after she reads it. In case you need a simpler listing for your lawyer, here is some of what I accuse you of: (1)Liar (2)sham (3)fraud (4)pinhead (5)clown (6)moron (7)cowardly (8)uncompassionate.... Well, your attorney may be smart enough to pick out the rest, although that person has not been smart enough to teach you the difference between slander and libel as of yet, a fairly simple legal definition. Or perhaps you are not smart enough to learn the difference?? I object mightily to you thinking you have the right to step on MY toes with your little lawyer in tow. That is the reason that you are being incinerated here; I want that to be perfectly clear. Sue ME, oh gentle, corageous, wise Master... Grab you little lawyer and bring it on, you pompous p***k! I'll flatten you and your barrister in a courtroom, and any monies I receive (and there would be some, believe it) will go straight to this site for the purpose of fighting narrow-minded, flawed, self-serving characters such as yourself who are attempting to infringe on my ideals and privileges! Beware the sleeping tiger...it still has sharp teeth and claws! And it may not really be sleeping at all...Surprise, yourself, idiot!

First I want to thank Bruce and David for their support. My administrative assistant pointed out hat they posted. Hey david, we haven't seen you for some time. I appreciate your e-mail. I hope you and your lovely wife are doing well. My comment is about Daniel of Reseda, CA. of the all-valley championship (not). Wujido Institute is a single-location school with no branches or approved or accredited instructors or master grade students residing at this time or at any time in California. Very few of my students participate in tournaments even locally. No one is currently competing and apart from Shifu Vela who participated in a grand-super-national event and placed third about 9 years ago I can think of no one who has ventured out of state to do any competition whatsoever. I am suspicious of the Reseda/all-valley post because it is too similar to "karate Kid" (using the same location-teminology-and so forth) and we do not use the term "Kai" to describe our system. Wujido is japanese for the term WujiQuan which is a CHINESE martial art from the former Han Dynasty spanning 100BC to 200AD in its initial development. No one knows who this Daniel from Reseda is. However there is an experience I had a few months ago that may be instructive of the awful affect of the rip off report. Some months ago I visited an embroidery shop with my administrative assistant and was discussing a logo-polo-shirt idea. When the counter person found out that I wanted it for Wujido she started saying the following, "you seem very nice, did you buy the place from that terrible Mr. Harkins? I went up there and talked to him about a year ago." "I couldn't believe what a psychopath he was. He was really evil and ...blah blah...he was this big monster...and so forth." "Did you buy the school?" (what continued was about 10 minutes of selacious and rediculous slander that reflected the completely false assertions made by the attack post in question) I responded of course that yes I know Mr. Harkins. She then asked what had happened to him..."had he gone out of business" I said no not really. I am Mr Harkins. Her shock was priceless. I wish I had a camera. I then offered that I had no recollection of her ever comming to the school ( because she had not, she was making it all up) and I was sure of course that I had not spoken to her because I had not. So for those who have managed to get this far through the attack posts and rebuttals I want to at least thank you for reading all of the responses and not just the negative ones. Mr. Reseda-all-valley is of course A FABRICATED POST just like most of the negative ones are. A word to the owner of rip-off report. What you have done is indeed by its very intent a libelous web site and your days on the web are likely numbered. I am aware of a class-action law suit that has i just now starting with a number of the businesses slandered on this sight. I think that will likely crush your little enterprise. I hope you have been saving your money. Do you want to know how I know? We will just keep that a surprise for now. Let me just say the the mistake most bullies and cowards make is that ultimately they always pick on the wrong guy. The mouse can do whatever it likes as long as the elephant is asleep. But once the elephant wakes...well. Ours is a message of commitment, integrity, discipline, and hard work. We are encouraged to cultivate such qualities as courage, compassion, self-discipline, and non-violence. I will never believe anyone from my school beat up poor Daniel (Karate Kid!) I want to invite Daniel and of course anyone who has read all of these posts to drop by the school and find out for themselves. Thanks to all the students who have stood up to the ridicule and defended our school. I appreciate you. We have a new website comming soon and we will invite anyone who wants to send us comments and e-mails about what pleases them and anything else they would like to send..

Recently I startede having some trouble with Wujido-Kai and it's students. They would beat the crap out of me whenever they could. I finally found a sensei who could teach me the martial arts. He says karate is a form of defense, not a weapon. He also can beat up Mr. Harkins. For those wishing to study the martial arts keep in mind that Wujido is no match for either the crane or drum techniques, nor will it teach you how to fight with spears. I recently won the All-Valley Karate Championship and beat several Wujido students on my way to the title.

As a former student (studied for about 5 years several years ago), I can say that the practices of the school, can seem rather odd to a prospective student or outsider. Specifically, I would like to address the following concerns raised by this, and previous complaints. 1. Price - This is not the cheapest school around. If you think it's too expensive, then go somewhere else. I don't remember anyone threatening to beat you up if you didn't sign. 2. Secrecy - The instruction of the school is guarded, but with good cause. This is not meant as a cheap ploy to add mystique to the prospect of training there. The fact that the techniques are so powerful, and often easily mimicked with effectiveness, you have to be careful about who you show them to. That person could then take that limited knowledge and use is against someone else in a very bad way. Also, I know personally that Dr. Harkins has spent the better part of his life, and countless sacrifices to uncover and master these techniques. So, why should he let just anyone take for free what He worked so hard for? Think about it. As a prospective employee for a company, they don't immediately take you in their boardroom and give you all their competitive secrets before the hire you do they? No. So why should the school be any different? This isn't the dojo from the move Karate Kid; this is serious, and dangerous stuff. Trust me, I can say from experience, that the things taught at this school are very powerful, and I would not want them taught to those with less than honorable plans for their skills. 3. Quality - It seems that some are unhappy with the instruction they received, claming that kids were babysat by others etc.. First, the kids do need guidance, so it would be unwise to leave them without an instructor, that's right these are ranked, trusted student instructors, not babysitters. These individuals who perform this instruction (I was one of them), are entrusted with this responsibility, and is part of the training (contrary to Hollywood portrayals, MA is not about killing people). The training at the school is multi-faceted, and developing leadership skills is one of those that are explored, so student led instruction is common for this purpose. Second, Dr. Harkins does take a large role in the class instruction. However, some tasks while important, do not require his instruction, and better left to others. The CEO of your company, does he personally perform every task in your company? No? Well neither does Dr. Harkins. I can say that hands down, if I were to begin class led instruction again, I would go nowhere else. In fact, anything else would seem like a cheap imitation to the training at this school. You won't believe that until you experience it for yourself, your choice. 3. Contract/money discrepancies I saw many people at this school who fell on bad times receive payment grace from the school, allowing them to be late without penalty. While I cannot claim that I am privy to what supposedly happened in these other cases, I can tell you that if some discrepancy did happen, that this is not normal. In fact, I myself stopped attending for some time. I was allowed to come back with no mention of my previous bail out. Dr. Harkins wants people to stay at the school and continue their studies, and he offers an adequate level of leniency in helping students if money is the issue. I doubt you would get that same flexibility in any of your other creditors etc.. Long story short, I have a deep felt respect and admiration for both Dr. Harkins, the school, and the other students (and no, I am not being paid to say this). I learned more in the few years I studied there, then in perhaps any other time in my life. Everyone there takes what he or she does very seriously, as they should. If this bothers you, are you feel uncomfortable with this, then simply dont go there. There are other alternatives that while not a good may provide you what you are looking for. One note to the editor: I find it disturbing the editorial comments left here and other places throughout the site. If you disagree with the school, and think it's a scam. just say so. No need for the cursing and slanted opinions. Please be responsible.

I have been a student at Wujido for four years. Lately, because of travel commitments due to family illness, I have not been able to attned classes as regularly as I would have liked. I have this to say about Wujido: 1) The claim that you will get the best work-out of your life is absolutely true! About 6 months after starting classes, I felt better, stronger, and more energetic than I had ever felt in my life . I'm 47, by the way. People I knew from work and elsewhere would stop me to comment on my appearence and fitness (and I was fairly fit before). I have done the gym thing and the aerobics thing and the running thing. This is the best, hands down On of the things Dr. harkins likes to say is that you have to make the transition from being a customer to being a student. Its sounds like a lot of the gripes from people here come from those who still see thmeselves as customers. People have a right to think about how they spend their money, etc., but if you go into Wujido thinking that you want customer satisfaction the same way you expect it from a store or a resteraunt, you will be dissapointed. The customer is not always right at Wujido Institute! And if you want to be pampered, you need to go somewhere else. You need to see yourself as studying with a world class master--and trust the expertise you are now priviliged to be around. And this stuff about a religon is total nonsense. If anything, at Wujido you learn to trust yourself. Yes sometimes classes start late. Big deal. If that screws up your schedule and you you have to leave before the end of class, you tell the teacher and you are dismissed. And about teaching. Yes, lots of advanced belts do a lot of teaching. It's a great way for everyone to learn. They learn how to teach, and the less advanced students get all kinds of tips and insights from an array of people and body types. I always learn something different. And the advanced belts are generous and accomplished. And as far as the "babysitting " complaint when working with one of the younger brothers or sisters. Hey, imagine how some of the advanced belts might feel working with you? When you work with a child you are doing what the advanced belts are doing for you--passing on knowledge and experience and generosity. So if it happens once and a while that you are asked to work with a young person, consider it an honor. Perhaps Wujido is not for everyone, but the negative comments are way out of line. There are moments in class that I experience a serenity that I have rarely known elsewhere. There are moments when I know that there is no place at that moment I would rather be.

I am a current student at the Wujido Instiute in Dallas. I will be the first person to admit that the policies are out of the ordinary when compared to other dojos through out the country. I have studied martial arts since I was a child and have studied at several dojos. (as part of my father's training regiment) At first I was hesitant becuase of the "no observation" rule. But I decided to go ahead and take my chances with the contract and the payments.

The reason that I went along with the contract is because of the way Mark handled my interview. Mark was polite and generous with information. I understood that some things will NOT be allowed (i.e. observing, etc). I also asked about some examples of the teaching (which Mark was happy to supply). After many questions about the training and many stories of Prof. Harkins, I decided that if even half of what Mark said was true, then I would be better off than going to a more traditional American dojo.

And I'll admit, I was still hesitant up until my first class. It does SEEM suspicious.

My first class was well structured. Since then, I have learned techniques from several of the student instructors and the minor variations of one instructor to another is not a distraction. In fact it is quite the opposite. I can see how the forms can be done a little different. I can see how to personalize the art to me.

It made me realize that this is a Martial Art, not a Martial Science.

And I will support Prof. Harkins remarks about the student/instructor relationship. A student can only be as good as they are willing to be. If you do not put forth the effort to actually learn Wujido, then you will not benefit from the instruction.

Just remember this, when you attend class you are not a consumer, you are a student. Just a student that happens to pay tuition (like college).

-A. Sanchez

Richard McBain has lied about the Wujido Institute in his multiple posts to this website. I would like to clarify the truth. It is unfair to the other students if we are forced to spend 60% to 80% of our administration efforts on collections. Our goal is to spend more time on classroom development not collections. It is this issue and this issue alone that motivates this teachers "riding" of individuals in the collections department staff. I cannot spend all my time and concerns chasing after arrogant and renegade student payments. Understand?

d**k paid late every month but one. His due date was the 11th of every month. The following is his payment history, which is exported directly from our financial package.

Type Date Amount
McBain, Richard
Sales 01/13/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 330.00
Sales 02/12/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 03/11/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 04/14/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 05/13/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 06/28/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 07/15/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 08/12/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 09/16/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 10/14/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 11/16/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 12/16/2000 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 01/18/2001 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 02/17/2001 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 03/16/2001 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 04/15/2001 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 05/19/2001 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
Sales 06/16/2001 Tai Chi Chuan 130.00
2,540.00 total over 18 months

This is the exact amount of the 18 month contract with no late fees.

d**k was always stirring up some trouble with the staff and was eager to argue in every instance when fees were due and payable forcing the staff to make multiple requests for payment every month! As the facts show, he never paid a single late fee in the 18 months he was here. My staff asked me to expel him from the school on multiple occasions. He came regularly but throughout 18 months he showed no aptitude for learning profound things. He was too self-absorbed and generally preferred to entertain himself by his self-styled humorous and silly verbal replys that broke classroom discipline and often petty reaction to the teaching instead of the teaching itself. He suffers from what I call THE TWIN DEFECTS OF IGNORANCE AND ARROGANCE, a fatal combination to the learning process.

The first Taijiquan routine usually takes between 3 to 6 months to do well enough to move on. He was never able to perform the beginner form well enough to move on. Of course this must be the fault of the teacher. Right?

His artificial sour grapes approach as demonstrated by his posting to this ridiculous site show his obvious unconscious desire to have some connection with the school. However it has only placed him on permanent expulsion. Sorry d**k. Many students, including some of our most advanced students have returned after sampling other schools and appreciate much more profoundly the uniqueness and value of our school. d**k himself approached me mid-way through the 18 months and said 'I went to California and visited my daughter's Taiji class and that class is much inferior, this class is much better'

We teach 3 routines; the universal beginner program of 24 MOVEMENTS (Beijing Form) taught the world over (even at Yale it seems), An intermediate 64 MOVEMENTS routine, and the original YANG FAMILY 108 ROUTINE as taught by the founders surviving son Yang Zhen Duo. Included also in the program are the BROCADE exercises, TAOIST YOGA from 13th to 16th century, NAROPIAN Yoga, VASE initiation, basic to advanced MEDITATION, Animal play level 1,2,3, and various other exercises. I invite you to provide the location and address and cost of any school, university, or institute in the US or China that provides this in a single class, or complete course curriculum structure at a single University or Institute location.

We teach a far more advanced course than is commonly taught and McBain knows it and he is lying about that just as he lied about the late fees. It is easy to make claims within the anonymity of the World Wide Web.

I know of an individual who has a web site and claims to be a 10th degree black belt master and I personally know his teacher and know for a fact he never got past purple belt rank. (well below 1st dan black belt) people can claim anything on the web. But can they back it up in person?

As for the pathetic sociopath who operates this site I can only say that I have no interest in responding individually to all his personal obscene and provocative e-mails that he sent to my business. This is why you never got a reply from me. I suggest that your templet needs a little adjusting.

I recall watching a middle-aged gentleman scold a child for not giving up his seat for a woman who was standing next to him. I asked him why he chose to put such a burden on someone else when he would not simply offer his own seat.

Sometimes a person mistakenly can think that the darkness of his heart is somehow a special kind of light.

In response to your criticism of our pricing structure, WE HAVE JUST RAISED OUR PRICES.

If you don't like it go somewhere else. there are @100 schools in this area.

Any school that operates successfully will require $1400 to $1800 per student per year to keep the doors open, operate, and pay staff. Go there first and spend your money and then find out the truth. I really don't care. Most schools choose to hide these charges from potential students until after a person signs a contract. Then students are constantly made to come up with extra amounts of money for various and frequent specials, belt promotions and other offers and so forth and this way they attract the price sensitive' crowd and still make their quota per student. Sometimes this can be substantially MORE than what we charge on an annual basis. They call it a STEP UP PROGRAM in the industry. So the Price shopper is just outsmarting himself or herself into an often-inferior program. There are yugo people and there are BMW people.

Many believe we are the best in the world at what we do. I appreciate and thank those people for their confidence. To all sincere people, I apologize that you have had to go through such an extensive series of negative attack posts by individuals who know nothing about the school.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A CLOSED DOOR POLICY.

We spend ample time and effort to provide all relevant information, references, proofs and so forth. We will not however provide free instruction for the curious.

We have, in the last month, had two local instructors from two large franchise schools that tried to get into our classes. This is not uncommon. However, we are not in the business of training our competition either.

If you are a disrespectful and disputatious person you are fortunate to get in the class in the first place and lucky if you are not kicked out. d**k always knew where the line was and stayed just inside it. However, he always flirted with that line and he and Mark always had an acidic rapport and d**k loved upsetting Mark time and time again. Mark is not as thick faced as some of us being as he is a very emotional person who has devoted 30 years to yoga study and devotion before he came to me to further his training and understanding.

I will only say that our web site is coming and we will include FAQ and Testimonials and so forth. When the site is up and running we will make one more official post to provide the web address. Until then at the school we have available dozens of testimonials that are signed and presented with the students picture and personal information unedited. Anyone is welcome to drop by and take a look at what real people are saying about us who have the courage and integrity to stand by their words.

To the students who have checked this site and come to me with their worry or concern I want you to stop and take notice of all your many fellow students who continue to have positive experiences just like you. Notice how we continue to grow and prosper.

If you take away the FABRICATED negative attack posts there is nothing left but positive if a little unfocused feedback.

If you make a contract with Wujido Institute WE WILL HONOR IT TO THE LETTER AND MORE as we have honored and fulfilled all of our agreements with everyone without fail. We will also expect those who enter into those agreements to honor their contractual obligations. We operate on integrity from top to bottom. We expect the same from those who enter into a relationship with us.

We will not alter our ways for pig-boy, Elvis-red, or Dicky sour grapes. We are a business. A successful business with a reputation for integrity and fair dealing. We cannot force a bad, arrogant, or lazy student to practice or study. This is his responsibility. We can provide classes and instruction. He or she can choose to ignore it or alter it or change it but that student should accept responsibility for the result.

It is the nature of martial arts that it depends so much upon the sincerity and perseverance of the student. It is obvious to any observer that both sincerity and perseverance are qualities lacking in all of these negative attack posts. That includes the attack piece submitted by the site owner.

At the Wujido Institute we believe that "We who study the art of Kung Fu consider it our responsibility and duty to continue to improve our character, to observe the superior qualities of courage, compassion, self-restraint, and non-violence."

If you want to learn more you will have to contact the school 214-824-0166.

Sincerely

Prof. Harkins

I find it odd that Mike and I had such such radically different experiences with late fees.

In the 18 months that I attended the school I was was late twice by one day and fined both times, no if and or buts. I agree that a late fee is a good thing and I support it. I think a 0 day grace period just a little bit silly.

I also heard Dr Harkins personally rip Mark ( the guy at the desk ) a new one for not being more agressive in collecting the late fees.

First a qualifier:

I have studied various martial arts styles off and on for since 1985. I have studied, practiced with, and observed many schools, students and instructers. I have learned a lot, especially how to spot "Rip-Offs" and "Shallowness".

Recently I came across this website and "report" about Wujido Institute by accident. I had done a google search on "Wujido" to get the school's phone number. I had not paid my Febuary's tuition or been in class for over a month due to the unexpected death of my father. I only wanted to let the school know that I would return and pay my tuition as soon as possible.

I was suprised to find this site and such negative comments about a great school that stays true to the martial arts spirit that I cherish.

The negative comments I have read here are half-truths or are written by someone who does not take the martial arts seriously.

Please take the following into consideration when you read the "reports":

All martial arts schools are a business. To survive they must operate as a business. All too often people forget this. One comment in the reports complains about late fees. Yes, there are late fees, but, the school is flexible on this. Also, keep in mind that the school must pay their rent and keep the lights on. It takes time for your check to clear and get deposited into the school's account. These funds are then used to pay for overhead. So, it is reasonable for the school to demand payment on the first and to charge late fees. But, again I stress, the school is flexible, if you do not make paying late a habit.

Another complaint in the "report" is that classes never start on time. This is a Half-Truth! The person who posted this comment did not say why classes start late. The reason they do is because most classes last longer than they are obligated to. The style of teaching at Wujido is very organic. This is signifigant because it means that it is always evolving. It is not a simple "do excercise A, B and C" and then repeat it on the test to get your next belt. Instead classes work on perfecting some of the basic fundamentals that all martial arts are based on. I was very very happy to experience again a school and instructer that stressed the basics. The basics are what make you strong and eventualy lead to the successful execution of advanced techniques.

Another reason the classes run long is because of the personal involvement of Dr. Harkins. He not only will work with you personally and help you do things correctly, he will also lecture about and discuss why and how a technique is done. Dr. Harkins reminded me of one of my fondest martial arts experiences. This experience was when I spent about an hour and a half listening to a Korean master lecture to us about the philosophy of the martial arts and about where your true power comes from. We had no physical workout that day, but, still it was one of my best classes ever. Finding martial arts instruction similiar to that of the Korean master I had before was difficult to find when I moved to Dallas. I finally found it at Wujido institute.

Another complaint that was written was about how the classes are conducted in "secret" and that no one is able to see a class in progress. Again, this is a half-truth. As I stated before, I have experienced and seen much. The school is not trying to hide something from you. The school is only diminishing the distractions that an "open" studio allows. From my experience, there is nothing worse than having people stare at you while you do your excercises and then try to mimic or, worse yet, challenge you. If it bothers you that you can't see the classes in session think about when you were in high-school or college. Were the classes you took open to the public? Was just anyone able to observe or walk into you class? When you were taking Physics, was n't it nice NOT to have people coming and going or commenting on something they did not understand when you were trying to learn?

Another common theme in this "report" that I am rebutting is that to study here requires a contract. Yes, it does require a contract. If this bothers you there is a solution. Ask to have the contract amended, they will work to accomodate you and address your fears, they did with me. However, a good attitude and a respectful demeanor should always be used (as with all things in life). The Wujido institute is not a draconian place that demands "secrecy" in it's transactions.

Wujido institute is a fantastic school with a great teacher. I wish I had found the school sooner during my stay in Dallas. I was looking forward to studying there for a long time. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control forced me to move back to San Diego. My only fear now is that I will not find a martial arts school here that will live up to the Wujido institute.

It seems disingenuous of this self-styled "Bad Business Bureau" to file its initial very negative report on the Wujido based solely on a reporter's opinion of a single visit, and without having solicited the opinions of any of the students there.

Still, I can see how some of the things Dr. Harkins says, and the way he says them, could be offputting. I confess that I initially chose the Wujido because it was close to where I live, but I just renewed my contract a couple of months ago. I also confess that my only martial arts experience before that was about 18 months of fencing. So I'm no expert on martial arts schools, but neither am I a shill for the Wujido Institute.

I've been taking Shaolin Kung Fu the Wujido for about 20 months. I think the number of students has probably quadrupled in that time. I don't know what the dropout rate is, but it doesn't seem to be very high. I have no direct knowledge of the Tai Chi classes, but I have a friend who was taking Shaolin, and then switched to Tai Chi after having had surgery. She's very satisfied with the Tai Chi classes, and recently renewed her contract to do Tai Chi instead of Shaolin.

There have been several people who came from other schools to the Wujido, and they have stuck with it, and some have renewed their contracts, so I assume they're satisfied. Usually people with prior training advance very quickly, and some have even advanced into the Wu Chi Chuan classes. Entry into these classes is by invitation only, and if Mr. Torelli wants to complain about secrecy, the techniques taught in Wu Chi Chuan are kept even more secret than those in Shaolin.

As for a testimonial, for all I know, whatever I say about that might just as easily be said of any other school. Before I started at the Wujido, I thought I was in good shape, for my age. At age 44, I was buff, but, shall we say, there were signs of creakiness approaching. Kung Fu classes blew me away for about the first 6 weeks. Finally I got into the groove, and now I'm just amazed at what my body can do, and the creakiness is gone completely. My muscles seem hard, yet supple, and my joints seem much stronger, yet quite flexible. But that's probably not specific to the Wujido.

For the amount of stuff that I've learned, I can't really see myself going any faster, so I'm satisfied with the teaching, and with the rate at which skills and techniques have been taught to me. Some others, usually younger people with prior MA training, have progressed much more quickly than I have. So it would seem that teaching at the Wujido is tailored, somewhat, to the individual student.

Dr. Harkins teaches not only the techniques but also the whys and wherefores behind them, and in particular why you should apply them in a certain way so as not to injure yourself. Even at my low level, I've sometimes had the chance to spar with Dr. Harkins, or at least to be used for demonstration. I have to say I'm truly amazed at the speed and accuracy with which he can deliver techniques, stunning me or temporarily disabling me without actually causing injury.

Finally, I found the self-congratulatory and abusive tone of Mr. Torelli's rebuttal to be quite unprofessional. His stance in the matter would be more believable if he had been able to restrain himself from using sexual inuendo and cursewords, and if he hadn't shown his basic misunderstanding of the origination of the initial rebuttal. Oh well, at least I found out something about the benefits of moving a corporation offshore to Nevis Island!

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Richard

Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
Hmmmm, what to say? As an ex student at the Wujido Institute I can say that after being enrolled for 18 months in the tai chi class I will not be returning. Why? not because it was a rip off exactly, The teacher is very knowledgeable and I did benefit from what I learned in the class, however I felt that the respect teacher demanded was not returned.

Classes never started on time. There was no real structure to instruction. The teacher would work on whatever he felt like( or at least that was my impression). This made it difficult to build on what was taught in the past. The use of senior students to help was a problem because of the differnces in what they knew and the use of students who knew how to do the form but not how to teach(I think this is now being addressed by
having the senor students in classes to help them teach). Also troubling was his insistence on late fees for payment that were only 1 day late.

As far as secrets go, in the eighteen months I was there I saw nothing that I could not find on the net. For example, his statement that the form we were follwing was his own modification of the traditioanl short form was not true since I found that exact same form on the site describing the study of Tai Chi at Yale.

As far as him sending you( this site) threatening e-mails, that does not suprise me nor does the fact that he backed down. He seems to lack the emotional maturity one would expect of a 'master' of the internal arts.
Also I am concerned that the poster who sent the rebuttal was unwilling to use their real name as I can not recall any students (in the Tai chi class) who have the initals F.L.

So is it a rip off? Depends on what you are looking for. Most of his students think the world of him and are willing to ignore or forgive his faults. I was not.

Dear F.L.

It is so ironic that you just found our website and filed a rebuttal. How timely for Professor Harkins. You see, we have just had several guerrillous, threatening e-mails from him. We find Master to be mentally weak though, and you would do well to leave his tutelage permanently. He does not possess good qualities for one who would train malleable minds and bodies. He crumbled to our weakest assault; which was a little test of his mettle.

Pursuant to the timing of your e-mail, so close on the heels of his mental beating, we find it is so suspect, that I'll bet he even put you up to it. (Perhaps a way to work off your insolence and disrespect, Grasshopper, of which you freely admit you were guilty.)

Tell Master, come out and debate the issues directly on this website and stop hiding behind human shields. (Would you really go into combat with such a weak leader, who would throw away his precious students.) We challenge Master to debate us on the issues, but he will likely refuse. The focus of his e-mails were threatening, but lacked reason; he was baiting us, but only fell into our traps. We are too smart for his likes. So, we do not doubt his skills as a Master baiter, despite his lack of skill as Master debater.

Perhaps you could pass on some messages to your Master pursuant to his threat of legal action. Recommend that he should spend more time studying the US Constitution, particularly the First and Fourteenth Amendment. After spouting off about how he was going to sue us for slander, we knew he didn't know what he was talking about for several reasons. First, his case would not be slander, it would be libel. Slander deals with spoken communication. Libel concerns the written word, even in Texas. Learn to KNOW the difference. This was also our clue he hadn't consulted an attorney. But then he admitted it. If Master decides to consult competent legal counsel let him know that we are very well-versed in this issue. The Yahoo case and the recent Washington State case doesn't even give him a s****.>
Next, tell him to save his money and not even bother pursuing this matter legally. He will actually need every penny he has to reimburse all the good, honest folks he has ripped off. We are solidly behind these victims. And you tell him that if he continues to threaten them, it will be even more costly for him. THERE IS AN AXIOM THAT ALL SHOULD REMEMBER: ANYONE THAT DEMANDS SECRECY IN A BUSINESS TRANSACTION USUALLY HAS SOMETHING TO HIDE, AND IT IS USUALLY BECAUSE THAT PERSON IS SCREWING YOU. Additionally, although our EDitor may not have been very diplomatic with Master, I'm sure he'll take it in stride. He's a big tough guy, right? Oh, and ED still thinks he should not play with himself so much.

By the way, what does F.L. stand for Professor, F******G LOSER? Nice try, but we got you.

Frank Torelli
badbusinessbureau.com
Investigative Reporter/Consumer Advocate

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This email is a rebuttal to RipOff #6479.
It was sent by alumnus at [email protected].

Wujido Institute student rip-off ..Don't be fooled (#6479)

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: alumnus

Their relationship to the company: Supporter

Rebuttal:
When I found out that someone sent to this web site a negative report about Wujido Institute I had to respond. I joined the Institute some years ago and trained for a couple of unforgettable years. I was then transferred to a different city due to a promotion at my work. I began studying under another master and completed 14 months of stuying in Wing Chung Kung Fu. I am regretful to say that I left owing the Institute over
$****.** because I had just signed up for a second 36 month contract and The Institute did not so much as ask for a penny after I had left and stopped paying the monthly fees.

After 14 months, I contacted the Institute by letter and later by phone. The main point I stressed was that I wished to send them a check for $****.** and apologized for my being irresponsible and ungrateful and asked if Master would allow me to come back and train at the school again if I could arrange to fly back to visit the school from time to time. I was overjoyed when he accepted me back.

I told him that after I spent over a year studying with this other master I can say in all honesty that I learned and got more value in ONE class under Master Harkins than I learned in the 14 months I studied with this other master. I have studied in schools before I attended the Institute.

I have studied and visited many schools since. I have never seen a single school that even comes close to the quality and depth of knowledge given at the Wujido Institue.

Anyone who would say such "mumbo jumbo nonsense" about the Wujido
Institute has to be one of those soft, lazy, or irrationally arrogant people that sometimes sign-up and then show up for one or two classes and stop because they cannot keep up or comprehend what is in front of them.

F. L...former student