I've noticed that many have speculated about why Master Sims left the WKSA. Subscribe to "The Art Of The Warrior" magazine in speedy fashion and find out from him. There will be an interview with him in the spring edition in which he touches on the subject. I don't work for the magazine, and I have no agenda, but I know that there are curious people like myself who would like to know. I'll be subscribing very soon. I've spoken to a former WKSA master, and I pretty much know what the circumstances were, but I'd like to hear from Master Sims himself. Please don't ask what I know, because like others who do know, it's not my place to air it on a public forum.
I would hope someone who received their training from WKSA schools, and especially someone so surrounded by martial arts etiquette would have little negative to say about the WKSA. As curious as I am to know why such talent would leave, I am not an instructor, nor will I be for a long time (if ever) so the information is useless to me. I think the peoples on the forum make much to big a deal over it.
Master Sims has earned the right to say whatever he feels like...whether it is flattering to the WKSA or not. You can be guaranteed that whatever he does say that it wont be half of what he should say. I've been his student for 25 years, and if it had been up to me we whould have left along time before we ever did. People are responcible for their actions no matter who they are and if those actions bring them shame then so be it. Martial arts etiquette has nothing to do with not speaking the truth just because someone doesn't want to hear it. Bill - SBN
At the risk of treading where I know practically nothing... I certainly agree that truth should be spoken, even if people don't want to hear it. Sometimes it's the only way to learn / make things better. The etiquette points that would concern me, were I to do such a thing, would be HOW it is said.
I reckon Yea Eue dictates that 99% of us mind our own business. The relationships between Kwong Jang Nyms is way over my pay grade. The way I see it, I don't really have a right to an opinion on the matter.
Everyone has a right to an opinion, don't think that a belt rank prevents that. You are no less than anyone else. Less experienced in KS than a master...yes of course. We all have the right to educate ourselves, and as you are dedicating a lot of time and money to an art - why shouldn't you ask questions if you feel they are important. Seeing the relationships at the top of an organization is a good indicator about the organization. You don't have to be blind to mind your own business.
Everybody seems to be interested in hearing the truth. I wonder if everybody will be interested in hearing what these "responsible people" have to say about this whole thing. If there are really two sides to this (and not just one side fabricated for financial gain), I'd like to hear both of them. In fact, I wonder if Art of the Warrior would agree to publish an unedited response to what Master Sims will be saying. And if Master Sims's statement is THAT important, it ought to published in a place that you don't have to pay to hear it.
Well, it is all about making money. If you check the magazine's website, the subscription price is now $25. Interesting tho that just a few days ago the subscription price was $20 (check the Google cache of the subscription web page, which as of this morning was made on April 8, saying $20... so obviously the $5 increase was within the past few days). Granted they now are also offering an online/PDF subscription for $16, which is a nifty way to do things, but I would think offering a PDF subscription would be orthogonal to increasing the price of the printed subscription. Maybe the interest of hearing what Master Sims has to say has increased interest in subscrptions? I'm just expressing my opinion based on my outside observations. I don't know what AotW is doing internally, and frankly they've got every right to make a buck.
Everybody has the right to an opinion, even in a structure dictated by etiquette. I agree with SBN Bill, KJN Sims has every right to say what he believes. People of such caliber are hard to find anywhere now days.
I know that many of you who are still part of the WKSA really dislike hearing negative things about it, I understand, and I respect your loyalty. Please don't let loyalty get in the way of an open mind, and a willingness to understand the reasons why these things are being said. If anyone on this thread wants to challenge anything that SBN Bill has said regarding it, I hope that you've spent more time with Master Sims than 25 years, otherwise, listen to what he has to say without passing judgement on him or Master Sims. Musool, you seem very bitter about this whole thing, and as I said earlier, I think that your loyalty is blinding you right now. If you are happy with the WKSA right now, that's fine, everyone here appreciates that and respects you for it, but at least acknowledge the possibility that there could be something wrong. Yes Martial arts is a business, it's a necessary evil, especially in the U.S.A., but do you honestly think that Master Sims or any of the folks from The Art Of The Warrior would stop training or teaching if the money wasn't there? I doubt it. It's the love of the arts themselves, the $$$ is just a fringe benefit of the hard work that he's put in over the last 40 years.
MUSOOL it has been almost two years since Master Sims left the organization. We all very repectfully resigned and quietly left . All we wanted was to leave and that be it...over and done. That's why you never heard anything out of any of us. However the recent "tactics" of the WKSA, who are afraid of losing more students and instructors, has made it important that both sides of this story come out. If this were truly about Master Sims making money as you seem to think then this would have come up long ago. If it were about money then the UMSF would have excepted the countless numbers of instructors and students that have wanted to leave the WKSA and join us over the last two years (all of which were turned away). Right now the UMSF is made up only of it's founding members. If you're concerned that anyone has "fabricated something for financial gain" you should make sure your own house is in order before you worry about someone elses. I'm quite sure you will hear the WKSA politically correct version of what you need to know after this. As for the magazine using this to help sales? Gee...lets think about this. The magazine is a business, businesses only stay in business if they make money, and NO business is in business except to make a profit. Of course, we all know that your statement about the magazine making a profit off this wasn't what you were really aiming at anyway ...was it? I wonder if you would be so brave as to make the same insinuations to the face of the man that you are really speaking about. There are some very true and valid reasons why he has the reputation that he does...test those waters at your own expense. Bill Page - SBN
Yes, I am loyal to Kuk Sa Nym along with 1 million other people around the world. You say that has blinded me to hearing what the Sims people have to say. I would say that everyone associated with this upcoming smear campaign is also blinded. The whole thing is turning into a bad soap opera when the emphasis should be on the art. The bottom line is that both sides should have an opportunity to speak, and that you should give the other side the benefit of the doubt just as you are doing with Master Sims. The only problem is that Kuk Sa Nym will probably not have anything to say because in his position, he needs to be above all this -- even if it means that possible unfounded and inaccurate information will be floating around. If Master Sims wants to make himself a martyr, then those of you who get off on this will be happy. Every argument has two sides, but some times one side takes advantage of the fact that the other side is too principled to respond.
Are you threatening me? No, merely asking a question of you. You notice that I do not hide behind a nickname. If I were threatening you then I would not hide that either. Bill Page - SBN
Probably no one (on this post OR in Art of the Warrior, anyway) will ever hear the other side. Like somebody has already said, Kuk Sa Nym and basically anyone who really know what the 'inside story' is will follow the words of the wise: "Never get in a mudslinging match with a pig. You'll just get mud all over you and the pig will love it." Probably this will be one of those this the great unwashed (the rest of us) will never know the real reasons behind.
I don't like not hearing negative things about anything (did that make sense?). That is, I just want to hear truth about all things, be it positive or negative. In fact, positive or negative is a subjective evaluation; truth just is, and I prefer hearing truth. That said, Master Sims has every right to speak his mind and tell his side of the story. Yes, it would be nice to hear WKSA's side as well so we can all gain a better picture of the whole situation. But we'll hear whatever we hear, and those that know what they know will know what they know and choose to share it (or not) however they wish. I also agree that folks have a right to profit off their hard work and knowledge. I purchased Master Sims' DVD's and look forward to any further material he publishes. I will say that the sudden price increase of the magazine subscription seems a little odd, because the increase seemed to coincide with increased publicity for this particular magazine issue. It just comes across like "Oh hey, we have a chance to get more subscriptions, so let's jack up the price to make some extra money." I'm not saying that is the case, I'm not accusing anyone of anything here. I'm just noting how it came across to me when I noticed the price increase. I don't know what's going on behind the scenes, I don't know why the increase happened. And in the end, it doesn't really matter as AotW is allowed to raise their prices whenever they want for whatever reason they want. I have the freedom to choose to pay that price or not. I'm cool with things. In the end, dvybe's right... business is business. Whenever business grows, whenever more people are brought in, politics will happen, conflict will happen, some folks will stay, some folks will go. It's just life. Obviously Master Sims didn't like the direction his life would have gone had he continued on one particular course, so he made that left turn at Albuquerque and continues his life. I'm happy that he continues to do what he's so good at, I'm happy to see he continues to share, and I'm happy to see he's able to still make a living doing this... else he'd have to find something else to do to feed, clothe, and house himself and then we'd lose the benefits of what he brings to the greater martial arts world.
