Sifu's Assessment

"The true warrior does not act from emotion, but utilizes all the skill and training of a lifetime to save his life in any one instant. Emotion clouds your ability to see clearly and causes loss in any situation. Emotion and ego will not allow you to understand the difficulties you  are encountering."

-Sifu Pedro Yee

I think it was the Wednesday after the pretest I had gone for a tuina session with Sifu. I was pretty beat up from the pretest and I had a few days left before taking my 4th Degree Black Belt test. I knew Sifu could heal me up and spiritually cleanse me before the test. But I also wanted to hear his assessment of the test that he saw. I don't know if he's seen anything like my testing before or not, it was his first time seeing me "in action" so to speak, and his insight is very important to me.

I left a little early and I parked my car outside his school in Clifton and I walked up the street. There was a church at the top of the hill so I walked inside and prayed a little bit. Then after some time there I went back to the school and the doors were open, so I walked in. Inside a few kung fu students were working out and practicing. I bowed to the alter of the ancestors and then sat and watched the students in awe. 

One was hitting the wooden posts, something I had only seen in movies. The other two looked as if they were doing Qi-work. They had great focus and discipline as they worked. I watched and just visualized myself doing exactly this. Not too much later, Sifu came on in. What a positive ball of energy you felt when he walked in the room! Full of smiles, squealing his hellos, hugging everyone, joking around, just so light-hearted! All I could think was, I am so happy I met this man. He introduced me as "Master Trento" to his other students. I felt sooooooo validated!

We went into the tuina therapy room where he began to work on me and we talked about the test. I was so happy that Sifu was at pretest and told him what an honor it was to have him there. But HE kept saying it was HIS honor to be there, which meant to much. He gave me a lot of credit for putting myself in the position in front of people, whether it be students, friends, colleagues, whoever it was and to brought to that point of physical exhaustion and still push through the struggles of achieving what I needed to achieve. And it was all voluntary. He acknowledged that I didn't have to do this test. He was proud of me for sticking to my values. 

He said the test was a very real test. I wasn't afraid to express my emotions. There was laughing, there was crying, there was confusion, there was drive, and he said it was "a beautiful thing to witness." As he was working on me he said "I was very impressed," then he paused what he was doing and looked at me and said "And there's not much that impresses me." Wow! I could have died that moment and be content. He said he wished I had it video taped. "Oh I had it taped," I said. He stopped. "You do!?" He asked for a copy, which I will have my brother make. 

Sifu told me, many of the masters he knew would not ever do what I did. Most dignitaries will showcase their strengths and abilities to look good and wow their audiences. The way I put myself in this so called rite of passage to mastership is almost unheard of, and Sifu told me that I give him "hope for the martial arts." Okay, now I really can die of happiness!

I then started asking him a few questions about his studying in Qi-work, tuina, and what my test wil be like that coming Saturday, etc. He checked out my arms which were bruised pretty badly so he gave me some Chinese medicine called Dit Dat. He gave me instructions of how to use it, right up to the Friday night before the test, which I did everything to the tee and didn't miss a beat! I began asking him about my training and he told me to get through my test and nationals in Florida and we'll get together and discuss. I was super excited!

Sifu Pedro Yee is a great man and phenomenal martial artist. A true master's master. I am absolutely blessed to have crossed paths with him, and I owe it all to Lisa. I am committed to being the best student I can be with Sifu while learning this brand new world of martial art training. It will bring me to the place in life I have always wanted to be at. In turn I hope I one day, too, can do for others as h will do for me. I know he has taught many many many students and produced many many many instructors. I am beyond eager and humbled to be his student and have him as my master. But first, I have to finish what I said I would before my training with Sifu can begin. And I said it a year ago. "After my 4th Degree Master test, I will be training under you!" I said it right in that very school of his those words. And that Saturday was the long awaited 4th Degree Black Belt test.

Yours in service,

A TRENTO