Grandmaster Sid Sofos
<div class="IPBDescription">warning: may contain traces of rant.</div>Just thought I would share this cautionary tale with you guys, while trying to raise this mans notoriety.
Firstly, this is the guys humble website <a href="http://grandmastersidsofos.com/" target="_blank">'Grandmaster' Sid Sofos</a>
I was first introduced to this character through his DVD; "Warriors: Born in Blood", which was handed to me with a smirk and not much more... the DVD open to a lengthy kind of ceremony in which 5 or 6 hardcore looking dudes are sitting patiently on the floor to some kind of eastern Zen type music. Suddenly they jump up, each grabbing a weapon from the floor, and begin to thrust it about in a furious fashion... Fine thought I... (I was under the impression this was a serious training DVD at the time)... it’s a little pretentious, but if there’s a gem or two to be learnt, I can stomach a little showmanship...
The Next few scenes were almost entirely devoted to the man himself Sijo (meaning 'the creator') Sofos, and his soparific philosophies, I was almost zoned out when he started talking about his Chi power...
He started to demonstrate this amazing power on his students, they would run at him, maybe 2 or 3 at a time, and then be instantly repelled by the smallest of movements and go flying backwards, landing a fair distance away.
There followed a montage of his students coming in and flying back, sometimes without even having being touched at all! There was one which stuck in my head, where his top student a 'Leo Hume Wright' was being rolled back and forth across the floor as Sid stood over him, motioning with his hands which way he was to move.
Then I tried to find a little information on the guy, to see what other information was available...
I stumbled on a forum in which a few people had slated him, and others, apparently his students had come to his defence, there are a few... amid the flames a few claims where made, mostly involving the finances of his school. He would make student pay for the lessons, as well as giving donations on a random basis, would make them clean the Dojo after lessons, clean his car, put up fly poster advertisements for his school around the town (Tottenham)....
Fair enough that’s a bit bad, but it’s nothing tragic...
Then there was a post by Leo, his top student, while defending Sofos, he had mentioned that he had personally put money into the production of the DVD... (Which basically amounted to flying to exotic locations, to get nice scenery behind them)... a 5 figure sum...
then there was a story from an ex-student, who had said that shortly after the death of his father (4 days later) he had been called up to Sofos office during a lesson, where Sofos claimed he had had a visitation from his father, and he had given him a specific message (not surprisingly the guy left and never returned).
There was talk of his school having closed a while back after all his students left him, but I’ve recently seen a full page advert for his new school which was disguised as a news article claiming Sofos was being admitted to the 'American Black Belt assoc. Hall of Fame'
Anyway, there’s not much chance anyone here will be likely to start learning from the man, I just like real-life dramas of this nature, and thought you might get a chuckle from his insane website.
Firstly, this is the guys humble website <a href="http://grandmastersidsofos.com/" target="_blank">'Grandmaster' Sid Sofos</a>
I was first introduced to this character through his DVD; "Warriors: Born in Blood", which was handed to me with a smirk and not much more... the DVD open to a lengthy kind of ceremony in which 5 or 6 hardcore looking dudes are sitting patiently on the floor to some kind of eastern Zen type music. Suddenly they jump up, each grabbing a weapon from the floor, and begin to thrust it about in a furious fashion... Fine thought I... (I was under the impression this was a serious training DVD at the time)... it’s a little pretentious, but if there’s a gem or two to be learnt, I can stomach a little showmanship...
The Next few scenes were almost entirely devoted to the man himself Sijo (meaning 'the creator') Sofos, and his soparific philosophies, I was almost zoned out when he started talking about his Chi power...
He started to demonstrate this amazing power on his students, they would run at him, maybe 2 or 3 at a time, and then be instantly repelled by the smallest of movements and go flying backwards, landing a fair distance away.
There followed a montage of his students coming in and flying back, sometimes without even having being touched at all! There was one which stuck in my head, where his top student a 'Leo Hume Wright' was being rolled back and forth across the floor as Sid stood over him, motioning with his hands which way he was to move.
Then I tried to find a little information on the guy, to see what other information was available...
I stumbled on a forum in which a few people had slated him, and others, apparently his students had come to his defence, there are a few... amid the flames a few claims where made, mostly involving the finances of his school. He would make student pay for the lessons, as well as giving donations on a random basis, would make them clean the Dojo after lessons, clean his car, put up fly poster advertisements for his school around the town (Tottenham)....
Fair enough that’s a bit bad, but it’s nothing tragic...
Then there was a post by Leo, his top student, while defending Sofos, he had mentioned that he had personally put money into the production of the DVD... (Which basically amounted to flying to exotic locations, to get nice scenery behind them)... a 5 figure sum...
then there was a story from an ex-student, who had said that shortly after the death of his father (4 days later) he had been called up to Sofos office during a lesson, where Sofos claimed he had had a visitation from his father, and he had given him a specific message (not surprisingly the guy left and never returned).
There was talk of his school having closed a while back after all his students left him, but I’ve recently seen a full page advert for his new school which was disguised as a news article claiming Sofos was being admitted to the 'American Black Belt assoc. Hall of Fame'
Anyway, there’s not much chance anyone here will be likely to start learning from the man, I just like real-life dramas of this nature, and thought you might get a chuckle from his insane website.
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Okay so i'll offer a level-headed approach here on what i think. The school does seem to have a cult mentality. Most students smart enough left. all the older students have gone. I used to train here a few years back but left because i didnt feel quite right. I then took up thai boxing and it was great the teacher would never put the students down or blame 'the energy in the room' for all the students shortcomings. The pupils in fatshan would be terrified of the grandmaster.. it wasnt out of respect but pure fear. If you didnt do something at that right moment or in a split second you would be told off and told that your not in the right mentality to train there. Its how a master clicks his fingers and expect the servents to be that at a split second. I'd always walk out feeling worse as i did coming in..expecting that i'd release some emotional energy but i'd finish up feeling as though i was too 'inadequate'. He'd always put students down if they werent good enough or didnt comply to every command. people would talk in hushed tones 'the sijo' I was absolutely terrified of even asking the man any questions. They would always bloody call you up if you didnt attend a class and you'd have to offer some excuse. Christ if you were in hospital in a coma they'd still call you up...people have their reasons calling someone up all the bloody time shows despiration.
The man himself was far from modest. Sometimes half an hour would be wasted talking about how great he is and how every other wing chun school is not good blah blah blah........He acts as though his the only person in the world that can use 'chi' but there are some bloody brilliant masters out there that are modest yet powerful and their students truly respect and love them.
Its a true cult and 90% of the students ae too ###### brainwashed to see that.
And to think, this only cost 1 Black Mana? I'd say it needs to be toned down considerably.
I'm going to roll with a simple 'no', in the name of being civil. I haven't, and I certainly wouldn't based on that website. That said, I haven't trained anywhere in a very long time (4+ years?) but the brief period I tried Hung Kuen I did enjoy it.
(There Scythe, aren't I nice? You're still the smallest human alive.)
Now I *really* want to meet him.
(Thread necro.)