After being so many years since I took martial arts back when I was a kid, I finally decided to try it again. I want to hear some opinions on what others think of this.
So I recently joined a kung fu school, which teaches hung gar, wing chun, praying mantis and bagua zhang, which has a very traditional setting like has weapons hanging, the old lion heads and everything. I've been going so far for a month and so far I get to do some stances which I have had some students there try to show me and correct me the proper form which is good. They sometimes do a little exercise warm up drills like some cardio and hitting the pads. And I've been learning the beginning of a form which I've been told to practice over and over again which is fine. But since I've been coming almost everyday the class is available, I seem to be the only beginner there. It's a small studio, so not a lot of students. But everyone there I'm told is advanced so after we do the warm ups or somedays we do warm up stances, then after that everyone goes to their area and does their own thing and train together. They do things like body conditioning drills together, some fight application drills, some other training conditioning drills. I end up being stuck in the corner by myself trying to perfect that beginning portion of the form I was told to work on. I get corrected every now and then.
There's one student who tries to help me there with correcting my stances and forms but since he's more advanced, he returns back to the group to train with them. Sometimes he'd get a little frustrated if I'm not getting the proper stance right like bending my knees the right way, proper clawing with the hands and such. Keep in mind I haven't practiced kung fu or any martial art in a while. There's one female student who actually takes the time to show and correct me the proper stances and forms which I respect. I was told I kind of have to learn these things on my own by others and it's up to me but as the days have gone by I continue to do the same thing while the rest all get to learn some different drills and all kinds of fighting applications. The sifu who's a big and heavy set guy shows up at the end of the night and sits and watches the class and correct them in their techniques but doesn't seem to pay any attention to me or allow me to learn any basic steps like live drills or techniques against another opponent like self defense moves. I completely understand since I'm a beginner and these things take time but I feel like I'm left alone and everyone else gets to work together. When I asked about the techniques he was demonstrating he told me don't worry about that stuff and continue my beginning form in the corner.
It feels like sometimes I don't exist in the class and I'm being ignored because I'm the new guy? Maybe he feels I'm not ready because my form technique is still wrong?
When we do the warm up drills we do these element techniques which is fire, earth, water and metal. For many weeks I try to follow them and can't get it right or keep up at all. I finally say something that I can't do this and one of their students decided to show me a bit. But I'm just not as advanced enough to follow. So their female student who's actually showing me some easy steps like one move at a time and how to step properly first and practice that. So I guess with a little more practice of the foot work a bunch of times hopefully I will get it down pat.
One of the drills we did with the pads like throwing earth and uppercut techniques and crescent kick moves, one of the students holding the pads for me started screaming and yelling after I accidentally missed the pad and hit his forearm. Again I haven't done this in a while and it's my first month in so I'm not used to throwing kicks at pads. He started yelling at me to hit the target and not miss ever again. So he made me feel bad and has been a little hostile towards me ever since. He also yelled and cursed at me that I was holding the pads wrong for the earth and metal elements punching drills.
I hope I'm at the right place, i understand kung fu training takes time and I always wanted to get back into it like I did when I was a kid, but it just doesn't feel like what I expected it to be. I thought there would be more emphasizes on learning self defense and conditioning, yes the forms or conditioning and the warm up drills are great, but that's not going to help me when someone attacks me behind an alley or from an aggressive attacker in a real life scenario. Sifu shows up, tales and corrects anything with the other students. doesn't go over any techniques with me, bows them out and that's it. So far I'm only learning hung gar moves, and very little at the least. they said their school teaches hung gar, praying mantis, wing chun, and bagua zhang moves, yet I'm not allowed to participate in the wing chin class or praying mantis classes because they are too advanced, understandable because they are probably more advanced moves, I just feel like since i'm the only beginner here and everyone else is advanced, I won't be given much teaching in any other steps other than practice the same beginning form, not even practice beginner fighting self defense applications, just stand and work in the air. But I do respect the moves they teach their and it looks amazing to learn, just hope I get to learn them one day and there is no belt system, so I don;t have to worry about any fundings for ranks. I just feel I'm like an outcast in the crowd while they mingle and train together, I'm just there to be there? And that one guy I think is still mad at me for accidentally kicking his forearm and missing the bad.
Is it me or does it sound like something is off? Or is this how the real deal of training is? Because I haven't trained in so long since I was a kid. Am I being scammed? Or maybe I'm just a slow learner and some get impatient with me? how long does it normally take at a school to learn any live drilling applications? Do you have to perfect the forms first before moving on? It's hard for me to get answers when no one seems to really wanna go into it.
It's good to have some information on that stuff even though I would think it's impossible to fully be trained and prepared for a situation like that. I was happy to hear that a lot of companies and schools (if not all schools) are now going over active shooter drills. 
I'd say Karate training has helped me a lot with that and I don't know if I could keep that approach if I left martial arts.
