Sifu/Guro Larry Rice is a martial arts instructor in Asheville, NC. He holds certifications from notable figures such as Francis Fong and Tim Tackett. I came across his website http://www.mountainmartialartsacademy.com/ a while back when I was looking for instruction in Jeet Kune Do/ Wing Chun. I contacted Larry via email and attended a free trial class shortly thereafter.
The trial class was everything I would expect when showing a noob the breakdown of your teaching style and introducing them to a martial art they have no experience with. Larry introduced me to the class, explained a ritual salute they perform at the beginning of class, and then he proceeded to show me basics of Wing Chun. He went over chain punching, proper stance, and got me started learning the first form Siu Nim Tao. Everything seemed to run smoothly, everyone was friendly.
I had recently discovered this website about debunking fraud in the martial arts community, Bullshido.net. There was a plethora of information here about martial arts history, training, diet; everything a noob could hope to find before embarking on their martial arts voyage. The citizens of Bullshido warned me against the training methods of most Wing Chun and also that this particular instructor did not seem to have the ability to produce competent fighters. I decided to look elsewhere for my training.
Shortly after this, a dispute occurred between one of Larrys students (username SonofRex) and some of us. Questions were raised, but answers were not often given. I wanted to know what the truth was but didnt want to seem like I was attacking Larry, so I waited.
Heres the thread I started, where you can see me as a day one noob to forums and the dispute as it went down::
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=115211
The post before this one is where the student (SonofRex) comes in the conversation:
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=115211&page=23&p=2670288#post2670 288
After a couple of months I started contacting the instructors Larry received his certifications from. They all said he was well qualified and in one instance that there was an agreement as to how much of that particular system he was allowed to teach. I had already gone to Larrys house and apologised for the words shared between his student and I on here, so I was relieved to hear this. However, there were still other claims that stuck out to me.
Larry here are some questions for you, if you wouldnt mind to take some of your time to answer them.
SonofRex claimed in his OP (original post) that you studied Jujitsu with Rickson Gracie. This was questioned and we never got a clear response. Do you teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Are you qualified to teach BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) and/or JJJ (Japanese Jujitsu) from Rickson Gracie and if so what rank do you currently hold?
There were other claims that I saw that I found questionable as well. The second is that SonofRex also claimed you hold an impressive fight record, were a cornerman and a referee in sanctioned fights but never gave any details on any of this. He said you asked him not to brag. This can all be found in his OP. It also states on your website that you have had hundreds of fights over the course of your life, could you please tell us more about that? Please, use this thread as free ad space.
It also states on your website that during a seminar hosted by Vic Payne, you completed all the belt tests under Arjurn Chai. The only other thing about this seminar on your website was a picture of a flyer advertising this seminar. The flyer states this seminar lasted a week, could you please explain what these belt tests were and how you did them so quickly?
There was one last thing that stuck out to me on your website. A story about you being one of two Americanos to learn Kalintaw from Guro Galo Lalic. I googled Kalintaw and found an article stating Guro Lalic has traveled the world showing off Kalintaw. Among other places, he was stated to have traveled the West Coast to see his brother while sharing his knowledge. That article can be found here:
http://www.arnisbalite.com/Published_Articles/FMAdigest/regular_issues/Vol2_No3-July2005.pdf
Can you please clarify this for everyone, Larry?
In short, I would just like to clear the air so there is no confusion for people stumbling across this website exactly what you are selling and practicing. I know the thread SonofRex and I shared words in paints a negative picture of you, so I would like to give you the chance here to set the record straight.
The trial class was everything I would expect when showing a noob the breakdown of your teaching style and introducing them to a martial art they have no experience with. Larry introduced me to the class, explained a ritual salute they perform at the beginning of class, and then he proceeded to show me basics of Wing Chun. He went over chain punching, proper stance, and got me started learning the first form Siu Nim Tao. Everything seemed to run smoothly, everyone was friendly.
I had recently discovered this website about debunking fraud in the martial arts community, Bullshido.net. There was a plethora of information here about martial arts history, training, diet; everything a noob could hope to find before embarking on their martial arts voyage. The citizens of Bullshido warned me against the training methods of most Wing Chun and also that this particular instructor did not seem to have the ability to produce competent fighters. I decided to look elsewhere for my training.
Shortly after this, a dispute occurred between one of Larrys students (username SonofRex) and some of us. Questions were raised, but answers were not often given. I wanted to know what the truth was but didnt want to seem like I was attacking Larry, so I waited.
Heres the thread I started, where you can see me as a day one noob to forums and the dispute as it went down::
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=115211
The post before this one is where the student (SonofRex) comes in the conversation:
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=115211&page=23&p=2670288#post2670 288
After a couple of months I started contacting the instructors Larry received his certifications from. They all said he was well qualified and in one instance that there was an agreement as to how much of that particular system he was allowed to teach. I had already gone to Larrys house and apologised for the words shared between his student and I on here, so I was relieved to hear this. However, there were still other claims that stuck out to me.
Larry here are some questions for you, if you wouldnt mind to take some of your time to answer them.
SonofRex claimed in his OP (original post) that you studied Jujitsu with Rickson Gracie. This was questioned and we never got a clear response. Do you teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Are you qualified to teach BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) and/or JJJ (Japanese Jujitsu) from Rickson Gracie and if so what rank do you currently hold?
There were other claims that I saw that I found questionable as well. The second is that SonofRex also claimed you hold an impressive fight record, were a cornerman and a referee in sanctioned fights but never gave any details on any of this. He said you asked him not to brag. This can all be found in his OP. It also states on your website that you have had hundreds of fights over the course of your life, could you please tell us more about that? Please, use this thread as free ad space.
It also states on your website that during a seminar hosted by Vic Payne, you completed all the belt tests under Arjurn Chai. The only other thing about this seminar on your website was a picture of a flyer advertising this seminar. The flyer states this seminar lasted a week, could you please explain what these belt tests were and how you did them so quickly?
There was one last thing that stuck out to me on your website. A story about you being one of two Americanos to learn Kalintaw from Guro Galo Lalic. I googled Kalintaw and found an article stating Guro Lalic has traveled the world showing off Kalintaw. Among other places, he was stated to have traveled the West Coast to see his brother while sharing his knowledge. That article can be found here:
http://www.arnisbalite.com/Published_Articles/FMAdigest/regular_issues/Vol2_No3-July2005.pdf
Can you please clarify this for everyone, Larry?
In short, I would just like to clear the air so there is no confusion for people stumbling across this website exactly what you are selling and practicing. I know the thread SonofRex and I shared words in paints a negative picture of you, so I would like to give you the chance here to set the record straight.