Is it normal in kung fu / martial arts schools that the teacher does not allow students to train together in their free time?
I train at a kung fu school, and recently we were told that students are not allowed to organize informal training together without the teacher’s prior approval.
To be clear, this is not about teaching classes, opening our own school, or pretending to be instructors. It’s just about meeting with classmates in a park or somewhere similar and doing our own practice together for motivation.
The idea seems to be that even if nobody is “leading,” it is still not allowed unless the teacher knows about it and confirms it first. In practice, however, he usually does not allow it.
Is this considered normal in the kung fu world or in martial arts in general?
Is this a traditional discipline / lineage thing, or is it more of a control issue?
I understand rules about respect, not teaching others without permission, and not misrepresenting the school. But telling adult students they cannot meet and train together in their own free time feels a bit extreme to me.
I’m especially curious to hear from people with experience in traditional kung fu schools, not only modern gyms.