Servitude

Tradition

Servitude has been a part of the martial arts since they were formed. Early masters taught their arts as an avocation not a vocation, so they were not seeking to earn a living. If they broke-even, they were satisfied. This meant that everyone in the school was expected to help maintain the school and to help each other learn and train in the art. This attitude was, and still is, cultivated through the teachings of the martial arts. A good martial artist was not just one who could perform all the physical requirements of a martial art, he or she was also one who “understood” and participated in martial art servitude and passed this traditions on to new students. This was once a noble cause and it worked well for centuries; but then the martial arts came to the west and met capitalism.