Martial Culture
I was reading a website recently on the realities of self defense as they differ from what martial arts teach in a classroom setting. The author breaks up martial arts into two aspects, martial techniques and martial culture. I find the idea intriguing and wanted to examine such an idea further.
Martial culture, which is all of the ideas, philosophies, and noncombative rituals that surround the martial science, represent all the parts of the martial arts that make them an art, rather than just another kind of brutal fisticuffs. For those interested solely in the aspects of fighting, martial arts are really non-ideal, as classes are often constructed with martial culture built into the very fabric of the learning experience. However, I feel that the culture is an indispensable part of the art, and even of the fundamentals of the techniques. This is a balance issue. Culture cannot dominate the martial arts, nor can technique, but sides must balance otherwise the art is diminished.
Now martial culture, like all cultures contains some very unpleasant aspects. These are largely historic, but some of these problems are actually endemic to modern martial culture.
There is a culture of secrecy to the martial arts, this is commonly seen in the discussion of secret or hidden techniques, and that mastery of the style is conferred in specific, sometimes ritualistic, ways. However, this is twofold. First, the culture of secrecy can be bad, as masters will sometimes favour undeserving students, and teach them things that more deserving students should be learning. But, also the culture of secrecy, which is becoming much less of an issue as time goes on, encourages the individual practitioner to work hard, not only to impress the master, but also to discover meaning in their art on their own.
Veneration of the master is another problem that seems to be endemic to martial culture. Here, the problem is more that the master is raised to a superhuman status in the eyes of the students. This can lead to cults, and to a variety of other problems which we commonly recognize as a sign of corrupt ethics. Veneration of the master is an outgrowth of the respect that is commonly shown to a master, not only as a teacher of a subject, but also because (at least in the Chinese martial arts) the martial community is considered a family, with the master being the father (or mother) and thus “head of the household”. Again, though, I appreciate this aspect of the martial arts, it creates a support group, a community, and a much better atmosphere for students to learn in.
Last there is the disdain that martial artists are sometimes encouraged to have for those who do not pursue martial training of some kind. This last idea is dangerous, and simply bad. One should have pride in one’s own accomplishments, but never use those accomplishments to belittle others. Humility must remain a guiding principle, even more so as one advances in one’s knowledge and power, for the responsibility to use, and refrain from using, what one has learnt in class represents the greatest control that a student possesses. A student who is so prideful as to allow their training to be the platform from which they look down upon others needs to have a good hard dose of reality. In many cases this will come from a teacher, in others from a bar stool.
Let me say, in closing, that some, if not all, of these issues carry over into any kind of subculture, though often in a different form. I am simply putting them into a context that I am particularly familiar with.
Martial culture, which is all of the ideas, philosophies, and noncombative rituals that surround the martial science, represent all the parts of the martial arts that make them an art, rather than just another kind of brutal fisticuffs. For those interested solely in the aspects of fighting, martial arts are really non-ideal, as classes are often constructed with martial culture built into the very fabric of the learning experience. However, I feel that the culture is an indispensable part of the art, and even of the fundamentals of the techniques. This is a balance issue. Culture cannot dominate the martial arts, nor can technique, but sides must balance otherwise the art is diminished.
Now martial culture, like all cultures contains some very unpleasant aspects. These are largely historic, but some of these problems are actually endemic to modern martial culture.
There is a culture of secrecy to the martial arts, this is commonly seen in the discussion of secret or hidden techniques, and that mastery of the style is conferred in specific, sometimes ritualistic, ways. However, this is twofold. First, the culture of secrecy can be bad, as masters will sometimes favour undeserving students, and teach them things that more deserving students should be learning. But, also the culture of secrecy, which is becoming much less of an issue as time goes on, encourages the individual practitioner to work hard, not only to impress the master, but also to discover meaning in their art on their own.
Veneration of the master is another problem that seems to be endemic to martial culture. Here, the problem is more that the master is raised to a superhuman status in the eyes of the students. This can lead to cults, and to a variety of other problems which we commonly recognize as a sign of corrupt ethics. Veneration of the master is an outgrowth of the respect that is commonly shown to a master, not only as a teacher of a subject, but also because (at least in the Chinese martial arts) the martial community is considered a family, with the master being the father (or mother) and thus “head of the household”. Again, though, I appreciate this aspect of the martial arts, it creates a support group, a community, and a much better atmosphere for students to learn in.
Last there is the disdain that martial artists are sometimes encouraged to have for those who do not pursue martial training of some kind. This last idea is dangerous, and simply bad. One should have pride in one’s own accomplishments, but never use those accomplishments to belittle others. Humility must remain a guiding principle, even more so as one advances in one’s knowledge and power, for the responsibility to use, and refrain from using, what one has learnt in class represents the greatest control that a student possesses. A student who is so prideful as to allow their training to be the platform from which they look down upon others needs to have a good hard dose of reality. In many cases this will come from a teacher, in others from a bar stool.
Let me say, in closing, that some, if not all, of these issues carry over into any kind of subculture, though often in a different form. I am simply putting them into a context that I am particularly familiar with.