On Masters and Apprentices
Master has become a poisoned title in the martial arts community (see previous post). Every teacher with too much ego wants to be known as "[[Great-] Grand -] Master Bob", while anybody with a sense of perspective now avoids the term as tainted. To wit, Gary always dismisses the term by insisting that he is not a master because he does not have slaves.
The funny thing is, the title "master" is highly appropriate for the martial arts if we think about what the term means--or once meant--in English. Indeed, fencing instructors in old Europe were called Masters. We should consider "master" as an analogy to the "master craftsman" of the old European guild system.
The metaphor of a medieval craft guild helps to show how martial arts are learned at their best. We start as apprentices, spending years learning from the practical example of our betters. Once we have absorbed what we can that way, we need to leave the master's workshop, broaden our horizons, and be our own teachers as practitioners: journeymen. After many more years, the rare practitioner who gains a deeper understanding of his art becomes a master and guides the next generation along.
Contrast this with the "academic" analogy that is our default metaphor in the U.S. Martial arts cannot be learned by attending lectures, reading books, or writing essays (and what am I, myself, doing here?). Your education must be practical. And, like an apprentice, you have more responsibilities than just paying dues. Yet, I think Americans really like to believe that learning a martial art is simply taking a class and passing a test. The numerous Professors contribute to this image. (Professor is a specific academic rank in this culture--one might as well appropriate a military metaphor and presume to be a Colonel or Rear Admiral.)
The majority of modern martial arts teachers are journeymen. This is not a bad thing, it's just something to be aware of. We no longer live in a world where melee combat is a way of life; the dedication and experience required to achieve mastery are rare. More teachers should be honest about--and even proud of--the fact that they are still students and have a long way to go towards perfecting themselves. Good journeymen/teachers teach the basics well to their students, learn from them, and bring them along on the Quixotic journey towards mastery.
Anyway, what do I know? I'm just an apprentice.
Or perhaps I'm Sancho Panza.
The funny thing is, the title "master" is highly appropriate for the martial arts if we think about what the term means--or once meant--in English. Indeed, fencing instructors in old Europe were called Masters. We should consider "master" as an analogy to the "master craftsman" of the old European guild system.
The metaphor of a medieval craft guild helps to show how martial arts are learned at their best. We start as apprentices, spending years learning from the practical example of our betters. Once we have absorbed what we can that way, we need to leave the master's workshop, broaden our horizons, and be our own teachers as practitioners: journeymen. After many more years, the rare practitioner who gains a deeper understanding of his art becomes a master and guides the next generation along.
Contrast this with the "academic" analogy that is our default metaphor in the U.S. Martial arts cannot be learned by attending lectures, reading books, or writing essays (and what am I, myself, doing here?). Your education must be practical. And, like an apprentice, you have more responsibilities than just paying dues. Yet, I think Americans really like to believe that learning a martial art is simply taking a class and passing a test. The numerous Professors contribute to this image. (Professor is a specific academic rank in this culture--one might as well appropriate a military metaphor and presume to be a Colonel or Rear Admiral.)
The majority of modern martial arts teachers are journeymen. This is not a bad thing, it's just something to be aware of. We no longer live in a world where melee combat is a way of life; the dedication and experience required to achieve mastery are rare. More teachers should be honest about--and even proud of--the fact that they are still students and have a long way to go towards perfecting themselves. Good journeymen/teachers teach the basics well to their students, learn from them, and bring them along on the Quixotic journey towards mastery.
Anyway, what do I know? I'm just an apprentice.
Or perhaps I'm Sancho Panza.
Labels: Essays, The Martial Arts
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