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Old 03-05-2008, 01:37 PM   #27
dragonteeth
Dojo: Elkton Ki-Aikido
Location: Virginia
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 108
United_States
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Re: Business and Budo

To me, if someone is dedicated enough to teach budo as a career, then he has all my respect and a right to make a decent living. If a teacher is dedicated enough to spend his spare time teaching for free but chooses a different career path for whatever reason, then he also has all my respect.

However, the teacher who cheapens his art with glitter and glamor, cheesy marketing, 38 belt levels each requiring a fee, guaranteed black belts, unfair contracts, and so on...does not have my respect. I think it's perfectly fine to advertise, but do so with the dignity the art deserves. Having testing fees is fine too, but don't try to nickel and dime the students to death by expanding the belts beyond that which is traditional in the art. If there must have a contract, give the student a grace period to decide whether this is truly a good fit for him or her, especially in the case of youngsters.

Budo is a wonderful thing in all its many colorful forms and practices. Packaged "budo"on the other hand degrades the hard work and dedication of all the practitioners who came before, and contaminates the art with commercialism for all those who come after.
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