Quote:
Andy Nemier wrote:
George,
I honestly do not see that happening...
I believe the desire to do Budo is alive and well.
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How much do you get out and around? I travel all over the US and Canada and I see dojos struggling...
I was talking to one Shihan Instructor at camp who travels all over the US and Europe and he said the same thing.
Unless you decide to include BJJ or mixed martial arts in the category of Budo, then I do not see growth in this area. Where you do see people who want to train, you don't see the level of commitment there was back in the 60's and 70's when the current generation of top teachers started training. People are more interested in having families, decent jobs, etc.
As I said, the Koryu are ok since they never accepted many students anyway. There are enough serious folks that the transmission will take place to another generation. But I don't know if that will be true in Aikido.
Just ask yourself: Who are the top students of the Japanese Shihan teachers in the US? Then look at their top students... Do any of the top level American teachers have any students who will be as good as they are? I have several who could be but I do not know if they will train hard enough and frequently enough to make it...
Of the people I know who run dojos, almost none have any students I think will meet or exceed the teacher's level. This is partly due to issues of transmission methodology (discussed elsewhere on the forums) but also due simply to lack of really "wanting" it.
There has been speculation that the actual number of really committed students has stayed the same over the years but with the rapid growth of the art their percentage of the whole has declined... But even at the senior levels, I see many folks whose technique hasn't changed one iota in decades. These folks aren't really trying to progress any more and are contented with dispensing knowledge acquired years ago in hard practice to their students. That isn't Budo. Budo is the "search" as a way of life. The desire for mastery is unquenchable if unattainable.
If seniors model that lack of serious commitment, what can you expect of the students coming along behind? These are their role models...
I am not saying that there aren't great students and great teachers out there... but overall I am not optimistic.