They often say, unknowingly misquoting the Good Book, that money is the root of all evil. This is manifestly untrue and what the Good Book really says is that the love of money is the root of all evil, though I don't believe that this is strictly true either.
One week after penning this article I'll be in Taiwan coaching the British pushing hands team at the 2nd Chung Hwa Cup in Tao Yuan. There will be almost twenty British competitors.
No doubt some readers, having read thus far, are already cursing my misuse of funds to give me and the team an all expenses paid trip to the Far East. Would that this were so. The stark reality is rather different.
Groucho Marx once memorably remarked that he didn't want to join any club which would have him as a member and for a while I had the same feeling about martial arts associations. However, firstly through working with other instructors in the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain and then more recently with other instructors in the BCCMA, I've come to change my mind.
Over the last several years I've paid considerable sums of money into both organisations. The Tai Chi Union charges members £15 per year and provides a regular magazine and discounts on courses and events for members. The BCCMA charges £25 per annum registration fee for associations like mine and also provides instructor and member insurance and licensing.
Recently members of both these organisations supported the 6th British Open Tai Chi Championships and BCCMA Tai Chi Team Selection. The event was a great success and helped to raise some much needed funds - which paid for the team T-shirts. Who paid for the flights and other expenses ? The BCCMA donated £1000 while the Tai Chi Union gave £200.
How was the money distributed ? Those who did well in the Team Selection got an average of one hundred pounds each, the others got free T-shirts and a cheap flight to Taiwan at £500. A couple of competitors managed to obtain sponsorship, but the others had to pay on average £650 - £750 each for the privilege of representing their country.
The team members are students, others are unemployed. Being, like team leader Huang Ji-fu, independently wealthy, I took nothing and it will be costing me £750 as well as lost income for the privilege of being team coach, I understand Mr. Huang is in a similar position.
So why do we do it ? Altruism ? I don't think so.
Partly I suppose it's because we all enjoy going abroad meeting people and being entertained; partly it's because we can learn things - not so much techniques, but ideas and methods that we can experiment with on our return, but most of all it's the challenge of vicariously testing our stratagems and tactics as coaches through the skills of our students.
For the students, I suppose they do it for the adventure, for the experience in competing with and hopefully overcoming the best from other nations and finally for that possible brief moment of glory.
All this, all our dreams and hopes couldn't come to anything without money and organisation and there wouldn't be money or organisation without the BCCMA and TCUGB.
A few years ago, when, for the first time, I attended one of the BOMAT events, I heard someone remark about the ticket price and complain about how much money the organiser was likely to make.
I told the young gentleman in question what the reality of running a tournament was. Firstly, hire of premises; for a tournament lasting 10 hours and many take longer than this at say £20 per hour - which for a major tournament is a gross understatement, it would cost £200 for hall hire. For advertising and posters perhaps another £300. For trophies about £300. For postage stationery and equipment another £100. For St John Ambulance and other assistance in running the tournament another £100. For refreshments for tournament officials and guests another £100.
In other words our unscrupulous promoter has to part with well over £1000 to hold a medium sized tournament. If tickets and entry fees are priced at say £5 each, he'd have to have well over 200 entries/ spectators before he could be sure of breaking even, never mind making a profit.
I also told the aforesaid young gentleman that if, instead of organising, training students for, travelling to and from and officiating at tournaments, I spent the same amount of time teaching commercially I 'd make an even vaster fortune than the one I've already acquired.
The fact is that I want my students to be the best they can be. You can call that altruism or pride, ambition or benevolence, anyway it's how I feel.
I once heard another instructor say how he didn't think that professional instructors should be in positions of authority in martial arts as they were too commercial.
Sure we're commercial, but that just makes us more realistic and more efficient with our time, effort and money also it doesn't mean that we don't care. Yes, and I know that's a double negative.
Finally, I'd like to encourage more instructors to join organisations such as the BCCMA and TCUGB. If anyone wants more information on these organisations they can either contact them direct or through me, membership will only cost a little time - oh yeah, and some money.