“They were taught to box, to wrestle, to throw the discus, and to hurl the spear. Military training was important for them, since all might be called to fight for the safety of their city.
Boys and young men were trained as runners, wrestlers, and boxers, not only because they enjoyed these exercises; but also that they might bring back honors and prizes to their city from the great games which all the Greeks held every few years.”
Introductory American History published 1912 by Henry Eldridge Bourne
Active clubs are not lighting a new flame, they are rekindling an ancient one. Traditions which come to us from the very beginning of European civilization. A culture of competition and trial that exists to cultivate men who are able and prepared to defend their people.
Without a fighting spirit a people is doomed. That is why these clubs and competitions matter. With a will to fight anything is possible, without one, nothing is.