Originally Posted by Nothingness

I am sad to see how such good arts often degrade into a dancing form. The more popular the system is, the more are the practicioners. However, the chart of skill versus quantity is not linear; it drops sharply. On the other hand, people tend to use a binomial labeling for a style. For an example, "he is a Wing Chun" and not using "he is a Wing Chun of x level." Not to say labeling the skill is easy, anyway. This is a degradation as a result of popularity.

There is also a degradation because of secrecy: The teacher thinks that the art is too "deadly" or whatever to be given to the students. Hence, the skills fade off and untested again.