Most of my friends don’t do martial arts, and they know I do and am serious about them. They know I watch mixed martial arts, and I’ve tried to get them interested in it too, but they haven’t shown too much excitement about it. One guy said “this is even more boring than boxing.” Ugh.
However, they know I do martial arts, and as a result, they seem to have this idealized, incincible shaolin master ninja killer image of me. I offer to show them a few moves, and they’re all afraid I’m going rip their kidneys out and sell’em in south america. I try to explain to them that I’ve only been doing martial arts for around a year and a half, and that I don’t actually have that much live sparring experience, but they don’t understand these things.
Does this happen to anyone else? I guess it’s vaguely flattering, but it’s just strange, to me.
More frustrating are the ones who think BJJ is the end all be all. I blame NHB for that (most of my friends are avid fans). When I point out the amatuer competitions of been in, they all say it’s a fluke. :eek:
On the other hand, none of 'em will spar with me, 'cause they’re afraid I’ll rip out thier kidneys!
I guess it all balances out. Who trains for other’s recognition anyway? I do it 'cause I’m a FIGHTER. My work and leisure persuits are all geared toward resolving physical conflicts. It actually might work to my advantage if some moron thought “that Kung Fu guy can’t hurt me”. Oh, I’d have soooo much fun with that guy!
“Master, here is a stick. Please beat me for my insolence.” - KC Elbows
Years ago when friends asked me to show them something, I would show them how I would block their punch and counter. They say, “cool†but “what if I do this, or that, etc…â€
Now I just ask them to grab my arm and do a Chin Na on them. Once is enough. Then they think I am some Martial Arts expert and worry when I come within striking range.
What’s unfortunate is I love doing Chin Na and it’s hard to find people to practice with.
Godzilla
PS. Last night went out with wifey’s friends for dinner. This guy asked me to escape from a rear bear hug. I willingly turned my back and lifted my arms. He tightly wrapped his arms around my midsection and lifted me a bit. I gingerly located the pressure point between his thumb and forefinger (not in the center of webbing, but in the webbing ON TOP of the forefinger bone). He quickly let go of course. His hand still tingling as he shook it out, he said but what about a headlock? I graciously bent as he locked my head. I lovingly reached between his legs from behind and pinched the flab of his inner thigh about an inch below his balls. Ha, ha!
Like gary’s students that think he can do tai chi even though he disregards rooting, a strong base, a powerfull waist and the seven stars. Look at your pics Gary, does it really look like your suspended from above by a thread? Do you really think that tai chi applications are based on where the hands are in the “kata”.
Who is that body building guy on your site? Was that you? Did you do steroids? Whats up?
I’m down with the pressure pionts, the chin na and the effectiveness of tai chi, but not without a good base and the seven stars, not even to mention the six harmonies and don’t get me started on yin and yang.
Your very good for what you were dealt. More of Erles creative interpretation of Tai Chi Chuan.
bah happens to me all the time. And i always tell them “guys i suck, i just like it, i have fun so it’s just like any other sport”. Now it’s gotten even worse because 3 of my friends decided starting going to JJJ class and now they think i know everything, last night f.x. there was a party, they were drinking i wasnt and they talked to me all night about how i would handle some situation and what i could and could not do.
gary, I hope those are very public applications. You have quick hands, but not fast and use the flurry to assess where the oppennet is. WHere exactly is the yielding? Well I sure as hell won’t take classes from you. You at least move as a single unit, your partners don’t move their hips though. Strange. I did learn something about showmanship though. Suppose your oppenents didn’t give up after being bumbed out of trajectory. Then what? A fast flury and a bump makes an expert. Note to self. Lose weight and go full speed on students, they will think I’m good.
Nobody believes I can fight, because I’m too much of a nice guy. I’m not inclined to stomp someone to prove the point. The only person who thinks I can fight is my friend who intro’d me to internal arts, and my wife, because they are the few people who know me well enough to realize what lies beneath…
What’s up with all the one sided posts against gary? Not to defend, I just don’t see his posts.
I had a guy that I use to work with (he quit) return one day and hit me. He was just joking around and all and punched me in the shoulder. I simply turned around and raised my hand and he just turn and ran off. Pretty funny because he thought I was going to do some flying spinning kick or some other Jet Li/Matrix stuff on him (all I was gonna do was act like I was going to hit him.) One of the guys watching started laughing.
I also showed this lady the other night (I am a cashier, but I was taking her order to her car) a move to break a persons arm. She gave me a cash tip too. Hehe.
As we were walking out the store she said “Don’t worry. If someone tries to attack you, I got pepper spray.” My store is in a very rich neighborhood and I walk outside all the time in the dark (sometimes around midnight). A very well lit parking lot, and I don’t fear being attacked. And I said “thats ok. I know Kung Fu.” and she said “Really?” and I said “no. I actually know Tae Kwon Do and some JuJutsu.” and she said “oh, I don’t know the difference.” Then we went into the parking lot and I showed her the move, then she gave me a tip. Rather funny too, all the cashiers were laughing.
When i’m with my friends they tell everybody i do kung fu, and say that i could take on 10 guys at the same time without being touched, i try to explain that nobody could take on 10 guys, and i would get my ass kicked, but they just don’t get it. I guess i never should of showed them some moves. Perhaps they would never have thought this way.
Now they expect me to help them if someone is picking on them, naturally i would if they never did anything to start it, but i told them if they start it, they finish it
The first time i told i fried i was going to kung fu class he asked me if i walked on walls (like in the Matrix).
“You will never need to feel weak, helpless, indecisive, not fascinating or ashamed of your genital dimensions. GOOD-BYE Humiliation. Bullies, Karate Experts, Boxing Champions, traffic wardens will melt to pulp as you master every situation.”
Master Deltoo http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Stadium/2477/
Here’s the usual process of events when I tell some bad-ass punk about my MAs.
“I could kick your ass.”
Bad-ass tries a move on me.
Bad-ass doesn’t bother me anymore.
“Damned be the day that befalls us in a most hostile manner that shall compromise our Country, and damned be the great lengths at which are required of to stir our Patriotism.” - Anonymous
I usually don’t tell anyone who i haven’t known for a long time that i study kung fu cuz with the
fools around my knew they would try to test me
by fighting me. and I’m still a beginer but i am a
good fighter so i wouldn’t be going be using kung
fu just my good old street fighting abilities that i have from years of fighting
I find that the best way for me to smooth out that kind of attention is to make jokes about martial arts and chat about it as if it were completely mundane..just something that’s fun to do.
But I don’t avoid the subject because, hey, I love to talk about martial arts!
I have both sides of it. All of my friends are fighters, so some of them think I cant do anything to them, and some think I could mess them up no matter what. That is of course until we go out and get in a huge fight in the city, then they understand the protocal of Kung Fu.
People just dont understand that th outcome to a fight is determined in a split second, even if your well trained, you have good days and bad days.You just hope that you have more good than bad:P
