Everyone's Experiences: Misconceptions

[LeiYunFat]

I'd like to begin this thread in order to gain a little insight in any of your experiences. As the title suggests, I implore you all about some misconceptions you've run into in your days practicing martial arts.

See, I'm in the middle of some informative speech unit in my speech 101 class, and the only topic that really wets my whistle is martial arts. Since I'd like to address some misconceptions, but don't want to put my bias into the speech, how's about you guys putting down some experiences you've had with the less informed? Plus, it's a great premise for a thread. Heh.

Have fun with it and thanks in advance

[LeiYunFat]

Okay, it's my personal experience that a popular misconception is thinking martial arts makes you invincible. I even thought that when I started. It's why I started. To quote Mike Evans' sifu, "There is no deadly style. Only a deadly practitioner." This highlights yet another misconception of ability, something I was also guilty of thinking. This was that a supreme style or technique would always be effective against anything. Once I leared 4 or 5 moves in one day, I thought I was unstoppable.

Hmmm...well misconceptions of ability seem to be most prevalent. Anyone else have anything to add?

[plumflower_pm]

Most of my personal experience with misconception stems from my being a woman in MA. There are lots of misconceptions on both sides of that coin, but it doesn't seem like that will be useful to you for this thread...

One universal misconception I've come across is that people believe that practicing MA makes you more agressive. More prone to fighting. Of course those of us who train know that in the long run, it does exactly the opposite.

There's that early period, with almost everyone who is new to MA, when you definitely hype up and want to hit stuff , but after that blows over ( after you get your clock cleaned a few dozen times), just about everyone mellows out.

[LeiYunFat]

Thanks, PM. Much obliged. But even though I needed input for my speech (but not anyore, thanks to teh plum), it shouldn't stop others from posting in here. Come on, I know you want to.

[zachsan]

Of course those of us who train know that in the long run, it does exactly the opposite.

actually i was going to point out the opposite misconception, that MA training will turn a violent person into a peaceful one. or, for that matter, turn an undisciplined kid with bad grades into an organized overachiever. although i'm not sure if that should go under the category of "misconception" or "false advertising".

i think it's true that your average adult can get a lot out of MA, just like any challenging physical activity, emotionally and even philosophically. but the claims made by schools that their training will turn your kid into a respectful and disciplined little angel with great grades are just absolute bullshit. i was involved in martial arts for years both in elementary school and high school, and i don't think any of those adjectives were ever used to describe me.

[plumflower_pm]

actually i was going to point out the opposite misconception, that MA training will turn a violent person into a peaceful one.

you're confusing Martial arts with Paxil. I just have observed that over time, people tend to mellow out in regard to training. They start off very hyper, beginning sparrers are either super timid or super aggro. That said, people who are truly agressive and spastic in life tend to stay that way regardless of what they do extracurricularly.

that's a big word there... extracurricularly.


The "little tigers" type programs are IMHO very very preachy. The bulk of those programs is not about training, but about instilling "life values" in other people's kids. Modern parents don't seem to want to take the responsibility for instilling values and they look to outside places to fix thier kids for them. Enter the great american institution of CrapKwonDo. I, for one, do not want some two-year black belt teaching my child how to succeed.

[zachsan]

exactly. i'm not very aggressive (when sober at least), and never really was in day to day life, but when sparring at first was a totally different story. they made me spar only black belts because i would hurt the other kids. eventually i calmed the sparring down a bit in favor of actually learning something. but that was a change that was exclusive to the training. in the Real World, i went from being a nonaggressive miscreant to being a nonaggressive miscreant with a little MA experience. not much difference.