Surprising martial art practitioners

[seikokaistudent]

I thought it would be cool to have a thread where people could post stories about people they have met that are unusual martial artists, for a couple examples:

I have gone to the same barber for 6 years, and we talk about the same thing every time I go there, school, work and sports. But last week I was wearing a shirt with my dojo's logo on it, he asked me about it and after some conversation I found out that he was practiced Chinese martial arts, a tiger stylist to be specific, I never would have expected that my quiet Caucasian middle age barber practiced tiger style kung fu, after more talking I found out that he actually learned in China while he was an exchange student there. Another example is my 60 year old neighbor, whose wife passed away 4 years ago. I noticed two him having an argument with the sketchy guys that are always hanging around the park on my block, I was about to intervene when I saw him take one of them down with something that looked like a sweep, and hit the other guy with a full force punch to the chest. After the encounter I asked him about it and it turned out that he spent many years in law enforcement, and he called his style "George Fu" which he told me he picked up after years of dealing with rowdy convicts and street thugs, after talking to him more it seemed to me that his style was Defendo mixed with American boxing and street fighting. So that leads me to the question, have you met any people who surprised you by being martial artists or fighters that you never would have expected to be?

[evergrey]

Once, a couple months shy of 3 years ago, I met this small middle aged white guy. He acted pretty meek, and seemed really harmless. He was the same height as me- a little under 5'3" tall.

Turns out he is a Kyokushin instructor, and has been training since a couple years before I was even born. When I was a toddler, he was winning full contact tournaments.

Now he's MY Sensei, haha! OSU!

[Harkon72]

My wife is the most amazing martial artist I have met. Nobody that knows her would ever guess that she is a karateka; she is a quiet, gentle person, softly spoken 5' 2". But once she puts on her gi she kiais with the best of them, and her peers in the class need to be brave to hold a kick shield for her at times. I love her and think she is AMAZING!

[Wastelander]

People are generally surprised to find out that I train in martial arts--I'm rather shy, friendly and polite, combined with being rather lanky and a nerd, and most people don't seem to associate those traits with martial arts.

I discovered that a guy at work who is in my department (but in California) and is an aspiring actor trains in some form of bare knuckle kickboxing. He and I haven't had a chance to really sit down and discuss it, but it definitely surprised me. Also, now everyone wants to see us spar

[JusticeZero]

'I'm teaching a martial arts class, want to try it out?'

'You? Teaching a martial arts class? You don't seem like someone who does martial arts.'

'I've been doing them for years, ail sorts of interesting things to iearn in it.'

'Well, okay. What art are you teaching?'

'Capoeira.'

'...OK, now I know you're pulling my leg.'

[DWx]

There's this caretaker at the school we train at once a week. Really friendly guy but he's also your typical biker: bandanna wearing, tattoos, leather jacket etc. and rides this massive noisy bike. He's also a black sash in Wing Chun and trained for something like 30 years before giving up due to health reasons.

Also the headteacher at the local primary school does some form of Karate.

[bushido_man96]

I had a student in his late '60s early '70s, who got up to yellow belt in TKD. But, he was a professional Boxer in the '40s and '50s, if I remember right. He was working his way up to fight Sugar Ray Robinson, but he had to go home and give it up.

I've still not met anyone who could punch like him.

[ninjanurse]

Years ago my husband and I began teaching Karate after school at a Catholic School. One of the Brothers would come and watch class-stand in the back and observe. One day my husband approached him and asked if he was interested in martial arts to which he replied "Yes, I have been a student of the arts for a while". My husband then replied "Great! Would you like to help out?" The answer was yes and the rest is history-turns out he was a Judan in Ju Jitsu and we became students of his...my husband, now a Professor of Ju Jitsu, teaches his system at our school.

[sensei8]

Great topic seikokaistudent!! Great stories thus far; I've enjoyed them all!!

[ShoriKid]

My first instructor, Sensei Mason, was a white haired banker starting to build a little bit of a paunch. You wouldn't think he could bench press half his body weight if you strapped him down and put a gun to his head. But, I've seen him put men half his age who were in top shape shoulder blades first onto the deck with a punch. He was strict in his critique of kata and techniques and loved to fight. Showed up to the dojo ever night dragging his tie off and kicking dress shoes off behind the desk.