Things martial artists for the 'ordinary' folk find odd

[OneKickWonder]

Because most of my posts are a bit too serious, I thought I'd share some musings about things we as martial artists do that ordinary folk find strange.

Here goes.

1. Getting caught fighting invisible people in the office toilets. The toilets ( rest room to our American friends? ) are typically quiet, reasonably spacious, and often have lots of mirrors. This makes them great places for a bit of practice. It's quite difficult to look nonchalant when a colleague suddenly walks in just as your outstretched leg reaches the peak of its trajectory a couple of feet or so in front of your head.

2. Opening a door with your foot when your hands are occupied with 2 mugs of tea. Someone sees you approaching the door and jumps up saying I'll get the door for you, but too late, before your 'normality filter' has chance to do its job, you're already balancing on one foot while gently pushing down the door handle with the other.

3. Randomly engaging your best mate in combat and he's already on the floor before you realise that people around you might think you're really attacking. What they saw was some psycho randomly throw a fellow human being to the floor. No amount of light laughter and jovialty will stop nearby parents from quickly ushering their kids away while looking at you suspiciously.

Any more?

[Fat Cobra]

Because most of my posts are a bit too serious, I thought I'd share some musings about things we as martial artists do that ordinary folk find strange.

Here goes.

1. Getting caught fighting invisible people in the office toilets. The toilets ( rest room to our American friends? ) are typically quiet, reasonably spacious, and often have lots of mirrors. This makes them great places for a bit of practice. It's quite difficult to look nonchalant when a colleague suddenly walks in just as your outstretched leg reaches the peak of its trajectory a couple of feet or so in front of your head.

2. Opening a door with your foot when your hands are occupied with 2 mugs of tea. Someone sees you approaching the door and jumps up saying I'll get the door for you, but too late, before your 'normality filter' has chance to do its job, you're already balancing on one foot while gently pushing down the door handle with the other.

3. Randomly engaging your best mate in combat and he's already on the floor before you realise that people around you might think you're really attacking. What they saw was some psycho randomly throw a fellow human being to the floor. No amount of light laughter and jovialty will stop nearby parents from quickly ushering their kids away while looking at you suspiciously.

Any more?

Ha! I like #3...I do that all the time!

[LLLEARNER]

I am not in public very often outside of work or school for people to see what I do.

[bushido_man96]

Closing that high cupboard with a hook kick....

Flipping light switches with a front kick....

Nope, never done anything like that before.

[Alan Armstrong]

Stretching and limbering up movements everywhere any time usually all the time, my wife tells me that I stretch in my sleep.

I open and close doors with joint locks and Aikido technique.

Manuver around people on the street as not to give them my blind side.

Park benches for me are just another type of exercise equipment.

Elevators are a good place to practice katas and punching combinations or routines, when alone of course caught on camera I suppose.

[conrad665]

Closing that high cupboard with a hook kick....

Flipping light switches with a front kick....

Nope, never done anything like that before.

Me neither, I don't use my bokken, either, to do such things

Using nekoashi dachi or zenkutsu dachi to go to the kitchen or the bathroom,

Shouting 'Ossu!!!' in a roll-call during class! Fortunately it happened only once (maybe I am too old for roll-calls now ). And saying 'ossu' instead of 'yes'. I feel embarrassed each time, but it just comes out

Edited December 20, 2018 by conrad665

[mushybees]

Bowing as I stepped over the threshold in to my boss' office. He was mercifully preoccupied at the time and didn't see it.

[Alan Armstrong]

Yes martial artists do things differently that ordinary folk would find odd!