The practice of martial arts is, of course, a very serious pursuit.

At the same time, sometimes some very funny things can happen during practice. The fact that we're all trying to be serious can make these things even funnier.

Do you have a funny story from practice? I'd love to hear it.

I'll start.

Once, long ago, a senior black belt from our national organization was in our area and decided to visit. He was there on business, and didn't even bring a karate gi. My instructor gave him a brand new gi to wear to practice, complete with a new white belt.

At the beginning of class, the visitor sat in the senior position in the lineup and was introduced as a senior Sandan (third-degree black belt). Our instructor told us he was only wearing a white belt because he didn't bring his gi.

About 10 minutes into the class, a brown belt arrived to class late. This brown belt was a bit of an arrogant guy, had never met the senior visitor, and assumed he was a new white belt. (He should have known from his kicks and punches that this guy was no beginner, but he was somehow blind to it. All he saw was that new, stiff white belt)

During basics, he immediately began "correcting" the visitor's techniques.

The visiting senior, who was tough and serious in practice and also funny and a bit of a prankster outside of practice, went along with this, accepting brown belt's "corrections" very sincerely, as if it were his first day at practice.

When it came time for sparring, the two men were at opposite ends of the gym. My instructor, while explaining the sparring exercise, took the brown belt by the sleeve and guided him to a position in line directly across from the visiting senior!

We were all "in on the joke," and knew what was going to happen next. The senior, a bulldog of a man who was very fast, graciously accepted the brown belt's orders to attack first in a structured exercise called "ippon kumite."

The brown belt immediately learned his lesson, and could barely exhale the words "Good punch, white belt!" after the punch landed, middle level, with a thud, just enough to be a lesson.

And, of course, when he said, "Good punch, white belt," we could hardly keep from laughing.

The two men were properly introduced after class, and the chagrinned brown belt was never late for class again.

"Leave your ego at the door" comes to mind here....

"Leave your ego at the door" comes to mind here....

...and if you can't leave your ego at the door, leave yourself at the door.

I remember one. It was when I was in TKD and preparing for my first tournament. I was a green belt and was entering the weapons competition. I was doing my Nunchucks form in front of the class, and instead of going to between my legs I hit myself right in the crotch. No cup either. People were both laughing and worried that I was injured. It wasn't as bad as it looked, but for a moment there I turned Nunchucks into Nutchucks.

I visited a Dojo once as I was travelling for work, and this particular dojo has a rule. If your late You can train, but you have to wear a "Barbie" Gi the next class. But if you actually liked "Barbie" then the sensei gave you something you didn't like.

And he seriously had 20-30 Gi (all in our standard sizes) of different "costumes".