Martial Arts Wisdom They Don't Tell You - Insert Proverb Here

tellner

tellner

Senior Master
Joined
Nov 18, 2005
Messages
4,379
Reaction score
240
Location
Orygun
There's a lot of hoary wisdom in the MA. We have dojo kun, myths, pithy sayings and all the rest.

What are some of the important ones they don't tell you?

Here is a couple:

  • Never spar with a guy whose girlfriend is watching class for the first time
  • If you say "That would never work" be prepared to live out the proverb "Those who will not hear must feel"
  • If you get up off the floor afterwards and say "I wasn't ready" or my favorite "You can't do that, that's not fair!" be prepared for the ritual response "Wanna see it again?" followed by a more painful lesson. By the bye, Silat players just live for the words "That's not fair!" I'm not sure whether the deep reverent bow or the cackling laughter is more disconcerting...
  • Your martial arts are only as good as your legs (yes, there are exceptions. it's still mostly true)
  • Move less, see more
  • Practice fast, learn slow. Practice slow, learn fast
  • Beware of little old men and women who smile a lot. The old wolf probably has one more tooth than you think
  • The way to learn is to lose a lot
  • Sooner or later you lose your speed, you lose your strength and everyone learns your tricks. Then you find out if you're any damned good or not
  • The one who wins the fight isn't always the one who is willing to hurt the other guy more. Often it's the one who is willing to get hurt more.
  • If a martial arts school isn't near a good Asian restaurant its chances of survival are slight.
  • The knife fight scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the best single five minutes of martial arts and practical survival instruction on film.
  • Someone who is pissed off will hurt you. Someone who is scared and believes his back is to the wall will kill you.
 
My fave funny saying...

"If at first you don't succeed, fix your aim"


One my training partner and I say often...

"It's a good kind of pain"


And one from my old HS trainer that I remember to this day...

"THere is a difference between loss and defeat. You may lose a race, lose a match, lose a contest, or lose a challenge but you won't truly be defeated unless you give up."
 
I remember one.."Say you can and saying you can't, both statements are true and will govern your future"...
 
One from Murphy's Laws of Modern Warfare: If your enemy is in range, so are you.
 
"there is such a thing as under-kill, no such thing as overkill"

"opossum isn't dead 'til you scrape it off the road"

"don't stop hitting until there's nothing left to hit"

"if he's standing, kick him in the head, if he's crouching, knee him in the head, if he's lying on the ground, stomp on his head"

"it might not hurt now but you'll feel it in the morning"
 
The three most useless words: "Are you okay?"

Followed by the two most useless words: "I'm sorry."

Other choice phrases/concepts:

"I didn't mean to hit him that hard - he walked into it."
"Sure, I can do the splits - watch!" (insert sound of muscles/ligaments ripping)
"Boards don't hit back" (maybe not - but they can win)
"My (sibling/friend/cousin/etc.) showed me this" (followed by someone getting hurt)
"Yeah? What happens if I do this?" (followed by a demonstration... "what if" is a game that should really be avoided!)
 
Kacey said:
The three most useless words: "Are you okay?"

Followed by the two most useless words: "I'm sorry."

Other choice phrases/concepts:

"I didn't mean to hit him that hard - he walked into it."
"Sure, I can do the splits - watch!" (insert sound of muscles/ligaments ripping)
"Boards don't hit back" (maybe not - but they can win)
"My (sibling/friend/cousin/etc.) showed me this" (followed by someone getting hurt)
"Yeah? What happens if I do this?" (followed by a demonstration... "what if" is a game that should really be avoided!)
Click to expand...

Great memories Kacey..I heard them all in the club I bounced at..Now add alcohol to the mix and it gets REALLY interesting...
 
I remember my old Karate instructor telling us:
"The good instructor sets you on a path, then does his darnedest to knock you off."

From Royce Gracie:
"Your belt only covers two inches of your ***, it's your job to protect the rest."

In reference to belt promotions in BJJ:
"You don't chase belts in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, they chase you."
 
If it looks stupid, but works. Then its not so stupid.

The reason Americans call it fast food is because it speeds them on the way to the grave.

I can say rat droppings, but it does not mean I wish to eat them.

Worrying is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do, but it won't take you anywhere.

The bigger they are, the more bones they break.

Daniel: "Can you do that?"
Miyagi: "Don't know, never been attacked by tree."
 
"You don't rise to the level of the situatation, you sink to the level of your training"

"No battle plan ever survives first contact"
 
Your other left.

There's no money on the floor so look up.

What's the most important move --- yes that's right the FIRST one (but we have plan B just in case).

You might want to try breathing, it will keep you alive.

Train as if your life depends on it, because it might be your life or someone you deeply care about.

Better to cry in the dojo so you can laugh in the streets.

Be careful when you say............"That won't work in the real world."

Pain is an excellent teacher.

Because someone is meek does not mean they they are weak.

Yes there is a master and I am not him - Ed Parker
 
There is always someone bigger, meaner, faster, hits harder and more skilled then you.

Never under estimate the person infront of you.
 
  • Never spar with a guy whose girlfriend is watching class for the first time
Trust me on this one. :(

  • Sooner or later you lose your speed, you lose your strength and everyone learns your tricks. Then you find out if you're any damned good or not
Nobody who is twenty believes it. Anyone who is forty knows it :)
  • The one who wins the fight isn't always the one who is willing to hurt the other guy more. Often it's the one who is willing to get hurt more.
Advice from my Sheik who learned it the hard way.

  • Someone who is pissed off will hurt you. Someone who is scared and believes his back is to the wall will kill you.
This is one of the reasons I absolutely hate it when cops put the boot or the baton into someone who's already down, subdued and giving submission signals. And yes, to all the officers out there, you know it happens. You may not have done it, but you've seen it and said nothing a few times because it's "street justice" or it was a good cop who just got too excited. What it means is that the next time the guy won't go easily. He'll (rightly) believe that if he gives up he'll just get hurt worse. So he'll try very hard to take a piece out of the next officer who tries to arrest him. After all, he has nothing to lose. Down at the pointy end it's "Comply or die" when you come to the unfriendly attention of the Law. That's cool. That's why it's the Law. But "Comply then die" does nobody any good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Question Time

Previous Thread

instructing the blind

Next Thread

Similar threads

Gweilo
Martial arts sayings or proverbs
2
Replies
31
Views
3K
Danny T
Danny T
Kung Fu Wang
Why most martial arts don't work in self defense.
8 9 10
Replies
185
Views
16K
drop bear
drop bear
DeLamar.J
Why I enjoy martial arts
Replies
6
Views
1K
Jenna
Jenna
Anarax
Martial Arts Aren't Magic
4 5 6
Replies
100
Views
15K
Buka
Buka
T
Martial Arts and confidence
Replies
13
Views
1K
Tony
T

Latest Discussions

Back
Top