You Know You've Been In the Martial Arts Too Long When...

[Ping898]

One for the kenpo folkdom -

When you steer your car with your knees after the light turns green to finish finger set!

Donna :ultracool

LOL...I've done this. Though found it harder to do once I got a stick shift.

Of course can't forget when you only take vacations based upon when the school is closed.

And when you scheduele any personal appointments during your work hours so you won't be late for class at night.

When the choice is between paying your electric bill and your tuition for the month you decide having no lights will be a good way to practice the awareness you have with your other senses besides sight.

 

[The Kai]

How about when you own more Karate Gi's then blue jeans?

Or you convince yourself that a Gi is really fashionable and cool looking?

 

[Lisa]

Or you convince yourself that a Gi is really fashionable and cool looking?

There is one guy at our school that goes out after class in his gi pants... he thinks the ladies will think him rather cool cause he does martial arts

 

[The Kai]

I only wear my Gi at karate events (I think that people who walk around with thier gi's on, uncool - alocal McDojo actually encourages thier people to walk around Gi'd up)

How about you've been around to long when you refuse to even think about wearing one of your Karate Uniforms as a halloween costume, on the grounds that you gotta respect the effort and the threads

 

[punisher73]

I'm guilty of that last one, except someone asked to "borrow" my gi and belt and I felt insulted.

I don't know if this one has been mentioned. I'm guilty of this one...opening doors using a spearhand or knifehand, and then the kicker when you get close enough walking by it throw in a little elbow to if it's still in distance.

 

[Eldritch Knight]

Just one for the sword folk,

"When you practice chiburi after rinsing off kitchen knives(preferably the largest one you have"

Yes!! I do it with wet umbrellas too.

I also pull doors open using monkey grip from a bow stance and push them open using single whip (for you kung fu/tai chi folks out there)

 

[MichiganTKD]

1. You find yourself answering Yes or No questions in the language of the art you study.
2. You find yourself counting the same way.
3. You hold doors open with spearhands and one finger thrusts to better condition your hands.
4. Someone is talking to you and you're thinking: From this position I could do these kicks.
5. You instinctively maintain distance from people.
6. You bide your time waiting for your wife to come out of the dressing room by turning the wall into a punching board.
7. When it's time to go out to eat, you automatically want Chinese/Korean food.
8. You have to physically resist the urge to throw in free fighting steps while walking.
9. You find yourself practicing kicking techniques while walking the dog, which freaks the dog out because it thinks it's being attacked.

Have used hanging objects to practice jumping techniques; I agree-uniforms should never be worn outside official MA events. Aside from being tacky, it almost invites a challenge.

 

[bluemtn]

- Bowing before entering and exiting a room other than dojo (I resisted urge to, but b.f. has done it).
-Standing in ready position (kuman- cha or other- not sure about spelling)- definitely guilty of. My feet and hands automatically go to position now.
-Practices blocks while driving (guilty)

New things:
-Bows back at bowing people on movie screen (guilty)
-Bows at instructor outside of class/ demo (came close).
-Bows at people in general after class (not guilty of, but almost did once)
-Bring belt in to eat in a restaurant (done it, even though I wasn't wearing uniform)

 

[bluemtn]

Oh, almost forgot:


Punching or kicking (or both) a swinging door open.
Drawing what your forms look like (pattern) on a piece of paper.

 

[Ceicei]

you are at a large park and cannot resist doing forms in the wide, open space.

you're doing laundry, your gi is the first to be washed.

 

[Ceicei]

(oops, double post)

 

[blackbeltedbeauty]

:jedi1: When you start looking for everything in martial arts ex: Christmas ornaments, rings, socks, shirts, EVERYTHING. LOL *guilty*

When you start to write Bruce Lee and martial art poems *guilty* :jedi1:

 

[Xequat]

when you're sitting in school or the office daydreaming not about the hottie two seats over or what you'd do with a million dollars, but instead, you daydream about how you'd kick butt if some maniac busted into your area and started demanding money or something.


or, when you go to pick out a broom, mop, shovel, etc., and check its balance before purchasing because you might need to practice with it or swing it at someone sometime.

 

[dubljay]

when you're sitting in school or the office daydreaming not about the hottie two seats over or what you'd do with a million dollars, but instead, you daydream about how you'd kick butt if some maniac busted into your area and started demanding money or something.


or, when you go to pick out a broom, mop, shovel, etc., and check its balance before purchasing because you might need to practice with it or swing it at someone sometime.

LMAO... i would never do anything like that

 

[Tkang_TKD]

I've become quite fond of bowing when stepping up/down a curb.

 

[Chronuss]

Can anyone add to these:
* you say to the salesman in the store, "Nice pants, but I don't thinkI can kick in them."

...I make sure I can get my leg up in every pair of jeans I buy...prolly why I'm so picky when it comes to jeans...also guilty of wearing gi pants in public...I've worm them to classes before..

 

[MichiganTKD]

You know you've been practicing martial arts too long when you find yourself speaking English but using Korean/Japanese/Chinese syntax. Very easy to do after conversing with your Master or Grandmaster.

 

[shesulsa]

...you get up in the morning and just get dressed in your uniform pants and club t-shirt cuz...you're just gonna work out sometime that day anyway.

...you'd rather get a really good knife, sword or firearm as a christmas present than a pair of diamond earrings.

...you approach women in the parking lot who stand there with their car door open and their back to the world while they fiddle with their purses or CD players or whatever, and say, "excuse me, but could I give you a little unsolicited advice on women's self-defense?"

...as soon as you drop off your child at kindergarten, you drive to the new dojo in town to check it out.

...you have more uniforms than underwear.

...your family has more uniforms than underwear.

...your cat has more uniforms than produces hairballs.

...you inadvertently bow when you enter the doctor's office.

...everytime your doctor sees you, he always asks, "bust another knee yet?"

...you get a thank-you card from your knee surgeon for all the referrals.

...you get frequent-flyer miles at the local physical therapist/massage therapist/chiropractor.

...wherever you go, someone always asks, "who's wearing the Tiger Balm?"

...you can walk into a gym and, to you, it smells good.

 

[kroh]

:idunno: You look at the Martial Arts catalog that you ordered before the Victoria's Secrets catalog that you didn't .

:asian: You are sitting at a chinese resteraunt and eating with chopsticks and the Aisian people sitting next to you are using forks.

You look at the incredibly cute girl sitting next to you at the cafe and thinking... Man I bet she would look good in a school uniform...

WalT

 

[The Kai]

How about getting caught in a Big ole' back stance with a broom, shovel or rake held behind the back of one arm (ala' bruce lee) by friend or neighbor

Can quote Bruce Leeroy (extra points if you know the song)

Sit down ay a resturant and idly noting the exits

Aware of your back while at a Festival, bar or party

Washed a Uniform by hand?

Dry Cleaned a Uniform

Think of joining a bar vollyball league for cross training

Go biking with a gal, again for the cross training

Explain the patch/crest of your school to someone

Todd