Your embarrassing moments in the martial arts

[bluekey88]

The story I'm about to tell got me to thinking...and since I don't want to feel like an utter ass all by myself..I'm hoping others can share. :D

Anyway, whilst relaxing and watching some TV yesterday evening, my kids came and asked for some help with their forms (they are both getting ready for a competition Saturday). So, being a good Dad and coach I wacthed their forms and gave them some pointers. Towards the end, my seven year old daughter started getting lazy with her kicks (she's crazy flexible and can easily kick over her head) and was throwing really weak low kicks. I called her on it and told her to chamber her knee and kick higher. She gave me that blank stare that indicated I'd either grown a second head or that my suggestion wasn't "computing."

So, I stand up and say..."Chamber yuour knee higher so you can kick higher...Like THIS!" I then whip our a moderately high front kick...good form, nice snap...not as high as I can throw, but I as hoping to make my point. However, my point was lost in the dreaded ripping sound of my jeans giving way....sssssccccrrrrrriiiiiiiiiippppp!! In executing my kick I'd succeeded in totally blowing the crotch out of my favorite pair of jeans. When you're working with a 13 and 7 year old...that's not exaclty the sort of thing from wich one recovers.

They were still giggling about it 2 hours later at bedtime. I can only hope they don't think this is an important part of the form :D

Anything like this happen to you? (I've got other stories....but I'll save 'em for later).

Peace,
Erik

[CoryKS]

Performed a technique in front of class for a track test last Tuesday. My pantleg got under my heel, and when I did a front thrust kick I found myself flat on my back staring at the ceiling.

[Drac]

Splitting my gi bottoms during my first belt exam..

[Laurentkd]

Splitting my gi bottoms during my first belt exam..


That must have been absolutely TERRIBLE!!!

[Lisa]

Double kick to a hanging bag.. I was wearing shoes, they "stuck" to the bag for a split second. I feel back on my ass. :o

Worse part was hearing the snicker and laughter coming from my instructor's desk across the room, I had soooo hoped he hadn't seen it. :lol2:

[Laurentkd]

Double kick to a hanging bag.. I was wearing shoes, they "stuck" to the bag for a split second. I feel back on my ass. :o

Worse part was hearing the snicker and laughter coming from my instructor's desk across the room, I had soooo hoped he hadn't seen it. :lol2:


I have found that your instructor ALWAYS manages to see these moments!!!

[exile]

Blanking on hyung movements when my instructor has us demonstrate them in order of rank. It's pretty hard on one's sense of self-worth, I can tell you!...:wah: I'd trade places with Bluekey, Lisa, Drac or anyone else who's merely torn pants or tipped over any day!

[Drac]

That must have been absolutely TERRIBLE!!!

You have NO idea..

[Jade Tigress]

Oh God, I really shouldn't post this but...I had a sinus infection and was given antibiotics. (This was just last week) Well, if you don't know, antibiotics screw with the digestive system, annnnd...let's just say training this week was a gas. heh

[Laurentkd]

Blanking on hyung movements when my instructor has us demonstrate them in order of rank. It's pretty hard on one's sense of self-worth, I can tell you!...:wah: I'd trade places with Bluekey, Lisa, Drac or anyone else who's merely torn pants or tipped over any day!

The first thing I thought of was messing up on something in front of my instructor and junior students (I am the most senior)... especially when I am supposed to be demonstrating something and looking impressive!
I was trying to just mentally block out those moments and think of something funny to post instead...

But, I wanted to make sure you knew you weren't alone my friend :)

[bushidomartialarts]

my very first day of class (lo so many years ago). at that school, class started with sparring. i end up with a black belt woman, about 3/4 my size.

being a longhaired redneck idjit, i was taking it easy on her. i mean, she's just a chick black belt or no, right?

she figured out what i was doing. kicked my lily irish butt across the deck and back again.

and then she told the instructor what i'd been doing. he made me work with her for the next hour.

she beat the high holy tar out of me for an hour and a half.

it was love at first sight.

[karatekid1975]

Laurentkd, you just reminded me of something I did just last night! Like you, I'm the most senior student. Last night, I was the only color belt. The rest were white belts. My instructor was explaining the side kick to them and why to do it correctly. I won't go into the big speach she made, but she said it makes the advanced kicks easier and technically better.

One of our advanced kicks is a flying side kick. So she told me to do a flying side kick. The first attempt ... well, didn't turn out so good. I totally missed the target and landed flat on my back. I turned as red (or redder) than my belt. Then she said, "Come on! I know you can do better!" She always makes fun of me like that LOL (that's because she's also a good friend of mine). The class just bursted into non-stop giggles. So, the second attempt was much better.

[Laurentkd]

Laurentkd, you just reminded me of something I did just last night! Like you, I'm the most senior student. Last night, I was the only color belt. The rest were white belts. My instructor was explaining the side kick to them and why to do it correctly. I won't go into the big speach she made, but she said it makes the advanced kicks easier and technically better.

One of our advanced kicks is a flying side kick. So she told me to do a flying side kick. The first attempt ... well, didn't turn out so good. I totally missed the target and landed flat on my back. I turned as red (or redder) than my belt. Then she said, "Come on! I know you can do better!" She always makes fun of me like that LOL (that's because she's also a good friend of mine). The class just bursted into non-stop giggles. So, the second attempt was much better.

I am glad you survived....although it probably won't be the last time it happens!!!

[exile]

The first thing I thought of was messing up on something in front of my instructor and junior students (I am the most senior)... especially when I am supposed to be demonstrating something and looking impressive!
I was trying to just mentally block out those moments and think of something funny to post instead...

But, I wanted to make sure you knew you weren't alone my friend :)

Thanks for the good thought, Lauren! It's always good to hear that... but coming from a very-soon-to-be 4th dan, it's particularly reassuring! :asian:

[Seeking Zen]

We have an open 2 hour Sunday class early Sunday mornings. I woke up late and scrambled to get out the door and to the Dojo. (Fortunately my Dojo is around the corner from our house). So... I get to class 1/2 late and we start self-defences. We line up with one person defending and everyone else taking a turn attacking. Well...apparently I should not try to defend myself or my dignity in the early morning....the first attacker runs up and does a throat grab...we have countless techniques for escape from a strangle hold one being grabbing the thumbs applying pressure while wrapping up, spinning and pushing the attacker away...(not my fav but anyway)....when I went execute it I grabbed the thumbs and spun myself backwards instead of the attacker and effectively performed the manoeuvre on myself. The instructors face was priceless...he looked so confused, which turned to beet red, then finally along with everyone else, burst into laughter. Thank God Sensei doesn't teach Sunday class.

[bookworm_cn317]

My most embarrassing moment would have to be screwing up on my Blue Belt test. Specifically the part where I started crying when I couldn't explain how to do a front stance.

[Kacey]

My most embarrassing moment would have to be screwing up on my Blue Belt test. Specifically the part where I started crying when I couldn't explain how to do a front stance.

I wouldn't let that throw you - one of my students (then 13) was asked to do something he hadn't been taught yet (the fault of the testing instructor), burst into tears (a 13 year old boy, mind you) and walked off the testing floor... but he came back and finished, and did a great job!

Let's see... what to choose... when I was testing for III Dan, I was doing a pattern that included a stamping motion - I turned my foot too far, stepped on the top of my foot (instead of the sole), twisted my ankle, fell down - looking like a total idiot) - then got back up and finished the pattern and the testing. My sahbum's wife (who is a nurse practitioner - a doctor of nursing) was watching (he was testing for VI Dan) and told me later than she thought I'd broken my ankle, it looked so bad... I didn't think it was that bad until someone showed me the video - so not only did I do it, but people kept showing it to me over and over, asking how I got back up... Just to add to my humiliation, since my sahbum was testing for VI Dan, there was a board of testing instructors - 5 of them, all VII Dans, and one was Choi Jung Hwa, the son of Gen. Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Ch'ang H'on TKD... so not only did I look like an absolute idiot, I did it in front of the president of the international ITF organization we belonged to at the time.

[morph4me]

I was teaching a kids class and at one point I threw a wide looping roundhouse punch at one of the more senior kids, open handed toward his shoulder so he wouldn't get hurt if I connected and at about 3/4 speed. He moved perfectly, by accident, and slammed me into the mat with a technique he hadn't been taught. Since he was so short I didn't have time to set up my fall and ended up laying on the mat, trying to breath. I was able to gasp " Very ...nice, ...go ....join ....that... group". The parents watching were hysterical as I laid there taking inventory of my body to make sure I could move and trying to breath. The story got around pretty quickly and I heard about it for weeks afterward.

[Xue Sheng]

Shaolin staff form.... outside...... during class..... others around.... not just students...... my ankle..... visit to the ER.... nough said

[bluekey88]

Wow, these are some great stories.

Here's another instant classic...

My son, Zack, was at comp team practice and they were apparently working on a new combo that day. He gets home about the same time I'm cooking dinner. I'm at the stove stirring some sauce when I here "Hey Dad, look what I learned!" I turn around in time to see my son throwing the most beautiful back thrust kick he's ever thrown....right into my groin.

I'm 6'2", about 230 lbs. My son was 12 at the time...maybe about 110 lbs. I went down like a sack of potatoes with nary a wimper (hurt too much to breathe). I evetually gasped out "good one son" from my fetal position on the kitchen floor. The look on his face was priceless. He was simultaneously afraid he'd broken me, and amazed that little 'ole him could do that to big 'ole me.

Peace,
Erik

[IcemanSK]

I don't have enough time or space to mention every time, but here's one. I was a 15 year old blue belt & brought my girlfriend to class for the 1st time. Trying to impress her with as high an axe kick as I could muster: next thing I see is the ceiling. (Feel flat on my back & banged my head on the floor). My Sabum never let me live it down.

[Kreth]

My instructor told me this story a long time ago. Back before getting involved in the Bujinkan, he and his son trained together in TKD and karate. They were at a competition, held in a gymnasium, and his son, who was 15 or 16 at the time, noticed a few girls his age checking him out during his warm-ups. Hoping to impress the ladies, he dropped into a full split. Unfortunately, he also whacked his "boys" on the unforgiving gym floor, and proceeded to curl up in the fetal position while his admirers giggled.

One of my own: I was uke for my instructor at a demo. We were demonstrating several techniques while wearing swords. At one point, my instructor performed a takedown with both of my arms tied up, and my sword got stuck under me, splitting the scabbard and bending the blade at nearly a 90 degree angle. Luckily, it was one of those cheap Asian World wallhangers.

[exile]

Wow, these are some great stories.

Here's another instant classic...

My son, Zack, was at comp team practice and they were apparently working on a new combo that day. He gets home about the same time I'm cooking dinner. I'm at the stove stirring some sauce when I here "Hey Dad, look what I learned!" I turn around in time to see my son throwing the most beautiful back thrust kick he's ever thrown....right into my groin.

I'm 6'2", about 230 lbs. My son was 12 at the time...maybe about 110 lbs. I went down like a sack of potatoes with nary a wimper (hurt too much to breathe). I evetually gasped out "good one son" from my fetal position on the kitchen floor. The look on his face was priceless. He was simultaneously afraid he'd broken me, and amazed that little 'ole him could do that to big 'ole me.

Peace,
Erik

Just goes to show what a good, hard, low back kick can do, eh? Now that's one you can call on in a real fight, if the perp is coming at you from behind and you can get a peripheral-vision bead on him... :EG:

[karatekid1975]

I am glad you survived....although it probably won't be the last time it happens!!!

Thanks. And no it won't, knowing me LOL

I have another one. I posted this sometime ago somewhere else on MT, but it is a funny story, so I'll share it again. It was sparring night. We started out with warm-ups. We got geared up. We lined up in two lines facing each other. We'd spar then rotate to the left for a different partner. Well, it was my second or third round, and I got this kid about 16 years old. We were trading some good shots. We are/were both head-hunters (both of us were aiming for the head with kicks). He went to kick, I moved in, countered, then moved back. Problem was, he was standing on my pant leg. When I moved back, down went my pants. I yanked them back up hoping no one noticed and continued. BUT my instructor did. He said, "You CAN stop to fix your "equipment" Ya know." I turned so red.

[LawDog]

Bowing in when I was entering the main doorway of a police station.
Yep, took a verbal beating on that one.
:rofl:

[kidswarrior]

Oh God, I really shouldn't post this but...I had a sinus infection and was given antibiotics. (This was just last week) Well, if you don't know, antibiotics screw with the digestive system, annnnd...let's just say training this week was a gas. heh

Repeat ten times after me, I'm not getting older, I'm getting better. I'm not getting older, I'm getting better....that's it. Keep going.

Use as often as necessary. If condition worsens, stick your head in the sand. :rolleyes:

[Just4Kicks]

Bowing in when I was entering the main doorway of a police station.
Yep, took a verbal beating on that one.
:rofl:

I've nearly bowed out of classrooms at school. :D

The most embarrassing thing for me is when you are training your dobuk top sometimes comes undone... and people get an interesting view. D: Must remember to make sure the singlet topsI wear underneath have a high neckline!

[kidswarrior]

Man, I've screwed up so many times it'd take too much work to nail down one. So, I'll just share this. One time I was getting ready for a special seminar our school was having. Putting on my gi pants, they ripped right up the seat. Called my instructor to try to explain since I knew he was counting on me, and like a fool told him the truth. His response: That musta been some burrito. And of course he put the word out to the whole school, too.

[jdinca]

I was an instructor trainee who had just been invited to join the instructors class. I was going to meet with our GM for the final interview before getting my instructors belt. We were on the mat doing a horse stance drill when my pants went "rrriiippp!!!". They split stem to stern and I didn't have any backups with me. They were pinned together when I went upstairs. I was mortified. I sat down at his desk, he looked at me and said "I feel a little breeze, but I wonder how it feels to you!!!". He then proceeded to laugh so hard he was crying. I had a fellow trainee who was also about to get her belt with me. By the end of the meeting, our GM and and I couldn't make eye contact without completely losing it.

The most recent one was in a test in front of every instructor and trainee in the school. I don't do jump spinning kicks anymore because they just tear up my knee, so I do the ground version instead. I did a spinning reverse crescent, somehow ended up spinning on my heel and the next thing I knew, I was looking at the ceiling between my feet...

[mijemi]

Getting hit in the head by anything and everything - a ball, focus pads, impact pads, other people's hands and my own hands. The ball was the worst though because everyone was watching. I just laughed at the time but I still go red thinking about it.

[KeeblerElf]

Okay, so this just happened this morning in my class.
We were working on disarming people who have bats by moving in close then twisting around and taking the bat. Well the one guy I was with wouldn't let go, so I twisted a little more and he suddenly just let go and the bat swung around and nailed me right in the eye. It's already red and starting to bruise. Thats what I call smooth..
:angel:

[tshadowchaser]

Lets see are we talking about the time I was called in front of a group of spectators to do a form and as I ran up to the sport I would start at I stepped on my pant leg thusly pulling my gi bottoms half off and breaking my big toe ?
Are we talking about the day I relax I won't cut you and gave the person a half dozen stitches?
are we thinking about the time I completely forgot the form named for my instructor (in the middle of the form) in front of 5 grandmasters who where visiting and just turned and walked away without even a bow. (( no we will not discuss what happened to me because of this))
Or maybe it was that time a student leaned over to far with a very lose blouse on and fell out in front of me

[MetalStorm]

its not too bad but lately I have been randomly shadow boxing a lot, quite a few times i will randomly start when in the front of the shop and people walking by the front window will just look at me funny.

[RED]

Some moments I'll never forget:

Farting loudly accidently while doing crunches during class.

Doing a face plant while doing a wheel kick.

At the end of a Red Belt test in front of the entire school, by myself, the Master Black Belt asked me if it was appropriate for any martial artist to smoke. I don't smoke now but back then I did.

[HKphooey]

Knocking myself out while trying to do a flying sidekick over a bunch of chairs. Hit my head on the ceiling. :erg:

[Mariachi Joe]

I work with juveniles at a shelter, and one day a very volitle youth tried to leave our facility and I stood in his way. This kid and I had good raport and I was suprised and caught off guard when he punched me in the head. In hindsight I should have seen it coming he was extremly angry and has 18 assaults in his record ( 19 now ).

[jdinca]

Lets see are we talking about the time I was called in front of a group of spectators to do a form and as I ran up to the sport I would start at I stepped on my pant leg thusly pulling my gi bottoms half off and breaking my big toe ?
Are we talking about the day I relax I won't cut you and gave the person a half dozen stitches?
are we thinking about the time I completely forgot the form named for my instructor (in the middle of the form) in front of 5 grandmasters who where visiting and just turned and walked away without even a bow. (( no we will not discuss what happened to me because of this))
Or maybe it was that time a student leaned over to far with a very lose blouse on and fell out in front of me

:rofl: You win!

[kingkong89]

my most embarrassing moment in ma was when i went for my black belt. we had just finished our katas and got a quik drink, we had the throws, sweeps, and other things to do still. i was supposed to sweep my partner and right their in front of 20 high ranking blackbelts i threw him.

[kuntawguro]

I was working at a store downtown Traverse City, it was 2 pm and I was just finishing up setting registers on the ceiling of an A/C system I had just installed. A lady with 2 kids came into the store and her kids took off running around chasing each other while she shopped. My ladder was in an aisle and pretty much blocked it. That didn’t matter to the kids as they decided to run thru my ladder. They bumped the ladder and I lost my grip on a 2 foot by 2 foot register. As it fell I reache dout to grab it to keep it from falling on their heads. In doing so, my hand went into the register and I peeled back the skin on my left middle finger. 18 stitches later I was ready to just scream.
I was going to compete in one of the final Can Am tournaments the very next morning in Sault Saint Marie Canada. I debated and debated competing, but macho took over and I decided to do it. If I failed, I failed. I competed in Forms and weapons but couldn’t compete in sparring because my extended/braced/wrapped finger wouldn’t go into the glove.

So what kind of story is this? Well, you all know how we do our honor,closed left hand right hand open over it- both empty hand and weapons. Seems every time I presented myself to the judges or prepared to perform my staff form I was flipping off the judges. I had to apologize before I even started told them no dis respect was intended. Then one of the judges leaned forward and said” hurt your finger- yeah-right- we all know how you feel about Canadian judges( wink)” I just lost it, I had a hard time keeping my composure after that. And with the judges laughing and snickering I placed first in both divisions. I got away with first place while flipping off the judges! Only in Canada!

[sholo86]

During my first MA competition. Our school got invited to an open tourney ran by a TKD organization. We were the only kung fu school at that time, so this was our time to shine. I was in the middle of the floor doing my form until all of a sudden I forgot my next moves. I kept my composure and kept going for about a minute making up "kung fu" moves along the way as I was trying to rememebr my form. I was able to recoup and finished my form.

My instructor laughed his arse off after the competition because I got 1st place...

[IWishToLearn]

My favorite one of all time (and it's a constant source of laughter for my students, who weren't there, but whom I've related the story to several times to ease their frustrations) would have to be one of the sparring sessions from my TKD days wherein I was sparring with a buddy of mine and we both totally ZONED OUT on each other, nothing else mattered. Not the other students (who cleared outta our way, we got goin at it good) not the walls (which will become important very shortly) and not the sparring gear piled in the corner. So we eventually move our way around the entire school and I thought I had him set up real damn good, and I was ready to rock with this combination I'd literally spent the last ten minutes setting him up for. Well, in my own inimitable style I'd conveniently forgotten to take into account exactly where teh FREAKIN WALL was located. I figured I had the place to myself and things like walls, tables, chairs, don't really matter, I guess. So I set him up and baited him into a roundhouse kick in the direction I wanted it to be in, and started a violent counter clockwise spin to launch an aerial spinning kick, and promptly KNOCKED THE BEJEEZUS OUTTA MYSELF on the wall...which somehow decided it was appropriate to put itself 3" behind my left shoulder. My buddy never completed the kick, he fell over halfway through delivering it when he saw how hard I knocked the crap outta myself on the wall. It took both of us the better part of the next half hour to return to normal functionality. He couldn't stop laughing. I spent the first 15 minutes trying to figure out why I was seeing little birdies tweeting around my head, and the next 15 laughing about it.

*sigh* Youth.