What is your worst martial arts experience?

Touch Of Death

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One of my worst was on a visit to another dojo for a seminar I was having a friendly sparring match with someone. Then I started goofing around a bit and not really taking it seriously and I got kicked square in the nads in front of my sensei. I've never fooled around in sparring since then.
I must have missed something. What was the bad thing that happened? :)
 

chrispillertkd

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I've been very fortunate that in over 26 years of training I have had very few negative experiences. There have been injuries, difficult techniques that I thought I'd never get, seeing (many, many) friends quit over the years for reasons I simply didn't understand, etc. But what I would consider the very worst experience I have had in martial arts was meeting a very small handful of people who have let rank go to their heads and treat other people very disrespectfully and belittling towards others simply because they are high ranks. It's sad because it really indicates how much they lack self-confidence. One was junior to me but decided they didn't need to be respectful even in front of people senior to both of us. I was embarrassed for him.

Sad, really.

Pax,

Chris
 
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Chikudun Henryu

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Grading examinations. I made very proper and careful preparations and of course trained hard for six months for the examination event: I paid the license, fee, membership, corrected stances, techniques etc... Only one thing was missing and that was a partner for kumite and self-defense parts. I tried to find a partner, but I failed to find one that could come to assist me in the examination. I was so frustrated: I waited six months for this moment, and my instructors didn't let me do the test because nobody became my sparring partner and they didn't offer any help. This had happened TWICE.
But, I can react to this with wisdom and philosophical calmness: it is just a belt, nothing more or less. The most important is that YOU know your own level and limits. And whatever happens, it happens. Sometimes you can't control everything in this world.
 

Tames D

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Grading examinations. I made very proper and careful preparations and of course trained hard for six months for the examination event: I paid the license, fee, membership, corrected stances, techniques etc... Only one thing was missing and that was a partner for kumite and self-defense parts. I tried to find a partner, but I failed to find one that could come to assist me in the examination. I was so frustrated: I waited six months for this moment, and my instructors didn't let me do the test because nobody became my sparring partner and they didn't offer any help. This had happened TWICE.
But, I can react to this with wisdom and philosophical calmness: it is just a belt, nothing more or less. The most important is that YOU know your own level and limits. And whatever happens, it happens. Sometimes you can't control everything in this world.

Poor attitude by your instructors. They are supposed to be there to help you succeed. Hope they refunded your money at least.
 

TheArtofDave

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Trained BJJ for almost a full year. Loved it. But the instructor was just starting the class, was suppose to be a small class so you can learn but the class was growing quick. Now the instructor would tell me he'd work on getting me the material to earn my first stripe. My confidence dashed each time he didn't. I know it takes some time and I'm fine with that but six months into it and I don't have a stripe to at least show I'm begging to progress in the right direction. I think it came down to the fact he had too much going on. I wanted to learn and I loved who I trained with. I loved rolling even though my bruises had bruises. I'm tough but I bruise easy. I was working towards a blue belt. Had to get five stripes and I couldn't even get the material to test for the first stripe. When I throw myself into it I want the same time that somebody else is getting especially when I show up when everybody else is out of town. It's okay he had a lot going on. A new baby, teaching TKD and yes even teaching BJJ when he was starting the class. He was a blue belt himself when he started and I think he got his purple shortly before I left. I know training takes time. Traditionally you usually don't get a blue belt until a year or two into your training. I'm very patient, but to put in the time, and the work not to succeed. It really makes me want to do bjj at the competitor for 35 a month instead of 120. Then I can learn more practical stand up too, or learn everything for 75.

Anyway I'm currently getting some things in order and then when I go back into the arts I'll know where to go to train to see if I progress a little bit better at Prize Fight Academy.
 

Stargazer

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The worst thing has been losing the best martial arts teacher of my life. We were all wrong, but too proud to admit our mistakes. His GM was a lunatic and I could not stay and pretend. Likewise, I should have fought harder for him. I was just too angry that he wouldn't fight, too.
 

Balrog

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For me personally: ACL blowout.

For a student: judging a kid at a tournament who ran out to the center of the ring, bowed in, and promptly peed in his pants.
 

Transk53

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Thankfully I have never seriously injured anybody through sparring, just a few bruises that you would expect to take and and give. My worst experiance though, was at home while giving my bag some action. During a series of right hand side kicks, one of them seemed hammer the inside of my right knee. Thankfully it was a strain injury rather than a tear.
 

Prostar

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I was at Ric Pascetta's tournament back in, I think, 1979. At one point, another black belt pointed to some guy and said, "Oh no, he's here!" They mentioned his name but I didn't get it. Well, guess who I got paired with in the first round.

I was down one to nothing when they called thirty seconds left in the match. I came over the top with a reverse punch. He came up with a roundhouse kick that connected with my right jaw. My jaw hurt on the left side for the next two weeks.

I was out before my head bounced off the concrete floor. When I came to I noticed that things looked odd. That big ring that was over there to my left earlier was now over there...to my left. I went around this a couple of times till the world kind of warped back and then the ring was back to my left again where it belonged. The ref asked some simple questions like did I know my name. Sure I did. They sent me on back to first aid where they know the tough questions. Did I know where I was? Yeah, it was either Philly or New York. When you can't remember what state you are in, you have been hit really hard.

They sent me off to the hospital in the ambulance. I sat up front and chattered on endlessly. I finally figured out where I was halfway to the hospital. I spent four hours in the ER waiting for a multiple gunshot, stab wound victim to be taken care of first. I signed myself out AMA and went back to the tournament.

I ended up meeting Bill Wallace for the first time that night. It was also the last tournament I ever fought.
 
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