20 Problems You'll Only Understand If You Were A Martial Arts Kid
16. Being Paired With The Biggest Kid In The Class
You always suspected there was a key flaw with the coloured belt system. Instead of working in age groups, you'd be training with kids of similar ability and experience. This was an issue when both you and Big Steve reached green belt at the same time, and you effectively began life as a punching bag for the next three months. He didn't mean to be so rough, but it's hard to spar with somebody two foot shorter.
15. Memorising Katas
This is one mainly for the karate kids, but katas are sometimes used in other martial arts as well. These seemed pointless at the time (and still sort of do, admittedly), because learning a glorified dance routine didn't quite have the same appeal as hurling your mates all over the sports hall. Non-martial arts friends would ask you what the point of a kata was; when would people ever attack you in such an exact sequence? You would have no answer.
This is one mainly for the karate kids, but katas are sometimes used in other martial arts as well. These seemed pointless at the time (and still sort of do, admittedly), because learning a glorified dance routine didn't quite have the same appeal as hurling your mates all over the sports hall. Non-martial arts friends would ask you what the point of a kata was; when would people ever attack you in such an exact sequence? You would have no answer.