On guard

When I spar in kung fu, I am shocked when someone hits me in the face or around the head. I have tended to drop my guard, which is dangerous (obviously) but am doing my best to keep my arms up. Being swiped or hit is an incentive, that's for sure. If someone closes in on me, I tend to fight back hard, which had the result of me hitting someone below the eye in my last class.

The chap in question, who is a very nice person, was not too pleased. But what could I do? He'd stepped on my foot a couple of times after I'd hurt my toes and he had swiped me on the face and head a few times, and he was really going for it (as one must).

It feels unnatural, fighting, but it's good when it is controlled, as you learn to focus and realise that there is art in defence – attack is not everything. It makes you more stable on your feet, too.

Anyway, I apologised profusely. I did feel bad, as the intent is not to hurt one another but rather to make contact, which can be painful nevertheless! I suffered a hard kick on the arm from a relative newbie who was lashing out like mad (and rather dangerously). I guess we'll all have our share of injuries. I've had a kick in the breast (extremely painful), a cut lip (caused by the instructor!), massive bruises and various pains.

Why do I do it? There are many reasons: serious exercise, increased stamina, better focus, great camaraderie, I like to learn rather than just pound away in a gym, it brings catharsis in huge measure, it helps me to sleep and it is empowering. I certainly don't walk down the street feeling invincible – that would be insane – but if I needed to punch someone in extenuating circumstances, I'd hope all the practice would kick in (so to speak) and I'd send them flying.

Apparently people who are trained in martial arts get into less fights – maybe they give off more confident vibes, or maybe they know that they could really hurt someone... My instructor, and others I've seen, would be formidable opponents. If anyone was stupid enough to try to take them on in a threatening situation, they'd be pretty regretful when they woke up in hospital!