Five Things I Absolutely Hate About Being a Martial Artist

Being a martial artist is generally awesome.

What we do is so darn fun, y'know? We train, we study, we acquire bruises for funsies, we get to handle weapons and fight with other people who are there to fight us voluntarily and all in good fun.

I mean, what's not to like, right?

Welllll... being a martial artist isn't all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, there's a few things that drive me nuts.

1) Fight scenes are ruined for me

I just cannot suspend my disbelief to just sit back and enjoy awesome movie and television fight scenes the way I could before I set foot on the mat.  I spot the openings, I can see where it's all choreographed, I get especially annoyed with sword fights (they aim for the weapon, not the person - ARGH!), and I end up sputtering and muttering during the whole thing.

Illegal kick or not, maybe the Cobra Kai dojo shouldn't teach its students to LEAD WITH THE FACE. Click on the image to see the source.

2) Having to explain the bruises

I bruise pretty easy, so it's a very common occurrence for me to have a lot of black and blue marks up and down my arms the next day after class.  When people at work or other places while I'm out and about spot it, they...  look at me funny.

I have to explain that those bruises are signs of my having a very good time training, thanks, and not from something far more nefarious.

Yep, that's my arm. You should see the other guy! (He looks perfectly fine)

3) "I bet you could kick my ass" and other commentary from non-martial artists

This must be universal, as I have heard other martial artists complain about this.  When non-martial artists find out what you do for fun, the comment is inevitably something like, "I better not piss you off!" or "I bet you could kick my ass" or even "Do you think you could kick MY ass?" or whatnot.

I am completely disinterested in your ass, much less, kicking it.

4) Never having enough sports bras or socks.

I  have more sports bras than the day of the week and enough pairs of socks to outfit a football team. I always have to hunt for a clean bra and a pair of socks (I wear mat shoes, because ever had a fast-moving stick hit your toe?) when getting ready for class, no matter what.

Underpants gnomes?  Children taking my stuff?  I have no idea.  Just wish I could open the drawer and get what I need instead of running around in a panic every time I get ready to go train.

5)  Not enough people to geek out about it with

Given that the martial arts population is relatively small, the likelihood of finding friends or coworkers outside of your own school that like the martial arts and are willing to geek out about it is pretty darn slim.

I mean, half the fun of having a hobby is nerding out on it with other hobbyists, right?

Honestly, that's one of the reasons I write this blog. so I can do that with all y'all.

So, what are some things that drive you nuts about being a martial artist? Let us know in the comments!