Why am I so tolerant of stupid people in the martial arts?

Simple – because I was one. We all have to start from somewhere. I started in martial arts to learn to be more efficiently violent. I came from an uneducated and violent South London background and worked in the security trade. I remember Oyama the founder of Kyokushinkai calling the other kata centric styles of karate ‘dancing fairies’ and I’m ashamed to say I repeated the rhetoric.

It took me until my late twenties to grow up thanks to the ‘Kung Fu’ TV series starting me on the path of Taoism, Buddhism and discovering the philosophy of Tai Chi.

So when I read or hear people talk naively about ‘street effectiveness’ and give stupid impressions of other arts and skills they are clearly ignorant of, I remember that I was like that.

I don’t have the right to double the crime by ridiculing them because that was me 50 years ago.

Instead I educate, social media and books are a useful tools to put knowledge and experience out there for those with ‘just a little dust in their eyes’.

I don’t argue with those that don’t have the relevant perspective, experience or knowledge because it’s like wrestling with a pig, you’ll both get covered in shit and the pig’ll love it.

The photo is an aggressive me on my first karate licence in the 70’s and then a more peaceful me 50 years later.