End of the Martial Arts Club

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s when martial artists gain a certain rank, such as a black belt for example, and feel they are entitled to show it off. The mark of a true martial arts master is one who is humble in his achievements…because he/she knows that their actions speak louder than their boasting. However, there are times when I must encounter and trade blows with such morons. This is one of those times.

The martial arts club had been running for about 5 weeks, and so far everything was going great. The system we had set up was actually pretty decent, and I had no idea that there were other martial arts masters at the school. We had two karate black belts, a taekwondo black belt, a judo expert, and then there was me, a muay thai master. The plan was for students who wanted to join the club, they had to pass a basic fitness test to make sure they were up for the training, and then they could choose who they wanted to learn from. Sometimes we picked for them based on their physical abilities.
It was a good set up, and the gym we had rented out was excellent. It had two boxing rings, an octagon, and plenty of floor space for just regular training. Every now and then we’d have a match set up in one of the rings just to let our students see and feel what a real martial arts match was like. I myself had about 4 students who attended regularly. I had others, but they sometimes had conflicts and couldn’t make it. That day though, it was only four. I was teaching them the basics of muay thai knee strikes, when I heard one of the other masters walk up behind me.

“Yo, Cliff! How’s it going man?” He asked. His name was David, and he was one of our karate black belts. There was no denying that David was good, but he was also a braggart. He often spent whole training sessions just showing off moves to his students. Today though, only 3 of his students were there, and it seemed he wanted to show off a little.
“What is it David? I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“Hey no worries, you can show your student those knee strikes in the ring with me.” He laughed.
“You want a match with me?” I asked. “David, I seriously don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Aw c’mon muay thai man. You scared?” This was the moment where I knew that David wasn’t interested in teaching anyone anything…he was just here to show himself off. He was no martial artist. He was a thug who knew some nice moves and wore a black belt. He has no respect for the martial arts and sees them as just a tool to flash in front of people like an officers badge.
“No, I’m not scared. I just don’t want to hurt you.” I growled. The gauntlet was thrown. I’d called him on his bluff and it was his job to take it up. David just laughed and turned to Jessica, our Taekwondo master.
“Hey Jess…be the ref for this match, will ya?”
“Sure thing.”

David and I climbed into the ring and our students were gathered to watch, as were a few of the others in the room. It’d been a while since I was in a legit fight with someone, but I had no time to second guess myelf.
“Okay you two,” Jess said, “this is not an official match. We’re going 3 rounds, each round is 2 minutes. There will be no groin shots, no eye jabs, n-”
“Yeah yeah, we get it Jess…we’re ready.” David hurried her. Again I felt a wave of anger at David. He really didn’t have an ounce of respect for this gym or its masters. I wouldn’t hold back. Jess nodded and stepped back.
“When you hear the bell, enter and begin fighting. I want a clean match. READY?”

*ding*

David began bouncing and swaying on his feet, a classic karate action. He was staying light on his feet to avoid an attack by me. I just waited. It wouldn’t take long for him to grow impatient and want to try one of his moves on me. I just kept my guard up and waited a few moments.
“Ready?” He asked. I didn’t answer. He knew I was. He darted forward in a flash and shot a straight punch at my chest. I quickly stepped towards him and grabbed his wrist, yanking him towards me and off balance.
*crack*
Just as he was off balance and leaning towards me, I shot my knee up into his chest. I felt his ribs crack under the pressure. I then brought my elbow down on the back of his shoulder and he hit the mat hard. He lay on the mat, clutching his ribs and groaning like a wounded dog.
“Uh…match over!” Jessica called, stunned by how quickly it was over. The room hummed with the sound of whispers and shocked expressions. I turned and walked out of the ring. There were no words I had to say, and there was nothing to do for it. I’d won, he’d lost…it was simple as that. Sometimes, martial arts matches can be ended in just a few moments…which is why it’s imperative to never lower your guard and to never go for the flashy or showy moves.
Truth was, I did feel bad for what I’d done though. I wondered if I had gone overboard. It wasn’t the first time I’d seriously hurt someone without meaning too, but such is the nature of muay thai. I would later learn that David had suffered a rib fracture and a bruised shoulder blade. It wasn’t anything life threatening, but no injury is easy for me to stomach…especially when it was unintentional.

The martial arts club was shut down a week after that fight. The injuries sustained were reported to the president of the college, and he believed that our club was too hazardous. He demanded we shut it down. I felt really guilty for what I’d done and for being responsible for the incident. I still train with some of the other masters privately in a nearby dojo, but David has never again tried to join up with us. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about martial arts it’s that you should always remain humble and practice humility…because the higher you hold yourself up, the farther and harder you will fall.