<story><title>Why I won&apos;t be at my high school reunion</title><url>http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2009/07/very_off_topic_why_i_wont_be_a.php</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>sofal</author><text>He puts way too much faith in karate to help his kids learn how to fight back. Karate does not teach you that.&lt;p&gt;I was in karate for years as a kid and got a black belt. I took karate for the same reasons he&apos;s putting his kids through it. I was tired of being picked on and I wanted to make myself more intimidating. It did not work. You do not learn how to fight in karate. You learn how to perform choreographed moves and routines (like katas and lots of shorter ones that we called &apos;techniques&apos;) and you kick and punch a lot of pads. Sparring is more like a game than a real fight, where you get points by making contact at the right places. Karate gives you good exercise (which is why it can be great for some people), but I did not get out of it what I wanted. I never learned how to fight simply because we never did any real fighting. I had a black belt, yet when it came down to it and someone was physically threatening me, the silly routines that worked against invisible attackers in karate did not work in real life. If you want your kids to learn how to fight and defend themselves, take them to a place where they actually have the kids fight each other. There are no shortcuts.&lt;p&gt;The self-esteem boost that I desperately wanted from karate I was finally able to get in high school by becoming really good at percussion. People finally started respecting me for what I could do. Drumline was where I belonged.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>subwindow</author><text>I joined the wrestling team my freshman year of high school, and it did wonders. All of your practice is against real people, so when you try to do a particular move, you &lt;i&gt;really&lt;/i&gt; know how to perform it.&lt;p&gt;The best part of it is that it is generally non-violent. The last real fight I had was the month before I started wrestling. Every other &quot;fight&quot; after that consisted of them throwing a punch and then me getting them into a headlock until they cooled off and backed down. No bloody noses.&lt;p&gt;I&apos;d consider it perfect for anyone seeking real, effective methods of self defense- especially in school, where even if you fight back and end up breaking a nose you can be punished.</text></comment>
<story><title>Why I won&apos;t be at my high school reunion</title><url>http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2009/07/very_off_topic_why_i_wont_be_a.php</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>sofal</author><text>He puts way too much faith in karate to help his kids learn how to fight back. Karate does not teach you that.&lt;p&gt;I was in karate for years as a kid and got a black belt. I took karate for the same reasons he&apos;s putting his kids through it. I was tired of being picked on and I wanted to make myself more intimidating. It did not work. You do not learn how to fight in karate. You learn how to perform choreographed moves and routines (like katas and lots of shorter ones that we called &apos;techniques&apos;) and you kick and punch a lot of pads. Sparring is more like a game than a real fight, where you get points by making contact at the right places. Karate gives you good exercise (which is why it can be great for some people), but I did not get out of it what I wanted. I never learned how to fight simply because we never did any real fighting. I had a black belt, yet when it came down to it and someone was physically threatening me, the silly routines that worked against invisible attackers in karate did not work in real life. If you want your kids to learn how to fight and defend themselves, take them to a place where they actually have the kids fight each other. There are no shortcuts.&lt;p&gt;The self-esteem boost that I desperately wanted from karate I was finally able to get in high school by becoming really good at percussion. People finally started respecting me for what I could do. Drumline was where I belonged.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Hexstream</author><text>With respect, if you have a black belt yet can&apos;t put up a fight I&apos;d seriously question the competence of your teacher, both in the quality of the training and the standards by which belts are awarded.</text></comment>