26/04/2026
Martial arts
Is my church. It has been a constant throughout my life, an anchor and a path at the same time. It has been mentor, redeemer, jailer, taskmaster, I’ve loved it and hated it but it has always shown me what I needed to see at the time. It has held my hand and let it go, I’ve had clarity and confusion but regardless its honesty kept me coming back whilst evolving with me and what I think I need. It has been many things but never a bully.
Maybe it’s an algorithm thing but I have seen a steady rise on social media of martial arts content ridiculing other martial artists which feels treacherous to me. People train for a variety of reasons, some want to move their bodies, some need confidence or a sense of belonging and some just want to test themselves or learn new cool moves. Combative sport or effective self defence somehow has become the only metric acceptable by some self appointed gatekeepers pointing and laughing at others who don’t fit the fashionable version of proper martial arts. Surely the one thing martial arts absolutely cannot tolerate is bullying. Isn’t that a core ideal?
Yes there are some frauds looking for notoriety or a quick buck but these things are something we have to navigate daily and in all walks of life, we deal with it with maturity and proficiency, learn and move on. When we see a short glimpse, out of context or badly shot video do we have the right to dismiss it as never working in the street or bullshido? Does it matter if the people in the clip are never going to win a cage fight or a bar brawl? One thing is for sure - laughing at them isn’t the surest way to encourage them.
The martial arts community represents a single figure percentage of the population, do we need to fracture it into sub cultures and gangs, each one claiming to have superiority over others? Shouldn’t we support each other in our growth whilst recognising intruders looking only for profit?
Our path is a solitary one, ours to tread our way, be it trailblazing through thick jungle or following a motorway, and if we do stop and ask for directions it’d be good to know the person we ask has a good sense of direction or at least hopes that we get there.
A bully requires an audience, a journey requires only the will to take it.
