Martial Arts Movies and Reality

Before I started in Martial Arts I had an image in my mind of what it would be like. I like many other children have watched tons of Martial Arts movies. The hero flys around the room, there are kicks coming from every direction,their flipping, spinning, punching, the dust clears, there are bodies laying everywhere, but the hero stands tall, not a scratch on him. End scene, and on to reality.

I am in no way saying that the stuff you see on T.V cannot be done, what I am saying is that most of it is not practical, nor realistic. It makes for a great movie. You need the action, and the unrealistic moves to keep the audience entertained. In a real scenario if you struck the famous Karate Kid pose at the start of a match, chances are you will not come out victorious.

In my oppinion the reason it is so hard to keep children interested in Martial Arts is because it is not what they think it's going to be. There is a lot of training and repetative techniques that go into being able to do anything that remotly makes you looked skilled. Children these days want immediate results in everything they do, and it's just not that easy. I spend countless hours every week on the mat, and still do not have one flying, spinning, flipping, slow motion, knockout kick in my bag of tricks.