Once upon a time there was a martial arts instructor who used to tell people how good his students were.
‘They practice full contact sparring all the time, it makes them tough and fearless’ he used to tell people. And of course he was right, they were tough and they were fearless. One of them was called Mac.
One day, a potential new member turned up at the class by the name of Zip, Zip had trained elsewhere, had moved into the area and was looking for a new class to join.
‘We do full contact sparring here’ the instructor told him.
‘Then I’m afraid I won’t be joining’ said Zip with disappointment.
Later that evening Mac went out for the night out and happened to run into Zip. As they were talking, a gang burst into the bar waving baseball bats and grabbed an innocent passer by. Mac, stepped forward fearlessly, fists raised preparing for ‘full contact’ sparring. Two of the attackers raised their bats and laid into him, Mac didn’t stand a chance, he was about to be killed. Zip could not hold back, it was time to act and save Mac’s life. He leapt into the affray, and, just as one attacker was about to smash his bat into Mac’s head, Zip delivered one full contact blow to the attacker. The attacker fell down dead. Zip had saved Mac’s life.
Several months later Zip found himself in court charged with manslaughter.
The court heard how the attacker had launched at Mac with a bat, and with one blow, Zip, acting in self-defence had killed him to save Mac’s life.
The instructor sitting at the back of the courtroom sloped out quietly, he now realised why Zip wouldn’t join his ‘full contact’ class.
Zip was found not guilty of course, and before closing the case the judge asked Zip how he and Mac had known each other. Zip told him of the visit to the martial arts club.
‘Ah I see’ said the judge shaking his head sadly, ‘so although they did what they thought was full contact sparring, unfortunately they couldn’t do martial arts to save their lives’
In Taekwon-do the belt is tied around the waist once to signify defeating the opponent in one blow. Full power is only practiced on re-breakable boards, wood & brick.
