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martial arts and honor?

ok i know generally that martial arts incorporates honour and discipline but that's all i know about it now i want to have lecture with his sensai and the main character about misuse of the martial arts now my question is is this ch6 a misuse of martial arts or not i realize it can complexed issue or not

Chapter Six
Where There’s Smoke

Winter had settled in and the small town of Lowell, Virginia was blanketed in soft, white snow. Charlie and Lucy lugged their backpacks home, occasionally sliding on their butts down the icy hillside sidewalks as they made their way home from school. Lucy Arts was the coolest girl Charlie had ever known. Half the time Charlie forgot she was a girl. She didn’t act like a sissy and he couldn’t recall her ever crying—over anything. In fact, they had once collided on their bikes in the park and Charlie had been the one to tear up, though he certainly hadn’t let Lucy see. Sometimes Lucy looked at him funny, like girls sometimes do, but Charlie shrugged it off. Lucy was perfect in every other way—as a best friend.
They rounded the corner near Lucy’s house, giggling and sparring with an occasional snowball, oblivious to the rest of the world.
“Hey, sissy,” someone shouted.
Charlie and Lucy looked around.
Tom Dillon and his posse were across the street smoking cigarettes.
“Lucy, go home,” Charlie said.
“No, I’m staying right here.”
Charlie shot her a look, but she dropped her backpack and crossed her arms, glaring at the boys across the street.
“You gonna have a girl fight your battles for ya, ya wimp?” Tom Dillon taunted in his gravelly voice. “Yer hair looks like a damn girl’s!”
The three other boys laughed and playfully punched each other. Though he wasn’t much older than Charlie, Tom Dillon was a big kid and pretty much ruled Elkwood Elementary. His raspy voice could regularly be heard echoing throughout the hallways; his limited vocabulary and bullying tactics reminded Charlie of a big, dumb ape.
“Leave us alone, Dillon,” Charlie said.
“What ya gonna do about it?” Dillon scoffed.
“Go home, Lucy,” Charlie hissed.
Tom Dillon started across the street, bullies in tow. By this time Lucy was standing beside Charlie.
“Go home, little girl,” Ryan Crow said.
“Shut up, Crow,” Dillon grunted, pushing him.
Crow scowled at the ground and scuffed his feet in the snow, embarrassed by the reprimand.
“Hey, Chuckie,” Dillon said. “I hear you been takin’ Karate lessons. Let’s see whatcha got.”
Charlie swallowed hard and shifted his eyes between Dillon and Crow as they inched their way toward him and Lucy.
“Hey, Juicy Lucy,” Dillon said. “Chuckie gotten into your panties yet?”
Charlie shoved Lucy aside and lunged toward Dillon, stopping short just a few feet in front of him and striking a Karate pose.
Dillon laughed, saying, “O-o-o, the cool Karate Kid…I hear you’re a white belt—”
Charlie kicked Dillon in the face, smashing his disgusting cigarette and sending him flying onto the snow covered-grass, blood spurting from his nose.
This time, the sight of blood didn’t curdle Charlie’s stomach.
 
If this is a revenge fantasy, yikes!

I could see it being a good start to a story that eventually is about the lesson of non-aggression, as this kick to the face might have negative repercussions.
 
well think twilight without romance with wizard of oz element to be added yes revenge story but i need to figure if this particular scene is misuse of martial arts so can be used for lecture by Charlie' sensai
 
That is absolutely a misuse.

When I took martial arts, the understanding was that you learn the techniques so that you never have to use them. You learn that you are strong and able, and can do those things if you absolutely need to, not because some bully riles you up. Think light/dark side of the force. Use your talents for good, not evil!
 

Telcontar

Staff
Moderator
Yes, this is a misuse. I'm a Martial Arts instructor, and if I learned of one of my students doing something like this I would likely suspend their training. Being taunted is not an excuse to attack. I tell my students the rule "Call me what you want to, just don't touch me." Physical contact can be responded to with physical contact, but words - no matter how vile - do not merit that response.

Furthermore, the idea of somebody being able to 'suddenly' kick a person in the face is hard to accept. Even for somebody with the required flexibility, it takes time to get the foot up that high, and it is not easy to catch somebody by surprise with that kind of move. Especially if the MC is a beginner.
 
It's definitely against any ethics code I have ever been exposed to, and I wouldn't think a beginner would have the flexibility needed to kick someone of equal height in the face.

Having said that, it's not an unexpected reaction to bullying. I am just having trouble picturing the kick without more information.

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It's definitely against any ethics code I have ever been exposed to, and I wouldn't think a beginner would have the flexibility needed to kick someone of equal height in the face.

Having said that, it's not an unexpected reaction to bullying. I am just having trouble picturing the kick without more information.

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the main character is not new to martial arts despite his young age he very advanced mixed in with a misgiuded sense of honour
 
Yes, this is a misuse. I'm a Martial Arts instructor, and if I learned of one of my students doing something like this I would likely suspend their training. Being taunted is not an excuse to attack. I tell my students the rule "Call me what you want to, just don't touch me." Physical contact can be responded to with physical contact, but words - no matter how vile - do not merit that response.

Furthermore, the idea of somebody being able to 'suddenly' kick a person in the face is hard to accept. Even for somebody with the required flexibility, it takes time to get the foot up that high, and it is not easy to catch somebody by surprise with that kind of move. Especially if the MC is a beginner.

thanks will take the time needed for the action into account as well like i said i know very little of martial arts but the mc is not a beginner but being young however advanced still can be riled emotionally into misuse
 
writeshiek33 said:
the main character is not new to martial arts despite his young age he very advanced mixed in with a misgiuded sense of honour

OK, if he's quite experienced, and has been training in a disciplined school, then I would see the outburst as wrong, unless he felt that if he didn't strike first, he or the girl he is with wouldn't be getting out without a fight.

For me, I wouldn't wait for the first hit, I would be really hurt, and there's no telling what that first hit will do. Could be incapacitating or worse. I would be running as soon as they started across the street.

Say the guy on the wrong end of the foot had already been winding up for a punch or had previously made it well known that he was going to hurt them. Or they had no way of escaping without going through the bullies. That's where I would draw the line.

Just a few quick thoughts.

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This is a young boy. From what I can gather he is younger than 11. A boy this young may not have completely learned what he has been taught by his sensi. Perhaps this bully has been after him for some time, maybe our karate kid has tried running away. Often this just makes the bully become even meaner.

Sounds to me that this young boy was taking a stand. He had grown tired of these bullying kids. I take it from the story that the boy had seen blood before and it had made him quesy. Perhaps it was his blood he had seen and this blood was the result of the bully beating him up on a previous occasion. I could go as far as to say, maybe the boy knew these kids were going to go after him again but this time a girl was present. He could have been fearful that these guys were going to harm her as well. He decided that his running days were over.

I would have to know more of the story before I judged this young boy as overreacting. From what I can gather so far it seems to me that this young kid has grown tired of running and , rightly or wrongly, has decided to put what he has learned to use.

Since the OP only provided a glimpse into the young character, I would need more info before I made any judgement call.
 
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Aurelian

Scribe
Yes it is misuse of Martial Arts. You are never permitted to lash out at anyone for any other reason than you are going to experience physical harm. When and If you do you also need to respond with reasonable force.
 

SeverinR

Vala
Definately abuse unless the "victim" has a history of violent attacks without provocation or excessively destructive. (Ie first strike is not survivable)

Kids are naturally more flexable then adults, if he has any history of gymnastics he could deliver a kick to the head. I would say at least a year of dedicated flex training to confidently kick head height. (Adults two yrs unless in shape)
At 6 my daughter could jump up and land in the full stradles. (made me cringe everytime, not something a boy could do without scrambling the eggs)
When I was in my 20's, I could reliably kick to the head after a year. In a street fight, I would never kick to the head. Brawling doesn't allow for mistakes. If you land the kick it might be a win, if you don't you lose, and lose could mean a severe beating, and or a crippling leg injury. (one leg supporting your body, very good target.)

Flashy moves are great for show, but dangerous if they don't land in a real fight, With no ref to halt the action.
 
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