Martial arts myths and misconceptions

Just some of the common myths and misconceptions I have encountered over the years of martial arts exposure.

1. Black belts are experts
"Don't mess with him, he's a black belt." Ahh, I've heard this phrase countless times. Unfortunately, a belt is a very inaccurate way of measuring a person's ability, and today it is very easy to get a black belt in martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do or Karate. Most practitioners could acquire their black belts within 2-3 years of training, certainly not someone you would call experts. Besides, I have personally met many black belt holders who do not know how to hold a fist properly.

2. Bigger people move slow
Not true, unless by big you mean a couch potato, then yes. In this case it's the big-sized, muscular ones. Many heavyweight fighters move very quickly and can throw multiple punches in quick succession. Your speed depends on your muscle strength and agility, little to do with your size. But these guys tire more quickly. Just compare the build of Olympic marathon runners (endurance) and 100m sprinters (speed).

3. Size doesn't matter in a fight
People tell me that often, but in fact it is not true. Size is a very important factor in a fight. Why else would there be weight classes in boxing and MMA fights? A bigger man would be able to throw heavier punches due to their larger body mass. In a real fight, smaller person would actually be in a disadvantage. Size matters, but it is not all that matters.

4. Sparring will train you in fights
Well, a person who spars regularly would probably perform better than a person who doesn't, but sparring will do little to help you in the event of an actual street-fight. First of all, in a sparring match you are bounded by rules; no kick to groins, no hair pulling, spitting etc. In a real fight, anything goes. Secondly, in no-contact sparring you are controlling your attacks, making sure you do no damage to your opponent. To train to fight, fight to train. As Bruce Lee said, if you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is ever going to help you.

5. You could kill a person by shoving their nosebone to the brain
This is a popular one, and certainly not true. For one, just study a human skull for a second and you'll probably realize that a human nose is not made up of a bone. In fact, it is made up of a soft cartilage that would be quite impossible to penetrate the skull. An average adult cranium is actually very hard and could absorb a lot of impact, and even if the "nose bone", assuming it exists does penetrate the human skull, the brain is actually a little to deep for the bone to reach. So there you have it. It would look spectacular, but it has and will never be done.

Many others just slipped my mind. Will probably post a follow-up, maybe one on fitness myths.