Showing Off Taekwondo Fail

Deputy flashing martial arts skills

There are places where, and times and when it is absolutely OK, perhaps even quite nice to show some of your fancy martial arts techniques and elaborate skills that you have worked so hard for.

Then there are those situations when said display of awesomeness will bring you nothing but ridicule or even heaps of trouble...

While a brief display can be totally fine as long as it's for a good cause, it's being asked for and you don't hurt, insult or enrage someone. One example is the recent TV debate, when Swedish Prime Minister Candidate Stefan Löfven was asked to show a few jujutsu tricks after the debate was over. Totally lighthearted and kosher.

Also a prearranged demo, say for instance to market your art or martial arts school or as a part of a community fair is of course totally fine. It's been cleared beforehand in those cases.

When showing off is not OK

There are, as previously stated, times when flashing your kicks and punches - or indeed grappling skills - will land you in trouble faster than you can say 'peak-a-poo'.

A Denver Sheriff's deputy recently discovered the effect of performing his taekwondo kicks to the wrong audience when he - as well as his colleagues - ended up having to control a jail inmate.

I'm pretty sure the martial arts nitwit is a nice guy and that he has great kicks and all that. But seriously... Showing off in an environment like that? In law enforcement and security line of work The brain is designed to be used, that's all I can say really.