Thread:Demotivator/@comment-26484417-20171025101948/@comment-26484417-20171109115842

If by "well versed in" you mean that I have an extensive knowledge and understanding of martial arts, then yes. If you mean my ability to fight and defend myself, then the answer is slightly more complicated and altogether less impressive. For instance, I practiced Karate many years ago, and what I've learnt back then is now one part the things my body can no longer perform due to various injuries, a huge part the things I've forgotten, and a small part the few things I still remember; all in all, I wouldn't rely on Karate if I ever have to rely on a martial arts in real life.

Not to mention that I believe Karate--as well as any other striking martial art--isn't a particularly good choice for self-defence in the modern society. Keep in mind that authorities are extremely concerned with things like "proportionate response" and the like, so if you end up causing a significant injury the assailant who tries to hurt, mug, rape, or kill you without suffering any injury yourself, you might actually be punished for not being the proper victim. And if it turns out that you de facto practice martial arts, the situation might be even worse, because you might suddenly be regarded as someone who should have been in complete control of the whole situation (i.e., any injury on the assailant is there because you wanted it there). I don't really know where police got the idea, but this was pretty much the answer I received from a police officer when the question of application of martial arts came up.

Long story short, my opinion is that the best choice for real-world self-defence application are grappling martial arts. With striking martial arts (e.g., Karate, Taekwondo, etc.), your repertoire is mainly about hitting a part of the assailant's body--regardless of whether you attack or defend--, so it's easier to make them bleed and even break something. With grappling martial arts, your repertoire is commonly about getting a hold of your assailant, throws, and joint-locks, and--with the exception of throws--these are really good for restraining people without causing an injury. Aikido offers an answer to this self-defence conundrum one step further, because you can never use disproportionate force if you only use the force the assailant sent your way. =)

Indeed, Hanja is kind of ruining it, but--at least from what I've read--it's mainly a tool of posers, pretenders, and the few for whom it actually makes sense. And the little Hanja there is in Korean popular media doesn't sound like a sufficient reason to bother with it.