Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 16:17:24 -0500 
From: Edward Liu <el24+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: The art of head-butting!
	<JON.92Nov20103340@zeus.med.utah.edu>

In  <memo.758219@cix.compulink.co.uk>, bburgar@cix.compulink.co.uk
(Bill Burgar) writes:

>Warning - smashing your head against anything hard is a sure way to
>say goodbye to a good number of brain cells! Don't do it, unless you
>really have to.
>
>(True story...)
  ( which is sadly omitted )

    Below is a similar article written a while back and posted to
rec.martial-arts.  All credit to Ken Barrett.  Enjoy!

-- Ed
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*
From: barrett@oliven.olivetti.com (Ken Barrett)
Subject: Re: more embarrassing moments...
Summary: you have better things to do with your head.
Keywords: head banger.
Date: 24 Sep 90 21:11:25 GMT

Here is another infamous story for embarrassing moments...

I guess I have to be pretty sad to have so many.. but at this one I was only an
observer.

During my test for 2nd dan in TKD we had to break 5 bricks.  Going up to do
this we had no idea what technique we were to use, you found that out just
prior to the break you see.  At any rate there were 3 of us, and as the other 2
now have schools of their own, they will go nameless.  So the first of us goes
up, the instructor says "elbow", so whamm he breaks the bricks and sits down.
No. 2 was me, I go up and the instructor says "back fist", so whamm there goes
5 more bricks.  Now the third guy to go up has become over the years friends
with the instructor, so when he goes up the instructor says, "head".  Now up to
this point all of us have had the good sense not to try to break anything with
our heads.  So my friend says "yes sir" --pause-- "how do I do that sir".  By
now the instructor has his hand up infront of his mouth to hide his laughter
(and who says Koreans have no sense of humor..), and he says "just bend over
and hit it with your head".  So my friend starts to set himself up to do this,
then the instructor says "no, no, I was just kidding".

Now here is the part that should be sub-titled "the dumbest things I have ever
seen".

My friend (the guy testing) says, "no sir, I want to break these with my head"
and the instructor says "ok if that is what you want".  So whamm and my friend
is sitting on his butt, eyes pointing in what appears to be different
directions and a cut on the top of his head.  The instructor says "you have to
hit them on the front part of your head not the top".   So, whamm he hits the
bricks again, and ends up in pretty much the same position, except now he has
broken the top brick.

At this point my friend begins to get some sense.  He says "sir, I don't think
I can do this", and the instructor says "ok, you can break with a punch, but
you have to go get another brick because you have to break 5 at once".

To this day when I see my friend I remind him of this episode and say that I
used to think he was smart.

moral no. 1 = You can find better things to do with your head than slamming it
into 10 inches of concrete.

moral no. 2 = If your instructor wants to play a joke like this on you, take
him up on his offer.

Bye.
Ken
Edward C. Liu		|   " 'Ed, are you hallucinating?'
el24+@andrew.cmu.edu	|     'Huh?  Oh.  Yeah, but not right now."
(E-L, not E-One)	|	-- _Northern Exposure_, Nov 9 1992