I
n 2018, after an absence of 29 years, Daniel LaRusso returned to our screens in Netflix’s Cobra Kai (originally a YouTube Original), bringing back to life the Karate-influenced Karate Kid film franchise that entertained young people and the like around the world, in the '80s and early ’90s.
After recently suffering from what could only be described as “Covid-like” symptoms, the new dreaded trend of the 2020s, it left me sofa-bound for a few days and with some time to kill. After avoiding this popular show for 4 years, due to its cheesy marketing and questionable (American “comedy”) acting, I thought, ‘Hey, let’s see what all the fuss is about’. Within just a few days I had consumed all four seasons (40 episodes) and although I’d describe the show as watchable, I felt shocked, bewildered, and aggravated by the cavalier use of martial arts and lack of restraint instilled upon the students. I was left thinking…how many young people will attempt to roundhouse their way out of minor disputes or fights over their school crush after watching this show? Within this article, we’re going to break down the inaccurate portrayals of this thing we call Martial Arts with the thing they call an Action-ComedyDrama. In the scientific journal, “Video analysis of head blows leading to concussion in competition Taekwondo” Brain Injury by Joe O. Koh, E. Jane Watkinson, and Yong-Jin Yoon in 2004 — Results found that, ‘Head blows, and concussions were most evident when the attacker was situated in a closed stance and received a single roundhouse kick.’ Concluding, ‘frequency of head blows, and concussions are high in Taekwondo. Development of blocking skills, safety education, rigorous enforcement of the competition rules, and improvement of headgear are recommended.’ Furthermore, a study by the University of Toronto documented that, ‘a mixed martial arts fighter suffers a traumatic brain injury in almost a third of professional bouts.’
Image source: UCSfm.com.br
122
