So the gym I go to has a Karate class on Wednesday nights. I've always done martial arts but I was never that bothered about Karate. It's free though so I figure why not and go along after I'm done.

The first half was cool. He was talking about using his Karate block stuff to block knives, which is a pretty bad idea but it was all kind of fun and worked you out in a cool way that was pretty new.

He also had this very domineering authoritative attitude which is kind of unpleasant, but I chalk this up to tradition. Respect, bow to your sensei and all that.

Then about an hour in everyone gets gloves and shin pads on ready to spar. He gives me a quick run down of the rules. No punching the face, just body shots. Kicking's fine everywhere but kees and groin. Kees are fine, no elbow. Light contact.

Now I've done Muay Thai for a few years now and a bit of kickboxing before that, so I'm pretty used to sparring. The only weird thing is the no punching to the face thing, which is a bit hard to adjust to. So naturally I'm a bit better than the other new guys, I make an effort to go light, and let them get in with a few shots.

I spar with the more advanced guys, a brown belt, and some guy who keeps talking aout a tournament he did at the weekend. I hold my own pretty well against both. I catch one of their kicks and knock them down muay thai style. They were fun and cool, good to spar with.

By now I've sparred with like 5 or 6 people, and my cardio's not great now so I'm pretty gassed. Out of nowhere the instructor asks me to partner up with him. He's not been sparring at all until now. I'm in 12 oz gloves, he's in 4 oz MMA gloves.

Turns out he wasn't planning on sparring with me. He's fucking fighting me. He wasn't much bigger than me, and I know what full force feels like on a guy that size. He wasn't pulling punches at all. I'm tired and not used to the rules, and he basically batters me. I knock him down at one point, he gets up and back kicks me in the throat. Then a minute later he does it again. He keeps this shit up, hammering away my my shoulder and battering me in the thigh right till the end. I bow out at the end , and head out, confused and pissed off

Thanks to this I've got a big cut on the right side of my neck, a massive bruise on my thigh and a big bruise and a shit load of little graze cuts on my shoulder.

I haven't got a fucking clue what was going through this guy's mind. Was he annoyed at me for going too hard with the beginners? Unlikely, and even if I did bad way to handle it. Was he just trying to put me in my place? More likely.

I've been to loads of different martial arts classes in my life and I've never once seen something so stupid and unprofessional.

Avoid the Karate classes at Tokei London Bridge like the plague.