Modern applications of martial arts

I hear the term 'modern applications of martial arts' quite frequently (being married to a Ninja that's not really unexpected), but never really understood the term until recently. I had visions of metro-sensei types tweeting instructions on how to poke nerve points via Facebook; I was quite disappointed to discover this wasn't the case. My understanding now is that it basically means you can beat some-one up in a nightclub as well as the more traditional zen garden setting.

When I studied Kung Fu for a couple of years, I discovered the most practical modern application of martial arts was to beat up on a vending machine when it didn't hold up its end of the deal. A fortuitous discovery indeed!

The cartoon below took a lot of redrawing and colouring, and I still don't think it looks right. The original sketch had so much more character, but it seems to have got lost in translation. Among the other issues, I think the arms are wrong; they are basically just a padded stick figure's arm! Guess I need to keep studying anatomy. Oh well. I may go back to it someday and re-work it, but I suspect I'm probably too lazy to ever get around to it.

Behold the dead, emotionless face of today's martial artist...

...versus the colourless yet more expressive prototype.