how to recognize different martial arts in youtube videos?

[Tony Dismukes]

Since the original question was somewhat ambiguous, I should clarify:

If you are talking about recognizing different styles being demonstrated or practiced, then it's really just a matter of being familiar with the styles in question. I can identify a lot of different styles in general, but would probably not be able to differentiate between two closely related karate styles the way that practitioners of those styles might be able to.

If you are talking about recognizing different styles in the context of a fight, that's a whole different matter. You can refer back to my previous answer for that one.

 

[geezer]

Since the original question was somewhat ambiguous, I should clarify:

If you are talking about recognizing different styles being demonstrated or practiced, then it's really just a matter of being familiar with the styles in question. I can identify a lot of different styles in general, but would probably not be able to differentiate between two closely related karate styles the way that practitioners of those styles might be able to.

If you are talking about recognizing different styles in the context of a fight, that's a whole different matter. You can refer back to my previous answer for that one.

Tony, here's a clip that illustrates your point. Everybody knows --or thinks they know-- what Wing Chun looks like from the Donnie Yen movies. And sometimes, in training against other WC stylists, it does look like that. It tends to look somewhat more generic when used in a fight. Especially when used successfully. Check out this:

Best Wing Chun KO in MMA - Iron Wolves Fighter Josh Kaldani - YouTube

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Tony, here's a clip that illustrates your point. Everybody knows --or thinks they know-- what Wing Chun looks like from the Donnie Yen movies. And sometimes, in training against other WC stylists, it does look like that. It tends to look somewhat more generic when used in a fight. Especially when used successfully. Check out this:

Best Wing Chun KO in MMA - Iron Wolves Fighter Josh Kaldani - YouTube

Yeah, usually the critics come out to argue that the fighter in question wasn't really using whatever art they claim to be training: "He says he's doing White Spider Monkey Kung Fu Do Jutsu, but I don't see it. He didn't root into his back leg, blend with his opponent's force, or apply Zing Pao energy in his punches. Any of the yellow belts in my school would do better!" If you ask them to point to a better example of what the art should look like, they generally link to a demonstration rather than a fight. That's because it's harder than a lot of folks think to pull off "stylistically correct" techniques against an opponent who isn't giving you the same kind of energy you train against normally.

 

[TKD_luver]

Yeah, usually the critics come out to argue that the fighter in question wasn't really using whatever art they claim to be training: "He says he's doing White Spider Monkey Kung Fu Do Jutsu, but I don't see it. He didn't root into his back leg, blend with his opponent's force, or apply Zing Pao energy in his punches. Any of the yellow belts in my school would do better!" If you ask them to point to a better example of what the art should look like, they generally link to a demonstration rather than a fight. That's because it's harder than a lot of folks think to pull off "stylistically correct" techniques against an opponent who isn't giving you the same kind of energy you train against normally.

I could see that.