The world of mma

[Tez3]

Skip Hall is a fulltime professional fighter. Look him up on Sherdog. It will surprise you I promise. He fought Dan Severn a couple of months ago. he also judges on UFC. Also on Sherdog look up Pride & Glory Ultimate fighting, that's our promotion and you will see he fought on "Glory Days".

 

[ktanaka]

Ok. You realize that there really isn't any way to prove something without evidence... you have stories, I've heard them, they might be true, but there isn't anything to give credence to them.
Even if its true, we know nothing about the opponents. Are they people who are trained fighters? How big are they? How much punishment can they take? How is their conditioning? Without any sort of record of their own, and no video to estimate off of, there isn't really a way to know.
True enough. Cultural trappings aren't really necessary for fighting.
Ok. See above questions about video, opponents capabilities etc.

Same questions.
1. How do we know that this actually happened?
2. How capable were the opponents?

I don't know. That's the problem.
Same questions...
True.
Always. Without evidence, any story goes, and then we're just back into legend and myth, and wondering whether Zhang Shen hitting a man into the air so hard he never came down is more impressive than Li Shun Long blasting someone with a lighting bolt.
I don't think that will happen. Most ring matches and even no rules challenge matches end without any injury requiring hospitalization.
That would certainly help, but I don't think it would adjust the final conclusions.
See above.
I think that MMA rules are the maximum amount of rules that can cover a fighting competition. Those rules, or fewer rules than those (ie MMA less a few or all), are the situations in which it is relavent to compare skills.

It bemuses me to read some of the above postings. It is something that americans who have never lived in asia and trained in asia ever understand. Whether it be on the octagon or in a martial art tournament in the U.S., to an asian watching these folks, they still fight like it was a SPORT!!!

Over the years the true essence of martial arts have been tainted by half baked sel professing martial artist who think just because they have trained five years and have gotten their black belts are already true karatekas. The belt means nothing. The essence of it is in ones heart and soul. The belt is just an outward expression.

Martial Arts training in asia is a matter of life or death. I remember my sempai who was in training for two years in training for two years at the Honbu (JKA) dojo in Japan came home in the middle of his training distressed. One student at the dojo died during the training (that was just a mere training)....distressing it was. In asia you train with a single objective, to down your opponent with one blow. To do that you have to train each technique with the right purpose, precision, and power in mind. A hundred throws or punches a day dont make the cut. Martial Arts trainining as it is supposed to be is a matter of life and death. Only through facing that fact, that you will be able to face death threatenning situations with a clearer mind. Funny, if you think about it, you do not punch somone in the face... you finger strike them in the eyes, ridge/spear hand them in the neck. You punch them in the solar plexus!

I have every respect for Grandmaster Pu Gil Gwon, Gandmaster Park, Shihan Asai, Shihan Egami, etc...... These martial artists trained during world war times (World War 2, Korean War) They have a different mentality as far as martial arts training goes. And too bad they are a dying breed. Heaven knows how deadly these people are if they ever chose to. Never have I seen anybody break boards like pu gil gwon (spear hand!) I would never want to feel the tip of that finger strike any part of my neck!

 

[Shotgun Buddha]

It bemuses me to read some of the above postings. It is something that americans who have never lived in asia and trained in asia ever understand. Whether it be on the octagon or in a martial art tournament in the U.S., to an asian watching these folks, they still fight like it was a SPORT!!!

Over the years the true essence of martial arts have been tainted by half baked sel professing martial artist who think just because they have trained five years and have gotten their black belts are already true karatekas. The belt means nothing. The essence of it is in ones heart and soul. The belt is just an outward expression.

Martial Arts training in asia is a matter of life or death. I remember my sempai who was in training for two years in training for two years at the Honbu (JKA) dojo in Japan came home in the middle of his training distressed. One student at the dojo died during the training (that was just a mere training)....distressing it was. In asia you train with a single objective, to down your opponent with one blow. To do that you have to train each technique with the right purpose, precision, and power in mind. A hundred throws or punches a day dont make the cut. Martial Arts trainining as it is supposed to be is a matter of life and death. Only through facing that fact, that you will be able to face death threatenning situations with a clearer mind. Funny, if you think about it, you do not punch somone in the face... you finger strike them in the eyes, ridge/spear hand them in the neck. You punch them in the solar plexus!

I have every respect for Grandmaster Pu Gil Gwon, Gandmaster Park, Shihan Asai, Shihan Egami, etc...... These martial artists trained during world war times (World War 2, Korean War) They have a different mentality as far as martial arts training goes. And too bad they are a dying breed. Heaven knows how deadly these people are if they ever chose to. Never have I seen anybody break boards like pu gil gwon (spear hand!) I would never want to feel the tip of that finger strike any part of my neck!

Actually to many Asians martial arts is treated as a hobby or just something you do, similar to way alot of people play football in other countries. At the end of the day, there's nothing special about doing martial arts. With regards its combative applications,the odds are against you ever needing to use them, and a more productive form of defence is studying the "soft" skills of verbal de-escalation and situational awareness.
Any type of personal or mental improvement is not unique to martial arts, and could be achieved in any activity that you dedicate yourself to, since the improvement is the result of an indiviudals discipline and dedication.
The health benefits while good, are in no way profound, and fitness programs such as Crossfit general outstrip them easily.
So the big three of martial arts marketing, are in fact qualities one could easily find elsewhere.
So when it comes down to it, there really is only one true proper reason to study martial arts. Because you enjoy it.
It doesn't matter if you're fighting in a ring, or if like doing forms, or studying weapons, or for some strange reason like punching pieces of wood.
All that matter is you enjoy it, because thats the only one that will really ever come up.

 

[Tez3]

I agree with Shotgun Buddha, Asians treat martial arts the same as we do, the days of fighting to the death are very long gone. I don't understand why people hit pieces of wood either!

 

[Shotgun Buddha]

I agree with Shotgun Buddha, Asians treat martial arts the same as we do, the days of fighting to the death are very long gone. I don't understand why people hit pieces of wood either!

I swear Officer, that oak tree started it, it was checking out my wife!

 

[Tez3]

And as for that Pine tree it's so aggressive!

 

[zDom]

I don't understand why people hit pieces of wood either!

Because boards don't hit back, of course!

Seriously though, it is a nice test of focus. I like breaking wood. I find it very satisfying.

 

[Shotgun Buddha]

Because boards don't hit back, of course!

Seriously though, it is a nice test of focus. I like breaking wood. I find it very satisfying.

Then thats best reason for doing it. Only really valid reason for most of the training we do is because we like it.