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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Shogun vs Jon Jones:
Question: Does the electric chair sweep work without the lock-down?
Answer: NO!
Case in point:
Shogun vs Jon Jones
Answer: NO!
Case in point:
Shogun vs Jon Jones
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Jack of All Trades Intro: What about next month
If nobody leaves a comment on this video by the end of the month, next month will be devoted to analysis of the marital arts, of Bruce Campbells filmography.
Steven Seagals' "Against the Dark"
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The issue of how Steven Seagal would do in a cage fight remains unresolved, much like the allegations of sexual misconduct being leveled against him by Kelly Lebrock and Kayden Nguyen. The issue of whether or not Steven Seagal is a true martial artist, however, is completely settled in my mind. Steven Seagal IS a martial artist at least to the extent that I am as well.
All the proof I need is in Steven Seagals' first and only venture into the horror genre: "Against the Dark". "Against the Dark" is a perfect summation of the a martial artists attitude towards the horror genre and a valuable peak inside the mind of someone willing to spend a lifetime learning to kill with his or her hands. To me, to Steven Seagal, and to just about anyone whose ever picked up a copy of "The Book of Five Rings" or "The Art Of War", watching a zombie flick is a painful experience.
Warriors like Steven Seagal, carefully choose seating at restaurants in order to avoid surprise attacks that will never come. I cover the floor of my bedroom with crumpled newspapers to confound potential assassins, and turn off anything I am listening too if I hear the slightest noise so I can "hear people before they hear me". Idiotic characters in Zombie movies turn their backs on bloodthirsty monsters that are obviously only stunned. Zombie victims walk up to obviously infected friends and then turn their back to the newly minted zombies to say things like "boy he sure looks infected" before being needlessly bitten. Imagine how this looks to Steven Seagal, a man who once constructed three zip guns booby traps and an array of throwing knives out of scraps he found in an abandoned mansion, in under ten minutes! I'll tell you how that kind of nonsense looks to Steven Seagal: pretty darn frustrating.
"Against the Dark" is Steven Seagals one finger salute to the entire horror genre. The setting is essentially the most generic horror movie imaginable. Five or six survivors of an apocalyptic viral outbreak that turns people into vampiric zombie like creatures are trying to escape from an abandoned hospital. Once by one they fall for the oldest tricks in the zombie book, zombie children, zombie mannequin camouflage, zombies hiding in bathroom stalls, zombie hordes, and even the lesser known but fairly predictable aqua zombie ploys. Eventually two or three of them escape representing the possibility of redemption for humanity. Basically, the fundamental script is just a crass attempt to cash in on the marketing for movies like "I Am Legend."
Steven Seagal took this generic zombie script and made it his own. Essentially, he shoe horns in his charter "Tao" who wanders the wasteland killing zombies and happens to be in the same abandoned hospital doing his thing as our would be protagonists. "Tao" or as I like to call him "example of how Steven Seagal would handle said situation" reveals the zombies and by extension all zombies and most horror movie monsters, for what they are. Poorly coordinated meat sacks who could never possibly pose a threat to humans capable of intelligently defending themselves. All these things are really good for is practice dummies for Steven Seagals deadly Aikido Sword play.
Every time the idiots who belong in the movie to begin with almost get themselves killed, Steven Seagal is there to smash the zombies like pinatas and then fade back into the shadows in a way that makes clear that he doesn't give a shit about the people he saves he just gets really bored if five minutes go by and he doesn't kill a vampire, zombie, or drug dealer.
In this movie you'll see how basic self defense techniques could save you from a zombie bite, as well as how easy these brainless yet brain craveing automatons are to kill if your just willing to put forth the effort. Even one of the original cast from what I assume was the Pre-Steven Seagal script, mannages to defeat a zombie with a simple choke escape a few knees to the groin and a series of head stomps. The message is obvious, "stop whining and get into the spirit of killing the darn zombies". Obviously for a man like Steven Seagal a zombie apocalypse, much like the murder of a close friend or loved one is little more than a welcome excuse to initiate some but kicking action. The same could be true of you too "If you drink lightning bolt."
Anyhow, I have to thank Steven Seagal for addressing my frustrations with this type of movie. I can honestly say that none of that crap would ever have happened to me either. Just like I'll never get trapped in a eastern European hostel like in the movie "Hostel" or get stabbed to death while taking a shower. To me the scariest movie ever is actually Con-Air where Nicholas Cages character goes to jail for defending his wife against a gang of rapists. I'm glad I live in a state like South Carolina whose self defense laws protect the rights of all citizens no matter how deadly their kung fu skills may be. If I were British I'd probably have been arrested just for writing this blog, since the energetic qualities of Steven Seagals lightning bolt are so intense they might be classified as an "offensive weapon."
If Dumbledore had hired Steven Seagal had been hired Steven Seagal as the "Defense Against the Dark Arts" teacher at Hogwarts during the Harry Potter years there wouldn't have been a need for 7 whole books to tell the story of Voldemort's demise.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
If the Spear is King of weapons, who's the queen?: Chinese weapons and their personalities
Every weapon has a personality all it's own. Let's explore that concept:
The Spear is the King of Weapons: Get a few spears together and you can hold of an entire Persian army, but it's not a weapon for the common man since you can't take it on a bus.
The Staff is the Father of Weapons: The staff is the first and most fundamental of the kungfu implments of destruction, but it lacks a cutting edge. A less charitable person might say "a staff is just a broken spear." Staffs are very portable though and you can even find them lying around when you forgot to bring you own. Definitely a weapon worth researching.
The Sword is The Scholar of weapons: The straight sword is neither practical for the battlefield or cost effective to make. The sword makes a great status symbol and requires sophisticated technique but little strength. It's a great weapon for someone who hopes to go his whole life without actually killing anyone, but doesn't want to have his school supplies stolen on the way to an imperial examination.
The Sabre is The Weapons Weapon: Don't believe me? Think about what the Guan dao and Pu dao are? Those weapons are just a broad sword and a staff stuck together. When your weapon needs it's own weapon you give it a broadsword. The saber or Chinese broadsword is "The weapon's weapon."
The Twin Melon Hammers are the Pamela Anderson of Weapons: Self Explanatory.
The Spear is the King of Weapons: Get a few spears together and you can hold of an entire Persian army, but it's not a weapon for the common man since you can't take it on a bus.
The Staff is the Father of Weapons: The staff is the first and most fundamental of the kungfu implments of destruction, but it lacks a cutting edge. A less charitable person might say "a staff is just a broken spear." Staffs are very portable though and you can even find them lying around when you forgot to bring you own. Definitely a weapon worth researching.
The Sword is The Scholar of weapons: The straight sword is neither practical for the battlefield or cost effective to make. The sword makes a great status symbol and requires sophisticated technique but little strength. It's a great weapon for someone who hopes to go his whole life without actually killing anyone, but doesn't want to have his school supplies stolen on the way to an imperial examination.
The Sabre is The Weapons Weapon: Don't believe me? Think about what the Guan dao and Pu dao are? Those weapons are just a broad sword and a staff stuck together. When your weapon needs it's own weapon you give it a broadsword. The saber or Chinese broadsword is "The weapon's weapon."
The Twin Melon Hammers are the Pamela Anderson of Weapons: Self Explanatory.
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| Pamela Anderson: Will we someday miss the 90's as we now miss the 80's? |
The Japanese Spear: Owari kan ryu no Yari Jutsu
There is some impresive spear play at work here, it would be nice to see some of the competetive spear fighters from Li He Men six harmonies school spar with these guys someday.
Master Y. C. Chiang demonstrating Luo Spear
This form shows the spear's great versatility as a weapon. Many of the techniques are suited to close range fighting, making the spear useful in tight spaces or against multiple attackers.
Six Harmonies Spear: 六合大槍
Six harmonies spear is one of the top schools of spear-play in China. This is a great example of the six harmonies spear technique that emphasizes speed and precision.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Spear is the King Of the Weapons: Liu Xue Gang's Tangled Thread Spear Form
I hope you're enjoying my month long Spear-straveganza! This is Master Liu's favorite spear form, which focuses on a behind the back spear techniques, thus the tangled thread moniker.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Spear Of Destiny: Legend of the Holy Spear
Is the spear of destiny the worlds most famous spear?
Why The Spear Is the King of Weapons: The Enumerable Merits of a Great Weapon
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| The hands are best for individual self defense but the is spear a collaborative self defense tool |
I'm not a big fan of weapons in general. I don't like the idea that force multipliers are so popular and easy to get a hold of but intelligence and sophistication multipliers are so rare and hard to get. Knives, guns, clubs and swords make not killing harder than killing, which hardly seems like a desirable state of affairs to me. On the other hand, I'm far from immune to the male obsessive compulsion to towards weapons. "Iron does draw my hands." to paraphrase Homer. Conscious of my human weakness I try to avoid touching instruments of death whenever possible and always decline offers to learn weapons forms, even when they look like a lot of fun, and even though it means I'll never be qualified to inherit a martial arts lineage.
Why then out of all the weapons in kung fu, do I make an exception for the Great Spear or Da Qiang? Why would I decline to learn about such practical self defense tools as the knife or the cane, and instead focus on an awkward implement I can't even fit into my car when I'm stateside and have to carry between two bicycles when in China?
The basis of my enthusiasm for the great spear is philosophical and goes to the root of why I study martial arts in the first place. The spear is the embodiment of the principle of martial art. It was the first good idea that had the power to defend itself, and it is foremost among all weapons for instilling the values of community, collaboration, rationality, and leadership.
One man with a 20ft spear depending on the terrain might be at an advantage or disadvantage against a man with a 8ich knife. However regardless of the terrain, ten spear-men will always have an advantage over ten men armed with virtually any other pre-modern weapon. The nature of the weapon lends it self to use by groups of men or women, working together. The spear naturally teaches people to rely on their companions for protection, rather than have their collaborators become obstacles. In ancient times, villagers cut down bamboo trees, and stood side by side to fight of trained bandits. If you asked the the same people to use swords they'd quickly become disorganized and end up hurting each other, not so with spears. Just as an empty handed martial art empowers the individual, the spear empowers the community.
With empty hands or swords, only four people can effectively attack one person at once. The spear on the other hand allows for an infinite number of simultaneous to cooperate, limited only by the length of the spear shaft. The spear allows the community to check the power of it's strongest individuals.
On the other hand, if only a few dozen people gather together with spears in hand providing they fight somewhere where they cannot be surrounded, even an army of assailants will not easily be able to overcome them. The spear protects the rights of the group from the self interest of powerful individuals, however, it also protects the rights of a small community from the hegemony of a larger one. Is it any wonder that the ancient Greeks who invented democracy also relied on spears as their primary weapon?
When you watch a master lift a 20ft spear, and watch the power and speed with which he or she moves the weapon, it's impossible not to visualize exactly how each move was used on an ancient field of battle. Ancient Chinese soldiers standing side by side parrying and thrusting in perfect unison. Li: deflect up! Lan: deflect down! Ci: Stab! The foundation of all martial skill in clearly evident in these moments. The full-bodied power of internal kung fu, combining legs waist hips back and arms is required to control the tip of the weapon. The short bursts of power that leave foreign audiences of Taiji demonstrations incredulous, once propelled the tips of spears clean through an opponent exactly one spear length away. The distant point of focus that such a weapon requires, inspired the projection of the Yi or "Intent" beyond the opponent, which enabled empty handed kung fu's meditative feats of strength. Through the necessity's of war and the perfection of spear-play, China became strong enough to unify itself and kung fu gained it's tremendous effectiveness. Just as fencing gave birth to western boxing, and machete fighting gave birth to Philippine fighting arts, Chinese empty handed fighting was born from the Spear. The spear is both the King of Weapons and the Mother of Kung Fu itself!
The question still remains, "what use does an individualist have for such a weapon." Surely someone who seeks personal freedom and safety by studying the empty handed arts would choose to suppress the Spear for his or her own safety. In my opinion thinking in this way misses the point of what being a martial artist or as some would say; a warrior, truly entails.
When danger is imminent people do not instinctively rush to collect bamboo poles and form phalanxes. Instead they look to their leaders for protection, and the leaders call upon warriors to defend the community. Look for this principle in Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai" or Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter." In every case, a warriors responsibility consists far more of organizing people for their own defense, and devising a plan of action, than of physically killing assailants.
Therefore, I gladly laud the spear as King of all weapons and diligently practice Yang Style Taiji's 13 spear techniques. In doing so I naturally gain the benefit of conditioning my body and mind in the mechanics of internal power, but more importantly I remind myself that martial arts mastery is not just about self defense but also about constructive leadership.
This summer with the acquisition of two enormous new cavalry spears and with unlimited practice space in which to wield them, I look forward to indulging in many hours of ....gee I almost wrote "intense thrusting" there but then decided that some people might not "get the joke" given the serious tone of the rest of the piece. Anyhow, thank heavens for Fang Mountain and it's ample training space compared Beihai park or indeed anywhere else I've trained before. Have a great March and I hope you all enjoy the Spear/Steven Seagal Clips I'll be posting all month long.
Tai Chi and Stephen Seagal: Can Steven Seagal Fight?
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| When Steven Seagal was thinner, he was faster. |
However, my skeptical quibbles aside. It's important to remember that the scientific method is based on dispassionate observation, and even if I don't like the way material is presented, I still have a duty to keep an open mind. After watching some videos of Steven Seagal's demonstrations from his pre Hollywood training years, I have to say that he does appear to possess athleticism coordination and timing which leads me to believe he could actually do what I see him doing in these videos.
It's obvious that anybody who runs at Steven Seagal with total commitment is highly likely to get close-lined and could easily get their arm broken. Would the same thing happen to a trained fighter? It's hard to feel confident that it would because Steven Seagal has seemingly made no effort to seek non Aikido practitioners to test his skills against. Never the less, This is still a case of a six foot six, hundred kilogram individual who is really good at techniques meant to overcome disparities in strength. Surely, the synergy of completely neutralizing the force of an opponent that was already at a physical disadvantage would make Steven Seagal a force to be reckoned with. From a practical point of view, the few techniques that Steven Seagal focuses on and employs over and over again do work in the situations they are designed for and Steven Seagal is more than capable of applying them with tremendous force. This is clearly not a case of someone who has gotten lazy after the first 100 repetitions and regressed with time. Steven Seagal's sidestep wrist lock is capable of breaking an attackers wrist.
What remains in doubt is whether on not the ability to execute an effective technique extremely well is enough to qualify Seagal as a fighter. Fighting requires the ability to adapt to and anticipate an opponent, not merely execute a perfect technique. How would Steven react to feinting? Can he read punches well enough to know when the moment to step out has finally arrived? Would he get so excited at the idea of someone trying to harm him that he would choke? That's something we can't know for sure.
Steven Seagal does have one thing going for him: The endorsement of Anderson Silva, a man who is quite literally the best fighter in the world today. Anderson Silva's vote of confidence is by far the strongest argument we have in favor of Steven Seagal's prowess in the fighting department.
Some call this endorsement into question given Mr. Seagal's celebrity. Didn't Elvis Presley have a bunch of Karate accolades he had no business having? It's certainly very possible that an MMA fighter would seek to give his image some extra pizazz or simply schmooze his way into a role in Steven Seagal's next movie by "humoring the old guy" on a few moves.
The real question though is "Would Anderson Silva simply humor Steven Seagal, for the above reasons?" In my opinion he absolutely would not. Having read the man's autobiographical materials, it seems clear that Anderson Silva sees himself first and foremost as a martial artist, and follows a traditional code of martial arts ethics. This is one of the reasons why Anderson Silva refuses to put on a show for the fans and insists on fighting for himself even when it makes him unpopular and costs him a great deal of money in sponsorships.
Anderson Silva is also committed to "winning beautifully" which lead him to to be one of the first fighters to use Muay Boran in an MMA fight. Even though his trainers laughed at him, Anderson Silva once drilled an upward elbow strike 100 times a day on his own time, with hopes to use the beautiful but difficult to master technique against his next opponent. This was the result.
Anderson Silva does not fight at the pace of the public's attention span, instead he seems to be mainly concerned with creating the moments of unspeakable martial beauty that define his carrier over the long term, becoming the first person to use Aikido in MMA would certainly count as one of those moments. In my opinion Anderson Silva does indeed see the potential to use Aikido in MMA and believes that Steven Seagal can help him get to the level of Aikido required to do so. I anticipate seeing Anderson Silva use Aikido in the near future, as soon as he's put the appropriate number of reps into the Steven Seagal approved techniques he's chosen to acquire.
Perhaps the most controversial part of the Steven Seagal/Anderson Silva relationship is the now infamous front kick knockout that Anderson Silva scored against Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. Both Anderson Silva and Steven Seagal claim that the kick is a special kick that Seagal specially formulated; much like Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt. Critics however, tend to maintain, sometimes vehemently that the technique Anderson Silva used was simply the Muay Thai teep kick.
This is clearly not the case since the teep is a thrusting kick rather than an upward kick like the one Anderson Silva used to KO Vitor Belfort. Anderson Silva has also trained in Tae Kwon Do, which famously a kicking style, and probably at least partially the inspiration for Anderson Silva's bladed stance, which focuses on defense, as opposed to Bas Rutten's MMA Muay Thai stance that squares with the opponent for maximum offensive output. Compared to the snapping action of the frontkick favoured by Lyoto Machida's MMA Karate, the kick Anderson Silva used does seem to resemble the Tae Kwon Do version of the kick.
This is really all beside the point because as my buddy Mark T. pointed out: Anderson Silva used the exact same kick against Dan Henderson in 2008, so the question is really, when did Anderson Silva start training with Steven Seagal? Steven Seagal has said about a year and a half ago... but he's not sure.
I will say this though, if Anderson Silva didn't respect Steven Seagal it's hard to imagine he would actually have the guy in his corner during the fight. Having someone you didn't like around at such a stressful time would be unbearable.
Further more, Anderson Silva threw that front kick with total commitment at UFC 126 in contrast to the tentative way he threw the kick at UFC 82. This shows he's been working hard on it during that time.
Finally, it is possible that Steven Seagal added some theoretical components to the kick such as how to set it up with an "eye feint" or some subtle twist of the hips.
In conclusion I have to say it seems unlikely that Steven Seagal taught Anderson Silva the front kick he used to defeat Vitor Belfort. It is however possible, and I must admit that I'm inclined to take Anderson Silva at his word at least on the issue of whether or not he actually actually looks to Steven Seagal for martial arts advice.
Based on this analysis I have two predictions:
1: Anderson Silva will win an MMA fight with an Aikido style wrist-lock.
2: Anderson Silva and Steven Seagal will have and ugly and highly publicized falling out within the next 2 years.
Overall I have to say that the evidence so far does tend to favor the "Steven Seagal as genuine martial artist hypothesis." The matter is far from resolved however, I will continue to address the topic in subsequent posts...
This post was a continuation of the following:
Part 1: Why isn't Aikdo in MMA?
The question of whether or not Steven Seagal can fight is actually a very relevant one to the current martial arts debate because at it's core is the question of whether or not Aikido is an effective martial art. Make no mistake Steven Seagal is very adept at Aikido. Holding a seventh dan in any Japanese association is easily equivalent to a Phd. in that subject, and to be the first and only foreigner to accomplish this no doubt required Steven Seagal to master the art more fully than many of his Japanese colleagues. Putting that issue aside, the fact remains that Steven Seagal's investment in Aikido and more importantly the fact that he attained such a high technical level while still at his physical peak, makes him more than qualified to represent the art in combat. If Aikido only become practical for fighting after the 8th dan is attained I don't think it's unreasonable to call the whole thing a scam, or at least an impractical option for women wishing to learn self defense.
I used to be pretty down on Aikido myself. My arguments against it were as follows
1: If it worked somebody would have used it in the UFC by now.
2: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.
The first argument might seem a little simplistic but it is particularly powerful when applied to Aikido. Until very very recently, Aikido school far outnumbered Brazilian jujitsu school in America, and probably still outnumber bjj schools the world over. Japan, is a center for MMA and obviously the level of Aikido there is as high as it gets and the incentive to use Aikido, a highly identifiable Japanese art would be very strong for any competent young Aikidoka (Aikido practitioner). It seems odd, that absolutely no one, to this day, even one of Steven Seagals many disciples has ever taken the art of Aikido into competition with any success.
This problem is compounded by the fact that Aikido claims to be able to disable an opponent without hurting him, or in some cases even with out touching him or her. This would seem to strip away the excuse that many traditional martial arts fall back on, that MMA competition is somehow immoral because as Steven Seagal is often heard to say "I do not wish to harm any sentient being." Aikidoka's, Akidoists, or whatever they prefer to be called would seemingly be able to make their point in a non-violent manner, striking a blow for the cause of pacifism. You can't tell me that no Aikido master has ever thought of one finger pining Brock Lesnar with an advanced Aikido technique turning the hearts of a million rednecks away from the path of aggression. The simplest explanation of why this hasn't occurred yet would seem to be that it isn't possible to use Aikido in this way.
The final reason why it seems odd that there's no Aikido in the UFC is because of the extraordinary claims that the art makes for itself. Aikido is divinely inspired by Izunokami, Aikido intellectually perfect, Aikido is an expression of Universal Love, Aikido had disarm armed assaults from skilled attackers, Aikido makes strength and size irrelevant. With some first hand experience of MMA I can tell you that while extreme, an MMA fight takes place on a far more restricted scale than that typically associated with Universal Love, life and death sword fights, or existential speculation. It's a timed sporting event, with rules, and all sorts of safety measures. If your martial art is divine in origin as Aikido claims to be, you should be able to handle three three minute rounds against the personal trainer at your local gym, or the fittest looking guy at your local ice-cream parlor. I'm not saying you'd win against Anderson Silva with just Universal Love as your weapon, but your not going to get your butt kicked either. If half of what Aikido claims for itself is true, it does indeed seem odd that nobody has seen Aiken used successfully in a sports MMA match.
I say that the lack of Aikido in MMA seems, strange or that the discrepancy between what Aikido claims for itself and what it demonstrates is strange. Of course what I really mean is that Aikdo's claims are unbelievable, except by those with certain religious beliefs. There are however, a few reasons why Aikido, could be absent from MMA circles even though it is an effective art.
Hypothetically this may simply be a function of the way the art of Aikido is marketed. Perhaps the kind of person who is willing to put up with all the bowing and the weighting, and the kneeling, and the learning stuff you'll never use, like sword disarms; not to mention the endless philosophical and technical curriculum, just isn't the MMA fighting type.
Not everybody wants to get up in front of a screaming crowd in their underwear and have drunk people scream at them things like "whats the matter? You got a yeast infection?" Maybe the question "why isn't Aikido in MMA" is a little bit like the question "If the Dalai Lama (or Steven Seagal for that matter) is so enlightened then why doesn't he have his own highly successful blog?" Questions like these seem legitimate at first but ignore the fact that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in fact a best selling author, and that Aikido might be being used effectively in some less public or commercial forum other than MMA.
Additionally, it's worth considering that Aikido like boxing, might be highly effective but only in limited situation or against certain types of attacks. This is actually true of all martial arts including BJJ, and something well summarized by the old truism "Styles make fights" There could easily be some aspects of Aikido that make it useless in its current form against many modern martial artists or MMA fighters but highly effective once these weaknesses are addressed. Judo would be a good example of such an art. Judo works great for a mentally healthy Karo Parisian, but has made Satoshi Ishii a shoe in for the UFC heavyweight title. One glance at Karo Parisians books and DVDs on MMA will make it clear why: Judo is effective in MMA only with certain slight modifications that only some Judoka or Judoists are willing or able to make.
It's also quite possible to have two people that are highly skilled at an martial art, boxing comes to mind in this case, and have one use his or her skill to great effect in MMA while the other seems lost. This is often a matter of what aspects of boxing each fighter excels in. A destructive power puncher like Mike Tyson would have converted to MMA with no problem, because knocking people out aggressively with ones fists is an important MMA skill. On the other hand, Floyd Mayweather style technicians, who rely on head movement will always do poorly in MMA since their fighting skill is essentially a product of efficiently useing the rules of boxing competition against their opponent. Head Mohammad Ali style head movement is useless against leg kicks, but a stiff jab can neutralize wrestling, and a powerful punch is even more deadly with four ounce gloves. It's highly possible that Aikido, although an effective martial art, is simply being taught in a way that emphasizes the aspects of the art with the least to contribute to MMA. This is certainly the case with Tai Chi in the United States. Another good example would be the difference in different Tae Kwon Do styles ITF vs WTF as explained by UFC announcer fear factor host and Tenth Planet BJJ brown-belt and DMT advocate Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan is a hero of mine.
Another possibility is that Aikido is being taught extremely poorly in the majority of cases. It it possible that the various Aikido associations chose to expand too fast and left quality behind?
Obviously the answers to these questions are extremely difficult to verify, but I think there is enough doubt in favor of Aikido, that Aikido's lack of presence in MMA, might not be in and of itself enough to convict Aikido of being a useless art.
Come back tomorrow for part 2!
Front Kick Controversy: Anderson Silva vs Dan Henderson Fight Video UFC 82
This video shows Anderson Silva using apparently the same kick that knocked out Vitor Belfort, against Dan Henderson at 1:38.
MMA.GEEKS: Anderson Silva vs Dan Henderson Fight Video UFC 82
MMA.GEEKS: Anderson Silva vs Dan Henderson Fight Video UFC 82
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Master of the Flying Guillotine Pt.1
This is the subject of my next Kung Fu conference paper for sure!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Tai Chi and Stephen Seagal: Can Steven Seagal Fight?
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| Can Steven Seagal Fight? Was he ever good at fighting? |
The question of whether or not Steven Seagal can fight is actually a very relevant one to the current martial arts debate because at it's core is the question of whether or not Aikido is an effective martial art. Make no mistake Steven Seagal is very adept at Aikido. Holding a seventh dan in any Japanese association is easily equivalent to a Phd. in that subject, and to be the first and only foreigner to accomplish this no doubt required Steven Seagal to master the art more fully than many of his Japanese colleagues. Putting that issue aside, the fact remains that Steven Seagal's investment in Aikido and more importantly the fact that he attained such a high technical level while still at his physical peak, makes him more than qualified to represent the art in combat. If Aikido only become practical for fighting after the 8th dan is attained I don't think it's unreasonable to call the whole thing a scam, or at least an impractical option for women wishing to learn self defense.
I used to be pretty down on Aikido myself. My arguments against it were as follows
1: If it worked somebody would have used it in the UFC by now.
2: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.
The first argument might seem a little simplistic but it is particularly powerful when applied to Aikido. Until very very recently, Aikido school far outnumbered Brazilian jujitsu school in America, and probably still outnumber bjj schools the world over. Japan, is a center for MMA and obviously the level of Aikido there is as high as it gets and the incentive to use Aikido, a highly identifiable Japanese art would be very strong for any competent young Aikidoka (Aikido practitioner). It seems odd, that absolutely no one, to this day, even one of Steven Seagals many disciples has ever taken the art of Aikido into competition with any success.
This problem is compounded by the fact that Aikido claims to be able to disable an opponent without hurting him, or in some cases even with out touching him or her. This would seem to strip away the excuse that many traditional martial arts fall back on, that MMA competition is somehow immoral because as Steven Seagal is often heard to say "I do not wish to harm any sentient being." Aikidoka's, Akidoists, or whatever they prefer to be called would seemingly be able to make their point in a non-violent manner, striking a blow for the cause of pacifism. You can't tell me that no Aikido master has ever thought of one finger pining Brock Lesnar with an advanced Aikido technique turning the hearts of a million rednecks away from the path of aggression. The simplest explanation of why this hasn't occurred yet would seem to be that it isn't possible to use Aikido in this way.
The final reason why it seems odd that there's no Aikido in the UFC is because of the extraordinary claims that the art makes for itself. Aikido is divinely inspired by Izunokami, Aikido intellectually perfect, Aikido is an expression of Universal Love, Aikido had disarm armed assaults from skilled attackers, Aikido makes strength and size irrelevant. With some first hand experience of MMA I can tell you that while extreme, an MMA fight takes place on a far more restricted scale than that typically associated with Universal Love, life and death sword fights, or existential speculation. It's a timed sporting event, with rules, and all sorts of safety measures. If your martial art is divine in origin as Aikido claims to be, you should be able to handle three three minute rounds against the personal trainer at your local gym, or the fittest looking guy at your local ice-cream parlor. I'm not saying you'd win against Anderson Silva with just Universal Love as your weapon, but your not going to get your butt kicked either. If half of what Aikido claims for itself is true, it does indeed seem odd that nobody has seen Aiken used successfully in a sports MMA match.
I say that the lack of Aikido in MMA seems, strange or that the discrepancy between what Aikido claims for itself and what it demonstrates is strange. Of course what I really mean is that Aikdo's claims are unbelievable, except by those with certain religious beliefs. There are however, a few reasons why Aikido, could be absent from MMA circles even though it is an effective art.
Hypothetically this may simply be a function of the way the art of Aikido is marketed. Perhaps the kind of person who is willing to put up with all the bowing and the weighting, and the kneeling, and the learning stuff you'll never use, like sword disarms; not to mention the endless philosophical and technical curriculum, just isn't the MMA fighting type.
Not everybody wants to get up in front of a screaming crowd in their underwear and have drunk people scream at them things like "whats the matter? You got a yeast infection?" Maybe the question "why isn't Aikido in MMA" is a little bit like the question "If the Dalai Lama (or Steven Seagal for that matter) is so enlightened then why doesn't he have his own highly successful blog?" Questions like these seem legitimate at first but ignore the fact that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in fact a best selling author, and that Aikido might be being used effectively in some less public or commercial forum other than MMA.
Additionally, it's worth considering that Aikido like boxing, might be highly effective but only in limited situation or against certain types of attacks. This is actually true of all martial arts including BJJ, and something well summarized by the old truism "Styles make fights" There could easily be some aspects of Aikido that make it useless in its current form against many modern martial artists or MMA fighters but highly effective once these weaknesses are addressed. Judo would be a good example of such an art. Judo works great for a mentally healthy Karo Parisian, but has made Satoshi Ishii a shoe in for the UFC heavyweight title. One glance at Karo Parisians books and DVDs on MMA will make it clear why: Judo is effective in MMA only with certain slight modifications that only some Judoka or Judoists are willing or able to make.
It's also quite possible to have two people that are highly skilled at an martial art, boxing comes to mind in this case, and have one use his or her skill to great effect in MMA while the other seems lost. This is often a matter of what aspects of boxing each fighter excels in. A destructive power puncher like Mike Tyson would have converted to MMA with no problem, because knocking people out aggressively with ones fists is an important MMA skill. On the other hand, Floyd Mayweather style technicians, who rely on head movement will always do poorly in MMA since their fighting skill is essentially a product of efficiently useing the rules of boxing competition against their opponent. Head Mohammad Ali style head movement is useless against leg kicks, but a stiff jab can neutralize wrestling, and a powerful punch is even more deadly with four ounce gloves. It's highly possible that Aikido, although an effective martial art, is simply being taught in a way that emphasizes the aspects of the art with the least to contribute to MMA. This is certainly the case with Tai Chi in the United States. Another good example would be the difference in different Tae Kwon Do styles ITF vs WTF as explained by UFC announcer fear factor host and Tenth Planet BJJ brown-belt and DMT advocate Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan is a hero of mine.
Another possibility is that Aikido is being taught extremely poorly in the majority of cases. It it possible that the various Aikido associations chose to expand too fast and left quality behind?
Obviously the answers to these questions are extremely difficult to verify, but I think there is enough doubt in favor of Aikido, that Aikido's lack of presence in MMA, might not be in and of itself enough to convict Aikido of being a useless art.
Come back tomorrow for part 2!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tai Chi and Something I Found Interesting: Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing | Video on TED.com
This goes a long way to explaining why Kung Fu people are so hostile to each other compared to Japanese stylists. Too many choices of style.
Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing | Video on TED.com
Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing | Video on TED.com
Tai Chi and TED: George Ayittey on Cheetahs vs. Hippos | Video on TED.com
This doesn't really have anything to do with Tai Chi but it's a great talk and a great example of dark humor being used effectively.
George Ayittey on Cheetahs vs. Hippos | Video on TED.com
George Ayittey on Cheetahs vs. Hippos | Video on TED.com
Tai Chi and Hockey: The Mobilitty Connection
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| Kung Fu Footwork and Hockey Goal Tending Require Full Hip Mobility |
One of my best Tai Chi students is a hockey goalie. His hip mobility is better than mine was after my first five years of training, despite the fact that he's over six feat tall and powerfully built. If you're looking to improve your kung fu stances or xia pan dong zuo as they're called in Chinese. These hockey mobility drills will get you there faster and save you a lot of wear and tear on your knees and ankles:
Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida Sparring at Black House
Both Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva studied with Steven Seagal. But did they do it for the fame of being associated with him or out of admiration for Seagal Sensei's skill.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Tai Chi and Steven Seagal: The Journey Begins
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| Master Zhang "Thanking" me for forcing him to taste Seven Seagal's Lightning-bolt |
I was talking to Master Zhang on skype and he mentioned that he'd just seen "Belly of The Beast". "Belly of The Beast" is a movie where Steven Seagal uses his Aikido more or less as usual but calls it Tai Chi instead. At first I thought master Zhang would be mad at Seagal but instead he said "Oh yeah, Aikido is basically Sun Style Tai Chi, I'm just glad somebody is finally willing to admit it" This blew my mind, I've never really encountered a competent Sun Style practitioner, because it's a pretty rare style of Tai Chi, but I have heard that Morhei Ueshiba spent time in China and given his inquisitive temperament would certainly have studied martial arts there.
All this month I'll be examining Steven Seagal videos and Aikido in general with the goal of identifying which concepts in Aikido also apply to Tai Chi and vice versa. Who knows; maybe I'll finally be able to pull off some of those wrist locks Master Zhang always catches me with by the time I complete my "Tai Chi / Steven Seagal Investigation"
Phase one: The Young Steven Seagal
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| If this were a Steven Seagal Movie I could flip out of this, but try that with Master Zhang and get kicked the spine. |
Tai Chi Wall Paper
This picture of master Zhang would look great as the background for you iPad, don't you agree? It's a conversation piece! Just left click to download.
Yang Jwing Ming: Before the Fame
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| Eat your heart out Steven Seagal! Tai Chi's Chin Na is the basis of Aikido! |
Yang Jwing Ming is a pretty cool guy and a very good martial artist, especially when compared to most of his competitors. Recently I've heard people complaining he seems a little less accessible, which is true, but being a public figure really makes you hate the public after a while so I can't blame him. Here he is in the first golden age of Kung Fu in the USA talking to the lovely and presumably talented Cynthia Ming of Martial Arts World, a show that sadly no longer exists. This makes me nostalgic for a simpler time in American marital arts, before MMA came along and made everything stole all the teenagers attention away from the Chinese Styles. I have a feeling that a new golden age is coming though, and this time we can actually go to mainland China and see what's up. Anyhow, if you were wondering why Yang Jwing Ming is so well off today, here's why: He's smart, funny, and pretty darn good at White Crane Kung Fu. If the man hadn't gone bald he'd be Governor of California by now.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
(Stephen Seagals') Lightning Bolt Energy Drink All Natural 100 % Juice
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| Stephen Seagal claims he was born clairvoyant, lucky guy! |
The strangest part is watching Stephen Seagal hug the woman at 1:00, the body language tells a fascinating story. I'm going to order some of this stuff as a present for Mr. Zhang when I return to China expect video of his response to the experience.
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| Large frame Tai Chi: one of the reasons Steven Seagal chose Aikido, and a great reason to stay slim. |
Shaolin Monk Gets Knocked Out
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| Master Zhang's is a Wu Lin Feng fan, San Da has an exciting rule set! |
Master Zhang just bought a new computer and is learning how to use it. Last night he recommended this match to me as an admonition to not get too cocky. I think Yi Long did well under the circumstances but just wasn't ready for an opponent that could deal with his speed. I hope he enjoyed his trip to Las Vegas, I like to call it "Lost Wages."
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Muammar Gaddafi - Zenga Zenga Song - Noy Alooshe Remix
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| Join me in mocking this man's Charlie Sheen level narcissism! |
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