Blanka Lives! or how to exercise your demons

**Samfoo** · Posted On: 9/29/2006 2:54pm

Originally Posted by lovegod

I do not know. Not important to me. He may, but to some, it is about the art, the exercise or the affiliation. To each, his own.

Sincerely,

LG

You do Aikido, don't you?

**lovegod** · Posted On: 9/29/2006 3:31pm

I did at one point. Your point?

LG

**PirateJon** · Posted On: 9/29/2006 3:42pm

Being fit and dedicated can apply to nearly almost any physical activity, but what matters for any combat training is the ability to use it against a resisting opponent. If he can't defend himself, or fight well, what makes his training 'martial arts' different than training gymnastics?

**lovegod** · Posted On: 9/29/2006 3:51pm

Yeah,

Thanks for that insight. But, I did think I mentioned that some people do martial arts for different reasons. Fitness, association, and to preserve the art. Yours is obviously for fighting. But the strange thing...other than in tournaments. most people do not fight that often unless they are pricks and strart trouble or looks for fights, or, live in bad areas and are picked on, and in alot of those "bad areas" Gun Fu is the combat style of choice. And regardless of your BJJ, Kung Fu, or Ding Dong Do...

You may think your 10 ft. tall and bullet proof, but I would beg to differ. Even the almighty BJJ Legends have said regarding their art "One on one, that is fun, more than one...get a gun." I think it was Rorion for what that and he is worth.

I am certain there are guys in your respective arts who do not fight or compete, and just do it for the aforementioned reasons. I doubt all who are registered in your school competes.

My common sense or lack thereof tells me so.

Again, to each, his own.

Respectfully,

LG

**Tom Kagan** · Posted On: 10/02/2006 3:35pm

Originally Posted by lovegod

Thanks for that insight. But, I did think I mentioned that some people do martial arts for different reasons. Fitness, association, and to preserve the art. Yours is obviously for fighting. But the strange thing...other than in tournaments. most people do not fight that often unless they are pricks and strart trouble or looks for fights, or, live in bad areas and are picked on, and in alot of those "bad areas" Gun Fu is the combat style of choice. And regardless of your BJJ, Kung Fu, or Ding Dong Do...

You may think your 10 ft. tall and bullet proof, but I would beg to differ. Even the almighty BJJ Legends have said regarding their art "One on one, that is fun, more than one...get a gun." I think it was Rorion for what that and he is worth.

I am certain there are guys in your respective arts who do not fight or compete, and just do it for the aforementioned reasons. I doubt all who are registered in your school competes.

My common sense or lack thereof tells me so.

Again, to each, his own.

Respectfully,

LG

The problem with your logic is that fighting is the context to define those "different reasons" you mention for a methdology to be considered a Martial Art at all.

As mentioned by PirateJon, nothing he was doing in the video could not be also done by a Gymnast. Why not suggest he is "an examplar" of that?

If you don't know if he follows a methdology to learn to fight better - at least at some level and/or in some reasonably defined context (or used to) - then it is disengenuous to also make the claim he is "an examplar of what most martial artist used to be and should be today."