What the hell is this

[stone_dragone]

I am familiar with the name "52 Blocks," AKA Jailhouse Rock. I just watched this video and couldn't help but wonder WTF?

Does anyone have experience with or information on this crap?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYhAWtJEydk&feature=related

[terryl965]

I have no clue, what is it all about.

[just2kicku]

Ummm.......O.K., I give up, what the hell is it? I can't tell if it's supposed to be a joke or if they really believe they won't get destroyed in a fight.

[seasoned]

The only comment is, how do the pants stay up. The only other thing is, it must be some way of trying to wear your opponent down, before they knock you out.

[Twin Fist]

I have heard of jailhouse rock, it was supposed to be a system based on how people fight in jail.

Just another "ultimate combat system" from the 90's

[kidswarrior]

I have heard of jailhouse rock, it was supposed to be a system based on how people fight in jail.Well I made the mistake of watching this after work...on a Monday. So I stayed awake for a minute-thirty of the vid, and decided this has to be jailhouse not. As in NOThing's happening.

And even the jailhouse part's suspect to me...more like Hip-hop, as in wannabe jailhouse. Sorry. I battle the glorification of this stuff all day, and it is a Monday. :D

[just2kicku]

And here I thought they were doing the "Vogue" dance.

[JadecloudAlchemist]

Hmm real fights I have seen and been in noone fights like this.

This looks like a bad chorographed slap box hip hop dance.

[Himura Kenshin]

Agreed. This is one of the most ineffective looking "fighting" styles I've ever seen.

[Xue Sheng]

What the hell is this?

Silliness

[K-man]

Some of those guys are just begging for a little attention to their groin!! http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

[searcher]

It has to be a joke. These guys are pathetic. I am just glad I am not in jail/prison. If I saw someone trying this crap in a fight, I would laugh myself to death.

[Thems Fighting Words]

The Power Rangers used this style a lot. You watch them against those Putty things, always weaving and bobbing for not discernible reason. :rolleyes:

[thetruth]

I am familiar with the name "52 Blocks," AKA Jailhouse Rock. I just watched this video and couldn't help but wonder WTF?

Does anyone have experience with or information on this crap?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYhAWtJEydk&feature=related

I wondered WTF too. I don't need any info on it to know it's crap.

[Ironcrane]

I haven't seen, or heard to much about this style, but from what I have gathered, 52 Blocks has about a dozen different names. It was supposedly based on how people fight in prison, systemized into a fighting style. It looks like a combination of Boxing, Wing Chun, and Breakdancing. It's suppose to be a Martial Art for Urban Culture.

[redantstyle]

Jailhouse Rock aka 52 Blocks is an offshoot of 'uprocking' which is a style of dancing from the seventies.

it is related to or, or is the same thing as Comstock, another name for a kung fu inspired* fighting system. we also used to call it 'snake boxing'.

if you watch his 'opponents' , a few of them are comstocking. this is done by slapping the elbows in an alternating fashion.

it's is supposed to be distracting and full of feints.

bottom line, it's fancied up slap boxing.




*from the old chop sockey flicks

[Ken Morgan]

I thought it was an ad for "Dancing with the Stars"...

[blindsage]

There's a lot of conflicting info and some plain b******* on '52 blocks'. I'm not sure exactly where it comes from, some claim prison, others not. But I can say I have seen young black men slap boxing like this, in the 15 years that I've paid any real attention to fighting, from L.A. to New York to Seattle. Many also will approach an actual fight this way. Some use it very effectively, others not so much. It basically seems to be a modified form of street boxing with a lot of hand movements for distraction and feints. I'm not that impressed with most of what I've seen, but it's fun to watch.

[MJS]

Ummm.......O.K., I give up, what the hell is it? I can't tell if it's supposed to be a joke or if they really believe they won't get destroyed in a fight.

I 2nd that. No idea what that stuff is, what the hell they're doing, and frankly, I'd really be surprised if they were able to defend themselves with that.....whatever itis they're doing.

[Thems Fighting Words]

There's a lot of conflicting info and some plain b******* on '52 blocks'. I'm not sure exactly where it comes from, some claim prison, others not. But I can say I have seen young black men slap boxing like this, in the 15 years that I've paid any real attention to fighting, from L.A. to New York to Seattle. Many also will approach an actual fight this way. Some use it very effectively, others not so much. It basically seems to be a modified form of street boxing with a lot of hand movements for distraction and feints. I'm not that impressed with most of what I've seen, but it's fun to watch.

So it's an "working class" phenomena used many by non-whites? Lots of feints and links to dance. Any links to Capoeria?

[Daniel Sullivan]

I am familiar with the name "52 Blocks," AKA Jailhouse Rock. I just watched this video and couldn't help but wonder WTF?
No. We do not fight like this in the WTF.

Daniel

[jarrod]

here's a clip of some 52 blocks sparring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zEAX6CQ45o&feature=related

basically it looks like rudimentary boxing with heavy emphasis on a stylized cross arm defense. really not too bad for something spontaneously created. but look to archie moore for a better, more effective example of the cross arm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zg-xZadHGc

jf

[blindsage]

So it's an "working class" phenomena used many by non-whites? Lots of feints and links to dance. Any links to Capoeria?
To the first part, apparently, but limited mostly to African Americans. As to any connection to Capoeira, none that I know of, but it's possible. Seeing as how the connections between Capoeira and B-boying are vague and inconclusive, it'd be even harder to link it to Jailhouse or '52 blocks'.

[blindsage]

here's a clip of some 52 blocks sparring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zEAX6CQ45o&feature=related

basically it looks like rudimentary boxing with heavy emphasis on a stylized cross arm defense. really not too bad for something spontaneously created. but look to archie moore for a better, more effective example of the cross arm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zg-xZadHGc

jf
I've watched those sparring videos, it's not a great example. But if you youtube '52 blocks' you get such a diverse array of responses it's hard to pin down. There are claims of multiple styles, there are claims that it doesn't exist, there are claims that it did but is dead now, there are claims that it's a myth and people claiming it are just using the name as a marketing tool. Like I said lots of conflicting info and bs. All I can say for sure, from my experience, is that there is a stylized form of slap-boxing that has been popular for a while in the African American community that has a basis in boxing, but throws in a lot of others elements. I don't know how many people can actually claim to specific factual knowledge, but this is what I know.