Combat Football is Karate + Football?

[Steve]

Actually I would say it would be more of a martial arts venue, rather than a specific martial art, since there was not a unified set of practices, strategies, and training methodologies. Various martial arts were employed in the gladiatorial games, for sure, but it was not A martial art. I liken it to the UFC.. but with weapons and death and tigers and stuff.

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I'm not an expert in gladiators, so I might be totally off base. But weren't there stables of fighters who trained specifically for gladiatorial combat? I know that a lot of untrained fodder was tossed in, as well, and that there was a lot of spectacle, but I was under the impression that many of the fighters trained specifically for the arena (whether they started as enemy soldiers or what have you), and that while dangerous, that death wasn't as common as is now believed.

While not all of those who fought were gladiators, from what I've read, the gladiators met all of the most common criteria for being martial artists. As I said, I could be wrong.

And just to add, I'm not suggesting that armed combat should be revived.

 

[Josh Oakley]

I'm not an expert in gladiators, so I might be totally off base. But weren't there stables of fighters who trained specifically for gladiatorial combat? I know that a lot of untrained fodder was tossed in, as well, and that there was a lot of spectacle, but I was under the impression that many of the fighters trained specifically for the arena (whether they started as enemy soldiers or what have you), and that while dangerous, that death wasn't as common as is now believed.

While not all of those who fought were gladiators, from what I've read, the gladiators met all of the most common criteria for being martial artists. As I said, I could be wrong.

And just to add, I'm not suggesting that armed combat should be revived.

They were most definitely martial artists. But gladiatorial combat isn't a single martial art, but many martial arts. That is why I likened the games to the UFC.

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[Xue Sheng]

I thought this was kind of odd...

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/2/prweb9239991.htm

Heck the Hells Angles of Lynn and Saugus Mass did this almost 40 years ago..... more guys got carried off that field than in ANY regular football game

 

[frank raud]

Nothing new. Martial art training was introduced to the NFL, specifically to the Dallas Cowboys in 1976. Bob Ward the strength and conditioning coach of the Cowboys at the time brought in Guro Dan Inosanto and Muay Thai legend Ajarn Chai Sirisute to train hand, footwork, and leverage techniques. The Cowboys great NFL Hall of Fame Defensive Linebacker Randy White continued to train in Muay Thai becoming an instructor in the Thai Boxing Association USA.

Today most of the NFL teams incorporate some martial art training as well as many of the college teams.

Google 'martial art training in football' for some insight.

I have a book from WWII called An American Method of Hand to hand Combat. In it, the football coach from Yale(who also taught self defense) explains how various techniques from American sports can be used to defeat the Japanese and their judo. The fact he was a judo instructor who had demo'd in front of Kano seems to be largely overlooked, but he connection between football and martial arts goes back a long way. I think I'm going to dig up that book out of the archives(garage).

 

[kungfu penguin]

i heard that deaths in the arena had to be paid by the injuring party's stable owner so if fighter from stable A killed fighter from stable B then stable A owner had to recompensate the loss unless other arrangements were made so it hurt a stable owner to have his men kill the other guy financially or in paying back favors sometimes it was to the death but i heard slightly less than half ever went there

 

[wimwag]

It's not just football. Kareem abdul Jabaar started training under Bruce Lee and suddenly his game elevates. That's no coincidence.