Fight club: would you want to participate?

Ceicei

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Would any of you like or want to participate in something like this? I thought it interesting that the quote below indicated a fight club in a certain location was started by a martial arts instructor... (highlighted in blue).
Gints Klimanis, a 37-year-old software engineer and martial arts instructor, started the invitation-only "Gentlemen's Fight Club" in Menlo Park in 2000 after his no-holds-barred sessions with a training partner grew to more than a dozen people. Most participants are men working in the high-tech industry.

"You get to be a superhero for a night," Klimanis said. "We have to go to work every day. We're constantly told to buy things we don't need, and just for a couple hours we have the freedom to do what we want to do."
The link to the article from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/29/fight.club.ap/index.html

It made me wonder how many of the martial artists may harbor thoughts of being able to truly fight back? I suppose there are a whole range of how people think of fighting. I am guessing that many probably dream of such conflict, perhaps more in a what-if context. Some may extend this to sparring and/or competition. Others may go further and actually indulge in similar fight clubs. The way these fight clubs go (if it is anything like what is in the article), I'm surprised no one has been seriously hurt (requiring hospitalization) or killed. One of these days, I'd like to watch a Dog Brothers competition. I understand these are pretty intense.

For me, I have no wish to participate in fight club activities. However, I will admit that I have dreams of physical confrontations. Most of these dreams, however, are a result of the bad experiences I went through a long time ago.

That said, I do enjoy sparring.

- Ceicei
 

Swordlady

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I enjoy a good bout of sparring (it's been a LONG while since I sparred properly empty-handed), but just for fun. I have zero desire to inflict serious physical injury on another person.
 

MartialIntent

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Yeah, bring it. PLEASE!

I can provide a whole company's worth of thirtysomething software engineers that I'd personally take great pleasure in breaking, LOL.

I dunno which is more annoying, having Palahniuk taken in vain or the fact that it's bl00dy software engineers and white collar people doing it. Oooh, I'm itching now. And it's board meeting in half an hour. Hehe.

Respects!
 

Carol

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Heh.

Funny this thread came up. I'm about to join a sparring club that is run by a martial artist but open to anyone. (nerves shaking)

I've never sparred before...
 

MJS

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Ceicei said:
Would any of you like or want to participate in something like this? I thought it interesting that the quote below indicated a fight club in a certain location was started by a martial arts instructor... (highlighted in blue). The link to the article from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/29/fight.club.ap/index.html

It made me wonder how many of the martial artists may harbor thoughts of being able to truly fight back? I suppose there are a whole range of how people think of fighting. I am guessing that many probably dream of such conflict, perhaps more in a what-if context. Some may extend this to sparring and/or competition. Others may go further and actually indulge in similar fight clubs. The way these fight clubs go (if it is anything like what is in the article), I'm surprised no one has been seriously hurt (requiring hospitalization) or killed. One of these days, I'd like to watch a Dog Brothers competition. I understand these are pretty intense.

For me, I have no wish to participate in fight club activities. However, I will admit that I have dreams of physical confrontations. Most of these dreams, however, are a result of the bad experiences I went through a long time ago.

That said, I do enjoy sparring.

- Ceicei

Personally, I think the risk of injury is 10 times greater in something like this, compared to the UFC. I may be wrong, but I get the impression, that the majority of the 'fighters' that enter these underground events are unskilled people who are getting into a ring/cage and swinging around wildly, with no control or idea as to what they're doing. I'm also guessing that the person or people running these events are not medically trained. In a sanctioned event such as the UFC, you have a qualified medical team and referees that maintain control of whats happening in the ring.

If someone was really interested in getting involved in MMA events, I think the better route to take, is to align themselves with someone who can give them the proper training and set them up with sanctioned events.


Mike
 

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I strongly agree with MJS.

Official, proven avenues are available already, such as UFC, Pride, etc., and are much less likely to have someone maimed or, God forbid, killed, in the ring.

The matches are well-monitored, and not going to involve two undisciplined brawlers who think that they can rule the world.

The "fight club" in question would be too much of a risk, in my opinion, for everyone involved. When either undisicplined / untrained folks (both fighters and referees, as well as medical staff) get involved, then it's dangerous. More than one undisicplined / untrained faction is a disaster waiting to occur.

The way I see it, if someone really does want to get involved in a full contact event, there are already plenty of safer ones around that are about as safe as full contact gets.
 

Flatlander

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I'll echo those sentiments. Too many things can go sideways, and someone is likely to retain serious injuries. Refs and medical staff on hand would be a very bare minimum requirement to have in place before I'd participate.
 

MartialIntent

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MJS said:
Personally, I think the risk of injury is 10 times greater in something like this, compared to the UFC. I may be wrong, but I get the impression, that the majority of the 'fighters' that enter these underground events are unskilled people who are getting into a ring/cage and swinging around wildly, with no control or idea as to what they're doing. I'm also guessing that the person or people running these events are not medically trained. In a sanctioned event such as the UFC, you have a qualified medical team and referees that maintain control of whats happening in the ring.

If someone was really interested in getting involved in MMA events, I think the better route to take, is to align themselves with someone who can give them the proper training and set them up with sanctioned events.


Mike

I think the inherent risk is the point. Rules, pads, barred holds whatever remove the immediacy of the fight which is something I think Chuck Palahniuk either experienced or certainly researched well. I think there's an honorable tradition in fighting that has long been forgotten in our modern-day equivalents.

I'm all for it and I'd happily waive the insurance as an unnecessary modern reflection of our constant need to apportion blame and gain unmerited recompense for it. If two mutually agreeable guys want to get in there and throw a few punches, draw some blood, do some damage well so what? Irresponsible? Depends through whose eyes you view it. For some guys, getting hit is pretty much the best thing that could happen to them and don't tell me you don't know anyone like this.

I'd step up certainly.

Respects!
 

Drac

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Hand Sword said:
Amen! I have quite a few at work that I would like in the club also!

You and me both..I wonder what it costs to charter a plane to get ALL of them there...
 

MJS

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MartialIntent said:
I think the inherent risk is the point. Rules, pads, barred holds whatever remove the immediacy of the fight which is something I think Chuck Palahniuk either experienced or certainly researched well. I think there's an honorable tradition in fighting that has long been forgotten in our modern-day equivalents.

I would think for safety sake, there would have to be some rules in effect. Even in the first UFC, while the fighters did not wear gloves, there were a few 'can't do' techniques in the list. It wasn't until UFC 6, where we saw Tank wearing the gloves that are the norm today.

I'm all for it and I'd happily waive the insurance as an unnecessary modern reflection of our constant need to apportion blame and gain unmerited recompense for it. If two mutually agreeable guys want to get in there and throw a few punches, draw some blood, do some damage well so what? Irresponsible? Depends through whose eyes you view it. For some guys, getting hit is pretty much the best thing that could happen to them and don't tell me you don't know anyone like this.

I'd step up certainly.

Respects!

Hey, more power to them, if thats what they want to do. I'm still standing by my theory that the majority of people you'll see in these types of fights, are going to be unskilled, out of shape, wannabe tough guys, fighting in an area in which there is not really any safety factor in play. I'll also stand by my feelings that the risk/injury factor is greater in the underground fights compared to the UFC, KOTC, etc.

Just my .02

Mike
 

Davejlaw

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I'm not saying that this shouldn't be allowed but I'd feel awfully stupid if I died or was crippled in some guys garage with his son's hockey mask on because I thought I was a tough guy. If you want to be a tough guy then go to UFC or Pride or K-1.
 

MartialIntent

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MJS said:
I would think for safety sake, there would have to be some rules in effect. Even in the first UFC, while the fighters did not wear gloves, there were a few 'can't do' techniques in the list. It wasn't until UFC 6, where we saw Tank wearing the gloves that are the norm today.
I agree absolutely. The UFC is a slick operation, safe, with skilled and physically outstanding competitors and it's entertaining too. But I think the UFC / K-1 and the notion of a fight club are polar opposites not just in safety, organization and skill but in intent also.

I think to go into a fight club with safety regs and insurance is to try to make a silk purse from a sow's ear - it's to mock the thing for what it is. And they do exist and they're not hard to find in their various forms.

MJS said:
Hey, more power to them, if thats what they want to do. I'm still standing by my theory that the majority of people you'll see in these types of fights, are going to be unskilled, out of shape, wannabe tough guys, fighting in an area in which there is not really any safety factor in play. I'll also stand by my feelings that the risk/injury factor is greater in the underground fights compared to the UFC, KOTC, etc.

Just my .02

Mike

I can't argue with you at all, you are 100% correct. But again the risk is half the thing for these guys and yeah if there's mutual agreement for them to kick seven shades of **** out of each other [as is the colloquialism here] then what's the problem? I maintain to fight like this is foolish yeah, but it's honest and to fight this way is to fight without hiding behind anyone or any formal statutes, which is something we in the organized martial arts do so well.

Respects!
 

MJS

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MartialIntent said:
I can't argue with you at all, you are 100% correct. But again the risk is half the thing for these guys and yeah if there's mutual agreement for them to kick seven shades of **** out of each other [as is the colloquialism here] then what's the problem? I maintain to fight like this is foolish yeah, but it's honest and to fight this way is to fight without hiding behind anyone or any formal statutes, which is something we in the organized martial arts do so well.

Respects!

Well, like I said, if this is something that someone chooses to do, then more power to them. I guess after reading this:

Earlier this month in Arlington, Texas, a high school student who didn't want to participate was beaten so badly that he suffered a brain hemorrhage and broken vertebrae. Six teenagers were arrested after DVDs of the fight appeared for sale online.

I'm taking it as it turned into more of an assault with serious, potentially life threatening injuries. I can't recall in the history of the UFC, injuries this bad.

Thanks for an interesting discussion.:)

Mike
 

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Hmmm. I think I've already done it with my favorite Isshin Ryu bare knuckles sparring partner. My sons used to watch and laugh ... apparently the audio went something like this .... "puff, puff, sock, sock, puff, smack, ouch!, giggles ... then laughter."

Today I wouldn't do it ... too old.
 

John Bishop

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Well Gint's is one of my Kajukenbo brothers, and a moderator at the Kajukenbo Cafe forum. He's been having these no holds barred fight nights for years now, and I don't remember anyone ever getting seriously hurt.
They're basically young guys who want to take it up a level or two. Good friends, good sportmanship, with nobody trying to intentionaly hurt each other.
Actually "Geraldo at Large" did a segment last friday on Gint's club. You can see it here: http://www.geraldoatlarge.com/video-archive.php#theTop
see" From Geeks to Bad Boys".
 

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