Fight Science

[MJS]

Starting in Feb. the new series of Fight Science is airing on the Nat. Geo. channel. I think its an interesting show to watch, as they have some interesting breakdowns of the various strikes that we see in the arts, the effect they have on the body, etc.

Now, I'm sure some will try to debunk what is shown, saying that its TV, so it could be 'fixed' and not present an accurate showing of what really happens when the eye is hit, the groin, how much pressure for this and that, etc. However, I think it gives a fairly good base.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you feel that it accurately describes the effects that they claim, when certain areas are hit?

A few clips.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/fight-science/all/Overview/09#tab-Videos/05420_00

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/fight-science/all/Overview/09#tab-Videos/03295_09

 

[Andrew Green]

I think if some of the claims made where as real as they claim we'd see a lot more serious injuries in contact sports.

Those dummies they use seem rather pointless. Real people move, have muscle, and the body reacts to protect itself.

 

[Flying Crane]

I'd say this kind of scientific analyzation of strikes is useful and reasonably interesting in describing the damage potential that some of these methods have. However, in agreement with Andrew's comment, I'd say realizing that full potential with each strike is difficult at best. Too many uncontrollable variables get in the way, and often the strikes land in a less-than-ideal manner.

 

[SahBumNimRush]

I agree with Andrew's statement. Furthermore, some of these "experts" are jokes, IMO. Some of my colored belts have better technique than these so called "experts."

That said, the scientist in me is super excited to see this season.. . I love the quantitative analysis they use, and I wish I could have access to all those toys!

 

[MJS]

Some of the martial artists from past shows, I do recognize, and I would say they're a safe bet that they're legit. IIRC, I think Bas was on the show once. Does anyone know anything about the people who they have doing the 'tests'? Are they martial artists? If so, are they legit? If they're not MAists, do they have training that would qualify them to be combat experts?

In any case, I do agree....there's a big difference between hitting a moving vs. a stationary target. I posted this the other day:
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84239

Interesting because Prof. James does mention the use of trying to pull off a strike, in the case of the clip, a knee to the groin, while he was violently shoving his partner against the wall. However, he did manage to show a more successful move, ie: thumbs to the eyes, while grabbing the head.

So, IMO, this tells me that it is possible to still effectively get a shot in with movement, but some shots are better than others.

 

[Flying Crane]

I think there is another element that gets ignored in the analysis, and that is the specific method of delivering the strike. Some systems use a very specific method of power generation, and it could be interesting to do a comparison of strikes delivered by accomplished practitioners of these different arts. Wing Chun power vs. White Crane power vs. Taiji power, etc. The strike may look similar on the surface, but underneath it all it can be quite different.

Seems these shows tend to look at it on a superficial, impact trauma injury kind of level. But not every punch is the same as every other punch...

 

[SahBumNimRush]

Some of the martial artists from past shows, I do recognize, and I would say they're a safe bet that they're legit. IIRC, I think Bas was on the show once. Does anyone know anything about the people who they have doing the 'tests'? Are they martial artists? If so, are they legit? If they're not MAists, do they have training that would qualify them to be combat experts?

In any case, I do agree....there's a big difference between hitting a moving vs. a stationary target. I posted this the other day:
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84239

Interesting because Prof. James does mention the use of trying to pull off a strike, in the case of the clip, a knee to the groin, while he was violently shoving his partner against the wall. However, he did manage to show a more successful move, ie: thumbs to the eyes, while grabbing the head.

So, IMO, this tells me that it is possible to still effectively get a shot in with movement, but some shots are better than others.

I may be confusing "fight science" with some of the other similar shows. There was the "XMA" that did similar analyses, and those guys, IMO, definitely were athletes, but not martial artists.

There was another program that compared a lot of different martial arts, maui thai, nijutsu, tkd, karate, kung fu, etc.. . the TKD guy in that particular program wasn't anything special.. .

There was also a program, it may have been one of the ones I just mentioned, they all kinda run together in my head, haha.. . that had a bunch of weapons, and there was this bald asian guy with these metal spikes.. . I'm not familiar with alot of chinese weapons, but he seemed a little "hollywood" to me. . .

Again, I'm not sure if any of these were the program referred to in the op.

 

[Kittan Bachika]

I may be confusing "fight science" with some of the other similar shows. There was the "XMA" that did similar analyses, and those guys, IMO, definitely were athletes, but not martial artists.

There was another program that compared a lot of different martial arts, maui thai, nijutsu, tkd, karate, kung fu, etc.. . the TKD guy in that particular program wasn't anything special.. .

There was also a program, it may have been one of the ones I just mentioned, they all kinda run together in my head, haha.. . that had a bunch of weapons, and there was this bald asian guy with these metal spikes.. . I'm not familiar with alot of chinese weapons, but he seemed a little "hollywood" to me. . .

Again, I'm not sure if any of these were the program referred to in the op.

The program your describing is X-Treme Martial Arts.

The bald guy is Arnold Chon who does a lot of stunt and acting work. Simon Rhee was also on the show.

Mike Chat and everyone involved got a lot flack because a lot of people felt the show as an XMA infomercial and they they were passing off XMA as a traditional martial art and that it was hardcore fighting when in fact it is just for performance.

Nothing wrong with that. I have a lot of respect for people who do that since it takes a lot of dedication.

 

[SahBumNimRush]

The program your describing is X-Treme Martial Arts.

The bald guy is Arnold Chon who does a lot of stunt and acting work. Simon Rhee was also on the show.

Mike Chat and everyone involved got a lot flack because a lot of people felt the show as an XMA infomercial and they they were passing off XMA as a traditional martial art and that it was hardcore fighting when in fact it is just for performance.

Nothing wrong with that. I have a lot of respect for people who do that since it takes a lot of dedication.

Yeah, that's the one.. .

I actually trained with a fellow student of Mike Chatturatubut's, his original instructor taught Shorei Ryu, which is quite traditional. Somewhere along the way, Mike saw a niche for his acrobatic athleticism and capitalized on it. That is of course the American way! But I agree, it is underhanded to try to pass it off as anything but a performance, not a traditional martial art.