Matching historical persons to their Martial Arts

[girlbug2]

Many of my favorite historical figures were not martial artists, and if they were, it's not what they're widely known for. Still, in some of them I detect a sort of martial spirit, and it's fun to speculate what MA they would have been best at.

Winston Churchill, aka the Bulldog, would IMO have been great at Jiu Jitsu or Judo. His build does not suggest quickness so much as power and tenacity, indeed, he was famous for his "Never give up" speech.

Gandhi, I cannot see as someone who would go for an art that relied on drawing blood or blunt force trauma, perhaps Aikido? Leverage would probably have been more his style.

Mother Theresa had a very straightforward, linear quality to her philosophies, I see her as a master of Northern style Karate.

Teddy Roosevelt, now there's a man who would have been a MMA star, lol! What a born fighter if ever there was one. Come to think of it he was likely a pugilist in his time, but he would be all over the Ultimate Fighting Championships of today.

Which historical persons would you love to see doing which martial arts, give us your selections and the rationale in choosing them!

 

[terryl965]

Ronald Reagon would have been a MMA'ist straight at you inyour face type of person.

 

[girlbug2]

Works for me

 

[stone_dragone]

Teddy Roosevelt, now there's a man who would have been a MMA star, lol! What a born fighter if ever there was one. Come to think of it he was likely a pugilist in his time, but he would be all over the Ultimate Fighting Championships of today.

If I'm not mistaken, Teddy actually studied Judo for a time, a brown belt actually.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was recently promoted at the Kodokan to Rokudan after studying Judo since he was a kid.

 

[YoungMan]

Ronald Reagon would have been a MMA'ist straight at you inyour face type of person.

Ronald Reagan would have studied movie-fu, since everything about his Presidency was scripted and half the time he thought he was on a movie set anyway. I'm sorry, was I thinking out loud again?

 

[Cirdan]

Just about all politicians practice the dark arts of Lie-trough-the-Teeth-Fu and Obstruct-the-Truth-Do.

 

[chinto]

General George S Patton would have done Okinawan karate, he was one to never back down but liked both circler and liner techniques with power and loved to grab em by the nose to kick them, and so I would suggest that Okinawan karate with its circler and liner techniques with grapples and brakes and throws would have fit him well. ( he loved to win and would have liked the options, and the massive trauma and all that they provide for. But would not think of it as a game or sport, but as a tool like an M1 rifle or a good tank. So provably not MMA type of person .)

General Eisenhower, however I would see more as say perhaps a boxer or maybe more a shotokan guy. strait forward, but preferring to pick his time and rather then grapple smash when the time is right strait in at an unexpected angle.
General Bradly I see more as a jujitsu or perhaps one of the kungfu styles, seeking to do a lot of damage, willing to grapple and stand in, but prefering to pick an opertunity grab them and throw them to where they must surender or else can not continue effectivly. I do not see him as an MMA guy as he would rather not fight given his choice but if need be to fight, wants it over quickly and cheeply.

General Montgomery ( englend, of british 8th army desert fame)
I see him very much as a BJJ and boxing MMA type of man. with his size and build and the fact that he wanted to circle and wait and then when sure its to his advantage go for it. he loved the 'Game and Glory' that he saw war as, and so I think would have been a competitive prize fighting type who enjoyed the compittion and was still willing to play by the rules required and listen to the reff.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Teddy Roosevelt, now there's a man who would have been a MMA star, lol! What a born fighter if ever there was one. Come to think of it he was likely a pugilist in his time, but he would be all over the Ultimate Fighting Championships of today.

Teddy was in fact the middleweight boxing champ during his time at Harvard, and is believed to have been one of the first Americans to be exposed to /study Judo.

 

[KenpoTex]

Teddy was in fact the middleweight boxing champ during his time at Harvard, and is believed to have been one of the first Americans to be exposed to /study Judo.

beat me to it.

General George S Patton would have done Okinawan karate

Actually, Patton was both a superb swordsman (the youngest American to ever be given the title "Master of the Sword") and an exceptional pistol marksman. Given the above, I think if he was around today, he'd study "integrated combatives."

 

[chinto]

beat me to it.

Actually, Patton was both a superb swordsman (the youngest American to ever be given the title "Master of the Sword") and an exceptional pistol marksman. Given the above, I think if he was around today, he'd study "integrated combatives."

Yes I knew he was a skilled swordsman and pistol marksman.. he infact designed the last issue cavalry sword the US army issued.
I think he would have gone with Okinawan karate because of the different weapons and system that uses lots of options, grappling, strikes and throws and is both hard and soft liner and circular.. he was a swordsman who trained with out strips and such as sport fencing.. and I think that it would have appealed to him.. that is not to say that some of the integrated combative's would not have been of interest to him too. But Remember he was a historian and would have first wanted a system that fit him and was proven by history, and a record of effectivness in history.

 

[Nolerama]

President Lincoln was a reputable Catch/Folk wrestler.

Here's an interesting twist:

What MA would Hitler have practiced?

 

[girlbug2]

Teddy was in fact the middleweight boxing champ during his time at Harvard, and is believed to have been one of the first Americans to be exposed to /study Judo.

That's so cool! Now I like him even better.

 

[girlbug2]

Here's an interesting twist:

What MA would Hitler have practiced?

Oooo that's tough.

I don't see him as the subtle type and he loved Aryan stuff, maybe old fashioned sword fighting (as opposed to fencing).

 

[Cirdan]

Here's an interesting twist:

What MA would Hitler have practiced?

XMA I think. Fitting loud flashy nonsense. I can picture him doing a form with rhinestone decorated swastika-shaped kamas.