Bad martial art videos

For those of us who know less than nothing about good escrima stick use, could you explain what's so awful about that first video? I mean, it's a Yeshua-Ryu video, so I assume it's horrible, but I couldn't say how.

 

Bad in an epic kind of way.

This video really is EPIC!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzzFTqhKEds"]The Epic Kenpo Compilation Video - YouTube[/ame]

"Hiya my ass" is right!

 

AikiMac hit on some of this. But, ironically, the comedy video was more indicative of an eskrima counter. Hit the incoming attack with an attack of your own, taking advantage of the longer reach of your weapon (the stick) versus his (the knife). "Defanging the snake." Though I like the term "percussion disarm" myself. It's a wonderfully pretentious term to describe cracking someone in the hand to make them drop something.

That aside, the Yeshua guy got one thing kinda right. Turning his body against the knife thrust was pretty textbook. But his weird pushing block thing wouldn't work. Not just against an "eskrima knife expert." Against anyone who wasn't using a knife specifically to "feed" a countering drill. Anyone worth any salt at all would redirect or withdraw the knife and have another go. Not stand there allowing the stick man to apply pressure on their weapon arm.

Overall, both counters are really far fetched. Too convoluted and too dependent on cooperation from the "attacker." A much more realistic counter would be to shuffle backward and crush the guy's fingers with a stick, working your way up the line from there, bashing any knee, elbow, or head unfortunate enough to wander into the flight path.

That may seem unsavoury, I'll grant you. But bear in mind that the other guy is theoretically looking to gut you like a fish. And hooking him to the ground is all well and good (assuming you can actually get it to work), but it doesn't really solve the problem.

If cracking someone in the hand seems extreme (and perhaps it doesn't), think about the relative humanity of "defanging the snake." The guy has attempted to take your life, essentially. And, with percussion disarms, the only price he MAY be made to pay is a busted hand. Pretty light penalty under the circumstances.

As for the stick-versus-stick counter, that block below the butt of the stick (punyo) is very weak. In all likelihood, the attacker would continue his stroke straight through, hooking your "defense" out of the way and cracking you right in the top of the head. There was no angling or footwork. In many overhead defenses, there's a combination of angled footwork to get off the line of engagement, an angled stick so that his attack can slide off, and a parrying hand travelling the opposite direction in a scissoring motion (gunting). In drills, it would be pretty uneventful. In reality, you'd again be attempting to hit him in the fingers as you perform the gunting.

As AikiMac pointed out, there's no fulcrum for the disarm. No compromising the grip either at the wrist or at the fingers. Either by twisting something or simply smacking the crap out of it.

I'm obviously fine with it not being picture perfect eskrima (except that they're supposedly demonstrating eskrima, of course). But those techniques weren't viable, completely irrespective of style.

Does that help at all? (I hope that doesn't sound sarcky. I'm just wrapping up so I can steal off and watch some Doctor Who while my wife has a friend visiting.)


Stuart

 

1) we never bow to any man. never!

2) you do not block with a baston like you would do a karate block! you would use footwork and whacking!

3) do not choke on your baston. the punyo is suppose to be a few inches only. he was choking the baston.

4) fma dictum: closest available weapon to closest available target ALWAYS! the scenario: he has a knife. the knife is held by a hand. the knife-hand is the closest available target.

5) fma dictum: overkill! always overkill!

6) what he was doing was translate his karate empty hands straight into bastonwork. no adjustments. it is an insult to what fma is.

 

btw, stuart is right. that was karate holding sticks.

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVdANNX2zP4&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVdANNX2zP4&feature=related[/ame]

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HCnDfejkco"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HCnDfejkco[/ame]

LOL @ "skilled knife fighters use the reverse grip because it generates more power". Power doesn't matter much when you've got a knife, and everyone I know who knows anything about knives uses the regular grip because it keeps the knife out in front between them and their opponent.

 

Yep. The usual drivel about knife defense. I just feel like any genuine examination of the whole "reverse grip equals expert" idea would immediately show that it's insanity. Like you said, you don't need power with a knife. In fact, you don't need to be an expert. Almost anyone can do dire damage with a knife. This sort of stuff is a real disservice.

 

Lol'ed to some dudes.

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jW0joAtnsU&feature=g-u-u"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jW0joAtnsU&feature=g-u-u[/ame]

 

That is hilarious! It's also a good example of a video for this thread: mostly funny, nothing to get into uproar about and making fun of it isn't necessarily attacking individuals.

I've gotta say though, it'd be interesting to try - just because it's lightsabres.

 

I actually liked the Jedi class!

Less said about the "Basic Knife Awareness" dogcrap the better...oh and what a suprise! "Expert" village again

 

Furthermore, I know it is good to understand any 'weapon combo' vs 'weapon combo', but this situation seems a little far fetched: why on earth would knife man try to stab someone who has already drawn two, longer weapons, and is outside of any knife combat range except throwing? Maybe if the conflict was starting at close (or mid) knife range then knife man might be in with a chance, but how would knife man get close to someone who has both weapons drawn and is fight ready? Verbal disarm perhaps (hey man, have you got the time?) Otherwise, the likelihood is that stick man (who has his sticks drawn and ready), will flinch and hit the incoming knife hand automatically, as per the comedy video...

 

I have to admit, the bass line for this video is awesome. Everything... well... is cheesy to say the lest. At least in this system you get learn magic tricks.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jWnEOXRTuY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jWnEOXRTuY[/ame]

 

Delete (not a bad martial arts video, just a misunderstanding on my part)

 

Agreed, I personally see numbering techniques and combinations as a fantastic aid for training. But its not the idea of the alphabet that bothers me but more the techniques being thrown. Though they are sharp and clean, the lack of movement from both instructor and the assistant does have me second guessing the practicality of the exercise. People generally move when they are hitting or being hit such as in sparring and in self defense, and I generally follow the philosophy that its important to teach applications that are as realistic as possible depending on the situation. If the instructor was teaching this system as a means for practical application (expecting the practitioner to go from A - S) I would class it as being far too idealistic to be preformed in either sparring or self defense. Though I'm probably looking too much into it again without having the full picture of the true meaning of the exercise. You'll probably find that the true purpose of the exercise is to teach students how to flow with techniques. The question is (and I've seen this in martial arts like American Kempo) is the lack of movement from the assistant or opponent during these sorts of exercises constructive or destructive to an individuals overall training?