Does anybody still believe Kung Fu is effective in a real fight?

[dranon]

So me and a couple of friends were at the Bar watching the Jones vs Belfort card when one of the guys my friend brought with him says to my buddy "One on one fighting like this does not impress me I've seen 60 year Chinese guys fight 12 dudes at once". I said yeah but those are his students and that not real it's just for show.... then it just kinda got dropped.The night went great had fun then we left. Well about 10 minutes into the ride home it gets brought back up somehow and this time my friend says "Well in a fight with no rules the Kung fu guy would beat An MMA fighter or Boxer ".I said so if a Muay Thai fighter fought A Kung Fu fighter your saying Kung Fu wins? He says " he has just as much of a chance". He was dead serious, he thinks that Jackie Chan shit is real! So my question is do any of you believe Kung Fu Would be effective in a real fight against a good MMA fighter or Boxer? Or a Muay Thai fighter?

[Greco]

I don't think it would fare too well against a good mma fighter or boxer, but against some drunken asshole who has never trained in anything, it should do the trick.

[SugarShane_24]

Well, considering the type of training and all the stuff a Kung Fu practitioner undergoes, especially those shaolin monks, I think they are more than just what we see in the movies.

However, I don't think they would just take on an MMA fighter and beat him.

It depends. More of asking like how an Aikido expert would do against an MMA fighter.

[Observer]

I am no expert in the field, but I have an opinion formed from following the sport for a long time.

1) It's important who is fighting, not just what martial art they studied. What shape a fighter is in and what his skills level is.
2) OK, let's assume we are talking identical twins with identical fitness level. Some martial arts are more 'applied' than others. Generally it is accepted that it takes less time to be ready for a street fight if you study Muay Thai or boxing as opposed to Karate or Kung Fu.
3) Going beyond the first two points - this is where the fun starts. It is generally accepted that a fighter with a style for close contact will beat a fighter who fights from the distance. A Muay Thai fighter will beat a Kung Fu, Karate or Taekwondo fighter. So will a boxer, assuming he has some knowledge of how to protect against kicks. And a wrestler will beat a boxer or a Muay Thai fighter. This is what MMA has shown us.
4) I also read that a Taekwondo fighter will beat a wrestler. An animal analogy is that a bird (kicker) beats a snake (wrestler), a snake beats a cat (boxer), a cat beats a bird. I have no idea how a kicker is supposed to beat a wrestler, so just sharing the idea.
5) I also read once that Kung Fu has anti grappling moves which would lead to injuries and are not allowed in competition. No clue what they are.
6) I had a lot of fun when I read about a karate student sparring with boxers and having a shock of his life finding out that karate has no block for a short hook in close quarters

[boranbkk]

Is it that time of the month again?!

[Ne5ville14]

Yeah, it's like clockwork...almost 1 week after the old boxing VS MMA purse thread...


This place gets always the same fuckin thread each week...it gets boring !

[Flea Man]

It would work better against a streetfighter who has never trained in any combat sport and wings wide and wild punches like a spastic.

I imagine.

[Wilhelm]

Depends how it's trained/practiced (live, hard sparring or BS katas), who is doing the training (an athletic person who is willing to work hard and push or someone who just wants to feel cool but not work) and who the person is fighting (skill/size/ability).

[Speechless]

Kung Fu in actual warfare probably looked different than it does now.
I doubt the artistic qualities of kung fu would have emerged during times of war/conflict.
So in short - yes there are useful applications that would work against untrained people.
But like Sumo wrestling, the art form is too fargone from its actual practical form to actually compete against other martial arts that are used in competition today.
To remain functional, the art has to be used in real competition and tournaments. There may be kung fu tournaments around, but probably 90% or more practitioners use it strictly for demos, exhibitions, general fitness & wellness with no interest in competing.
That kid who was talking smack probably just watches too much martial arts movies.
If there's one thing that early UFC events taught the world, it's that beautiful martial arts were no match against styles that were uglier and less spectacular (wrestling, boxing, jiu-jitsu).

[sugarngold]

Never heard of Cung Le?

[boranbkk]

Originally Posted by sugarngold

Never heard of Cung Le?

Bad example, the guys a hybrid of Taekwondo and Sanshou with a sprinkling of Muay Thai.

His spinning kicks by his own admission are Taekwondo and his round kicks and knees have been adapted to Muay Thai as most Karate, Taekwondo & Kung Fu guys who fight full contact have neen doing since early K-1 days.

He's no "pure" bastion of Kung Fu at all, he's a hybrid of striking styles, an MMA striker.

[PIRA]

The OP should get new friends - hard to soar like an eagle when your surrounded by turkeys.

[boranbkk]

Originally Posted by PIRA

The OP should get new friends - hard to soar like an eagle when your surrounded by turkeys.

Absinthe alert:

"One on one fighting like this does not impress me I've seen 60 year Chinese guys fight 12 dudes at once".

[dranon]

Originally Posted by boranbkk

Absinthe alert:

"One on one fighting like this does not impress me I've seen 60 year Chinese guys fight 12 dudes at once".

I really thought he was joking... He wasn't. Just to clarify Jon Jones was the guy they were talking about getting beat uP by a Kung Fu Master. It was like arguing with kids over the existence of Santa Claus. My argument was based in reality while theirs was...... Well it wasn't.

[dranon]

Originally Posted by Ne5ville14

Yeah, it's like clockwork...almost 1 week after the old boxing VS MMA purse thread...


This place gets always the same fuckin thread each week...it gets boring !

Sorry if this topic is over done I just couldn't believe grown men really think something like a Jet Li Movie reflects reality in an actual fight.