We had a kickboxing teacher in my class in college, he was very good. He had all the moves and all the fancy kicks etc, but he could not get close enough to me because by the time he finished his spinning around or jumping, I would have already hit him. Not because I was small (in not small, 5' 11") he was smaller than me, but because he was too busy making his move. He could never understand why I was able to him with minimal movement and power.
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his techniques will have worked against an opponent from the same discipline fighting in a similar style. all this time he thought his techniques were effective as he only fought within his comfort zone. when he came across you fighting in a different format than he was used to, he realised his techniques failed. this is the usual case with anyone who sticks to a certain discipline and who does not fight outside of his comfort zone. this is one of the points of MMA. go beyond your comfort zone.
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At the end of the day, it's down to each individual. I could do the splits (back then) but i never really saw the need for it when fighting because it would take too long to make the move, I could get hit trying the moves or hit in a flash with no fancy moves.[/quote]
this is the case with many traditional martial arts. they teach flowery moves that only work in a dojo setting. they hardly ever work in a real life situation.
[quote]These guys you mention who are hooligans etc, what do they have? Nothing, they are fearless, that's what wins them the fight or gives them the courage. And most of the times, they are out of their heads anyway.
this is a BIG part of martial arts/fighting. and part of the point i am trying to make. if a person has never been in a real fight before or in something close to a real fight then how is he expected to perform when needed? if he has never given a beating before and never taken a beating in the ring/cage/dojo then how is he expected to perform against people who fight on the streets as a lifestyle? you cannot go on the streets picking fights with thugs, but you can get close to it by fighting against MMA fighters. this is a huge thing that traditional martial arts are lacking in.
[quote]If we teach the Muslims to be fearless of everything and anything except Allah, than they can step up to fight a giant. If they are mentally prepared, then they are half way there.