While I have doubts that
this young man and I would agree on the definition of 'a Nazi,' in principle it's reasonable to want to be strong in order to defend yourself and others from aggression. This is not going to get it done, though:
"At his best, he could squat 335 pounds, bench 200 and deadlift 280."
I don't even warm up at those weights, and he is on the order of half my age.
9 comments:
I don't lift, although I keep myself in shape. I'm twice that young man's (to use Grim's generous label) age, and smaller and lighter than him.
But he's no match for me. I've trained in the things that matter in a fight, and those things don't include bulking up for its own sake.
He's still weak, he's still a snowflake, and he's still hiding in his safe space. I do notice that he's...lost...his cute little smiley face tattoo in his After image.
Eric Hines
Yes, there is much to fighting besides size. But in fairness, his example at the opening was really good -- he wasn't fighting, he was standing and looking straight at a bad actor. That's often a much better way to protect than actually hitting somebody (which is likely a crime, albeit enforcement of it is uneven these days). Being bigger definitely helps avoid fights, and can allow you to protect without violence. There is a kind of wisdom in that, though also it is wise to be prepared to fight if you must.
Yeah, but his problem is that he doesn't recognize that.
He faced down a bully by doing the facing. Bullies are natural cowards, and that's often all that's necessary. That's an important thing to miss.
Eric Hines
Well, as John Wayne's Hondo said about Second Lieutenants, "partly they learn, and partly they die." Likely as not he'll sort it out one way or the other.
I am all for people lifting and getting in shape... but what a doofus. I lifted in h.s. on the school's powerlifting team. I'm a strong man, and was a very strong young man compared to peers. In bootcamp one of my platoon mates, a 135lb soaking wet, dude named Grabeaux worked me up and down in close combat fighting. He was a golden gloves. Once I hit the Fleet, I kept up the weightlifting but focused on every intramural boxing match I could find. That kid should take up boxing.
Yes, boxing is a very practical art. It’s high on my list of most effective martial arts.
Boxing can be a useful fitness exercise, but it's very limited in a fight: too stylized, and it limits the practitioner to about half the weapons he actually has.
Krav Maga or Muay Thai. Which also are good for fitness.
Eric Hines
I used to ascribe to that view, but I’ve come around to the view that’s boxing and MMA are sharply advantageous by being combat sports. They seem to do very well against traditional martial arts when tested against them. I’m not sure that Muy Thai doesn’t count in the same group for the same reason.
But I also think weapon arts are important. Escrima and HEMA have advanced ideas about how to incorporate weapons into defense; some of the Eastern forms do as well.
Traditional martial arts also are too stylized and given over too much to proper form and rules-based sparring. There's nothing martial arts--at least in the traditional sense--about Krav or Muay Thai. Those are organized brawling with training on the use of all 10 of the weapons with which we're born.
My Krav class had an MMA fighter in it for a while. He was local, so probably not a good example of MMA, but most of us were unbelted or had only baby belts. The MMA guy was no match for any of us, and he dropped out.
Regarding weapons other than those we're born with, there's certainly a place for them so long as the training includes the user not being married to his weapon. With most enemies--the parking lot or street assaulter, for instance--if he has a weapon in his hand, he's outgunned because that's all he's generally prepared to use. Granted we're going to get cut up by his knife--such fights aren't Hollywood--he's going to get hurt far worse.
We had a little wisp of a girl in our class, too. She came in one day brimming with confidence while being regretful (she really was a gentle soul). Seems a couple of nights prior, a large-ish thug in a bar had grabbed her from behind to molest her. Her training kicked in, and she kicked his ass. Or actually, more around front, applying her training for how to deal with being grabbed from behind.
Eric Hines
Post a Comment