January 2002 - July 2006 - The Jerry Quarry Foundation

out somebody's knee cap, but I still think a boxer might get to him faster than
he could get to the boxer. It comes down to the skills of the individual
participants---but my experience in and around gyms and studios is that boxers
are plain tougher---they'll fight with a broken nose or a broken jaw, bruised
ribs, etc. They are used to getting hit to deliver their own punches. The
karate guys seem more theoretical---they have the knowledge of how to fight, but
not the practical skills that come with really going full bore against someone.
Average vs. average, the martial arts guy will freeze up when the boxer hits him
hard and unless the boxer is hit with a crippling kick like you described, they
actually seem to get stronger by taking a few blows. |
|2/14/06 08:10:34 AM|Angelo|Washington, DC||funktron||||10|Noam, yes, I've
expressed the same views about Frazier that you have, but yes, if I were walking
a dark dangerous alley in Philadelphia, or for that matter, Tehran, there aren't
many people I'd rather have watching my back than Frazier. Frazier might be
old, with circulatory problems and near blind, but believe me, most 30 year olds
in the best shape of their life wouldn't want to mess with the guy. I'm sure
the left hook still has some steam in it. |
|2/14/06 11:22:25 AM|Kent|Murrieta, Ca||kentallenent@aol.com||||10|One thing, a
kick to the knee can be delivered outside of a man's reach and it is
unexpected.I am not sure, especially in my current condition, which has
improved but is nowhere near the kind of condition good boxers are in, if I
could win out over a boxer who wanted to hurt me but the things I would try
would give me a better chance of escaping without too much harm.Noam,
the only time a karate guy would take a pause to take a deep breath before
striking would be in a demonstration such as board breaking.I do believe
that boxers are able to take more punishiment and that most karate people know
more how to dish it out than take it but in absence of potentially damaging one
self to being able to take more punishment, martial arts give people a better
chance of defending oneself in most situations.|
|2/14/06 02:11:27 PM|Angelo|Washington, DC||funktron||||10|Kent: One more way
to illustrate my point---if you take a bunch of upper middle class kids---strong
kids (by kids, I'm saying 18-21, young adults) who have had a lifetime of
martial arts training and match them against an equal number of inner city kids
who have spent years boxing---if there are 12 even (weight) matches, my nickle
would be on the boxing kids to win at least 10 of the fights. I think there is
an inherent toughness in boxers to go along with their craft. My experience is
that many, many people who have studied years of martial arts and moved up in
all these belt classes haven't been tested the way even an amatuer boxer has.
I've seen these "competitions" and they seem more like exhibititions. It's all
built on theory. Yes, balance and shifting weight is important. Yes, making
yourself a smaller target is important. Yes, knowing points of distress on your
opponents body is also important and so is the ability to deliver blows, cover
up, move side-to-side, etc. When these guys get hit solidly in the face, the
game changes. Calling on all of that training isn't easy when you're bleeding
and the guy you're fighting is just warming up. That might be why I've seen
more boxers win than karate figures. |
|2/14/06 02:58:26 PM|Noam|same||same||||10|Angelo touches on a very pertinent
point: most boxers turn to boxing because they come from tough streets and
impoverished backgrounds. Boxing provides the only route out of the slums. And
when taking that route they become accomplished street fighters before they
become boxers. They know how to kick, scratch, bite, and absorb punishment long
before they have their first fight in the ring. Meanwhile, martial arts
guys were at the library writing plays or at the hairdressers getting blond
streaks in their hair. They don't come from needy backgrounds. A bloody nose is
a big deal to them. They haven't been in street fights and they lack the
intrinsic toughness of those who have. Karate is a hobby, not a means to rise
from the slums. They do it to impress their girlfriend or, more usually,