Well, it seemed like fun since three of the old-timers in a system I play invited me to come hang - so my training partner and I braved the non-stop schedule to drive down for the shudder martial arts and “media / science fiction” convention.
Had a great time hanging with the gang - but the real fun began when we set up at the show.
I found out very quickly that I just could not take this melange of ‘martial arts’ and forgotten media stars (oh, and the wannabes) and found it completely funny. There was a core of cool people there - but except for the Dog Brothers and the Serak / Kun Tao / Dutch indo crowd - there was no traditional ma worth a sh!t to be seen. But a LOT of goofiness - oh yes the goofiness. How is it the NHB crowd became the only people I wanted to talk to? The ‘Chanbara’ Nerf fencers were hilarious. I’m all in favor of safety equipment - but how does one become a master of fencing with a weapon that cannot harm you AT ALL, works completely differently (weight, balance, speed, position) than the real item, and puts no FEAR into you? Talking to the infamous CHAS from rec.martial arts (He’s my Kun Tao teachers training brother) he found it very funny that people thought they could learn to fight without any danger or pain.
So, in the spirit of a mixed science fiction / martial arts convention, I performed an informal poll - asking Victor deThouras, Steve Gartin, Mark Denney, Gene LeBell, Chas, the cute girls at the booth selling belt holders, the unknown cage fighters at Octagon.com, my Shuai Chiao brother Mark Cheng, my brothers in the VDT, my training partner Vince, those guys at the Cold Steel booth, and **** near anybody else I could find this important poll question:
Who would win in a fight? Tito Ortiz or Mr. Spock?
I’ll post the results later.
I went to that crap yesterday also, and it was so baddddd.
The first two demos with the “stuntmen” and “Karate master” was a joke. I only went to see Eric Lee, Fumio Demura, and Tak Kubuta. Those guys were cool, I got some time to talk with them.
The only “hot” girl there was Aiko Tanaka at the Yolk stand, man she is so fine!
. The one chick selling the wushu weapons was not bad. It was a waste of 15 bucks in my opinion. Too many washed up “stars” trying to make money. The weapon stands had cheap weapons that weren’t worth buying.
Did Tito Ortiz ever show up? I left at like 3, I was tired of waiting for him.
Oh man! I will never go again. Even If I’m on the other side of the table promoting a movie I don’t think I’ll go. It was so SAD.
There was one troop from a “shaolin” school doing a bit of a skit. They wore the monk shoes with the ties up the calf. It started OK but after the first exercise the thing went from marginal to just plain stupid. The main guy thought he was funny and pranced around like he was Michael Jackson. I was embarrassed for them. I turned around and said aloud, “My god what a Car wreck”. " You can’t look away, yet you can’t bare to watch." The guys behind me Laughed out loud. I couldn’t stand it.
The wushu troop wasn’t bad, they had three asian chicks in school girl miniskirts doing routines. That at least was a break from the monotony. Good flexability, sharp technique. One guy had the pony tail and bangs look which shimmied with his movement, a bit gay if you ask me. The surprise was the one guy in black and the blonde chick, they were actually a little fat yet they had the crispest technique. I guess tex-mex is fattening. I nearly busted a gut when the guys behind me said, “Hey look, Jack black does wushu.”
The “Sugar” ju jitsu troop was ok. A bit cult like as they prayed around their teacher at the beginning.
I got a picture with james Lew, that was the only person i felt like talking to.
Sissy and Jody from “Family Affair” were there. Along with every other has-been or would be actor on the planet. Even the “Soup nazi” from Sienfeld was there selling “No soup for you” items. The notable teachers were cool , but not worth 15 bucks and 5 bucks an autograph. Some old playboy bunnies were there charging people 10 bucks just to take a picture with them. Geez, I could get better looking strippers to pose with me for less. Talk about airbrush.
The only current people there were Michael Jai White, Mako(He has a huge cranium), Cary Tagawa(looked bored out of his mind), and others from “The last Samurai”.
Originally posted by SanSoo Student
[B]
Did Tito Ortiz ever show up? I left at like 3, I was tired of waiting for him. [/B]
This is were they get you. These people are only, “invited” . It doesn’t mean they will show up at all. They can get away with useing their names without actually having to produce them.
Sounds like fun…
Oh, and Spock would choke everyone out here with just his middle and ring finger.
Chill, I’m joking.
you know something?
i really do love the fact that you guys think your sh!t don’t stink when it comes to MA.
Why didnt any of you get up there and start showing what the “real” stuff is about?:rolleyes:
Originally posted by SifuAbel
[B]
This is were they get you. These people are only, “invited” . It doesn’t mean they will show up at all. They can get away with useing their names without actually having to produce them. [/B]
Just like they always put Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li on their flyer. What a waste of time I would’ve had a better time drive to San Fransico watching the Wushu team try-outs.
"they had three asian chicks in school girl miniskirts "
“Good flexability”
Agugughuuugggg… DROOLSLOBBERSLOBBERDROOL
I wish we had some of those around here…
Well, the NHB crowd was fun and friendly. The MMA posts support that. It was everyone else that I thought was funny.
As far as demos go - dude when I lived in Chicago, you could not go to a Chinese festival without seeing me and my dogs doing our thing. Because my teacher wanted us to. Me - I think demos are pretty stupid, meant just to impress the rubes. That is where the few demos I watched failed - even rehearsed moves like I saw were poorly performed. I didn’t see but a few demos, so I could have missed some good people…but what I did see was pretty poor.
spock wins!!!
Spock being a superior intellectual, know how to use vulcan daggers, and armed with the vulcan nerve pinch (dim mak). Beside, the vulcan logics dictate that he will use a phaser to stun Mr. Tito as oppose to engage in h2h combat. This is the only LOGICAL result.
wm
Spock would choke everyone out with his LP of badly rendered folk tunes.
Set your CD player on stun!
Hey was Gerald Okimura there all bald and angry?
That guys pics kill me everytime
cheers
Re: you know something?
Originally posted by Wind&Mountain
i really do love the fact that you guys think your sh!t don’t stink when it comes to MA.
Why didnt any of you get up there and start showing what the “real” stuff is about?:rolleyes:
You musta been doing one of the demos that are getting bashed.
Train hard. Test yourself. Train more. Test again. In time, you can point out practical application and separate it from the BS. The truth is out there if you seek it. Now, if you are tired of illusion, take this red pill…
Re: see related thread
Originally posted by Wind&Mountain
http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=26675
L-o-fuckin’-L at anyone calling SevenStar and MonkeySlap “wannabe martial artists”.
wasnt calling
seven star anything (just to set the record straight)
Still though,do any of you so called “teachers” tell your students that you post here? what about your superiors?
haha i think not.
:rolleyes:
…someone is bitter about something…
:rolleyes:
Yeah, wind must be one of the dips in the calf high monk shoes.
Good call on that, Abel.
I’m still confused as to what he or is she is ****ed off about though.
(For the record, I’m pretty sure MST’s students know he posts here. Just a hunch.)
There are several people here who teach and post, who’s students post, or who have several students from there school post…
And a grip of others that have “gotten together” and trained a bit with each other and post.