Martial Arts styles that look flashy, are they really effective?

Question

Some moves people in Kung Fu and such fascinate me, but do they really work . And if so do they work better than other styles?

Answer 1

Well, first I'd have to know your definition of flashy. However, I think I know what you are talking about. Please anyone correct me if I'm wrong in this posting. I have been taking Tae Kwon Do for four years, and I've noticed the same thing. In some of the forms, there are big, circular moves, and there are things that may seem completely unnecessary. However, these forms have been passed down from the roots of the art. This means, essentially, that they were perhaps largely effective in the society where and when the arts originated. However, in today's society, with our many advanced weapons such as guns, the moves may be completely useless in a real fight. This is where the basics of the art come into play, and that's why so many masters stress the basics. I am making a bunch of assumptions here, but I still hope this answer was semi-useful.

Answer 2

Well, you also have to look at some of the other kung fu arts such as wing chung. This style is not very pretty at all, but it is designed to be simple quick and effective. It was invented by a woman actually, and so it was made for a small person to defeat a much larger opponent. This style uses many Fa-Jing strikes (chi strikes) , so you don't have to rely on muscle strength and most of the targets are on the center line, where there are tons of pressure points. Now, as for if the wu shu styles would work for you, that would entirly depend on you, and how flexible and quick you are. I personally like ugly, brutal and over with.

Answer 3

ANY Martial Art is effective, the real question is what what techniques will YOU use in a a fight situation?

many of these flashy techniques while they are interesting to look at, are often very risky, so it relies on the confidence of the practitoner.

In Tang Soo Do, there are several "flashy" but effective techniques that I wouldn't use unless the situation presented itself for the idea that simple or basic techniques work better in most fight situations instead of the flashy ones because with basic techniques you can retain better control of the situation rather than have it turned against you.

I wouldn't say that the techniques of Kung Fu work better or worse than the techniques of other disciplines, but again it's the confidence of the practitioner that they know whether or not the situation can work for or against them should they use it.

Answer 4

No they are not effective because of the variables that are out on the streets, such as slippery uneven ground caused by wet leafs, snow, ice or curbs on the sidewalk. Also variables of fighting in tight confined areas such as a bar or home. You have to remember when a martial arts move is preformed it is done in a wide open area such as a dojo (training hall) opposite of a real environment such as a street or home where violence actually occurs. Also you telegraph your intent to attack with those types of movements. They look good but are useless. I have a blackbelt & 20 years martial arts experience and am a former bouncer/bodyguard and if I used those types of techniques while working I would of been killed or hurt. They are only good on film.

Answer 5

some
depends on the tech
depends on the person doing the tech
depends on what is effective to you
A shock move is very effective to an unsuspecting opponent.
Many Gung Fu styles were based as a Shock art, not for sport.
That is they work when your opponent has no clue that they are about to fend off an array of combinations that are designed to hurt you.
Prob that is , is that these styles were asked to fend off knowing opponents. They wre not made for this as they are not sports, so they lost the shock effect.
Now imagine some nice old guy or lady, who knows how to hurt you, but looks innocent enough. You harras them and have no clue right?
Thats many styles game, and they are effective. Called Self Defense, not MMA or such.
If you want to kick **** and win tournaments these are not for you.
If you want to be a homemaker, a non fighter so to speak, and have a good form of defense, yep they are GREAT!
You can get in shape as well, and have FUN.........
please refer to www.krackedskullz.com
you will see techniques that are wu shu

Answer 6

Alot of the chinese martial arts styles you migth see on television or in the movies is Wushu. A form of martial arts adapted for display purposes.

While they can all hurt to a varying degree, they are not as effective as some other martial arts.

Let me illustrate this with an example. A kick.

A flying kick that looks so impressive has a person jump towards their target, and strike out with their feet. Compare to a normal kick, which as a person step towards a target and strike.

A flying kick is powered largely by the momentum of a person's body as he jumps, so the power generated is in the initial jump of the attack.

A normal kick is powered by more muscles, and because one foot remains on the ground, the person has a counterpoint from which to propell himself. A knee strike forinstance is powered first by the legs, calves-> thighs, then the abdominals. Through the entire process, the striker remains rooted to the ground.

This is important because in the case of the flying kick, alot of the force is absorbed by the "rebound" upon striking, and because a person using a flying kick has no anchor, has no means to reapply that force to his target.

Also a normal kick is powered through a kinetic chain, of muscles all operating in sequence, until the very impact, while a flying kick depends largely on initial burst of power.

Further more, flashy moves are more draining then direct and simpler strikes, a flying spinning kick would take time to set up, would require more energy to perform. A simple strike to the left catoriod arteries and their accompanying vegas nerves can stop the heart by comparison.

You may want to take a look at some of the origins of the forms, Japanese bujutsu's for instance, are hold overs from the original forms used by the samurai in combat, as is ninjutsu. The "do" forms in japanese martial arts, as in aikido, kendo or judo are modern forms aimed at self improvement and perfection of form, or often times, competition.

A cautionary note about competitions. Competitions differ from combat in many ways, combat has no rules, striking an opponents eyes, breaking his bones and killing him are permissable, not so in competitions.

Competitions have defined target points, and rules which govern the use of force and the kinds of blows allowed.

Answer 7

some of the most effective attacks are unattractive to watch, and lack appeal to those wanting to look good while they fight. for the other group, the simple and ugly attacks that work are deemed impressive. due to functionality.

why train for fancy if it has no real world application?

that time would be better spent perfecting those that do.

but the most effective thing is the mind that acts based on the given stimuli and acts/reacts accordingly to ensure success.
relying on something too technical or fancy may be a waste if the opportunity doesnt allow it to happen.

Answer 8

No they're mostly for show. The closest thing you can see to martial arts that actually are effective is MMA (UFC, Pride, etc...) If you want to see something more flashy but effective, youtube up K-1 Max, especially buakaw.

Answer 9

Eagle claw has in my opinion the deadliest most beautiful style of kung fu. Look on youtube and metacafe youll see

Answer 10

Very few of the "flashy" moves actually work.