u/j0e_boNaNza3169

one of the biggest criticisms i have of bas rutten is how often he speaks as if his way of doing something is the ONLY correct way of doing it. eg: having a square stance, or always punching as hard as you can with every punch, etc. does he have any idea how many great fighters are out there that DONT fight even remotely like him? some of which are probably better than him? because lets be honest. he's not the master of the universe. and yes, i am criticizing him. cry about it.

regarding his "question", or challenge in the clip: having that huge ass padding on your head WILL make it significantly harder to knock you out than to just hit you raw with nothing. thats the entire purpose of what a pad is. same with your body. it doesn't negate all the damage, but it makes a significant difference.

bas suggests that blocking normally is "wrong". or rather, blocking with your arms extended out is "better" instead. per his OWN words, ad verbatim: "why would you block a punch like this?" and - "NEVER put your hand against your head."

because blocking a shot outside your body is better than blocking it directly, right? well hey. guess what? you know whats even worse than blocking a shot straight to your body? trying to block a shot outside your body while leaving yourself open and getting knocked the f* out.

the problem with his suggestion is not only are you opening yourself up, but your opening yourself up purposefully. and if youre in a fight, its pretty much guaranteed that youre gonna get hit. and WHEN you get hit, that means that theyre gonna get a clean hit to your face. also, your opponents arm can easily wrap around and reach you. depending on how hard you block and how hard they hit, and especially on their reach.

im not saying that this as well is "wrong" or that "low guard is bad." its an individual preference and a strategy. what i am saying is, absolute black and white statements like this, especially to a mostly beginner audience, is plain stupid and wrong. its irresponsible.

i'll ask you this: how many fights have you seen where fighters survive ABSOLUTE FLURRIES with the kind of tight guard bas and his supporters would consider "suboptimal" ? and how many knockouts have you seen where a simple, tight block would've prevented it? because i've seen tons. why? because it WORKS. its a perfectly legit, perfectly simple defense.

what makes the tight blocks "good" aren't the fact that they negate the damage perfectly. its the fact that theyre reliable, fast, simple, and short. easy to get in distance. easy to adjust right on the spot. key word here - reliable. and less risky. because getting a good enough result reliably is better than always trying the get the perfect result while risking the worst possibility.

also in the second clip what hes demonstrating can be done on the EXACT same type of guard that hes suggesting anyway. so its hypocritical AS MUCH as it is stupid.

thanks for coming to my ted talk.

edit: literally no one's mentioned anything i actually said so far. thanks for proving my points!

also: obligatory links to further annoy you. peace!

DONT PUNCH. DONT BLOCK. DONT BREATHE IF ITS IN DA STREETZ

credit: las vegas kung fu academy on youtube

also reminiscent of mawashi uke

choose your fighter

me, personally:

1. polaris

2. strobe

3. arguru

4. finished symphony remix