If Chuck Norris in his prime fought today's Tony Jaa, who would win? Could Tony Jaa, let alone anyone, withstand a Chuck roundhouse kick to the face?
Chuck Norris actually won tournaments. As far as I know, Tony Jaa has never competed, which is odd, considering Muay Thai is a huge sport in Thailand.
Demonstrations are not tournaments. He never participated in a fight. Ergo, I do not think he is a legitimate bad ass.
You're assuming a lot about a guy you even claim yourself to not know about. Now... he was a representative for all of north eastern asia... he must have impressed a lot of asians to get that one... probably had to win a few fights too. Also, college competition - should be noted because you don't know if it means he was there fighting or demonstrating.
RickyH: Yes, but the thing is this: Most martial arts things like he did for Asia, are utterly based on form and technique as expressed in shadow boxing. This isn't a test of skill, but of grace. Like you know, I am sure he is an awesome gymnast and athlete, but I have no idea if he can whoop ass. Maybe if he participated in stuff we'd know.
Well he certainly knows he knows the form of Muay Thai well enough to be the representative of it. Although I can't myself find a single record of his fights, under either of his names. But, I don't see how this takes away from him being a bad ass. I've come to the conclusion that he is a badass, and probably at best one of the top 5 martial artists in the movie industry. But, that's no better than a guess. Maybe in a few years, time will unravel this mystery/
Did anyone see "The Protector?" He looked extremely bad ass in that movie. The dude tied two elephant bones to his arms and kicked 4 6-9 400 pound guys asses.
RickyH: If you've never fought with your technique, how do you know if it works? Hell, he might not even be able to take a punch.
THAT'S the key point. If you don't fight, you have no idea what your body will do when your chin is struck. Some people go to sleep. Some see bright lights and go blind. Some people punch you in YOUR face without knowing they were hit. Most professional fighters are of the last variety. There are thousands of fighters, every week, that get in the ring for the first time and realize that they have a glass jaw and will never be able to fight. I've seen this happen too many times to recount. Guys put in years of training, they spar really, really well. They even take those sparring punches that get through now and then. But they never know until they fight for the first time. And I have to point out, that which chin you have is luck. You can beef up your neck all you want, and it doesn't matter. I've seen giants go down with a soft blow. So, if you have a glass jaw, it does not reflect your manhood, it only reflects your ability to survive a fight. I am a pacifist. I have many feminine qualities and very low testosterone, but I have a steel jaw. Dumb luck. Two streetfights (that I was cornered and forced into) ended with me thinking that I never got touched. An hour later, when the adrenaline wore off, I felt like my head was going to explode from the blows that I took. It may have just been one blow during one fight, but I was miserable. At the time, I felt nothing. Not that anyone cares, I'm just rambling and getting nostalgic, but the worst beating of my life was when I stopped to help four guys with a flat tire, and one of the guys jumped in my convertible while I was helping out (there wasn't a flat, they were hoodwinking me). Guy didn't know how to drive a stick, and the car konked out. It was the most surreal thing, seeing someone else in my car and having that sudden realization, "Hey. That guy is in my car. Wait. I think he is trying to steal it.". All of a sudden, it is like you are in a movie, you just don't know what to do. I ran and jumped on top of the guy, just to make sure my car didn't leave without me. Next thing I know, I'm face-down in the back seat with four brothers on top of me, landing blows at will. Even then, I couldn't feel anything except my head bobbing forward, and the sound of their knuckles crunching. It was so fucking scary, I thought I was going to die back there. Lucky for me, a car drove past and those guys (I think they were caught up in the moment as well, and just protecting their friend, the no-stick-driving-moron) realized that this plan of theirs was not being well-executed. So they jumped in their Suzuki (with 4 very-well inflated tires), and sped off.
I didn't claim to have any knowledge if he has fought or not. I certainly in my honest opinion think he has fought. He has also demonstrated that he can pick up physical activities fast. So, even if he hasn't fought much. (which i am not saying we can or cannot prove yet). He may just as easily exceed in it. He was a stunt man, and he doesn't use wires for his stunts. How bad could a punch really be to a man who takes a beating basically for a living?
RickyH: He might exceed in it. But until we see him, he is hardly a martial artist. He's a Thai gymnast. Falling and being punched are two different things. Being punched tends to knock you out when it lands, whereas falling out of a building is more a matter of not breaking arms or necks.
The forms are what make martial arts, an art. So he isn't hardly a martial artist because he hasn't proved himself to you yet. I don't think you've been in many fights, or you would know as well as me. Punches aren't exactly the most painful thing. They don't hurt anymore than falling 10 feet on your back. Until the next day of course. Besides, in his movies, he does have real fights.
RickyH: "Do not kid yourself: The way of the sword is to kill people." - Miyamoto Musashi. The movies aren't real. They are staged performances, highly choreographed. Also, I've seen people get punched in the face and dropped like a rock. Professional fighters have this happen to them all the time.
You're confusing fighting with my point. I think you're just interested in seeming right. They are staged, but the hits are real, the falls are real, and it's real pain. While yes, some fighters do get knocked out, it happens. It happens to everyone, just the same as falling 10 feet and getting knocked out.
RickyH: No, I meanly contest that the "forms" of martial arts are superior to their goal: To hurt people. No one in martial arts films get really hit in general. When they do, it is an accident.
Okay, let me see if i am understanding you on this. (because i'm not entirely sure what you mean) Are you trying to tell me that contests dedicated to the form, rather than fighting have defeated the purpose of learning how to hurt people? If so, then why is it to the people who have made muay thai what it is, disagree. I believe to them learning the forms is like crawling before you walk. Stunt men go to the hospital quite a few times in their life. They fully accept the consequences of their actions, and it's not really an accident.
RickyH: Absolutely. It reduces it to dance and/or gymnastics. Those are fine art forms, but they are not martial art forms. A Chinese gung fu practitioner is beautiful, but even a Queensbury Rules boxer can usually take one out. That is not what I call "Effective". Actually, much of Muay Thai is practiced in the ring itself, isn't it? They don't fall into established forms from any sort of Muay Thai video - both of traditional Thai fighters or of Westerners - that I've seen. You are telling me that actors are trying to kill eachother? And of course stuntmen go to the hospital: It is dangerous to swing your legs around and to jump off buildings.
