The useless Olympic sports

evolution said:
You could've warned anyone that didn't see the fight before you threw this out.

I'm still not sure why there are those that think TKD is one of the most useless MAs out there. Let's see...they have kicking and punching. Oh, that's right...so does kick boxing. I guess kick boxing and Thai boxing is one of the most useless MAs out there also.

Sorry Streams...that just bugs me. People mistake the jumping around and loud kiaing of Olympic style TKD as that's what everyone who's taken TKD does. Who said a TKD artist can't kick to the groin and take out a knee?
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Kickboxing and TKD are completely different. How is kicking in the groin effective? That's illegal for starters. TKD is a lot more prettier than traditional kickboxing, but isn't nearly as effective in combat. I've taken TKD (albiet for a short period) but i didn't get a whole lot out of it. Sure, learning some of the pretty kicks and other manouvers looks good, but it won't get you anywhere in an MMA fight. I can tell you now that there is currently zero top MMAists out there with TKD as their primary aspect of the game. Having said all this though, if i was to mix it up with a good TKD player, i'd get my arse smashed. Thai boxing and western kickboxing are two the most effective MA's out there.

Yah, i probably should have warned everyone, but i've seen spoilers posted on here before and it's not like I'm breaking any rules in doing that.

i_love_muscle said:
That was a really good fight card ;-) I think GSP is one of the best (and most athletic) fighters the UFC has ever had. Sorry guys, but GSP looks amazing in those tight shorts ... and his physique? Unbelievable.
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I know. And how 'bout that cup size!
 
evolution said:
I wouldn't say unbelievable. He's got a decent amount of muscle on him with low bodyfat. Nothing unbelievable about that. Heck, the guy he was fighting had a similar physique.

But I will agree that it was a good fight card. I was really impressed by Lesner's bulldog tactics. But mostly I was impressed by dude hanging in with GSP for the 5 rounds.
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This card was great!

I was really surprised at how well Macdonald held his own on the ground. I thought it was over after the first triangle attempt but Macdonald was continuously avoiding submissions on the ground. I predicted Maia by sub, but i predicted it in the first round. Close enough.

Florian/Huerta was a slight disappointment, but Florian fought a smart game and Huerta has been ridiculously overhyped. Huerta's first UFC loss and Florian's first win via decision.

Not much to say about Manny/Emerson except that i was glad that Manny's little arse got raped. I can't stand this guy (or Karo) and he had a horrible game plan coming in.

Lesnar surprised the hell out of me and completely dominated Heath. I knew coming in that Heath has always been vulnerable to big powerful wrestlers (despite what he said in his pre-match comments) and that he was in danger of being taken down and controlled on the mat. How about Miragliotta poking Heath in the eye during the stare down? Guy's a fkn idiot, seriously. Lesnar held his own on the feet as well, which again surprised me, although it wasn't standing for long. He pretty much took down Heath at will and controlled him the whole fight. You have to understand that Heath has been in there with the likes Big Nog, Fedor and Mark Kerr and has YEARS of experience and this was only Lesnar's third MMA fight. Very impressive.

"that dude" has a name and it's John Fitch. Very impressed with Fitch, he showed great heart and a good chin, even though he got pummeled for 5 rounds, he stayed in there. I thought coming into the fight that would be interesting who wins the wrestling battle but my question was answered about 5 seconds in when GSP took down Fitch with ease! Completely dominant performance and there's really nothing you can say about St. Pierre that hasn't been said already. He's gonna dominate at 170 for a long time.

One of the better cards this year put on by UFC and well worth the money.
 
Anyone see the girl get smoked in the face by the hockey ball? OUCH! I dont think any sport is useless. Some sports are just FAR superior than others.
 
evolution said:
I wouldn't say unbelievable. He's got a decent amount of muscle on him with low bodyfat. Nothing unbelievable about that. Heck, the guy he was fighting had a similar physique.

But I will agree that it was a good fight card. I was really impressed by Lesner's bulldog tactics. But mostly I was impressed by dude hanging in with GSP for the 5 rounds.
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Ewwww. Fitch's body looked like crap ;) Especially his face at the end of the fight :D
 
Streamline said:
This card was great!

I was really surprised at how well Macdonald held his own on the ground. I thought it was over after the first triangle attempt but Macdonald was continuously avoiding submissions on the ground. I predicted Maia by sub, but i predicted it in the first round. Close enough.

Florian/Huerta was a slight disappointment, but Florian fought a smart game and Huerta has been ridiculously overhyped. Huerta's first UFC loss and Florian's first win via decision.

Not much to say about Manny/Emerson except that i was glad that Manny's little arse got raped. I can't stand this guy (or Karo) and he had a horrible game plan coming in.

Lesnar surprised the hell out of me and completely dominated Heath. I knew coming in that Heath has always been vulnerable to big powerful wrestlers (despite what he said in his pre-match comments) and that he was in danger of being taken down and controlled on the mat. How about Miragliotta poking Heath in the eye during the stare down? Guy's a fkn idiot, seriously. Lesnar held his own on the feet as well, which again surprised me, although it wasn't standing for long. He pretty much took down Heath at will and controlled him the whole fight. You have to understand that Heath has been in there with the likes Big Nog, Fedor and Mark Kerr and has YEARS of experience and this was only Lesnar's third MMA fight. Very impressive.

"that dude" has a name and it's John Fitch. Very impressed with Fitch, he showed great heart and a good chin, even though he got pummeled for 5 rounds, he stayed in there. I thought coming into the fight that would be interesting who wins the wrestling battle but my question was answered about 5 seconds in when GSP took down Fitch with ease! Completely dominant performance and there's really nothing you can say about St. Pierre that hasn't been said already. He's gonna dominate at 170 for a long time.

One of the better cards this year put on by UFC and well worth the money.
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I really enjoyed watching all the fights, but I did miss the first fight :(

Evensen was destroyed by Kongo. He wasn't ready for that fight.

Florian fought well. Very consistent. That was a good fight.

I'm not surprised Lesner won, but he really needs to take a lesson in humility. Does he love himself enough? What a turn off. He should keep his mouth shut. Maybe Wanderlei Silva can give him some pointers on how to treat his opponents after the fight and how to address the crowd appropriately.

Fitch really did hang on for those 5 rounds, and despite his face looking a bit like hamburger, he really tried hard. Kudos to him for hanging in. And what GSP did at the end of the fight was really classy. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

I really hope the UFC sets up the GSP/BJ Penn fight. They are two of my FAVE fighters. I love both of their styles. BJ Penn is so cool in the octagon.
 
evolution said:
You could've warned anyone that didn't see the fight before you threw this out.

I'm still not sure why there are those that think TKD is one of the most useless MAs out there. Let's see...they have kicking and punching. Oh, that's right...so does kick boxing. I guess kick boxing and Thai boxing is one of the most useless MAs out there also.

Sorry Streams...that just bugs me. People mistake the jumping around and loud kiaing of Olympic style TKD as that's what everyone who's taken TKD does. Who said a TKD artist can't kick to the groin and take out a knee?
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Because you only kick people in the groin in street fighting. It's not allowed in MMA. And I can kick somebody in the knee and maybe pop his ACL. But unless I'm really good, all that kick would do is probably piss my attacker off even more. And then I'd get REALLY hurt. I'd rather go for the jugular and make sure my opponent is not getting back up.

TKD is a beautiful MA to watch and has really nice patterns. But is it truly effective for self defence? I don't think so. Every person I know who takes TKD can be submitted very easily, even by me. And I only know a few wrestling holds my brother taught me.

TKD is not the best fighting style because I believe that when a person is airborne, they are far more vulnerable than when they are on terra firma. I'm not on a horse. I'm standing on the ground on two feet waiting to see what your next move is going to be. While you're spinning around in the air, I'm running away. Or grabbing something to whack you with.

However, if a person has you pinned on the ground, you're done for unless you know how to get out of the hold or have the strength to get them off of you. You pretty much have zero leverage (physics is against you!). And I would think the first rule of defense (OK, the second rule after "run away if you can"), would be "take your opponent out before they have a chance to hurt you". Flying through the air doing really spectaculr kicks might look really cool, but I want to make sure I hurt my opponent badly enough with my first strike that they aren't going to get up very quickly. I don't have time to screw around with fancy aerial moves and roundhouse kicks.

Krav Maga as an effective fighting style comes to mind here, as does BJJ and Judo.
 
i_love_muscle said:
I really enjoyed watching all the fights, but I did miss the first fight :(

Evensen was destroyed by Kongo. He wasn't ready for that fight.

Florian fought well. Very consistent. That was a good fight.

I'm not surprised Lesner won, but he really needs to take a lesson in humility. Does he love himself enough? What a turn off. He should keep his mouth shut. Maybe Wanderlei Silva can give him some pointers on how to treat his opponents after the fight and how to address the crowd appropriately.

Fitch really did hang on for those 5 rounds, and despite his face looking a bit like hamburger, he really tried hard. Kudos to him for hanging in. And what GSP did at the end of the fight was really classy. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

I really hope the UFC sets up the GSP/BJ Penn fight. They are two of my FAVE fighters. I love both of their styles. BJ Penn is so cool in the octagon.
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How could you miss the first fight...

Of course Evensen was destroyed! He had no business being in there and a first round KO was about the most realistic ending.

Most of the hardcore fans didn't give Lesnar a chance in this match and he surprised the hell out of me. His post fight antics wern't the most sportsman like and i can't help but think he got caught up in the hype after what Herring said and fighting in front of his home crowd. Don't ever use Wanderlei in the same sentence as Brock unless if it involves some vicious knees from the clinch.

BJ/GSP will happen sometime in the future but i'd be disappointed if they put it on so soon, not to mention the fact that BJ is completely disrespecting the entire LW div. He didn't even acknowledge Florian's win and BJ's last two matches at WW ended in a loss with one of those losses being handed to him by GSP. As well as this there's plenty of guys already at WW that are lining up for a shot at GSP and BJ shouldn't just jump ahead of the queue by default. Let them defend their respective belts a few times, then make the match. It would also be more meaningful this way. I have no problem with Anderson going up to 205 because he has practically cleared out his entire division. After he destroys Cote, there's Okami and possibly Bisping (if he gets past Leben)...Palharas and Maia have also been talked about.
 
i_love_muscle said:
Because you only kick people in the groin in street fighting. It's not allowed in MMA. And I can kick somebody in the knee and maybe pop his ACL. But unless I'm really good, all that kick would do is probably piss my attacker off even more. And then I'd get REALLY hurt. I'd rather go for the jugular and make sure my opponent is not getting back up.

TKD is a beautiful MA to watch and has really nice patterns. But is it truly effective for self defence? I don't think so. Every person I know who takes TKD can be submitted very easily, even by me. And I only know a few wrestling holds my brother taught me.

TKD is not the best fighting style because I believe that when a person is airborne, they are far more vulnerable than when they are on terra firma. I'm not on a horse. I'm standing on the ground on two feet waiting to see what your next move is going to be. While you're spinning around in the air, I'm running away. Or grabbing something to whack you with.

However, if a person has you pinned on the ground, you're done for unless you know how to get out of the hold or have the strength to get them off of you. You pretty much have zero leverage (physics is against you!). And I would think the first rule of defense (OK, the second rule after "run away if you can"), would be "take your opponent out before they have a chance to hurt you". Flying through the air doing really spectaculr kicks might look really cool, but I want to make sure I hurt my opponent badly enough with my first strike that they aren't going to get up very quickly. I don't have time to screw around with fancy aerial moves and roundhouse kicks.

Krav Maga as an effective fighting style comes to mind here, as does BJJ and Judo.
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So, are we talking about a street fight now or are we still on MMA? You pretty much backed up what i said about TKD not being practical. Like i said, the kicks are pretty, but not effective. In an MMA match, a jumping roundhouse kick or an axe kick is so incredibly easy to avoid and leaves you off balance and vulnerable to a takedown or a counter strike. Back on kickboxing vs. TKD - another thing i thought of is that TKD doesn't utilize kneed or elbows and there's no clinch work in TKD either.

You wouldn't ever take a street fight to the ground, unless if it was just you and the other guy and no else was around. Krav maga is the most effective MA if you want to protect yourself on the street, but isn't practical inside a ring/cage.
 
Streamline said:
So, are we talking about a street fight now or are we still on MMA? You pretty much backed up what i said about TKD not being practical. Like i said, the kicks are pretty, but not effective. In an MMA match, a jumping roundhouse kick or an axe kick is so incredibly easy to avoid and leaves you off balance and vulnerable to a takedown or a counter strike. Back on kickboxing vs. TKD - another thing i thought of is that TKD doesn't utilize kneed or elbows and there's no clinch work in TKD either.

You wouldn't ever take a street fight to the ground, unless if it was just you and the other guy and no else was around. Krav maga is the most effective MA if you want to protect yourself on the street, but isn't practical inside a ring/cage.
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I wasn't quite sure where we were ;)

So I guess we agree with each other? ...
 
I don't think GSP's wrestling background is a weakness. Not since he started training with Canada's Olympic wrestling team.

Anyway, my problems with TKD is with scoring from just making contact with the enormous pads. At least with Oly boxing they actually box, just with headgear.
 
You all forget what is important.

You talk about the ability to kick and punch but what about to ability to be street smart, disciplined and self-controlled?

If the school or style you are talking about does not teach this then you are not learning how to practice martial arts, you are practicing your ability to fight mindlessly. Unless you are a pro-fighter you want to stay away from fights, no?

I agree with TKD not being too practical, but it's better then nothing. You develop lightness and speed in the legs that's for sure. Since when does moving around quickly fall into uselessness in fighting (especially MMA)?

:D

Eric
 
The most useless sport is that one where a team of people slide this thing across a deck by rubbing ice or something on the ground. I mean a game like that looks like some dude turned 28 years old, then one day while walking he saw a bunch of kids doing it on ice and probably thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread.
 
I saw some synchronized diving yesterday. Now that's definitely a useless Olympic sport.

I like diving. It's cool. But to synchronize it reduces it to nothing more than a ****y pasttime.

Synchronized diving blows. Putting "Synchronized" in the name just ruins everything. Get rid of it.
 
A Norwegian swimmer took second place in what I think was 100 meter breast stroke.
He was first into the turn, but messed it up, came back at the end with a strong finish (like he always does) but it wasn't enough to catch up to the other guy who won, but it was exciting!

He's gonna do the 200 meter breast stroke today, I think.

Nor female weightlifter got 7th :( She was in 4th after the snatch, got 121kg in jerk, but missed two times on 125, which kinda sucks, as with 125 she would have climbed a lot on the ranking) It was her first olympics, though! Hopefully she will keep going strong.
 
This is a very funny and informative article on what makes a sport Olympic or not. Enjoy :D
 
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