# Can Arnold Schwarzenegger fight? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357 "2004-10-03T19:07:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/41 "2004-10-06T00:35:06Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > ? > Is one them a Seal? I dunno. As I’ve often repeated, I only used Arnold as an example cause he’s well known. I’m questioning why a big muscular guy, especially if famous, is assumed to be dangerous. > The part about being a pussy was, of course, a joke. I was stepping down to his “girly-man” level. > I thing I’d rather mix it up with Arnold than with Bruce Willis, for example. Given that I couldn’t talk my way out of it. 😉 Jesse Ventura was a Navy SEAL. Part of it is that we attribute the characters Arnold plays to Arnold himself - The Terminator, Conan, the Commando, the Predator killer. Part of it is that he is so cartoonishly huge. In general, we assume a large, muscular guy is dangerous because in general, being bigger and stronger and faster is a distinct advantage in a fight. Most fights aren’t well-coreographed martial arts displays. They are two guys grappling around bashing each other with kicks and punches. Maybe a highly skilled fighter like DeLaHoya could offset the size, but I would not want to put my 5’10 175lbs against Ahnolds 5’10 200 something. Look, it’s like calling Van Damm a pussy becuase Chuck Zito kicked his ass at scores. He’d still take our head off with a flying judo kick 'cause none of us here are Chuck Zito. And we aren’t talking about whether his bodyguards could kick ass. ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/42 "2004-10-06T02:13:28Z")
According to my brother (Pope Charles of Houston and the Golden Triangle area, the Church of the Subgenius) Ahnold was kicked out of the Austrian army for being incompetent (he was a REALLY bad driver, unfortunately he was a really bad TANK driver). My brother challenged Ahnold to a fight after Ahnold made that “Democrats is sissy boys” remark about Admiral Stockdale (Perot’s running mate) because Stockdale wore a hearing aid (POW injury), nothing ever came of it. Unclviny ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/43 "2004-10-06T11:35:23Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > There ya go. Your balls suck up when you fight. Heh. I have this battle meditation thing I do. I just keep thinking to myself “Margarate Thatcher on a cold day”, over and over. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/44 "2004-10-06T11:36:36Z")
That would, of course, be Margaret Thatcher’s alter universe twin who is much more effective for battle meditation purposes. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/45 "2004-10-06T15:27:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Jesse Ventura was a Navy SEAL. nitpick… Jesse Ventura was **UDT** , _not_ a SEAL. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/46 "2004-10-14T15:02:51Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > nitpick… > > Jesse Ventura was **UDT** , _not_ a SEAL. What am I, his biographer? The point is he was trained to kick ass! ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/47 "2004-10-14T16:08:47Z")
> [@](#): > > No, look at basketball players. No I felt football players better illustrated the point because although basketball players are certainly tall “most” of them are thin and lanky, Many football players on the other hand are huge and thick as far as muscle mass but retain speed with all the muscle they gain to be able to cover all that yardage so quickly. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/48 "2004-10-14T16:11:58Z")
> [@](#): > > I thing I’d rather mix it up with Arnold than with Bruce Willis So you despise hime enough that you would rather definitely get your ass kicked by arnold, whereas bruce is not that big and you would stand a much greater chance of kicking his ass. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/49 "2004-10-14T16:21:27Z")
Arnold would lose in a slap fight with Shirley Feeny. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/50 "2004-10-14T17:55:24Z")
> [@pool](#): > > So you despise hime enough that you would rather definitely get your ass kicked by arnold, whereas bruce is not that big and you would stand a much greater chance of kicking his ass. Despise? Where’d you get that? I _really_ don’t think Arnold would fight me. Bruce just might. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/51 "2004-10-14T18:23:40Z")
lol why would either one fight you when they could get sued for millions. They would just have their goons rough you up 😛 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/52 "2004-10-15T14:39:06Z")
> [@pool](#): > > So you despise hime enough that you would rather definitely get your ass kicked by arnold, whereas bruce is not that big and you would stand a much greater chance of kicking his ass. Hmm…ass kicked by the Terminator or John McLaine…tough call. ---
**Author:** ![caneffom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/73ab20/32.png) [@caneffom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caneffom)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/53 "2020-11-07T16:34:12Z")
what a suprize you guys say you can rock arnold’s shit as he is out of his prime and is aging happily and peacefully. You guys wouldn’t of stood a chance in a fight, and a fight doesn’t mean a fist fight, it means whoever is the last man standing by any means necessary. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/54 "2020-11-07T17:09:32Z")
Oooooh kay - keeping the zombie going - I once asked my step son if he would rather fight Arnold or Vin Diesel. The boy is 230 lbs of fightin’ youth with experience. Or at least he used to be. He relied, “Vin Diesel” without any hesitation. He explained that although Vin Diesel was younger and probably better shape that Arnold had more experience and patience and that would kick your ass every time. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/55 "2020-11-07T17:58:50Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Well, a discussion insued about whether he, with all his muscles, could actually fight. I said probably not, due to lack of experience and training etc. Some agreed, others said he’d squish me like a bug. _Squish_ me? look at the guy. He’s a big ol’ pussy. A couple quick jabs to the face and he’d call in his bodyguards. If I was going to worry about brawling with a governor, it’d be that guy from Minnesota, Jessie Ventura. 😉 Okay, but do YOU know how to fight? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/56 "2020-11-07T19:10:54Z")
**RJ** , **mangeorge** hasn’t been on in like 6 years now. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/57 "2020-11-07T19:23:57Z")
[Ahnold] This tread is a girlie zombie. [/A] However, IIRC, Arnold just had some heart surgery done (He came OK), so just about now, according to him, he is getting now back in a condition to beat a good number of people right now. Just not big guys in good shape. ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/58 "2020-11-07T19:36:10Z")
Sure he can fight… but then again **anyone** can fight under given circumstances.The question is, who might prevail? Even in advanced age, odds are he’d probably stand a better than even chance due to his previous military training and physical stature. . ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/59 "2020-11-07T22:21:07Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > **RJ** , **mangeorge** hasn’t been on in like 6 years now. So he doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357/60 "2020-11-09T17:58:22Z")
My father (Smart Guy, at one point very into weightlifting) says that bodybuilders tend to be stronger than the average guy but not tremendously so. He says they’re exercising different muscle types than that which gives great strength. Specifically, that they exercise by repeatedly lifting relatively light weights for a long period of time, versus lifting very heavy weights for a shorter time. The latter is what develops strength. He says the amount that these body builders can actually lift rarely makes its way into reporting about them, because the amounts are very unimpressive compared to what the squat “mesomorph” types who compete in weightlifting competitions can lift. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-arnold-schwarzenegger-fight/267357.md?page=2)