You pompous, bloated fuck. If you missed UFC 126, Anderson Silva executed a brilliant front thrust kick to end Vitor’s chances at a revival of his career. Silva’s excellent athleticism and very long legs allowed him to pull this off. As someone who has studied several martial arts through the years, I recognized this as a standard front thrust kick… but was it?
Not according the Steven Seagal. This was a kick that he has been perfecting for 30 years! Quoth Seagal:
Please shut the fuck up you self-important asshole. He goes on…
Anderson did immediately credit Steven Seagal for teaching him the kick when Rogan interviewed him in the Octagon, but his translator didn’t repeat that part of his answer. Also, there’s a video of Seagal training Silva from a few months back (from the camp for the Sonnen fight) in which they’re shown practicing that kick in a very brief shot.
I thought maybe the variation he’s talking about is the feint to the body. The kick looks as if it’s going to the mid-section and the continues up to the face. You can see Belfort starting to react and then decide to keep his hands in place, probably waiting for a follow-up punch. He also acknowledged the feint in his own interview in the Octagon.
One way or another it was a brilliant kick and a new high-light reel knockout for Anderson. I was in awe of his timing and of his distance yet again. Me and my father were crushed. We knew Anderson would probably win but were pulling so hard for Vitor.
I’m curious as to what you think the variation of that kick is that is different from the front thrust kick that everyone who has ever taken Tai Kwon Do has learned. Here is the exact same kick (0:52). It’s Karate 101.
Misdirection is nothing new in any form of fighting.
Seagal is (or at least was) a legitimate badass in Aikido. And he’s apparently been training with other MMA fighters. And Silva apparently credits Seagal. Why all the hate? Besides, he’s like one of the top 3 action movie stars of all time!
I hate a ton of things that aren’t original. Throughout sports, people learn stuff that others have known, and someone teaches it to them. Could be the zone blitz, the split-finger fastball, the play-action pass technique that some do sooo well, top-spinning a tennis ball… etc.
Believe it or not (or like it or not), some people teach these things to athletes that are far, far superior to them. They teach them nuances, or work with them to polish the technique. OR… the athlete has a capability for it that is part of what we call ‘talent’.
Personally, YOU are insulting the great athletes here; Segal is not insulting anyone. You learned a kick, so now you know there is no way to fine tune it. Yay for YOU! You got it out there that you know enough about all martial arts to conclude everything there is to know and that the kick ain’t nuttin’ special! YAY for YOU!
Go back to my comments about any number of things that great athletes learn, many of which any putz can learn. Someone worked on Tiger Wood’s swing with him when he was eating major events for breakfast. Jeeze, he’s just swinging! How can he learn to swing better from some annoying dweeb, and then make that swing so much better than everyone else? WOW! It’s a swing at a ball!!! A ball that isn’t even thinking or moving (contrast this with an actual human fighter).
Well, how can he (Tiger) learn to swing better from some annoying dweeb, and then make that swing so much better than everyone else? Answer that question and you solve the mystery of athleticism and talent!
Cy Young Award winning pitchers (even the multiple winners) have pitching coaches you never heard of.
I’m required to answer your question? That’s a requirement? Even though I did, let’s recall what happened.
Fighter credits Segal.
You don’t like Segal.
Seems the fighter was honestly giving credit to Segal for working on a kick with him.
It seems there are nuances to the misdirection involved in the kick.
You don’t care about nuances – a kick is a kick. Misdirection is misdirection.
Ignored are examples of basic moves that happen in a variety of sports, but – for whatever reason – some talented people do these incredibly well.
You still don’t get it.
Let’s see…
Jimmy Johson drives a stock car. Big deal. It’s just driving.
Tiger Woods swings a driver. Big deal. It’s just swinging a club.
Roy Halladay throws a splitter. Big deal. It’s just a splitter. Lots of pitcher throw 'em!
Aaron Rodgers throws an out pattern. Big deal. It’s just a throw.
Roger Federer top spins a tennis ball. Big deal. It’s a basic move in tennis.
Sidney Crosby takes a wrist shot. Big deal, everyone shoots wrists shots in the NHL! Even goalies!
Should we go on?
Ali could jab. SO WHAT? Every fighter jabs.
Frazier could throw a right hook? SO WHAT? It’s just a right hook.
There are tiny, effective, championship caliber differences between how one athlete does something and how someone else does it. That’s the answer. Delivered with the right power, with the back foot placed right, at the right time, with the right nuances of misdirection, etc… it’s a better kick. Again, every great – even legendary – athlete has coaches and people that work on things with them. The guy working on those things might not be able to compete at any level with the person they are coaching, at any time in their life. It doesn’t mean they don’t get credit for helping on some specific something.
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Philster, I know the above wasn’t directed at me, but my honest reaction to Seagal “teaching” Anderson Silva is bemused shock. I guess I have no reason to doubt the whole thing–Seagal was in Silva’s entourage, and they’ve both confirmed that he coached Silva on the technique–but the whole thing does sound like a put-on to me. It’s not unlike hearing that Ed O’Neill stopped by the Packers’ practice before the Super Bowl and helped implement the defensive set that enabled Nick Collins’ interception for the touchdown. Ed O’Neill was certainly a credible football player before becoming an actor, but he doesn’t seem like the type of guy who’d contribute to a Super Bowl victory with his coaching. Likewise, I realize that Seagal was a credible Aikido instructor in some circles, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who could really contribute to an elite martial artist’s training at this stage of his career. I guess I’m wrong, but Lord that’s weird.
I’m no Seagal expert, but I thought he was a pretty big deal in the martial arts world in his day. I do not think his level of expertise would be equivalent to Ed O’Neill’s. Now if Jackie Chan were training fighters, that would get an eyebrow raise out of me.
All kickboxers know how to execute a TEEP. I can speak that the guys in the Jungle in orlando were kidding the KB coach about why he would keep such a deadly kick secret and he got pretty steamed screaming, “IT’s a TEEP Fuckers!”
Philster, you’re missing the point. Did you watch the video link I provided? The one where Seagal says, “Nobody knows the kick”. There are hundreds of YouTube videos showing people doing the kick.
No, that’s not the answer. First of all it’s spelled Jimmie Johnson. And yes he’s great but he didn’t claim to invent the left turn.
Yes Ali had a great jab. The same one every other boxer throws… he’s was just faster and better at it. But again, he didn’t claim to invent the jab.
Should we go on?
Nah, I think you get the point. I understand how coaching works. And I agree that Tiger probably had some coaching to help him with his game but I doubt very seriously that coach is walking around telling everyone he invented to golf swing.
BTW I’m pretty sure it was Frazier’s left hook that was the thing that set him apart… also the thing that broke Ali’s jaw…
I’ve seen this thread in several MMA sites… (sherdog…yahoo etc) Seagal annoys the fuck outta people… I’m just happy he got Silva to engage and fight… however he did it.
Shit if this keep SS from making movies like the Glimmer Man… then assist on man…
