sc0rpion said:
Than Bruce Lee? he was the pioneer in the 70's I'm willing to wage that geoff got into karate because of him or the gracies? they have nothing to do with it? every one and there dog who read combat or was into martial arts went crazy over the UFC in the uk when it first came out as it showed what styles worked and what dident hence cross training for the cage was born.
dont get me wrong Geoffs a good teacher and a double hard fucker but dont put him on a pedestal
Sorry,did'nt mean the public,I should have typed the martial arts people in the UK.Geoff's book, Watch my Back was published around 93 or 94 at about the same time as the 1st UFC but obviously it would have probably been written earlier than that to allow time for editing and all that stuff so it is unlikely that he would have been unduly influenced by the Gracies apart from using them to illustrate how often the range can disappear in a fight and the need for grappling ability in a fight and the fact of how the striking arts don't get it all their own way.I recall an article of Geoff's from several years before he was published in book format in a magazine called Fighting Arts International in which he was advocating pre emptive strikes etc and some of his other ideas that are more widely known today.You are right though about what you say about Geoff being influenced by Bruce Lee as he writes in Watch my Back(hey I took up Karate because of Ralph Macchio in the Karate Kid so I think Geoff has got better taste/style than me!)
All I was saying is that Geoff brought more awareness to people,often training in TMA s like I was that perhaps their training needed reexamining and adapting to the purposes to which it was intended.As meng mao posted about people "turned into karate or wing chun geeks" Iwent down that avenue for several years ,training in both martial arts and never being comfortable with either in combat situations when it came down to 'it'.(here you been reading my profile and having a dig meng mao?heh heh....)
It was due to Geoffs stuff on the fence and about adrenalin etc that made me feel a lot more happy with training etc along with training in a reality based martial art with Mo Teague.
The TMA s over here are still going strong despite the increase in reality martial arts and MMA clubs.You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink(or cross train !)A lot of people here however,myself included have had their eyes opened due to Geoff,Bob BREEN, Rick Young etc etc...
And my apologies if you think I've put Geoff upon a pedestal ,I have'nt he is a human being with the same faults as failures as everyone else but I do have a lot of respect for him and his instructors because if was not for him and people like him who were willing to swim against the tide of accepted TMA's Id probably have quit training a long time ago ,disillusioned with the whole martial arts scene and how it did'nt work etc.Thanks for your feedback.
WHEW!!!
