The Perfect Weapon (1991)

[Guestx]

@shadow_priest_x Did you know Speakman had a minor role in Lionheart? He was a security dude

I do, but only because I read it last night when I looked him up on IMDB.

Remember there was a lot of infighting at the time with the rest of his contract between Disalle, Paramount and Canon. Don't know the exact details of it but it had something to do with lack of promotion afterwards.

Hmm, that's interesting. I'd like to know the full story there.

Ed Parker passed away just before The Perfect Weapon was released which really hurt Speakman. This was Parker's movie to showcase Kenpo

Damn, no shit. That sucks.

 

[DaleBoca]

@shadow_priest_x Did you know Speakman had a minor role in Lionheart? He was a security dude

I remember seeing this in the theatre and loved it. Remember there was a lot of infighting at the time with the rest of his contract between Disalle, Paramount and Canon. Don't know the exact details of it but it had something to do with lack of promotion afterwards. Plus as others have said, he didn't ooze charisma

Also, just battled throat cancer recently too. Seems like a good dude. Ed Parker passed away just before The Perfect Weapon was released which really hurt Speakman. This was Parker's movie to showcase Kenpo

Damn you dentists! I had #19 extracted a couple days back, getting an implant. Was pretty sore yesterday, swelling went down today. Perscribed me clindamycin. Oh and that mouth wash chlorhexdine.

 

[DaleBoca]

I never understood how learning to actually fight was hurting daniel.

It was that weak stuff that you learn to protect yourself or learn to fight.

 

[Guestx]

I remember doing katas when I was learning car ah tay. I remember when Terry Silver told Daniel LaRusso that Kata won't help him in a fight and showed him how to win a fight, break his nose, "A man can't see, he can't fight". Years ahead of his time that Terry Silver.

John Kreese was telling kids to sweep the leg way before that bro.

I never understood how learning to actually fight was hurting daniel.

On a somewhat serious note, one thing that I think we see that's interesting in the KK movies--especially one and three--is the difference between real karate and McDojo karate.

I don't think it's a kata problem, because I think kata can have its uses. It's more of an issue of the approach to the style.

Even though the script calls for Daniel to win, we mostly see his get his ass beat throughout the movies. His crane kick was one of the very few significant strikes he lands in KK1 and, in all honestly, could probably be called lucky. And in KKIII, Mike Barnes gives up several points just so he can beat Daniel's ass, and this is the ONLY reason that Daniel ends up winning.

Cobra Kai karate was true fighting karate. If that dojo existed in real-life, and you signed up there, you would stand a pretty good chance of developing some actual skills that would help you defend yourself in a street fight (or in a ring with some modification). What Daniel was learning, by contrast, was the kind of karate that ultimately gave karate and other traditional styles a bad name. It's relative ineffectiveness is proven by the fact that he spends much of the trilogy as a punching bag.

We've seen something similar in MMA. A lot of the karate stylists in the early days of the UFC got their asses beat because they didn't really understand their own fighting styles. And then finally guys like Machida, Wonderboy, Makdessi and Gunnar Nelson came along to show that, hey, if you have the right approach to training then these traditional styles can be used to actually fight people and win.

Bottom Line: Cobra Kai Karate > Miyagi Karate.

 

[EvilDDS]

Damn you dentists! I had #19 extracted a couple days back, getting an implant. Was pretty sore yesterday, swelling went down today. Perscribed me clindamycin. Oh and that mouth wash chlorhexdine.

Damn, sounds like it was a rough one. Implants are awesome though, it'll feel like your real tooth when chewing, talking

 

[BisexualMMA]

We've seen something similar in MMA. A lot of the karate stylists in the early days of the UFC got their asses beat because they didn't really understand their own fighting styles. And then finally guys like Machida, Wonderboy, Makdessi and Gunnar Nelson came along to show that, hey, if you have the right approach to training then these traditional styles can be used to actually fight people and win.

Bottom Line: Cobra Kai Karate > Miyagi Karate.

The problem was that they didn't properly meld it with freestyle wrestling, boxing and Wang Chung kung fu.

 

[Henry Swanson]

What if Daniel swung his arms around like that drum against Johnny?

 

[Amerikuracana]

On a somewhat serious note, one thing that I think we see that's interesting in the KK movies--especially one and three--is the difference between real karate and McDojo karate.

I don't think it's a kata problem, because I think kata can have its uses. It's more of an issue of the approach to the style.

Even though the script calls for Daniel to win, we mostly see his get his ass beat throughout the movies. His crane kick was one of the very few significant strikes he lands in KK1 and, in all honestly, could probably be called lucky. And in KKIII, Mike Barnes gives up several points just so he can beat Daniel's ass, and this is the ONLY reason that Daniel ends up winning.

Cobra Kai karate was true fighting karate. If that dojo existed in real-life, and you signed up there, you would stand a pretty good chance of developing some actual skills that would help you defend yourself in a street fight (or in a ring with some modification). What Daniel was learning, by contrast, was the kind of karate that ultimately gave karate and other traditional styles a bad name. It's relative ineffectiveness is proven by the fact that he spends much of the trilogy as a punching bag.

We've seen something similar in MMA. A lot of the karate stylists in the early days of the UFC got their asses beat because they didn't really understand their own fighting styles. And then finally guys like Machida, Wonderboy, Makdessi and Gunnar Nelson came along to show that, hey, if you have the right approach to training then these traditional styles can be used to actually fight people and win.

Bottom Line: Cobra Kai Karate > Miyagi Karate.

I think the moral was there is value in being a decent person.

At least that little drum taught dan that punching somebody in the face could be effective.

 

[Guestx]

The problem was that they didn't properly meld it with freestyle wrestling, boxing and Wang Chung kung fu.

Of course I had to look up Kerr's record. I see this dude got KOd in 17 seconds.

 

[Guestx]

I think the moral was there is value in being a decent person.

Well sure. Daniel had the real black belt in decency.

I was just taking an opportunity to discuss the difference between approaches to traditional karate that work and those that don't.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Of course I had to look up Kerr's record. I see this dude got KOd in 17 seconds.

The fight itself is worth watching just to see RIP in action. Stott basically does two or three WWE-style stomping punches and then Kerr puts him out of his misery.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

It's an entry in the hilariously awful action films of the 80s/90s, but it's not in the upper tier like Kickboxer 3, or Blind Fury.

 

[Guestx]

The fight itself is worth watching just to see RIP in action. Stott basically does two or three WWE-style stomping punches and then Kerr puts him out of his misery.

All right, just watched it. Didn't take long.

I guess in fairness Kerr had a significant size advantage. Kerr was such a fucking beast back in those days.

 

[BisexualMMA]

All right, just watched it. Didn't take long.

I guess in fairness Kerr had a significant size advantage. Kerr was such a fucking beast back in those days.

The main video on YouTube of the fight was titled "Mark Kerr vs a Frog" before it was taken down.

 

[shinobimusashi]

A whole thread devoted entirely to A Perfect Weapon, I love this god damn forum.

Absolutely loved this movie as a kid, really one of the movies that inspired me to get into martial arts. My favorite scene is where he takes out like 6 guys all within a few seconds when they are trying to rob him, that shit blew my mind when I was a kid.

I rediscovered this movie sometime last year(was watching some old WCW on TBS shows from 1998 and they advertised it on "Movies For Guys Who Like Movies", remember that shit!?!?) and had a nostalgia overload watching it for the first time since I was little. Really love the big oriental guy as the unstoppable villain, he was also in 3 Ninjas.

1991 really is the GOAT year for action movies.

 

[shinobimusashi]

Also I forgot to mention, I really think Steve Blackman the WWF wrestler was based on Speakman's character in A Perfect Weapon. I can't remember but wasn't Blackman's nickname in WWF even "The Perfect Weapon" or something like that?

 

[TrueBias]

This was one of the many, many movies i mimicked as a kid in my yard. I had all the moves (choreography) memorized, err except the ridiculous E.Honda face palm tazmanian devil flurry. Ever notice that shit was also in the game Pit Fighter?

I memorized:
-Raphaels beatdown in TMNT.
-All fights in Bloodsport.
-All the dance moves in Kickboxer.
-2 end fights in Best of the Best.
-Brandon Lees fight with the asian 80s icon in Rapid Fire.
-All fights in Road House.
-All fights in Cyborg.
-All fights in The Last Dragon


Got pretty limber...

 

[grey poupon]

A whole thread devoted entirely to A Perfect Weapon, I love this god damn forum.

Absolutely loved this movie as a kid, really one of the movies that inspired me to get into martial arts. My favorite scene is where he takes out like 6 guys all within a few seconds when they are trying to rob him, that shit blew my mind when I was a kid.

I rediscovered this movie sometime last year(was watching some old WCW on TBS shows from 1998 and they advertised it on "Movies For Guys Who Like Movies", remember that shit!?!?) and had a nostalgia overload watching it for the first time since I was little. Really love the big oriental guy as the unstoppable villain, he was also in 3 Ninjas.

1991 really is the GOAT year for action movies.

 

[Doughbelly]

Also I forgot to mention, I really think Steve Blackman the WWF wrestler was based on Speakman's character in A Perfect Weapon. I can't remember but wasn't Blackman's nickname in WWF even "The Perfect Weapon" or something like that?

That was the Lethal Weapon, Steve Blackman. He even carried Eskrima sticks.

 

[Doughbelly]

Ahhh.. I think it's still correct.

Jeff Speakman is doing some very advanced kata techniques in that iGot the Power opening scene.

In bunkai analysis and application, any double inside-outside blocking motions is right away a strike intercept into a joint lock.

Say I start with one hand in outside middle block:

And the other in outside lower block.

Through the scissor block motion:

If I do that to an arm that is grabbing me or intercepts a punch, then that becomes the beginnings of a hammer lock.

The movements where he does high to low block with the wrist flick are arm traps/small joint manipulations, with a simultaneous strikes with the other hand.

Some of the stuff in that opening are evident, some are not so obvious (and some well past my point of knowledge), but Speakman definitely knows what the fuck is up an does them very well.

And obviously, shit don't work in the ring and is hard to get to work in real life, but that isn't the purpose of kata.

@shadow_priest_x After I told you that I never taught kata/forms, you probably didn't think I'd be into this shit, did you?