who is the best martial artist you have met and why?

[Nick Forrer]

Hey guys

care to name the best martial artist you have trained with and why? If you dont train with them now why not?

[bodhitree]

too many to respond

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Yeah, same here. There is a lot of talent out there.

[Nick Forrer]

Okay not your top ten...top five?

Surely there must be someone you've trained with who stood out from the others?

Here are two of mine


Val Riazanov (Systema/Sambo)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XId7zqbU-2g

and

Steve Morris (MMA)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi-eT1FEsFU

[lkfmdc]

name the best martial artist you have trained with



Chan Tai San




and why?



Diversity of knowledge, level of skill, experience as fighter, strategy, attitude, a host of other qualities that made the 16 years I spent with him an experience you can't replicate again





If you dont train with them now why not?



He passed away :(

Honorable mentions
Jeng Hsin Ping: Shuai Jiao master
Mark Tripp: Judo coach
John Saylor: Judo coach

I also trained about 5 days with Rickson Gracie, but not sure that is long enough to count, he is as amazing as every says, and MORE SO

[Nick Forrer]

Thanks for the post David

Yes Rickson Gracie counts...you dont have to have done more than a seminar to include someone

I have a couple of rare rickson seminars on my computer and yes his technique and teaching ability are both awesome

Another suggestion..how about people put up you tube clips if there are any...then others can see too

[stricker]

Nice idea Nick, but do you mean best martial artist or best coach? or fighter or ...

anyway in no particular order :

my muay thai coach - someone i have more respect for as a fighter, martial artist and person than probably anyone else. trains harder than a mofo. i probably never would have fought thai boxing without him in my corner...

mma coach - retired from fighting now, but technically amazing.

wrestling coach - just a really great teacher

ernie - words cant describe... he's the man.

andrewS - the true scientist of martial arts training, on a different level to normal people, not just the "long-words clever stuff", its the whole approach...

those are people who i've spent enough one-on-one time with to get a bit of an insight into their methods. 3 of them i train with daily, the other 2 live a few thousand miles away. i'd be honoured to learn from any one of them for the rest of my life

people i've met more briefly but really stand out in what they do would be vitor 'shaolin' ribeiro and alex kozma. they had good 'kung fu'. emin boztepe scares me a bit too

of course i've met a whole list of famous martial artists who were clearly very good, but those are the memorably influential ones...

[Nick Forrer]

Stricker,

Martial artist -with all that entails

Not just coach or competitor (but could include that in criteria)

Interesting that two of your pick are forum members! Perhaps KFO has a bigger talent pool then it gives itself credit for.

Have to 2nd Emin Boztepe (WC)...Scary individual

Ernie Barrios and his coach Gary Lam too (also WC)

[lkfmdc]

you dont have to have done more than a seminar to include someone



In that case let me add Randy Couture, Matt Lindland and Robert Follis... spent three days with them in Oregon when it was still one team quest...

[stricker]

the interesting thing to me nick is there's a list of big names i coulda put : maurilo 'ninja' rua from chute boxe, gokor, gene lebell, eddie bravo, steve morris, the list goes on etc... i mean, how do you choose from a list of world class people like that?

somewhere in my criteria is being well rounded (not a blinkered specialist), constantly progressing what they're doing, having the ability to communicate and the passion to go non stop :cool:

[lkfmdc]

I've trained with a LOT of people,,,,

I trained with YC Wong, Tai Yim, Adam Hsu, etc.... all very good, all I respect, but I didn't list them because I don't think they still inform/influence me like Chan Tai San and Jeng Hsin Ping still effect me every day

Iive done Judo with other people, but Mark Tripp's ideas and history are the reason I run NY San Da today. No question about it

John Saylor showed me stuff that I still use in BJJ every day.

I've trained with both Rua brothers, great guys, great stuff, but again I didn't list them because they didn't have a lasting effect. Randy and Matt and Robert changed my clinching game with things they shared with me

Gene LeBell is a living legend, but I think we all know that unless you spend a good deal of time personally with him, you're getting a thin slice of what he is about... Gene choked me out, so maybe the residual brain damage still informs me but little else :p

[sanjuro_ronin]

Gene chokes everyone out, heck he choked out the cab drive that was driving him once !

[lkfmdc]

anyone who has ever trained with Gene was gonna get the choke reference :D

[packard]

I work with a guy called Neil McCarthy - a great martial artist and a supurb coach. he has a great understanding of what he teaches and can put it into practice so fluidly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCkebTAQSGo

or www.ukkungfu.com

P

[Water Dragon]

OK, here are my top guys in chronological order.

1. William C.C. Chen, Tai Chi Chuan. No matter hwat you think about his Tai Chi, the man can fight.
2. Tao Ping Siang. Liu He Ba Fa. This guy was so soft it was scary. He could put you down hard in his 80's.
3. Nathan Menaged. Liu He Ba Fa/Tai Chi Chuan. Dr. Tao's senior student and also a student of C. C. Chen. The man is just scary.
4. Fong Ha, Yi Chuan. I didn't work with him much, but he taught me some good Wu Ji Chi Gung.
5. Joe Judt, Shuai Chia, Kun Tao.I spent a few years under this guy, and he is the man who developed my structure, strategy, footwork, and entries. I got my foundation from him. I also picked up the tiny bit of weapon work I know from Joe Sifu.
6. Miguel Torres, BJJ, Muay Thai. This is the man who taught me the ground game and my pugilistic skills. He made me a fighter.
7. Rene Zeelenberg, Judo. This guys is just amazing, and was a long time student of Gene Le Bell. Trust me, I feel it all the time, lol! If you followed the Judo scene in the 1970's, you may have heard of Sensei.

[Blacktiger]

Hey guys

care to name the best martial artist you have trained with and why? If you dont train with them now why not?

This is in no order:

Master Liu De Ming: ZRM, Liu He,Tai Chi, Bagua, Liu He Mantis, Xing Yi - He is my master at present, his knowledge is off the chart and the relaxed heavy power that he can deliver blows me away...Freak!

Grandmaster Liu Jing Ru: Liu He Mantis, Bagua - I trained with him doing some Mantis stuff, great skill and could finish you off quite quickly.

Master Han Yan Wu: Liu He Mantis -He is GM Liu Jing Ru's top disciple, the explosive power and quickness that he has available is nuts. The other thing is you know he has used it all in the real world. You would have lots of broken bones if he got hold of you and he enjoys a bit of biff.

Dr Glenn Morris: Ninjutsu, Chi Kung- This was the only guy Dr Hatsumi gave the green light to teach chi kung and training with him was a very strange experience to say the least. The strongest Chi Kung training I have ever experienced.

:D

[Nick Forrer]

great posts guys keep them coming...

If you have video clips post them

[jdhowland]

Best in what way? My approach is to consider what qualities martial artists have that can inspire me to emulate them.
Here's a short list of people who still talk in my head as I drift off to sleep:
Donn Draeger, for his determination, academic rigor and lousy sense of humor.
Hanae Miura, for her many generous acts and love of teaching.
Sam Luke and Wally Jay for their warmth and wisdom.
Quentin Fong for his kindness and good sense of humor.
C.T.T. for passing on valuable experience gained by means I don't want to know about.
My pick of best overall: Quintin Chambers, for living the life, showing his heart, and being the kind of person I strive to be.

[msg]

for me it would be william de.thouars his teaching and the care for his students is some of the best i have seen .i think that because of his life he led growing up in the martial arts

[David Jamieson]

An old friend of mine from years ago. His name was Alvin (last name withheld) and frankly, Alvin was the best fighter I've ever seen.

He had all the attributes it took to be a finisher. I saw him in action on a few occasions, all street fights and he was fast efficient, unemotional, not cruel but creating damage like crazy.

A true martial person. I haven't met anyone since with that moxy and ability to match. Ive met lots of guys who do and teach martial art and quiet a few of them are real handy, but Alvin was a wicked dude.

[Mega-Foot]

1. Chuck Norris
2. Grandmaster Sensei Takeshi Ukeno ( I never trained with GMS CTS)
3. Ashida Kim
4. William CC Chen
5. John Kim
6. Nitro (from American Gladiators--a specialist in Hop Gar)
7. Paulie Zink
8. Kurt Thomas (of Gymkata) [he got a bad reception in Gymkata, but the fight
choreographer was to blame. He ruined my script].
9. Francis Fong
10. Ted Wong
11. William Cheung
12. Keanu Reeves

[Laukarbo]

My Sifu Mark Houghton,

he opened my eyes to many things..he took away all this mysterious bs in cma..which I was believing in (sort of)..Before he became my Sifu I already had 20+ years experience in ma..he kinda made it work..like he opened the door that always been kept shut..he also goes with the time..even still using traditional training tools ,I mean you see the school and get dreamy eyes cos of the way it looks like ashaw brothers movie set..once u train in there you have a rude awakening..Pain but at the same time development,improvement and understanding of ur style..
Then my Sigung Lau Kar Leung,he literaly takes away your breath with his knowledge..
hes pure kung fu and for his age (70) FIT as hell...

[Mega-Foot]

1. He starred in some of the worlds greatest action movies, especially the MIA series, where his martial expertise was used to great effect in saving his fellow Americans from oppression. He was also fantastic in the Return of the Dragon, although the alternate ending (far worse in my opinion) where Bruce Lee lives and defeats Chuck Norris (rather than dying at his hands in a vicious reverse DDT), angered me very much. He was a fantastic martial arts instructor, and an even better wingman.

2. Only second to Chuck on this list. Had I trained with Grandmaster Sensei Chan Tai San, I'm sure he'd be in the number 1 slot. But alas....

3. Ashida Kim. He taught me everything I've ever needed to know about the missile dropkick.

4. William CC Chen. You wonder why his tai chi is so combat-superb and my ninjitsu is so internal? Share and share alike, I say.

5. John Kim. He trained hard. Iron Kim taught me the value of forgoing sleep, paying large sums for martial knowledge, forsaking the collegiate world (hence my demand that my students obtain a Master's before training at my commune, so they, too, will come to despise their institutionalized learning), and Shao-lin fundraising.

6. Nitro was a master of Hop Gar, as well as pugil-stick boxing. My pugil-stick is 10X better than the average master's because of this training. And I can do it on a small round pedestal raised 30 feet in the air above a sand trap. But I still can't defeat Sigung Nitro.

7. He let me get my hands on his monkey. A fantastic style.

8. Two words: Pommel-horse.

[Mega-Foot]

I would have listed myself, but it seemed a little vain. I'll leave that honor to someone who has trained in one of my seminars.

[Eddie]

Wong Guan Quan, Li Siu Hung, Joe Keit, Lance Zabata, Chow Keung,
Those are some of my current faves :D

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Mega Foot,
You forgot Jeff Speakman, David Carradine, Vandamm, and Steven Segaul

[Mega-Foot]

I did not.

I thought Carradine ruined Iron Circle, Van Damme snubbed me at a dinner party, and Steven Seagal smells like bad pinto beans.

[Black Jack II]

Not a complete list, but just general people, except for the first two, that have helped to shape my outlooks to some degree or another.

1. My dad.
- Taught me to many life lessons to list on a forum. Boxing was one.
2. Both of my grandfathers.
- From them again the list would be very long but it was from both these veterans that the gleem of interest in ww2 american close combatives took form.
3. Colonel. Rex Applegate (ww2 combatives)
Met him at a knife convention. It was a honor.
4. Massad Ayoob (shooting)
Able to translate skill sets above anything I have ever encountered.
5. Maestro Gavin Griggs (fma/panatuken)
- Wicked hands, lots of dirty up close tricks, nasty panatuken. Showed me that there was a lot more to fma than just burned rattan. Taught me the concept of "play"
6. James Keating (bladework/fma)
Riddle of Steel baby!
7. Etienne Savlia (boxing)
-old school style, despite his age he had full body locking power, knew more than a fouling tactic or two.
8. Sifu Robert Debillis (chi tao ch'uan gung fu/stripped down chinese kempo)
- The love for martial arts all started here a long time ago, the mystery, the misconceptions, the fun. Man had hands of blue collar steel and a nasty temper to boot.

[TenTigers]

not going to make a list, but I just got back from a weekend doing DaitoRyu Aikijutsu with Roy Goldberg, and I was truly astonished at the skill of this man. Also got to train with Dara Masi of Hakko-Ryu Jiu-Jutsu, and again, the skill level is nothing short of amazing. Oh yeah, and the pain....:eek:

[bodhitree]

mega-foot (John Takeshi)

I attended one of his super awesome seminars and was enlightened.


Mega_fist

I met him in a secret temple for a death match, he spared my life and taught me the true way of the Judo katana.