Is Chuck Norris really any good? Where is the proof?

[Winston]

I don't get how Chuck Norris can be any good. I mean, if he's really an 8 times world karate champion, as his stats say, then why are there no videos on YouTube of him competing against real opponents, other than in movies where they are wooden dummies? I mean, you'd think someone would have a video of him competing if he won the championships 8 times wouldn't you?!

Does winning a point sparring tournament in Karate mean that you're really good?

If so, why do virtually ALL his movies TOTALLY SUCK, other than the first one with Bruce Lee? His movies are completely predictable. The acting in them suck. The plots in them are hokey and cliched. And worst of all, his fight scenes suck too. He doesn't even move that fast. A typical Karate green belt could do the moves and kicks that he does. I've seen them do so.

So where is the proof that he's any good?

And why aren't there any films showing him fighting against real opponents?

All we see are films of him kicking wooden dummies in really fake fight scenes.

On YouTube, there are a handful of films claiming to show Chuck Norris in karate tournaments, but they all LIE. None of them actually show anything. You can't even see Chuck Norris in them. I had a look at them. Very disappointing.

Same with Steven Seagal. All his films suck too.

Seagal and Norris' movies are all insults to one's intelligence. They walk around like they are invincible Gods whom no one can touch, not even the police or armed guards. And they plow through everything with no resistance like paper, as if they owned the world. And everyone is afraid of them and kisses their ass. Yeah right.

And they are 100 percent predictable too. Only hicks would enjoy them.

I can't imagine why their films are still always on cable. They suck so bad that they seem like they were intended to suck.

[Think Different]

As a martial artist (I have a black belt in Kempo), I can say that I cannot stand point sparring. I'm all about real sparring and technique. The worst thing besides point sparring is going against guys that have absolutely no technique. They're just bar brawlers. I have a lot more respect for the guy who can win by using the least energy and the least force, but very good technique. Obviously, that comes with much time studying and is a higher level of skill.

I don't know these actors/martial artists personally, but I know Seagal's own daughter studies in the same organization that I'm with. There is no one style that is better than another, so that argument is bogus. A true martial artist is humble about it and is smart enough to take the good from every style and adapt.

In my opinion Bruce Lee was sensational in the sheer speed that he had, which is a gift from birth, not so much a learned skill (to a point). He also helped bring martial arts onto the radar here in the US, at a time when it was still pretty much unknown. For those old enough, remember how fascinating the Kung Fu series was, when it first came out? Same with Chuck Norris and Ed Parker. They were just pioneers in opening up a secretive art into the Western world. If I had to guess, I would say that Jet Li and Jackie Chan are easily as fast as Bruce Lee was in his day. It's just that we're used to seeing that sort of skill nowadays. If you think Jackie Chan is just comic relief, you have to see his older work, where he's really going at it. That was before he focused on his pratfall schtick as a lighter way of sharing the martial arts. Check out this fight scene with Benny Urquidez:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqq9-jidlD0 (I love the candle scene at 1:05).

[Think Different]

Just a bit of humor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOXI5c88 ... re=related

[dano]

Chuck Norris is the worst actor ever. Even going all the way back to the ancient egyptians, he is the worst actor. I'm surprised they let his series, "Walker Texas Ranger" on TV it was so bad.

Steven Seagal isn't much better at acting. He's always fighting guys half his size in his movies, so he can throw them all over the place.

Come to think of it, I have never seen an athlete of any kind that was good at acting.

[momopi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Norris#Fight_record

Oh the guy is good... back in the 1960s when he was at his prime. After that he got smart and entered show business. His movies are corny as hell, but hey, at least he made a living.

Look at George Foreman. He retired from boxing and made a good living selling grills.

[MrPeabody]

I have a black belt in Shotokan Karate. The founder of Japanese Karate, Funakoshi, was a pacifist and believed in Karate mostly as character development. He thus developed a no contact style of sparing where punches are pulled in order to demonstrate full control of the body. He would have been very opposed to full-contact sparing because what is the point to spend all those hours developing yourself physically and mentally and then permanently damage yourself in a senseless fight? That being said, the contests are realistic in that you stop your blows less then an inch from the target, and if you make a mistake you hurt yourself. Men regularly break ribs, arms, toes, etc. at events. And, on balance, they are probably even more painful and realistic then full contact kickboxing – which uses gloves and pads (which you don’t have on the street). For example, I met some kickboxers who do these side kicks using their shins – and I tried to explain to them that in a real fight without pads they would be hitting bone against bone and could break something. Someone whose body has been conditioned through martial arts can easily adopt and learn techniques that work on the street.

[Winston]

If you haven't seen it, here is the classic match between Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee at the end of Return of the Dragon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYHZEu7Y7DU

Here is the scene where Norris beats up a Japanese guy before challenging Bruce Lee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwCYranx6_4

The whole film is uploaded on youtube if you want to see it.

[Winston]

Folks you gotta see this one. It's freakin HILARIOUS! Here Santa Claus fights Chuck Norris! This must have taken hours to make!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OLYgUjYy4s

[Winston]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Norris#Fight_record

Oh the guy is good... back in the 1960s when he was at his prime. After that he got smart and entered show business. His movies are corny as hell, but hey, at least he made a living.

Look at George Foreman. He retired from boxing and made a good living selling grills.

What I don't get is why he has any film career at all. I mean, he can't act. The acting in all his films suck, from the other characters too. There's never any good plot, just overused cheap cliches. And the fight scenes suck too. They consist of only a few moves and his kicks aren't even that fast. A typical Karate or Tae Kwon Do green belt could make the moves that he does. His films are bad in every category. So why do they make so many of them?

The only thing he has going for him is that he has a face that looks like it has karate written all over it. That's rare for a white guy to have.

[globetrotter]

Chen Long worked stunts on Enter the Dragon. He had about 15 seconds of screen time with Lee Jun Fan, who twisted his right arm off.