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Critias
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 9 2010, 06:05 AM) *
Exactly, it isn't brutally efficient or direct like other martial arts that do well in MMA-style tournaments. If you're going to use capoeira in an actual fight, you'll take penalties. If you're very good and fit, you'll easily kick the crap out of an average thug anyway. If you're fighting someone on your level, those penalties will probably make the difference and you'll lose, like it happens in MMA tournaments.

It seems to me that imposing penalties on someone using capoeira to fight with quite accurately replicates real world outcomes, so it totally sounds like the right route to go.

On the other hand, not imposing modifiers would mean that a cage fight with equally skilled opponents, one with Capoeira specialization and one with Muai Thai, they'd have the same chance of winning, which is obviously unrealistic.

So, penalties for using capoeira in a fight it is.

Do what you've gotta do, but don't act like everyone else is agreeing with you -- least of all me -- while you do so. Capoeira is already "penalized" by having a different set of bonuses than other martial arts. Tacking on an outright penalty to it is just being a dick to your players that might like the look of it. If your players are fine with you being a dick because you, personally, don't like a given martial art, that's fine.

But don't pretend what you're doing is fair or reasonable, unless you're automatically slapping the same penalties on plenty of other martial arts for not being "direct" enough for your liking. There's an awful lot of stuff being taught in modern Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and various Kung Fu schools that is more "art" than "martial," just like in Capoeira.
Tanegar
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 8 2010, 05:47 PM) *
I prefer my rules a little more RAW than that. nyahnyah.gif


What do you mean? Capoeira isn't meant for actual fighting. If someone insists on using a specialization outside of where it applies, they should be hit with a large penalty. I guess it would only be used for showing off, kicking someone around in a strange way, like fighting with a hand behind your back or only using your thumbs.

Says you. Plus, how are you to know what developments and innovations have been added to the style by 2072? I don't like your houserule for the same reason I wouldn't like it if a gun enthusiast GM decided to slap an additional recoil modifier on my Predator IV anytime I don't explicitly say, "I assume the correct shooting stance and posture." Even assuming you're right about capoeira (and that's a big-ass assumption), there's such a thing as too much realism.
Neraph
QUOTE (Critias @ Feb 9 2010, 09:20 AM) *
There's an awful lot of stuff being taught in modern Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and various Kung Fu schools that is more "art" than "martial," just like in Capoeira.

/sigh So true, so true.

QUOTE (Tanegar Posted Today, 12:07 PM )
Says you. Plus, how are you to know what developments and innovations have been added to the style by 2072? I don't like your houserule for the same reason I wouldn't like it if a gun enthusiast GM decided to slap an additional recoil modifier on my Predator IV anytime I don't explicitly say, "I assume the correct shooting stance and posture." Even assuming you're right about capoeira (and that's a big-ass assumption), there's such a thing as too much realism.

I agree, only I would have tried to say it in a nicer way. On the other hand, sometimes there is a certain quality for brutal straighforwardness.
Sixgun_Sage
QUOTE (Critias @ Feb 9 2010, 10:20 AM) *
There's an awful lot of stuff being taught in modern Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and various Kung Fu schools that is more "art" than "martial," just like in Capoeira.


Not really, I mean it obviously depends on the school, and I'm not a fan of TKD, but Capoeira is and has always been a grossly inefficient fighting syste. It requires so much set up for attacks and the rythm so vital to it is very easilly disrupted because of the way the techniques are performed. I used to compete in amateur MMA events and my favorite style to fight was Capoeira because training in Karate, JKD and a smattering of techniques from other disciplines I was familiar with counter striking and was very good at using my speed and reach (I'm just a tad on the lanky side, not enough to be obvious but I usually have an inch or two of reach on someone the same hieght) to interrupt my opponent's techniques, in effect I was performing an unarmed version of fencing's stop thrust. Capoeira in the context of why it developed is a fascinating style and for what it was designed for quite effective. Slaves that used it to attack their owners had the element of surprise in their favor and where likely dealing with someone that had minimal training in hand to hand fighting, by this time in history pistol and rifle skills had mainly supplanted the sword in the western worl, and at best most slave masters and owners where familiar with boxing which has it's own issues as a comprehensive fighting system.
Smokeskin
QUOTE (Critias @ Feb 9 2010, 04:20 PM) *
Do what you've gotta do, but don't act like everyone else is agreeing with you -- least of all me -- while you do so. Capoeira is already "penalized" by having a different set of bonuses than other martial arts. Tacking on an outright penalty to it is just being a dick to your players that might like the look of it. If your players are fine with you being a dick because you, personally, don't like a given martial art, that's fine.

But don't pretend what you're doing is fair or reasonable, unless you're automatically slapping the same penalties on plenty of other martial arts for not being "direct" enough for your liking. There's an awful lot of stuff being taught in modern Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and various Kung Fu schools that is more "art" than "martial," just like in Capoeira.


I would slap such modifiers on any martial art that is more about gymnastics than actual fighting, yes.

I like realistic games, that's how I run them. I don't give players breaks because they like the look of something. I don't care if it was super cool in some Van Damme movie. If you want to do flashy Hollywood action b-movie stuff, you're getting penalties.

Explosives don't make fireballs in my games either, and people don't fly through the air when hit by shotguns. If you want that and fighters doing windmills, that's your choice.

And any good gamemaster penalize players when they try to pull stupid shit. If you call that being a dick, then I'm a dick. In your campaign, maybe "stupid shit" is doing stuff that doesn't look good. In my campaigns, stupid shit is doing stuff that doesn't work.
Critias
If your definition of "stupid shit" is "picking a martial art the GM doesn't like," then I guess you think you're being pretty reasonable.

*shrugs* Anyways, have fun. You're obviously not going to change your mind, so knock yourself out.
X-Kalibur
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 9 2010, 05:53 PM) *
I would slap such modifiers on any martial art that is more about gymnastics than actual fighting, yes.

I like realistic games, that's how I run them. I don't give players breaks because they like the look of something. I don't care if it was super cool in some Van Damme movie. If you want to do flashy Hollywood action b-movie stuff, you're getting penalties.

Explosives don't make fireballs in my games either, and people don't fly through the air when hit by shotguns. If you want that and fighters doing windmills, that's your choice.

And any good gamemaster penalize players when they try to pull stupid shit. If you call that being a dick, then I'm a dick. In your campaign, maybe "stupid shit" is doing stuff that doesn't look good. In my campaigns, stupid shit is doing stuff that doesn't work.


Under your example then, would you allow someone the use of Capoeira in place of acrobatics or dodge?

Someone mentioned First Aid - Sports Injuries and Combat Wounds and how one almost never applies and the other always does. Not true. It's all perspective.

Sports injuries would include sprains, breaks, tears, bruises, dislocations, punctures, lacerations, and fractures. Not to mention head trauma. Versus Combat Wounds would include punctures, lacerations, hemorrhaging (including hypovolemic shock), burns, GSWs, and the like. I would argue that you're equally likely to need either of those specializations.

There are no useless skills, only useless imaginations.
Neraph
QUOTE (X-Kalibur @ Feb 9 2010, 04:00 PM) *
There are no useless skills, only useless imaginations.

I like you.
McCummhail
Using MMA as a measuring stick for anything other than the sport called "MMA" is inaccurate.
Grappling techniques such a Brazilian Jujitsu which are highly effective in a sporting match are
far less useful in a brawl.
Likewise a fast, strong, and well placed kick is effective regardless of the style it comes from.

I have seen my share of naive Capoeiristas who don't know the difference between a Roda and a fight,
but a naive practitioner doesn't make the style bad.
Tanegar
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 9 2010, 04:53 PM) *
In my campaigns, stupid shit is doing stuff that doesn't work.

Again, in your opinion. By RAW, capoeira is a legitimate and effective martial art.
wind_in_the_stones
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 9 2010, 05:53 PM) *
I like realistic games, that's how I run them. I don't give players breaks because they like the look of something. I don't care if it was super cool in some Van Damme movie. If you want to do flashy Hollywood action b-movie stuff, you're getting penalties.


I guess Sangre y Acero, Carromeleg and Wildcat also get penalties in your game, because they're completely made up. Personally, I'd just rule that the sixth world version of Capoeira is much improved and deadlier than it was sixty years prior.
Smokeskin
QUOTE (Tanegar @ Feb 10 2010, 02:10 AM) *
Again, in your opinion. By RAW, capoeira is a legitimate and effective martial art.


You're confusing qualities and specializations.

By RAW, Arsenal pg. 156 about martial arts specialization:

At the gamemaster’s discretion, this specialization may not
apply to all situations, if he feels the circumstances fall outside of
the style’s reach. For example, the gamemaster may decide that a
character with the Unarmed Combat skill and the Martial Arts
specialization in the style of Boxing may not apply his specialization
bonus when grappling with an opponent on the ground, as the boxing
style does not normally encompass groundfi ghting techniques.


Capoeira applies to playing in a roda (this is what they call it apparently, playing), moving to the rhythm, doing athletic moves. It doesn't apply to any sort of actual fighting.

It is really simple. If you've specialized in a martial arts that don't emphasize grappling, you're not getting your +2 dice for grappling. This is RAW. It follows naturally that if you've specialized in a martial arts that don't emphasize full contact sparring, you're not going to see your +2 dice in stand up fights.

I'd let a capeoira spec roll his full Unarmed +2 dice to impress people on a dance floor though.
Smokeskin
QUOTE (wind_in_the_stones @ Feb 10 2010, 04:22 AM) *
I guess Sangre y Acero, Carromeleg and Wildcat also get penalties in your game, because they're completely made up. Personally, I'd just rule that the sixth world version of Capoeira is much improved and deadlier than it was sixty years prior.


The bonus from those styles would obviously apply with respect to their backstory.

If capoeira in 60 years is different that capoeira today, then it would apply under different circumstances. But if the idea is that people just somehow figured out how to make dance moves and handstands be effective in combat, that's not going to work. But if someone said that a branch of capoeira emerged as a result of the mediocre performance in full contact tournaments, and this new capoeira brutalis focused on sparring and dropped the musical and gymnastic displays but retained the feints, spinning backkicks, sweeps and other signature capoeira moves, that's a different story. That's how I figure someone with Capoeira Qualities would fight.
Medicineman
Sorry but for Me your posts read like:
"I dont't like Capoeira so I'll give it a neg.Modifier.I don't care what the rules say or what others say,I don't care about reality (like the Youtube link or the Wikipedia Link )"
I don't like that kind of Narrowmindedness
This makes discussing with you impossible

Jahtahey
Medicineman
Smokeskin
QUOTE (Medicineman @ Feb 10 2010, 11:09 AM) *
Sorry but for Me your posts read like:
"I dont't like Capoeira so I'll give it a neg.Modifier.I don't care what the rules say or what others say,I don't care about reality (like the Youtube link or the Wikipedia Link )"
I don't like that kind of Narrowmindedness
This makes discussing with you impossible


Here's a video of a guy really good at slapping: http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/117621.../Knock_Out_Slap

Is that enough for Unarmed Combat (Slapping +2) to be viable?

You have one video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0KfQE2-ZqA) of one guy getting what might be a very lucky kick in. What sort of record does this guy have? I tried searching on his name and couldn't fint that or any more videos of him winning fights with this style. Nothing indicates that it was anything but a fluke against a very unskilled opponent, who had no clue what he was doing. Try looking at the opponent's "blocks", he extends his fingers and reaches out and down towards the punch/kick like trying to catch it, he jerks his upper body and head back. That is totally amateurish, it is an instinctive reaction when you're scared of getting hit but it makes you easier to hit, and you're at great risk of damaging your fingers by trying to block kicks with your fingers. That is just not how it is done - if someone else here has sparring experience, please look at that video and give your opinion of his level of skill.

Are there other guys doing capoeira doing well in tournaments?

The obvious absense of capoeira tournament success, the accounts of people finding it easy to fight people using capoeira, the style's neglect of focusing on full contact training, the emphasis on rhythm and acrobatics. It all points to "not combat effective".

Sorry mate, but it is you who are ignoring the massive amount of evidence and relying on just a single video of someone using capoeira KOing a total amateur.
Medicineman
Sorry mate, but it is you who are ignoring the massive amount of evidence and relying on just a single video of someone using capoeira KOing a total amateur.
Sorry but you wrongly assume that this one Video is my only Source

It all points to "not combat effective".
Nope
It may be "less effective" but a lot of other MAs are the same
As I was Posting before
You can Go ahead and make Houserules but be prepared for a Lot of them and also alot of arguing and discussing it with people that know about MA
because if You start to modify Capoeira than you have to Modify Each and every Martial Art (even Fictional ones lkike Sangre Y Aceiro or Firefight) compared to each and every other MA
everything else would just be (Willkühr) GMs FIAT ? (I don't know the correct english Word...an Arbitrary Decision)

HokaHey
medicineman


AngelisStorm
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 9 2010, 05:53 PM) *
And any good gamemaster penalize players when they try to pull stupid shit. If you call that being a dick, then I'm a dick.


Dick.

Try to figure out why.
Smokeskin
QUOTE (Medicineman @ Feb 10 2010, 01:08 PM) *
Sorry mate, but it is you who are ignoring the massive amount of evidence and relying on just a single video of someone using capoeira KOing a total amateur.
Sorry but you wrongly assume that this one Video is my only Source

It all points to "not combat effective".
Nope
It may be "less effective" but a lot of other MAs are the same
As I was Posting before
You can Go ahead and make Houserules but be prepared for a Lot of them and also alot of arguing and discussing it with people that know about MA


If it isn't your only source, I'm very curious why you chose to refer to it, when it so obviously says nothing about the effectiveness of capoeira since it is used against an opponent with no apparent fighting experience?

But ok, please give some other sources then. What capoeira fighters have succeeded with it? My googlefu suggests that some Andre Gusmao is the best capoeira fighter - I watched a few videos of him fighting, and I can't see he's using his capoeira. I guess he trained a lot of capoeira, and doesn't use it in the ring because it doesn't work.

I would be very interesting in seeing someone being able to use capoeira effectively, if you have any source showing that, bring it forward.

And this isn't a house rule, RAW clearly states that martial arts specialization bonus die don't apply for circumstances that fall outside of the style's reach. The only issue is, do you think capoeira applies to actual fights. In its current form, it very clearly doesn't.
Garou
Wow. Lots of M.A. Abstractions here today.

Smokeskin, SR is a fictional game. I myself have training in Aikido and Kung Fu since i was a teenager (i'm 28 now. OMG. i'll be 29 by friday. Fuck... ), and i can say from personal experience that a tournament match is VERY different than a brawl against oponents in a real setting. And the more direct approach to capoeira tends to be quite effective, as they DO have very strong legs. smile.gif But that's beside my point. Are you going to penalize Aikido too? Because you have to be a SUPERIOR fighter to even try to use the holds and techniques on a real fight. All "Do" arts have a clear tendency toward forms and sport (that's why they are DO arts, and not "JUTSU") arts.

Now, AikiJUTSU is one of the meanest, most painful, cerebral methods of torture i've ever seen. smile.gif LOL.

Anyway, have fun. And i'd recommend Gurps Martial Arts instead of Shadowrun. In such system, the realm combat skills and the sport/form skills are different, and there is a -3 penalty from one to another. You should perhaps use this approach to your game, and place your "inneficient" martial arts as a new kind of knowledge skill, as something that is colourful and SOMETIMES useful, but not to be used in combat. It would even be fairest to the players, as they would be paying cheaper for something that IS less effective.
Smokeskin
Yeah, you wouldn't get to use your dice from aikido either.

I'm not unfair to players unless they insist on it, since I have house rules for MA spec. They can pick in what situations they want it to apply, then pick a style that fits, or pick a style first and then select when the modifiers should apply.

That still doesn't mean they can choose capoeira and do handstand kicks in combat, or aikido and gently touch grown men on the wrist, and not get hit with penalties. That's like non-smartgun users wanting to shoot from the hip, that's going to land you a penalty too.
Critias
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 10 2010, 10:09 AM) *
Yeah, you wouldn't get to use your dice from aikido either.

There's an awful lot of cops out there that'll be plenty surprised to learn you disapprove of pretty much their most common techniques. But, hey, you not only know better than the rulebooks, you know better than the hand to hand combat trainers at law enforcement agencies, too, right?
Karoline
QUOTE (Critias @ Feb 10 2010, 11:18 AM) *
There's an awful lot of cops out there that'll be plenty surprised to learn you disapprove of pretty much their most common techniques. But, hey, you not only know better than the rulebooks, you know better than the hand to hand combat trainers at law enforcement agencies, too, right?


Yeah, and I wonder how much of a penatly boxing gets outside of the ring. Because the fact is boxers are going to fall apart as soon as they're presented with anything more complicated than a jab. At least that's what I believe from my exceedingly limited knowledge of boxing, and thus I must be 100% correct no matter what kind of evidence might be presented otherwise.

Seriously though, I think that boxing would have massive penalties because they really aren't used to things like kicks.
Neraph
I think Smokeskin has a real problem here, and it's not predjudice against a martial art - it's not understanding the difference between having a Martial Arts positive Quality and having a martial arts specialization for Unarmed. In the above, he mentioned not allowing the Unarmed Specialization of capoeria in many situations, not that he'd disallow someone from taking the Quality and having the bonuses.
Karoline
QUOTE (Neraph @ Feb 10 2010, 12:01 PM) *
I think Smokeskin has a real problem here, and it's not predjudice against a martial art - it's not understanding the difference between having a Martial Arts positive Quality and having a martial arts specialization for Unarmed. In the above, he mentioned not allowing the Unarmed Specialization of capoeria in many situations, not that he'd disallow someone from taking the Quality and having the bonuses.


Right, but what he is saying is that the martial art capoeria is weaker than others, so he is going to penalize it. What other people are saying is 'every martial art is weaker than some other, are you going to map out some complex strong vs/weak vs chart for who is using what kind of MA against whom, taking into account MAs that you have no knowledge of because they don't exist?'.
DireRadiant
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 8 2010, 07:31 AM) *
If someone tried capoeira in a fight, I'd smack them with a Called Shot modifier for trying to attack in such a specific and impractical way. I'm fine with styles applying quite often, but only if players choose styles that actual works for fighting.

And semi-automatics, doesn't nearly everyone houserule that into light and heavy pistols?


In the real world I don't like your opinion so I will punish your imaginary role game play with penalties.
The Monk
Smokeskin, would you really give a player a -4 called shot penalty and not let +2 specialization apply to someone using capoeria?

Even if you don't like that style, this is exceptionally harsh.

You've just made a professional fighter (level 3) on the same footing as a guy that has never thrown a punch in his life.
Shinobi Killfist
QUOTE (Karoline @ Feb 10 2010, 11:50 AM) *
Yeah, and I wonder how much of a penatly boxing gets outside of the ring. Because the fact is boxers are going to fall apart as soon as they're presented with anything more complicated than a jab. At least that's what I believe from my exceedingly limited knowledge of boxing, and thus I must be 100% correct no matter what kind of evidence might be presented otherwise.

Seriously though, I think that boxing would have massive penalties because they really aren't used to things like kicks.


Well boxers are trained how to fight more than almost any martial art as it is usually taught. They might not be trained specifically against kicks but its not like a kick is a mysterious power. Boxers by the way generally deliver the most force in there strikes than any other martial art.(though boxing is generally intended as a sport, I'd say if you bought it through unarmed combat you are trained in using it for combat/self defense). People like to belittle boxers speed and talent a lot, but most "fast" martial arts aren't really delivering much of there mass into the blow, boxers are trained in how to put most if not all of there mass into a punch making them devastating.

This doesn't mean boxers are supreme, like every martial art they have strengths and weaknesses. It is one of the most focused martial arts so in MMA tournaments it will fail against people with more diverse training. It is kind of a flaw in SR, but a boxer under the current rules might be Unarmed combat 5(7)boxing. But a more accurate depiction might be unarmed combat 3(7boxing), where as someone with mixed training but focused in a specific martial art would have the general 5 in unarmed combat and a specialization.

(amrchair knowledge of my art is supreme added to make some people happy, though this isn't the krav maga thread.)

As a side note smokeskin is somewhat right by the rules, but also wrong. There is a difference in not giving the specialization bonus because it doesn't fit your style, your punching with aikido, kicking with boxing, and its another thing to assign penalties because your armchair knowledge of a martial art makes you think it is inferior. A better way to use the rules would be to not allow the specialization bonus from capoeria when you don't have wide open spaces to capitalize in your moves or you may require somewhat stable terrain. I suspect this problem extends beyond martial arts though and for many groups. How many armchair computer nerds, gun nuts, scientists, bring there current day knowledge and inflict it upon the game world with modifiers galore because they know best.
Shinobi Killfist
QUOTE (The Monk @ Feb 10 2010, 01:41 PM) *
Smokeskin, would you really give a player a -4 called shot penalty and not let +2 specialization apply to someone using capoeria?

Even if you don't like that style, this is exceptionally harsh.

You've just made a professional fighter (level 3) on the same footing as a guy that has never thrown a punch in his life.


If he gives the bonus to damage with the called shot penalty it might not be too bad. smile.gif
X-Kalibur
The game rules already exist for all these problems.

Specialization not applying? They don't get the +2 bonus (you do not apply penalties, you simply revoke the bonus)

In the case of say a Boxer vs a Muay Thai? Boxer gets his normal +2 specialization to attack, but on defense it only applies on punches and not on kicks from said Muay Thai, as he is not used to using his speed and blocks against them. He is still a trained fighter, his specialization simply doesn't cover the circumstance.

If you have to penalize your players for wanting to play more interesting character ideas... I'm sorry, that does not make your game "more realistic", it makes you a weak GM.
Shinobi Killfist
QUOTE (X-Kalibur @ Feb 10 2010, 02:15 PM) *
The game rules already exist for all these problems.

Specialization not applying? They don't get the +2 bonus (you do not apply penalties, you simply revoke the bonus)

In the case of say a Boxer vs a Muay Thai? Boxer gets his normal +2 specialization to attack, but on defense it only applies on punches and not on kicks from said Muay Thai, as he is not used to using his speed and blocks against them. He is still a trained fighter, his specialization simply doesn't cover the circumstance.

If you have to penalize your players for wanting to play more interesting character ideas... I'm sorry, that does not make your game "more realistic", it makes you a weak GM.


This actually reminds me of why I hate SR specializations. Other than character concept why would anyone specialize in boxing vs muay thai? Muai Thai gets everything boxing does and it works for kicks and punches, and this isn't even getting into something like kung fu which has pretty much everything in it to some degree. It is like the SA specialization of pistols vs revolvers, they cover way to varying of a range for no real benefit of the narrower range specializations. Unarmed combat specializations should have been, defense, grappling, striking and that is it.

Now I in fact did specialize in boxing for my first SR character so character concept does hold sway, and realistically it did not limit me since I choose my strikes to be punches all the time, and with counterstrike and 5 points in combat sense and a 7 reaction I rolled more than enough dice on defense so losing 2 dice to kicks did not matter. Still if I had chosen muay thai I would of been better off at the same cost.
Smokeskin
QUOTE (Critias @ Feb 10 2010, 05:18 PM) *
There's an awful lot of cops out there that'll be plenty surprised to learn you disapprove of pretty much their most common techniques. But, hey, you not only know better than the rulebooks, you know better than the hand to hand combat trainers at law enforcement agencies, too, right?


Aikido is quite useful in applying a painful hold against someone giving you lip. Controlling agitated people who aren't really willing to put up a fight is part of being a cop. That doesn't make it an effective combat style - it won't work against a determined opponent, unless there's a huge skill gap.



Smokeskin
QUOTE (Shinobi Killfist @ Feb 10 2010, 08:27 PM) *
Unarmed combat specializations should have been, defense, grappling, striking and that is it.


What I do is let the player pick either 2 of the following to apply against unarmed single opponents, or 1 to apply to also multiple and/or armed opponents:

Attack
Defense (including against take down)
Grappling
1st round of melee

Muai thai would be Attack and Defense, BJJ could be Defense and Grappling, MMA Attack and Grappling, Krav Maga 1st round melee all opponents or Defense all opponents.
Smokeskin
QUOTE (Shinobi Killfist @ Feb 10 2010, 08:07 PM) *
There is a difference in not giving the specialization bonus because it doesn't fit your style, your punching with aikido, kicking with boxing, and its another thing to assign penalties because your armchair knowledge of a martial art makes you think it is inferior. A better way to use the rules would be to not allow the specialization bonus from capoeria when you don't have wide open spaces to capitalize in your moves or you may require somewhat stable terrain. I suspect this problem extends beyond martial arts though and for many groups. How many armchair computer nerds, gun nuts, scientists, bring there current day knowledge and inflict it upon the game world with modifiers galore because they know best.


What I said was, I wouldn't allow capoeira specialization bonuses to apply to fighting, but if they insisted on using capoeira moves, I'd hit them with a called shot penalty (and they'd also get their spec so a net -2 dice). That isn't modifiers galore, that is way of letting a player do something flashy at the cost of effectiveness.

I can't say I have much direct experience with capoeira. There was a guy in my Krav Maga class that had done capoeira, and I've sparred with him, and he never used any capoeira moves, even though it was the only martial arts he knew well. I have a decent amount of sparring experience, and the fact that I can't imagine it being effective, never heard anyone speak of it as effective, does that count for something? How about that no one seems to be able to present anything that even indicates capoeira being effective? So far, the only thing we have is an MMA fight where a complete rookie gets KOed by a spinning backkick. With all the fight statistics and online videos and whatnot available, don't you think it is quite telling that there isn't any decent capoeira fighters amongst them? I found someone mentioned a few places as the best capoeira fighter in MMA, and I watched about 10 minutes of videos of him, and he didn't do a single thing that looked like capoeira - so he knows lots of capoeira and don't use it in fights, why could that be?

I've done martial arts for 4 years, for 2 of them I sparred regularly, and I've done a solid effort of trying to find any info pointing to someone succeeding with capoeira and failed to find anything, on the contrary I've found capoeira experts NOT using capoeira in fights. If you want to call that armchair knowledge, then what do you call the people here who haven't done any fighting, can't find any facts to support this claimed competitiveness of capoeira, and even post a video of a total amateur getting KOed by a capoeira practioneer as if it demonstrated anything?
McCummhail
I have practiced Capoeira for several years on and off.
Capoeira in its modern incarnation is commonly taught and practiced more as a sport than as a Martial Art. Capoeira, if learned with the intent of fighting rather than play, is a very effective combat style.
A similar case would be Wushu and Kung Fu. Wushu is a competitive exhibition art that follows a model close to gymastics, whereas pure Kung Fu is practical, succinct and effective.
Capoeira specifically has very few schools internationally that teach it as a fighting art. Part of the reason is due to cultural/traditional stigmas within the community from when it was outlawed in Brazil.

Every Capoeirista that fights effectively in MMA that I have seen in a video has been from Axe Capoeira. The element that you see that doesn't look like Capoeira in those videos is just Capoeira adapted for a confined space, the boxing ring or octagon cage. Capoeira's basic movement comprises of circles and triangles. The technique used to adapt is adopting a stance to mimic the circles and triangles normal capoeira moves generate.

Outside of that confined situation The wider motions and stances often seen are a bonus when trying to herd and coral opponents, but gymnastics and excessively flashy moves will still be detrimental in a real fight.

Capoeira does not require jumping, handstands, etc to be effective.
I am fond of a move that combines a sidestep into an arcing head sweep called the quexada.
It is a basic move that uses evasion and counterattacking. It is easily done from a standing ready position.

Hopefully, this is informative or helpful.
Garou
As a Brazilian, i did some research over capoeira when i was on college (i am on the middle of a Masters degree on it by the way), and i found very interesting things on perserved newspapers from 2 centuries ago on colonial Brasil. It's a full half page report on how a slave escaped to a slave stronghold, after beating the crap of 4 armed thugs with capoeira moves in front of witnesses. Okay, the capitães-do-mato (overseers) were not kung-fu or krav magá trained, but they were four. All that happened well before capoeira became modernized as a sport. I wish i could scan the document, but it is held on Rio de Janeiro for the document's preservation. smile.gif
grendel504
I've trained in Karate, Tae Kwon Do, San Shou Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Northern Long-Fist Kung Fu, Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi, BJJ, Boxing, and I even sparred with a Capoeirista in high school. Does this mean that I'm some sort of bad-ass hand to hand fighter? Of course not, but I can tell you what an old wise martial arts guru once told me when it comes to which style is the best.

"Whatever way you choose to climb the mountain, the view is the same for everyone at the top"
Garou
What is BJJ? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Tymeaus Jalynsfein
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 10 2010, 01:10 PM) *
Aikido is quite useful in applying a painful hold against someone giving you lip. Controlling agitated people who aren't really willing to put up a fight is part of being a cop. That doesn't make it an effective combat style - it won't work against a determined opponent, unless there's a huge skill gap.



And you have gleaned this information exactly how? In my experience, it works right nice for those "determined opponents" that you are talking about; skilled opponents just take a bit longer to control, that is all...

Keep the Faith
Tymeaus Jalynsfein
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 10 2010, 01:39 PM) *
I can't say I have much direct experience with capoeira. There was a guy in my Krav Maga class that had done capoeira, and I've sparred with him, and he never used any capoeira moves, even though it was the only martial arts he knew well. I have a decent amount of sparring experience, and the fact that I can't imagine it being effective, never heard anyone speak of it as effective, does that count for something? How about that no one seems to be able to present anything that even indicates capoeira being effective? So far, the only thing we have is an MMA fight where a complete rookie gets KOed by a spinning backkick. With all the fight statistics and online videos and whatnot available, don't you think it is quite telling that there isn't any decent capoeira fighters amongst them? I found someone mentioned a few places as the best capoeira fighter in MMA, and I watched about 10 minutes of videos of him, and he didn't do a single thing that looked like capoeira - so he knows lots of capoeira and don't use it in fights, why could that be?

I've done martial arts for 4 years, for 2 of them I sparred regularly, and I've done a solid effort of trying to find any info pointing to someone succeeding with capoeira and failed to find anything, on the contrary I've found capoeira experts NOT using capoeira in fights. If you want to call that armchair knowledge, then what do you call the people here who haven't done any fighting, can't find any facts to support this claimed competitiveness of capoeira, and even post a video of a total amateur getting KOed by a capoeira practioneer as if it demonstrated anything?



Did you ever think that he did not use his Capoeira moves/knowledge on you because it was a KRAV MAGA CLASS and not a Capoeira class? And from your tone, it appears that you are the final authority on what constitues a Capoeira move... so I guess this discussion is completed...

Keep the Faith
grendel504
QUOTE (Garou @ Feb 11 2010, 01:29 AM) *
What is BJJ? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?


Yup
grendel504
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 10 2010, 08:39 PM) *
If you want to call that armchair knowledge, then what do you call the people here who haven't done any fighting, can't find any facts to support this claimed competitiveness of capoeira, and even post a video of a total amateur getting KOed by a capoeira practioneer as if it demonstrated anything?


I find your tone presumptuous and offensive! Your claims are not backed by anything at all much less video footage of professional fighters.

I challenge you to a Super Street Fighter 2 duel to the death!
Neraph
QUOTE (Karoline @ Feb 10 2010, 10:50 AM) *
Yeah, and I wonder how much of a penatly boxing gets outside of the ring. Because the fact is boxers are going to fall apart as soon as they're presented with anything more complicated than a jab. At least that's what I believe from my exceedingly limited knowledge of boxing, and thus I must be 100% correct no matter what kind of evidence might be presented otherwise.

Seriously though, I think that boxing would have massive penalties because they really aren't used to things like kicks.

Actually, no other fighters in Shadowrun use kicks unless they use the Kick Attack maneuver.
Shinobi Killfist
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 10 2010, 04:39 PM) *
I can't say I have much direct experience with capoeira. There was a guy in my Krav Maga class that had done capoeira, and I've sparred with him, and he never used any capoeira moves, even though it was the only martial arts he knew well. I have a decent amount of sparring experience, and the fact that I can't imagine it being effective, never heard anyone speak of it as effective, does that count for something? How about that no one seems to be able to present anything that even indicates capoeira being effective? So far, the only thing we have is an MMA fight where a complete rookie gets KOed by a spinning backkick. With all the fight statistics and online videos and whatnot available, don't you think it is quite telling that there isn't any decent capoeira fighters amongst them? I found someone mentioned a few places as the best capoeira fighter in MMA, and I watched about 10 minutes of videos of him, and he didn't do a single thing that looked like capoeira - so he knows lots of capoeira and don't use it in fights, why could that be?

I've done martial arts for 4 years, for 2 of them I sparred regularly, and I've done a solid effort of trying to find any info pointing to someone succeeding with capoeira and failed to find anything, on the contrary I've found capoeira experts NOT using capoeira in fights. If you want to call that armchair knowledge, then what do you call the people here who haven't done any fighting, can't find any facts to support this claimed competitiveness of capoeira, and even post a video of a total amateur getting KOed by a capoeira practioneer as if it demonstrated anything?


Yeah I'd call that armchair knowledge. Heck even if you were in the MMA I'd call that armchair knowledge. Unless you are a capoeira expert it is armchair knowledge. You are taking your limited experience and applying it to a fictional game world with no idea if the system was or is different than what you currently envision. Virtually everyone I game with is a computer nerd or engineer, I'd have the same issues if they were handing out penalties to the cracking skill based on there "expert" knowledge on hacking from today, especially since none of them are hackers though they are somewhat acquainted with them.

And since the other people here who may or may not know less than you about capoeira aren't taking a stance to gimp someone because of there knowledge and instead just keep the dice as they are I don't have an issue with them. You are the one taking the affirmative stance to add extra mods due to your real world knowledge and how that will pan out in this fictional universe. You got the burden of proof so to speak.
Medicineman
@Smokeskin
Why should I waste my Time searching for Videos in the Web ?
I surely can't do this on my working Time and my Freetime is to Precious for that.
I won't end up like this
http://xkcd.com/386/
Especially not for You
since you don't bother to answer my questions
and since you're a....
QUOTE (AngelisStorm @ Feb 10 2010, 08:19 AM) *
Dick.

Try to figure out why.

I would spent the time for somebody reasonable, someone with whom a discussion would be beneficial
but with you ....its Fruitless

Hough!
Medicineman
Smokeskin
QUOTE (Tymeaus Jalynsfein @ Feb 11 2010, 05:09 AM) *
Did you ever think that he did not use his Capoeira moves/knowledge on you because it was a KRAV MAGA CLASS and not a Capoeira class? And from your tone, it appears that you are the final authority on what constitues a Capoeira move... so I guess this discussion is completed...

Keep the Faith


As I wrote, it was sparring, the krav maga style doesn't even really apply to that. And of course he'd use the moves he knows, that's the point - to train your peak fighting ability against skilled opponents.
toturi
QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Feb 11 2010, 04:50 PM) *
And of course he'd use the moves he knows, that's the point - to train your peak fighting ability against skilled opponents.

When you are strong, appear weak.
Smokeskin
QUOTE (Tymeaus Jalynsfein @ Feb 11 2010, 05:06 AM) *
And you have gleaned this information exactly how?


Personal experience of trying to apply hand holds to people who actively resist. Both during training, and in real life. I've used it to control a few people with success, and I've taken a hook to the jaw by someone who objected strongly to it (a girl, no less). If I somehow ended up holding someone's hand, there's a good chance I'd twist it around, but that would probably be to get in position for an elbow strike. In real life, you can't just grab someone's hand or get them to jump on your hip (again, unless there's such a huge skill gap that you could beat your opponent with even ineffective techniques).

I have an uncle that's a cop. He's shown me several nasty finger grips and leg holds when we played around a bit, they use them for controlling drunk people, at demonstrations, and such. He was taught boxing at the police academy for serious fighting (and using the stick of course).

I trained krav maga with several police officers and people at the police academy (here in Denmark, it takes 3 years to become a cop iirc). These days, they're not teaching boxing to cops anymore but jiu jitsu. Anything that doesn't warrant drawing the stick, they're supposed to take people down - punching them in the face is apparently bad PR.

QUOTE (Tymeaus Jalynsfein @ Feb 11 2010, 05:06 AM) *
In my experience, it works right nice for those "determined opponents" that you are talking about; skilled opponents just take a bit longer to control, that is all...


What experience is it you have with this? I've never heard any suggest aikido or even aikido-like techniques for serious fights.

When you say it takes longer to control, I assume you mean longer compared to other techniques like punches and kicks, BJJ takedowns etc.? Aren't we then again back to an ineffective style which, in SR terms imo should be interpreted as the specialization not applying to fights?
Smokeskin
QUOTE (toturi @ Feb 11 2010, 09:53 AM) *
When you are strong, appear weak.


Yeah, capoeira and aikido practitioners have been lulling us into a false sense of security for centuries wink.gif
AngelisStorm
Geeze dude. You really sure do know everything about anything, don't you? You know how Capoeira will evolve in the next 60 years, in an imaginary world (because modern Capoeira is exactly the same as 100 years ago, don't-ya-know), you know how effective police officers are (and that they are only effective against ineffective individuals), you know how a "Good GM" operates his game, and you know better than -everyone- on this board regarding martial arts. Someday, I hope someone I (don't) like has your level of knowledge.

QUOTE
...and the fact that I can't imagine it being effective, never heard anyone speak of it as effective, does that count for something?

No. Your imagination is weak. And you have heard speak of it's effectiveness; people in this thread keep saying it.

I got a question for you. In a boxing ring, what martial art do you think is most effective?

While you think hard on that question, here's some info for you. Any given martial art will be best in the situation it was developed for. MMA is not the end-all-be-all of fighting. It's a sport. A nasty sport, but still a sport. Do you remember a few years back, when anyone who was someone HAD to know grappling, because grappling was the super technique(s) that would forever win? I've watched a few matchings recently; seems that a lot of dudes are punching and kicking for major portions of the match. Can you figure out why?

The martial arts adapted. They stopped falling easily to sucker moves they hadn't experienced previously.

Oh, and you sparred with 1 guy who was in a class with you. Sweet. Obviously because that one dude didn't utilize his capoeira, it proves your point. Game and match I guess.

QUOTE (Angelis Storm is happy he was quoted!)
Smokeskin
QUOTE (AngelisStorm @ Feb 11 2010, 11:11 AM) *
Geeze dude. You really sure do know everything about anything, don't you? You know how Capoeira will evolve in the next 60 years, in an imaginary world (because modern Capoeira is exactly the same as 100 years ago, don't-ya-know), you know how effective police officers are (and that they are only effective against ineffective individuals), you know how a "Good GM" operates his game, and you know better than -everyone- on this board regarding martial arts. Someday, I hope someone I (don't) like has your level of knowledge.


If capoeira evolves to be something different, then we're not talking capoira as we know it, but something that evolved out of it. I even specifically mentioned that if someone had a backstory of "capoeira brutalis" that developed into an effective martial art, that was something I could work with.

Yes, I've talked with and trained with actual police officers and police academy students, they are taught techniques to pacify agitated people and other techniques against people determined to fight.

I've repeatedly asked for someone to demonstrate any sort of validation of the effectiveness of capoeira. No one has come forward with anything but that video of a rookie getting KOed by a spinning back kick. I can't find anything on the internet, and from my time training MA I haven't heard of anyone talking about capoeira as something that works. Why doesn't anyone present such info, if they're right and I'm wrong? Could it be that perhaps I really am right?

You're also forgetting the guy who posted here that he'd participated in MMA tournaments and found capoeira fighters to be the easiest to beat. So I don't know better than -everyone-.

QUOTE (AngelisStorm @ Feb 11 2010, 11:11 AM) *
No. Your imagination is weak. And you have heard speak of it's effectiveness; people in this thread keep saying it.


I haven't heard people with MA experience speak of its effectiveness. I keep asking where they get this info, or what their experience is, and then they get all vague. I suspect they have neither practical nor theoretical knowledge. If they do, bring it forward, I've asked for it several times. I've found capoeira experts who don't use capoeira when they fight, no one replied to that. The video everyone liked so much, no one spotted how poor skill the opponent had, and now they just ignore it.

Please, present some actual arguments - there must be a reason why you think capoeira is effective.

QUOTE (AngelisStorm @ Feb 11 2010, 11:11 AM) *
I got a question for you. In a boxing ring, what martial art do you think is most effective?

While you think hard on that question, here's some info for you. Any given martial art will be best in the situation it was developed for. MMA is not the end-all-be-all of fighting. It's a sport. A nasty sport, but still a sport. Do you remember a few years back, when anyone who was someone HAD to know grappling, because grappling was the super technique(s) that would forever win? I've watched a few matchings recently; seems that a lot of dudes are punching and kicking for major portions of the match. Can you figure out why?

The martial arts adapted. They stopped falling easily to sucker moves they hadn't experienced previously.


That's how the metagame often works. A tactic is found to dominate, everyone starts focusing on using it and countering opponents using it - this makes other tactics dominant.

If we want to model that, we'll need something much more intricate than SR rules. For now, I'm content with simply playing with flashy, ineffective combat styles getting +2 spec dice. I want a realistic game, so you're not going to be supereffective at beating people up with capoeira or aikido or shotokan karate.


QUOTE (AngelisStorm @ Feb 11 2010, 11:11 AM) *
Oh, and you sparred with 1 guy who was in a class with you. Sweet. Obviously because that one dude didn't utilize his capoeira, it proves your point. Game and match I guess.


I'm honest about my experience, I don't have much direct experience with capoeira. I see no reason to either lie or be vague about it. For me, the most obvious sign is that the style is rather popular in many places around the world, including where I live, but you never seem to see anyone fighting with it.

You're also overlooking a logical problem here. If a style is totally inefficient, full contact fighters won't ever get to fight against it because people that style don't use it for sparring. If capoeira is actually inefficient, that would precisely mean I wouldn't get many if any chances to face it.
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