I was at the gym when I ’saw’ the show. Each episode, 2 kungfu schools are invited, typically with different kungfu styles. Then the show put the fighters into respective weight class and let them slog it out.

I wasn’t impressed at all.

I probably watched too much of Hong Kong kungfu/fighting movies. I was expecting something more polished and smooth, and gritty… something like Fight Quest when they learned Sanda.

Instead, what I saw was the typical kungfu pose before the engagement. Then when they engage in a fight, it looked like a hybrid of judo plus boxing plus kicking. Sure, there are a few signature moves once in a while. But nothing interesting.

Each bout was quick. Within 3-4 moves, one fella is down and point is given. The fighter then would have to stand up and reset the fight. This probably indicate the effectiveness of kungfu. If you’re good, you can take down an enemy within 3-4 moves.

My point is, I couldn’t feel any ‘kick’ from watching. In fact, it was boring as hell. And the fights weren’t fought in close distance. The fighters were standing far away. I wonder if it would be effective in a train or roadside where space is small. Close quarter fighting is totally different. And I wonder if kungfu would work when dealing with street fighting and self-defence.

If you want to learn how to defend yourself on the streets, I guess the best bet would be Kajukenbo of US, Krav Maga of Israel, and bodybuilding (no one ever dares to mess with a big guy). I would like to pick up kajukenbo (savate and taichi too), it’s ghetto and gritty. And they literally do street fights. This is as underground and ghetto as it gets.