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How realistic was Karate Kid from a martial arts perspective in 1984?

posted 4 years ago by TMC-4 (20181)
13 replies | jump to latest

Other than perhaps, the perception that balance in life, as in martial arts, is key.

[–] wearsalan (5554) 4 years ago

Depends what you mean by realistic.

Do kids get bullied like that? Yes
Could a kid win a tournament like that against more experienced competitors? Yes.
Can you learn martial arts techniques by doing chores? Well, this method (muscle memory) is not unique to this movie. Mickey does it with Rocky when he has him chasing chickens or training with one arm behind his back to change his fighting style. So to a degree, Yes.

[–] FootOfDavros (8246) 4 years ago

57%

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

That kick at the end should tell you everything you need to know.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Moonglum9 (11309) 4 years ago

Back then, I think people were way more accepting. I mean, how realistic is it for the A-Team to shoot tens of thousands of bullets, blow up, or cause vehicles to crash with people inside them, and nobody ever died.

[–] kenburke (2377) 4 years ago

Not that realistic, but who cares? It was fun!!!

[–] janelsenor (2044) 4 years ago

It's unlikely a kid could train for only two months and win a tournament. Lol. But this is escapism.

I've seen beginners with natural talent who could give more experienced fighters a run for their money. Even then, I'd say they might win a round or two at most in a tournament.

[–] wearsalan (5554) 4 years ago

It's unlikely a kid could train for only two months and win a tournament. Lol. But this is escapism.

Not true. Seen it first hand.

[–] janelsenor (2044) 4 years ago

I said it's unlikely, not impossible.

[–] wearsalan (5554) 4 years ago

Not disagreeing just pointing out that it's not true

[–] mikethemartian (6777) 3 years ago

A lot of it would probably depend on being a “natural”. I remember having a conversation about mathematician John Nash about how he skipped a lot of the regular coursework required in mathematics. Obviously even being a genius he couldn’t recreate all of mathematics in a vacuum but for someone with his natural intuition he would understand the ramifications of a theorem by just reading it instead of having to do all the problems in that chapter of a textbook like most students.

[–] Topcat81 (222) 4 years ago

I think compared to a Chuck Norris or Van Damm film, it's closer to reality.