I have recently begun trying to find out what form of martial art was used by the guy from Spain. I have heard of a style which utilizes only the feet, but was under the impression it was an Asian style, not Spanish.
IS this a real style or was it created for the sake of the film?
"Creasy's art is death. He's about to paint his masterpeice."
At first, I thought the style was Savate, a French martial art that uses mostly feet and a little bit of hands.
However, I think the real style he is using is Tae Kwon Do. Savate was used by the French fighter (I assume this because Savate is a French martial art, like I said.)
-Serpent
I don't know quite much about those different fighting styles, but the actor who played the Spanish fighter, Peter Malota, has some nice moves. (LITTLE SPOILERS FOLLOWING AHEAD) He has quite similar scene in "Double Impact", as seen in "The Quest". In both movies, he delivers very beautiful, flexible kicks when fighting against Van Damme. Damme manages to avoid being kicked in both movies by dodging and getting out of the way. So you can say, that the "style" Spanish fighter uses, is kind of created for the sake of the film. I guess that first and foremost the idea in those both scenes is to show, how skilled martial artist Peter Malota really is. No doubt about it, he really has the moves! Also, check "The Order", where he can also be seen with Van Damme.
sharethe style he uses is a mixture of savate and the unarmed aspect of La Destreza Verdadera/spanish fencing. When the combatant is unarmed, the rules of combat dictate that the opponent must discard his weapon(s) and engage in hand to hand.
Ive seen this style in person and it's REALLY AMAZING. Just like capoeira, music is played during the duel. Either pasodoble (music played during bull fights or spanish flamenco).
"It never got weird enough for me." - Hunter S. Thompson
[deleted]
You shame me. You're a spaniard and you never heard of spanish fencing? in fact, there is a specialized school in manhattan which teaches that.
but it's not a basque thing. to hell with those freaks. son hijo de putas!
"It never got weird enough for me." - Hunter S. Thompson
[deleted]
Actually, this is off topic, but if I may:
"During the 1500s a new system of swordplay began to develop in Europe unlike any the world had ever seen. The Spanish created a new, universal method of fighting based on Reason and Mathematics that could be taught to any student. They called the system La Verdadera Destreza, the True Art."
That is taken from http://www.plumes.org/destreza/ a highly respected site on the subject. But it can also be found at http://www.martinez-destreza.com/articles/spanish1.htm (which is perhaps THE modern day authority on the subject).
I studied at the school in NYC, and also spent 4 weeks in spain. It's been my sword style of choice for many years now. And like was said, there is an unarmed version of the style that relies on the same principles of engagement.
If you're talking about sword fighting, that could be OK, but there does not exist any martial art style originated in Spain.
I'm spanish too, and have two things to say about the subject;
1 - The "Zipota" doesn't exist. It's only an urban legend originated outside our country. And it's something very funny to think about.
2 - I neither never heard about something called "La Destreza Verdadera", and I'm not some kind of rustic idiot.
I'm cultvated and I think all those hypothesis about "spanish arts of combat" are nothing more than fairy tales. Besides that, maybe The Quest happens in the late 1920's, and that's too soon for any spaniard to be aware of the existence of something called "martial arts", not by any means to become a master.
[deleted]
When he first started, I thought he was doing Muay Thai because of his hand movement at the very start is similar to a muay that fighters (both hands open facing foward in the air then closing them).
But his lack of using elbows of knees and mainly straight high kicks led me to believe it was as people stated, Savate.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Hi everyone I'm new!
In answer to your question Calikidd2, apparently Spain has got its own martial art. It's called zapota which is Basque kickboxing which Basque mercheant seamen inmported into Spain in the late 17th century. It shares the same ancestry as its French neighbour savate. I believe zapota is the martial art the Spanish fighter used.
I wonder if the Scottish style was created for the sake of the film because I'm not aware of Scotland having its own martial art. Does anyone know Scotland's style if it exsists?
I'm acquainted with the obscure styles like capoeira from Brazil, savate from France, pankration from Greece,kampringen from Germany, sombo from Russia. I think the Turkish fighter's style is fizlezloo, a Kurdish way of fighting if the Turkish fighter was proibanly a Kurd.
Actually glenn-rossl, Scotland does have a martial art. I'ts called fook yu and involves mainly headbutting people and kicking them when they're down. Afterwards we go to the pub and have a pint.
I saw So I married an Axe Murderer too!Seriously I found out Scotland does have two styles. Greenock invented by Paul Michael Lambert which is a fusion of karate and Thaiboxing with elements of taekwondo, his own personmal style which he invenmted and named after his home town. But the style his character did was unarmed combat invented by William Wallace. I found that out when I went on holiday to Scotland last week.
Another style not mentioned but was mentioned in Blood Sport was the Venezuelan martial art of broma. Speaking of which the Spanish fighter in Blood Sport was played by Uruguayan Thaiboxing champion Pablo or Paolo Tocha. Returning to the Spanish fighting tradition in the film Grosse Point Blank with John Cusack and Minnie Driver, Benny Urquidez played a Spanish Basque ETA terrorist who did zapota which is probably whart Peter Malota's character did judging by the high kicks. However, I'd like to know about this Spanish martial art called esparda?Who ever it was who mentioned it.
anyone knows if Peter Malota is from Albania? i'm also from albania and in the movie you see that he has the "Albanian flag" on the belt.. anyone??? PS : he looks very albanian i must say
shareYes Peter malota is from Albania, and I heard he does kickboxing and aikido.
shareIn high school I recall having a spanish teacher who told me her friend had ausditioned for the roled of the spaniard and she wasnt sure(or was quite positive) if he got it...anyway she said he was a Taekwondo champ. Possibly he is due to the kicks but Van Damme altered the coreography.
shareThe fighting style used by the Spanish fighter is known as ZIPOTA. This is a spanish style that is similar to savate but teaches more weapons such as fencing and staff fighting. Also has some punches and throws in the mix, alot of leaping kicks and spinning kicks involved in this style.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0109872/board/nest/54510162