Captain America’s Fighting Style

Just some thoughts about my favorite super hero…

In the 1940’s, Asian martial arts like Kung Fu and Karate were largely unknown in the west. And if they were known, westerners were often hard-pressed to find teachers. However, Judo and Jujitsu were somewhat popular, especially in America, thanks in large part to Teddy Roosevelt.

So, it is safe to assume that Steve Rogers, as part of Basic Training in the Rebirth Project, would have been exposed to most known forms of hand-to-hand fighting. Most predominantly would probably have been boxing, with a dash of Judo and Jujitsu. And, since we were allies with the French, probably some Savate got mixed in as well (which really meshes with English/American boxing). We’ll talk about the shield later.

As a result, we have a Captain America who fights predominantly with his fists, using a few kicks if the range is right, or his hands are otherwise occupied, and then some basic blocks, joint locks, and throws. None of it would be flashy. It would be a style of economic movement, meant to disable and move on quickly. And since Cap was the only Super Soldier, he would be expected to be engaged solo against multiple foes, so his style would have to account for that as well. Relying on his superior athleticism, he would often simply dodge and weave during a fight.

Cap’s original shield was a variation of the kite shield, and was mainly just for symbolism and show. As a fighting instrument, the kite shield is very effective in blocking direct attacks, and providing a lot of coverage, but because of the unwieldy shape, it had pretty limited offensive capabilities beyond the standard shield-bash (which, in the movie, was a favorite move for Cap).

When the round shield was introduced, some of the overall cover was lost due to a reduced size, but the advantage of different modes of attack, such as striking with the edge in a punching motion, became available. Normally, shields are not thrown. The only feasible reason that Cap started doing so was because of the vibranium construction.

It was stated that vibranium absorbs kinetic energy. However, that energy has to go somewhere. Naturally, the vibranium would just pass it on as a sort of “gust” of dissipated energy. With the shield being made in concentric circles, this energy was bled out to the edges. However, when the energy originates at the edge, the net effect is that the energy is “bounced” straight back. Thus, when the shield would hit something, the energy generated by the object being struck, would bounce back into that object, essentially doubling the force of the impact.

However, without Cap’s considerable strength behind it to force the energy back into the target, a thrown shield would rebound at a relatively equal speed. Through trial and error, and a lot of practice (presumably while the HYDRA base assaults were being planned), Cap is able to master the intricacies of aiming the shield in order to direct the rebounding energy in specific directions, thus enabling him to bounce the shield off of multiple targets, and have it return to him.

In the end, we have a Captain America who punches, kicks, occasionally throws, and often shield-bashes his way through Nazis and HYDRA agents. His fighting style is unique to him, as it relies greatly on his enhanced strength and reflexes. He is able to withstand blows, even through his shield, that lesser men would not (such as Bucky on the train), and is able to make use of unorthodox techniques, like throwing the shield. In short, he is a unique character, that others may emulate, but none may ever fully duplicate.

Martial Arts RPGs

The Boulder is conflicted about being in this blog...

Last night, while just sitting around the living room with the family, my daughter puts on an episode from Avatar – The Last Airbender. I didn’t think anything of it, as we all like the show. But, apparently the discussion about who in our family was what character (I ended up being The Boulder, a Pro-Wrestler Earthbender) sparked something in my subconscious, and I found myself thinking about Martial Arts RPGs on my drive to work today.

Despite the source of the inspiration of this line of thought, I didn’t start thinking about my planned Avatar RPG. Instead, my brain went to White Wolf’s old Street Fighter Storyteller Game. I have the three main books, purchased from a used book store about fifteen years ago. For a short while I was obsessed with it. Street Fighter has long been my favorite series of fighting games, with Alpha 2 being my top favorite.

I remember my main character I made for that game. His

name was Billy Lo (kudos if you can tell me where I got that one), and he was a young Chinese kid who wore baggy jeans, Chuck Taylors and a sleeveless white t-shirt with a smiley-face on the front. He knew Kung Fu, and fought in a style similar to Fei Long (the Bruce Lee clone from the game). I wrote a short vignette once where Billy fought a Muay Thai fighter named Sampim (named after an Army buddy of mine who was from Thailand).

Over the years, my interest in this genre of RPGs has waxed and waned. I will have short periods (like today) where I become interested again. I've downloaded free MA RPGs, and even tried to get a game of something going. But, I've never been successful. The closest I've come to playing one is playing a Monk in a D&D game. Not quite the same, but it'll do in a pinch, I suppose.

I wish they made Street Fighter games for the Xbox.

Little known Tom fact: On many forums and other places around the ‘Net, I use the name “Gotetsu” (or variations thereof). This name was originally derived from the history of Street Fighter. Goutetsu (I misspelled it at first, and it stuck) was the master who taught Gouken and Gouki. Gouki killed Goutetsu, and became Akuma. Gouken went on to teach Ken and Ryu, before he, too, was killed by Gouki/Akuma.

I used Gotetsu in my friend’s long-running L5R campaign. Hida Gotetsu of the Crab Clan is one of the coolest characters that I have ever played.

Orcish Martial Arts?



http://nexodus.deviantart.com/art/orc-fighter-sketch-11437127
Image of this badass orc
borrowed without permission.



The idea of martial arts in fantasy has been bandied around and used for a long time. However, it is usually in relation to the more “civilized” races. But, imagine if a culture such as Orcs had developed an organized fighting art.

In order to imagine this, one has to first define what kind of culture the Orcs in question live in. There seems to be as many different types of Orcs and Orc Cultures as there are fantasy writers willing to write about them. From Tolkien’s hate-filled brutes, to Stan Nicholl’s near-human warriors of honor, to World of Warcraft’s tribal crusaders; the common threads seem to be that Orcs are strong, brutal warriors. So, it would stand to reason that any fighting art developed by Orcs, regardless of culture, would be filled with offensive strikes, debilitating defenses, and the mindset that “anything goes” in a fight.

Techniques
As an eclectic martial artist myself (though way out of shape and practice), I am drawn to the more direct, non-flashy styles of fighting; boxing, kickboxing, Krav Maga, etc. I think Orcs would feel the same way. In fact, I would wager that your average Orc would get a huge kick (no pun intended) out of MMA. So, in my mind, an Orcish martial art would resemble that. Imagine Randy Couture with green skin and tusks.

For techniques we’re looking at a lot of heavy punches, direct kicks, and maybe some simple joint locks and throws. But Orcs wouldn’t abide by no rules, so head butts, groin shots and rabbit punches would be pretty normal. Hell, even a bite or finger gouge would be called for, should the need arise. Punches and kicks would be heavy, with the aim of crushing flesh and bone. Joint locks would be designed to break limbs, or at least disable them. And throws would preferably involve a solid object to aim your opponent’s body at.

An Orcish martial art would probably operate on the principle of “The best defense is a good offense.” While blocking an attack would be something that would be done, it would most often be done in a way that the blocked appendage would suffer some damage. Basically, an incoming punch makes the arm your new target, etc. And like many Asian arts, defending yourself while making a simultaneous counter-attack would be the norm. Add to this dodging, bobbing, and weaving, and you have all the defense you need.

Conditioning
I always envisioned Orcs who “train” doing so in very strenuous ways. Physical strength and endurance would be paramount, so many of their exercises would involve developing those attributes. Kettle bells are an ancient tool for strength-training, and I envisioned in one story I was writing that Orcs would use something similar. Basically two round stones of equal weight, with rope handles attached. There are tons of exercises one could do with these, not the least of which would be to simply carry them from place to place.

Your average Orc village won’t have access to any kind of gym equipment, so calisthenics would be largely used. Push ups, pull ups, and squats might form the foundation. Then add in running, rope-climbing, and moving around various sizes of logs and stones. For an idea of the kinds of things Orcs might do, watch a Strong Man Competition or Highland Games. Those guys are animals!

As anyone who has ever punched a heavy bag, or even a person, can attest, if your knuckles aren’t either protected or conditioned (or ideally both), you can hurt yourself pretty bad. And that will end your fight or training session real quick. So, how would Orcs condition their knuckles? The answer: Punch a tree. Similar to how Wing Chun artists use a wooden dummy and sand bags, Orcs would practice punching solid objects that, while solid enough to resist their force, would be pliable enough to not break every bone upon impact. A nice, ripe Pine is perfect. The bark is thick, and the trunk is solid. Besides, who cares about trees anyways? They’re an asset. The same could go for kicks, knee strikes, and elbow strikes. You ever see Van Damme’s Kickboxer? That’s some harsh, Orcish training right there.

Practicing
Most formal martial arts involve choreographed movements done in a specific order, usually referred to as forms or katas. These are designed to develop muscle memory on how the body moves from one technique to the next logical technique, in response to a likely attack or target. However, Orcs would probably eschew such formalities. Rather than performing a “dance” with an imaginary foe, Orcs are more likely to test their knowledge and abilities on live targets. Ideally, each other. Therefore, students in a class would be encouraged to pick fights with one-another. These might be formal challenges, or on-the-spot walking up and punching someone. No hard feelings are usually left after it’s over. And if they are, so what? Are you an Orc or a pansy Elf?

That being said, chances are Orcs would be pragmatic enough to know to pull back a little. Especially when applying joint locks and other wrestling-type moves. Pile-driving your foe’s head into a rock might work when fighting for your life. But in practice, well, it’s just a waste of resources. If you kill your foe in practice, who are you going to practice with next time? And when it comes down to it, if you go to battle, you want as many fighting-worthy mates with you as possible.

Conclusion
So, what do we have now? We have a brutal, no-holds-barred style of fighting that closely resembles a WWE wrestling match combined with the Spartan agoge. Savvy martial artists might come to the conclusion that this martial art could be seen as Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do on steroids. Either way, Orcs who practice this art would be formidable, scary, and downright nasty in a fight. But, it wouldn’t stop there. This unarmed form is just the beginning. Once the Orc learns to deal damage and mayhem with his bare hands (and feet, knees, elbows, head, teeth…) he gets to learn to apply all of that to weapons!



So, what do we call this art? Ideas?

Only a ninja can stop a ninja!

Today, I am thinking of the martial arts.  Last night I wanted to watch something that wouldn't tax my brain, and would be filled with the awful awesomeness that I so enjoy in my films.  So, browsing through the NetFlix instant view selections, I found it.  Sho Kosugi's first starring role, Revenge of the Ninja (1983).  Though not his first ninja film (that would be Enter the Ninja, which, incidentally, was much cheesier), it was the one that put him on the map, and really started the ninja-craze of the 80's.  The whole thing is filled with camp, cheese, over-the-top acting, sub-par acting, cliche villains, and a surprise plot twist that was revealed much too soon.

This movie got me to thinking about martial arts again.  And, since I'm a dork, and this is how my gamer-brain works, I immediately started thinking about martial arts-themed Role-Playing Games.  Back in the days before the d20 OGL, (pre-WotC) TSR put out a PDF game called DragonFist.  Based on the AD&D (2E) system, it was heavily inspired by the Wuxia films of Hong Kong, and did an admirable job of representing that.  At least, from what I remember.  Unfortunately, my copy is long gone, and the original game is not available anywhere that I can find, on account of Green Ronin buying it and then letting it sit.

During the heyday of the Street Fighter craze, Capcom contracted with White-Wolf Games to create an RPG based on their IP, using the Storyteller system.  I have that game, as well as all of the supplements.  Very cool stuff.  Even managed to play it a little.  But mostly, it's just a collector's item.  because I am a HUGE Street Fighter fan.

This morning I browsed John Kim's Free RPGs on the web, and found a couple of games to download and look at.  Slayer of Dragon looks pretty cool, though I can't figure out how to print it so it's readable.  I also grabbed Final Stand.  This one looks less "fun" but I haven't really reviewed the rules yet.

I don't know.  What do you guys think?  Should I do a list of my favorite Martial Arts movies?