Not sure what the deal is these days as I stopped watching 1 or 2 seasons ago.

I think it's mostly AM's character with the wi-fu now, and the rest just use the good old potion asspull.

You poll most non-martial artists (and even including them, perhaps) that have been in impromptu fights, and most of them won't have kicked, and even fewer kicked above the waist, much less the head.

Yep. Too hard to land anything and too easy to get knocked over.

Not that I fight in bars a lot or anything.

Another thing, Jessica, is that just about no one does convincing kicks, even the stuntpeople. They may do beautiful and difficult kicks, but nothing you'd ever use in a fight. So folk aren't used to watching for anything vaguely realistic.

True, that.

I like the idea of the apocalypse being something subtle instead of another round of hellmouths and world-ending disasters. On the other hand, I don't think "subtle" means "completely undetectable."

I find I'm OK with it. We can't really see it because it's all around us. Like a goldfish looking for water.

Punches, OTOH, are much more accessible, and you can't really distract with theatrics.

Unless the theatrics involve wearing a big trenchcoat that billows all over the place when you throw the big looping shot. Spike, I'm looking at you.

The kicking thing holds up though. It's like when the UFC and mixed martial arts fighting first started. Everyone expected the Muay Thai and Karate guys to just axe-kick everyone to death, but turns out that since they all only ever fought other students of the same form, nobody ever prepped them on what to do when the other guy just dives at your legs and knocks you over. Thus Brazilian Jiu jutsu and amateur wrestling guys pretty much took over.

when you throw the big looping shot.

But those get thrown in real life too. Which is good, because they're much easier to see.

Thus Brazilian Jiu jutsu and amateur wrestling guys pretty much took over.

Knee kicks are illegal, right? Because Muay Thai would definitely benefit if you left that in.

What if they gave an apocalypse and nobody came?

I think I love this line. I might want to tag it.

What if they gave an apocalypse and nobody came?

No Jasmine.

But those get thrown in real life too. Which is good, because they're much easier to see.

Of course. But if you're going to do it on TV, wear a trenchcoat so it swirls around in a cool way when you do it.

Knee kicks are illegal, right? Because Muay Thai would definitely benefit if you left that in.

What is legal, and very useful too, is kicking the thigh right above the knee. Muay Thai guys are very good at that, and can win a fight by bruising someone's leg so badly it won't hold their weight anymore. Ernesto Hoost is really good at this, he does K-1. Leg kicks are also quick enough and low enough that they aren't as risky as high kicks.

But still, back then, the big problem was that nobody really knew how to defend against the takedown. In large part, this is because the early UFC shows were partially financed by the Gracie family, so they went for fighters who didn't really know how to deal with their type of fight.

they went for fighters who didn't really know how to deal with their type of fight.

I did not know this. Cheaters!

Yeah, those thigh kicks are killer. I pity your sparring partner while you're perfecting them. I just had an injection in my left thigh for a 18 month-old deep muscle bruise exacerbated by just that.

I think I love this line. I might want to tag it.

Go ahead. My previous tag was a Strega line.