View Poll Results: Exactly how fast is Dongfang Bubai?

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  • Yes, faster than a bullet!

    6 14.29%
  • Yes, faster than a 100m sprinter...

    7 16.67%
  • No problem for XF/XZ/DY or the Greats catching him/her.

    18 42.86%
  • Sweeper Monk probably couldn't even touch him/her!

    7 16.67%
  • Only an atomic bomb could subdue her!

    4 9.52%
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Thread: Exactly how fast is Dongfang Bubai?

  1. #21
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    With hand to hand combat strength is important as this will knock out your opponent.

    With a weapon in hand then speed is important because the first to slash will win. Even a strong internal or strength can not block a sword.

  2. #22
    Senior Member Snafu3721's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stance View Post
    With hand to hand combat strength is important as this will knock out your opponent.

    With a weapon in hand then speed is important because the first to slash will win. Even a strong internal or strength can not block a sword.
    Use a loud roar =)

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mandred Skavenslayer View Post
    Most people who practice combative Martial Arts aim for speed, accuracy and strength/aggression, roughly in that order. So yes speed is very important. It is by no means the be all and end all of Martial Arts but it is definitely vital.

    As for the context of Wuxia and more specifically SPW, speed does seem like the trump card. DFBB technique was inferior to LHC and internal was only just above RWX, yet his blinding speed was enough to defeat them combined.

    We can even find examples of speed allowing someone to overcome superior strength and technique, like how YBQ defeated ZLC despite having inferior strength and skill.
    It depends on the type of combative martial art
    Brazilian Jiujutsu for example doesn't focus on speed first.
    Kyokushin Karate (one of the most aggressive types of traditional martial arts) focuses on technique first
    Depends on the type of kickboxing, but many times it's strength and power first.

    I myself have practiced both traditional and modern MMA for around 25+ years now. I never forget that my sifu said, of all the things to train, speed is LAST. I was way faster than my sifu when I was in my teens and early 20's... but for the life of me, I can never even come close to beating him.

    I'm not disagreeing that speed isn't important. I just don't agree that 天下武功,唯快不破.

    And using Wuxia as an example, there are also a lot of examples where strength and technique overcome speed: LHC can stab 9 people's eyes in a swing and block a ton of projectiles. Technically he should be way faster than RWX... But he only barely "beats" RWX using technique. LHC couldn't just super fast speed slash RWX into submission because of RWX's ingenuity of technique. Also, RWX can just roar him into submission.

    I think in SPW speed is emphasized because of the whole DFBB and KHBD aspect. So speed tended to play a bigger role in the story. IN Condor trilogy, it was more balanced. Speed has it's advantages, but can also be overcome. YG could've gone down the speed path given that he has AT martial arts... once he developed Greats level internal, he no longer relied on speed

  4. #24
    Senior Member Mandred Skavenslayer's Avatar
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    It depends on the type of combative martial art
    Brazilian Jiujutsu for example doesn't focus on speed first.
    Kyokushin Karate (one of the most aggressive types of traditional martial arts) focuses on technique first
    Depends on the type of kickboxing, but many times it's strength and power first.

    I myself have practiced both traditional and modern MMA for around 25+ years now. I never forget that my sifu said, of all the things to train, speed is LAST. I was way faster than my sifu when I was in my teens and early 20's... but for the life of me, I can never even come close to beating him.

    I'm not disagreeing that speed isn't important. I just don't agree that 天下武功,唯快不破.
    As I mentioned before speed is by no means the only element in combative Martial Arts, I myself have studied Southern Kung Fu and am currently learning Muay Thai so know the importance of balancing all aspects of Martial Arts.

    However, speed is needed to an extent in all Martial Arts. To use your examples, Jiujutsu require you to position yourself in the advantageous position quickly in order to make use of the technique. Karate, kickboxing or any other striking based Martial Arts require fast blows, as no matter how powerful or skilled your attacks, if you are too slow to land the blow then it is useless.

    I am often caught out by more seasoned practitioners not because I am physically slower, but because I am mentally slower as their greater experience allows them to respond much more efficiently than me. So mental processing is also a kind of speed.

    And using Wuxia as an example, there are also a lot of examples where strength and technique overcome speed: LHC can stab 9 people's eyes in a swing and block a ton of projectiles. Technically he should be way faster than RWX... But he only barely "beats" RWX using technique. LHC couldn't just super fast speed slash RWX into submission because of RWX's ingenuity of technique. Also, RWX can just roar him into submission.

    I think in SPW speed is emphasized because of the whole DFBB and KHBD aspect. So speed tended to play a bigger role in the story. IN Condor trilogy, it was more balanced. Speed has it's advantages, but can also be overcome. YG could've gone down the speed path given that he has AT martial arts... once he developed Greats level internal, he no longer relied on speed
    LHC's feats are famously inconsistent even within the context of SPW. Although written as an example of technique over numbers, it is very hard to actually picture how he did it. RWX's at the time had overwhelming strength and experience over LHC, and I see no evidence the LHC had any great speed advantage over him.

    YG's later development shows his understanding that ultimately Martial Arts needs to balance all elements. Previously my impression was that his skill set was based on flashy, dazzling moves rather than speedy moves.

  5. #25
    Senior Member Snafu3721's Avatar
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    @Mandred

    You study Southern Kung Fu? May I ask which one? As I've practiced many Northern External styles and a few of the Internal

    I agree with the concept of mental speed... but this gets a bit tricky. How much do we account "Instinct" and "Sense". And how much of it do we attribute to "reading" an opponent and preemptive techniques. We can definitely discuss this on further! Love to see your thoughts and ideas



    On YG, his progression went from flashy speedy moves to simple and powerful. Then you have Sad Palms which is just strange and unorthodox-- but underpinning it's prowess is the "unbearable pressure of thousands of waves" (usual typical description of overbearing power). It is not known to be extra ordinarily fast nor was speed part of it's essence from my interpretation

  6. #26
    Senior Member Mandred Skavenslayer's Avatar
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    You study Southern Kung Fu? May I ask which one? As I've practiced many Northern External styles and a few of the Internal

    I agree with the concept of mental speed... but this gets a bit tricky. How much do we account "Instinct" and "Sense". And how much of it do we attribute to "reading" an opponent and preemptive techniques. We can definitely discuss this on further! Love to see your thoughts and ideas
    I did Hung Ga and Southern Praying Mantis at University and a bit of Wing Chun later. What about yourself? To me 'mental speed' is controlled instinct. We all instinctively react to an oncoming attack by either defending or fleeing, mental speed allows us to instantly judge which instinct is most appropriate in the situation.

    I have found that this mental speed can be trained but must be honed by experience.

  7. #27
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    I practiced traditional long fist and Shaolin in the beginning, then I progressed to the northern mantis styles. Then my sifu decided that I can start internal training so I did Yang+Chen+Wu Taichi along with basic Xinyi/Bagua.

    Was part of a martial arts club for University as well as a MMA consortium

    Ironically, after moving out to Asia I sort of stopped training due to work, but would still occasionally practice or find people in parks to 切磋.

    I agree with you on the mental speed, but I feel there may be some more aspects to it. As it pertains to the OT though, I do fully agree that this is the one of the most important factor.

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