9 ms·

Silicon Valley geeks have their own ‘Fight Club’. I kid you not. [video]

80 points by zeedotme 16y ago

bradfordw 16y ago
Personally, I think hockey is a great outlet for developers (being one that plays of course). It is physically and mentally taxing, but most of all it requires teamwork; I can't think of anything that matches better. Sometimes you square off with someone on the ice and that's where it stays. When it does happen, it's far more raw than any staged combat -- I'll take that rush any day. Plus, you get a solid workout in the meantime!
- zeedotme 16y ago
  fight club = hockey with padding & helmet no? :]
- ernestipark 16y ago
  Agreed. I'm a hockey player too. But hockey requires lots of years of practice and skill to get fun/good at. It's easier to just wack someone with a chair.
onan_barbarian 16y ago
Right, because geeks should be fighting other geeks, for some mystery reason, rather than going somewhere where there is grown-up supervision, safety precautions and people who Know What They Are Doing. Lousy technique - check. Out of shape guys - check. Amazing size mismatches - check. Hard floor so that the first time someone manages a decent throw or slam, someone can break something - check. All of these 'Fight Clubs' I've ever seen usually revolve around a couple larger guys using this whole thing as a venue for somewhat sexually charged sadomasochism with their smaller buddies. There's a reason that they're not walking in the door of their local boxing/Muay Thai/MMA/BJJ club instead...
- thunk 16y ago
  Technique? Adult supervision? Fitness? Safety? Proper size matching? You've misunderstood the point. Sure, they sound melodramatic, cheesy and sentimental talking about their fight club. But at least they're out there doing it, venting, and participating in some mostly rules-free shenanigans. And "sexually charged" is the condescending weenie's way of simultaneously saying the participants are closeted homosexuals, and that being gay is a bad thing. Naysayers manage to anger me and tire me out, all at the same time.
  - alinajaf 16y ago
    > But at least they're out there doing it, venting, and participating in some mostly rules-free shenanigans. This is unnecessarily dangerous. You can go to a Muay Thai class, train up for a few months and kick three shades of shit out of each other if you want to. The difference is that with experienced teachers who will show you how to avoid injuries, the likelihood of serious accidents goes down. Exposing yourself to unnecessary risk when you have safe alternatives isn't manly, it's stupid. > ...participants are closeted homosexuals, and that being gay is a bad thing. No one said being gay was a bad thing. Repressing gay feelings and letting them out through violence on the other hand isn't so great IMO.
    - true_religion 16y ago
      The likelihood of serious accidents goes down, but it doesn't go down to zero. So choosing a no-rules barred fight club versus a boxing ring is a matter of line drawing, and judgement calls. Many people draw the line at no fighting at all, and call all boxers "stupid". Is that fair? And if it isn't, why is it fair for you to call Fight Clubbers stupid simply because they're willing to expose themselves to more risk than you? Fight Club isn't a direct equivalent of Boxing/Muy Thai/etc. with merely added risk of injury.
    - thunk 16y ago
      > Exposing yourself to unnecessary risk when you have safe alternatives isn't manly, it's stupid. Sometimes it's OK to just be stupid, and uneducatedly kick the shit out of each other, as long as cries of "Uncle" are respected. The lack of framework and authority is important for some types of catharsis. > Repressing gay feelings and letting them out through violence on the other hand isn't so great IMO. My point is that whenever guys roughhouse, some chronic non-participant will always call it homoeroticism, and since that sounds like a good, intellectual reason to justify their nonparticipation, other bystanders will smugly agree. It's a cheap jab.
- momotomo 16y ago
  Yeah. Your last paragraph. There's a massive difference between this kind of thing and going to an organised club where you have to take a swing at a stranger who has a good capacity to hand your ass to you. I get what they're trying to do but there's no comparison between playfighting in someone's garage and training up as a boxer and sparring in a ring in terms of the benefits for your esteem and confidence (as well as fitness). Also, I've done a fair bit of boxing in and out of clubs, and I'd _never_ swing on someone unless they had headgear and I was in gloves. If you know what you're doing, you understand a handful of landed punches is going to leave some decent damage on a person. The problem when you don't know what you're doing is you're just as likely to fluke a shot / not pull a punch up early enough from doing some serious damage. Kudos in spirit, but just join a club and work with professionals ffs. You lose so many psychological and physical benefits taking this approach.
  - weego 16y ago
    Ironically of course, headgear and gloves are known to be the reason more boxers are affected by long term problems than people who bare knuckle spar. You also wouldn't hit someone in the head with your fist if you know what you are doing because you would probably shatter a knuckle, hence, historically, bare-knuckle bouts were about slowing and draining your opponents energy until they couldn't get up from heavy body blows than knockouts.
    - momotomo 16y ago
      Fill me in on the headgear thing? I've never come across either point in regards to headgear / shattering hands.
      - MercuryCreative 16y ago
        It allows you to absorb a larger number of heavy blows to the head without showing any outward damage. There is an argument that the risk of brain damage is therefor greater because the bouts go on longer. I personally haven't read any studies on the matter so I can't comment on the medical validity. In practice I prefer to fight without headgear. This is completely subjective but I feel sharper afterwards, whereas 6-8 rounds with headgear leave me foggy for a day or two.
OncomingStorm 16y ago
lol, I think this is a parody. Just something a bunch of nerds got together and threw together and is being taken too seriously. Meh just my opinion though, it very well might be for real.
- angrycoder 16y ago
  This is real. There was an hour long documentary that followed one of these clubs around for a few months.
troyk 16y ago
The Army's Best Ranger competition is a Eco-Challenge event. If you want to get in touch with the "essential nature of man" pit yourself against nature herself (like a week hike of the Sierra Ridge), preferably with a buddy, and you'll walk away with a whole new perspective.
- bootload 16y ago
  "... The Army's Best Ranger competition is a Eco-Challenge event ..." The Foreign Legion's has it's own version, MDS, "Marathon des Sables" ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_des_Sables http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_des_Sables
  - artmageddon 16y ago
    That Wiki link is rather devoid of information about the Marathon des Sables... I would know, as I ran it in 2009. I'm not sure how the Foreign Legion factors into the race, as it was started by Patrick Bauer in 1986(who still oversees it). People of all ages and from all walks of life participate in it. It's a life changing event in which you learn so much about yourself and develop deep friendships with people you've only known for perhaps a few days at most. The participants also suffer.. a LOT-between heat, physical exertion / exhaustion, and being fully self-sufficient for a week. It's a damn grueling event that definitely earns it's spot among the world's toughest foot races. More info here at http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/ http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/ and http://darbaroud.com/index_uk.php http://darbaroud.com/index_uk.php
    - bootload 16y ago
      "... That Wiki link is rather devoid of information about the Marathon des Sables ..." It's always a balance here to go to the original technical source or a general one. I read http://www.darbaroud.com/uk/html/mds/general/uk_26mds_regulation.php http://www.darbaroud.com/uk/html/mds/general/uk_26mds_regula... but most might want a quick overview. "... I'm not sure how the Foreign Legion factors into the race ..." A fair portion of the participants are military - I know of ex Legion who have completed this. "... would know, as I ran it in 2009. ..." What time did you complete in? You gave the UK url where did you train to acclimatise to the heat?
spreiti 16y ago
Why don't they go to their local Muay Thai/Boxing/etc. club and learn proper technique? And if you want to fight: Get into the ring. It's fun. Even if you get beaten up. I've been doing Muay Thai for many years now and beside the workout, I got much closer to my cultural Thai roots. Martial arts is more than fighting. It's about personality building, respect and culture. 'Fight Clubs' like this are dangerous for the participants. They don't know how to hit and could get injured seriously. I just hope no trained fighter is ever going to participate in such a fight and gets serious.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- roel_v 16y ago
  There are many such 'fight clubs', not just for geeks, although those are most likely to videotape and post it to Youtube, I guess. It happens in garages across Europe (I have no reason to believe it is different elsewhere). It's just tough guy talking, to have a story to tell in the bar or club. I've been to many and in most places people just stand around to look tough, but avoid any actual workout or training. Any halfway skilled muay thai or bjj fighter (as in, 1/2 year of serious training) can take on 90% of the people in those sort of gatherings. I mean I'm 5ft9 and less than 170 pounds and I've relatively easily dominated people 1 foot taller and 50 pounds heaver, and I'm not even a good fighter. I've seen people get knocked out by accidental swings and hits, and people throwing up because the intense activity of a 1m30s fight was too much for them. Some nose bleeds here and there, but I've never seen 'serious' injuries, mostly because people have no kicking technique, no grappling skills (no joint locks or arm/leg bars) and telegraph punches from miles away. One dude broke his hand punching someone else on a a hard part of the jaw. I don't think it's dangerous, just stupid.
- bioh42_2 16y ago
  Why don't they go to their local Muay Thai/Boxing/etc. club and learn proper technique? It's serious, and requires a large investment of time, in other words its hard. This on the other hand is easy, lets be out of shape and bash each other with keyboards - yay!
lhnn 16y ago
OP doesn't remember the first two rules.
alinajaf 16y ago
As someone who practiced Kendo for just a while, the little scene where the guy swings a shinai around pretending to be what he thinks a samurai looks like was cringe-worthy and pathetic. If he ever does take up Kendo/Iaido, he will look back and regret it with the fire of a thousand burning suns.
- ovi256 16y ago
  Never regret anything, because at some point it was exactly what you wanted.
bigmac 16y ago
I've considered joining a Martial Arts gym, because I thoroughly enjoy the competition -- I wrestled all the way through High School. However, I've convinced myself that it may be detrimental to my long term cognitive abilities. Do any HN martial arts participants have any insight into this? Can one really expect to repeatedly get hit in the head and not pay for it, long term?
- Eliezer 16y ago
  Boxers lose IQ. I believe so do football players.
  - rbanffy 16y ago
    So, it helps geeks relate with a larger part of mankind. That has to be something good, right? With a couple years of practice, they may even start enjoying reality shows...
  - momotomo 16y ago
    Professional Boxers and Professional rugby players. There's a big difference between trying out social / club style sports and going into amateur / pro boxing competitions.
- spreiti 16y ago
  I've been doing Muay Thai and Boxing for many years and I work on my master thesis right now (Neural Networks and Statistical Data Analysis). So no, it doesn't make you stupid or influences you in a bad way. Au contraire: It helps you build your personality and you will pursue you goal more ambitiously. Also if you don't competet and only do light sparing you won't get hit hard in the head. So go to you local gym and have fun!
  - roel_v 16y ago
    Well you can't conclude from your example that it didn't have any effects. Maybe you would have been smarter if you had only done ballet. I don't think so, that's not what I'm arguing, just that one cannot draw a conclusion from your anecdote.
JacobIrwin 16y ago
Chuck Palahniuk would be proud. I want a go with Sergey. Or Larry.
b0b0b0b 16y ago
These guys got some press several years ago: http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/multimedia/2006/05/fightclub http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/multimedia/2006/05/fi... I was amused hearing of fights where they beat each other only with rolled up newspapers. It beats watching tv and eating pork rinds, I guess.
- billswift 16y ago
  A tightly rolled newspaper or magazine can be an effective weapon; some schools of escrima or arnis demonstrate how to roll one and use it as a substitute for the short stick.
  - yummyfajitas 16y ago
    Soccer hooligans use it as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millwall_brick http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millwall_brick
MrFlibble 16y ago
I'd rather see a reality tv Fight Club. Dancing With the Stars chicks tearing out the hair of American Idol wannabes? Sign me up! ...holy shit, re-reading that I think I just became a mainstream American tv watcher.
endlessvoid94 16y ago
To each his own. But this is idiotic.
georgieporgie 16y ago
This reminds me very strongly of Will Farrel and John Reilly in Step Brothers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0mUyH6dI8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0mUyH6dI8
krobertson 16y ago
Though I was facepalmed through the entire video... it does lend itself to one question: If you could geek fight anyone in history who would it be? :) I'm torn between 1960s Gordon Moore or RMS (any decade).
- knieveltech 16y ago
  ESR, definitely.
  - billswift 16y ago
    He'd hand you your ass. I'm a serious martial artist and I wouldn't want to fight him (outside of training). http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=318 http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=318
    - knieveltech 16y ago
      You're assuming I wouldn't park a bus on him as an opening move.
- rbanffy 16y ago
  Bill Gates, but he would probably be hiding brass knuckles or a knife.
InclinedPlane 16y ago
How does this differ significantly from self-mutilation (cutting)? Sure, if you feel your life is hum-drum it's easy enough to hurt yourself and to hurt others. To indulge in your violent instincts. It'll pump endorphins into your system and make you feel alive. So will cutting, and bulimia. But these are very unhealthy outlets. I see the fight club mentality as an indication of the dysfunctional nature of modern polite (or "politically correct") society which tends to write off violence and risk as aberrations and taboos. We see this in the ongoing trend of dis-empowering individuals (often in the guise of protecting them) and shifting responsibilities (and power) to organizations and corporations. The perfect example of this is the commonplace fear and hatred of firearms amongst most urban professionals. This subject is too large to be addressed completely in a mere post or two. Suffice it to say that I think these "fight clubs" are a trend of men attempting to ape some perverted ideal of masculinity. A twisted masculinity of violence, domination, and disrespect.
- jackvalentine 16y ago
  I think your second paragraph answered the question posed in your first.
- bioh42_2 16y ago
  How does this differ significantly from self-mutilation (cutting)? How does American football (or ruby) differ significantly form this?
  - JonnieCache 16y ago
    >(or ruby) I assume you mean rugby, but if not then this is the weakest contribution to the programming language wars ever. Rugby is brutal though.
    - bioh42_2 16y ago
      Ugh, worst typo ever. I did not mean to compare ruby to self-mutilation.
- endtime 16y ago
rbanffy 16y ago
Loved the "I do it for the hugs afterwards" line.
- jtbigwoo 16y ago
  I thought that line was incredibly sad. Why isn't anybody hugging him at other times?
fbnt 16y ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R90QyIBJqrg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R90QyIBJqrg
wooptoo 16y ago
"I do it for the hugs" Awesome
Bitmobrich 16y ago
It looks like some miss guided people, that wrongly interpreted Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.
wil2k 16y ago
And I was thinking that geeks were sticking to Search Engine Battle Raps... ;-) http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=search http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=search engine battle rap
Roboprog 16y ago
Hitting each other with a keyboard? Now days, that's just funny (the keyboard probably took the worst of it). Back in the 80's, that would have been assault with a deadly weapon. Back then, keyboards had massive steel frames, "suitable for cracking a managers skull", as it says in the jargon file :-)
JonnieCache 16y ago
Real geeks do http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_boxing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_boxing
EvanK 16y ago
yeah, that is retarded. getting exercise is good. exerting yourself is good. even learning some kind of self defense is good. but that is just completely retarded. speaking as someone who DID get in a lot of fights growing up, the "it lets me know I'm still alive" thing is ridiculous; there are so many ways to enjoy life without beating the shit out of someone or having someone beat the shit out of you. take up martial arts, or rock climbing, or an actual sport.
codex 16y ago
"In Silicon Valley we have the highest concentration of aggressive people in the United States." Really? More than Fort Hood, Camp Lejeune, or the Louisiana State Penitentiary? What about New York City? I suspect that SV, in fact, has one of the highest concentrations of beta males in the US, and this club is an over-compensation mechanism.

80 points by zeedotme 16y ago

Personally, I think hockey is a great outlet for developers (being one that plays of course). It is physically and mentally taxing, but most of all it requires teamwork; I can't think of anything that matches better. Sometimes you square off with someone on the ice and that's where it stays. When it does happen, it's far more raw than any staged combat -- I'll take that rush any day. Plus, you get a solid workout in the meantime!

zeedotme 16y ago
fight club = hockey with padding & helmet no? :]
ernestipark 16y ago
Agreed. I'm a hockey player too. But hockey requires lots of years of practice and skill to get fun/good at. It's easier to just wack someone with a chair.

onan_barbarian 16y ago

Right, because geeks should be fighting other geeks, for some mystery reason, rather than going somewhere where there is grown-up supervision, safety precautions and people who Know What They Are Doing. Lousy technique - check. Out of shape guys - check. Amazing size mismatches - check. Hard floor so that the first time someone manages a decent throw or slam, someone can break something - check. All of these 'Fight Clubs' I've ever seen usually revolve around a couple larger guys using this whole thing as a venue for somewhat sexually charged sadomasochism with their smaller buddies. There's a reason that they're not walking in the door of their local boxing/Muay Thai/MMA/BJJ club instead...

thunk 16y ago
Technique? Adult supervision? Fitness? Safety? Proper size matching? You've misunderstood the point. Sure, they sound melodramatic, cheesy and sentimental talking about their fight club. But at least they're out there doing it, venting, and participating in some mostly rules-free shenanigans. And "sexually charged" is the condescending weenie's way of simultaneously saying the participants are closeted homosexuals, and that being gay is a bad thing. Naysayers manage to anger me and tire me out, all at the same time.
- alinajaf 16y ago
  > But at least they're out there doing it, venting, and participating in some mostly rules-free shenanigans. This is unnecessarily dangerous. You can go to a Muay Thai class, train up for a few months and kick three shades of shit out of each other if you want to. The difference is that with experienced teachers who will show you how to avoid injuries, the likelihood of serious accidents goes down. Exposing yourself to unnecessary risk when you have safe alternatives isn't manly, it's stupid. > ...participants are closeted homosexuals, and that being gay is a bad thing. No one said being gay was a bad thing. Repressing gay feelings and letting them out through violence on the other hand isn't so great IMO.
  - true_religion 16y ago
    The likelihood of serious accidents goes down, but it doesn't go down to zero. So choosing a no-rules barred fight club versus a boxing ring is a matter of line drawing, and judgement calls. Many people draw the line at no fighting at all, and call all boxers "stupid". Is that fair? And if it isn't, why is it fair for you to call Fight Clubbers stupid simply because they're willing to expose themselves to more risk than you? Fight Club isn't a direct equivalent of Boxing/Muy Thai/etc. with merely added risk of injury.
  - thunk 16y ago
    > Exposing yourself to unnecessary risk when you have safe alternatives isn't manly, it's stupid. Sometimes it's OK to just be stupid, and uneducatedly kick the shit out of each other, as long as cries of "Uncle" are respected. The lack of framework and authority is important for some types of catharsis. > Repressing gay feelings and letting them out through violence on the other hand isn't so great IMO. My point is that whenever guys roughhouse, some chronic non-participant will always call it homoeroticism, and since that sounds like a good, intellectual reason to justify their nonparticipation, other bystanders will smugly agree. It's a cheap jab.
momotomo 16y ago
Yeah. Your last paragraph. There's a massive difference between this kind of thing and going to an organised club where you have to take a swing at a stranger who has a good capacity to hand your ass to you. I get what they're trying to do but there's no comparison between playfighting in someone's garage and training up as a boxer and sparring in a ring in terms of the benefits for your esteem and confidence (as well as fitness). Also, I've done a fair bit of boxing in and out of clubs, and I'd _never_ swing on someone unless they had headgear and I was in gloves. If you know what you're doing, you understand a handful of landed punches is going to leave some decent damage on a person. The problem when you don't know what you're doing is you're just as likely to fluke a shot / not pull a punch up early enough from doing some serious damage. Kudos in spirit, but just join a club and work with professionals ffs. You lose so many psychological and physical benefits taking this approach.
- weego 16y ago
  Ironically of course, headgear and gloves are known to be the reason more boxers are affected by long term problems than people who bare knuckle spar. You also wouldn't hit someone in the head with your fist if you know what you are doing because you would probably shatter a knuckle, hence, historically, bare-knuckle bouts were about slowing and draining your opponents energy until they couldn't get up from heavy body blows than knockouts.
  - momotomo 16y ago
    Fill me in on the headgear thing? I've never come across either point in regards to headgear / shattering hands.
    - MercuryCreative 16y ago
      It allows you to absorb a larger number of heavy blows to the head without showing any outward damage. There is an argument that the risk of brain damage is therefor greater because the bouts go on longer. I personally haven't read any studies on the matter so I can't comment on the medical validity. In practice I prefer to fight without headgear. This is completely subjective but I feel sharper afterwards, whereas 6-8 rounds with headgear leave me foggy for a day or two.

OncomingStorm 16y ago

lol, I think this is a parody. Just something a bunch of nerds got together and threw together and is being taken too seriously. Meh just my opinion though, it very well might be for real.

angrycoder 16y ago
This is real. There was an hour long documentary that followed one of these clubs around for a few months.

troyk 16y ago

The Army's Best Ranger competition is a Eco-Challenge event. If you want to get in touch with the "essential nature of man" pit yourself against nature herself (like a week hike of the Sierra Ridge), preferably with a buddy, and you'll walk away with a whole new perspective.

bootload 16y ago
"... The Army's Best Ranger competition is a Eco-Challenge event ..." The Foreign Legion's has it's own version, MDS, "Marathon des Sables" ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_des_Sables http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_des_Sables
- artmageddon 16y ago
  That Wiki link is rather devoid of information about the Marathon des Sables... I would know, as I ran it in 2009. I'm not sure how the Foreign Legion factors into the race, as it was started by Patrick Bauer in 1986(who still oversees it). People of all ages and from all walks of life participate in it. It's a life changing event in which you learn so much about yourself and develop deep friendships with people you've only known for perhaps a few days at most. The participants also suffer.. a LOT-between heat, physical exertion / exhaustion, and being fully self-sufficient for a week. It's a damn grueling event that definitely earns it's spot among the world's toughest foot races. More info here at http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/ http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/ and http://darbaroud.com/index_uk.php http://darbaroud.com/index_uk.php
  - bootload 16y ago
    "... That Wiki link is rather devoid of information about the Marathon des Sables ..." It's always a balance here to go to the original technical source or a general one. I read http://www.darbaroud.com/uk/html/mds/general/uk_26mds_regulation.php http://www.darbaroud.com/uk/html/mds/general/uk_26mds_regula... but most might want a quick overview. "... I'm not sure how the Foreign Legion factors into the race ..." A fair portion of the participants are military - I know of ex Legion who have completed this. "... would know, as I ran it in 2009. ..." What time did you complete in? You gave the UK url where did you train to acclimatise to the heat?

spreiti 16y ago

Why don't they go to their local Muay Thai/Boxing/etc. club and learn proper technique? And if you want to fight: Get into the ring. It's fun. Even if you get beaten up. I've been doing Muay Thai for many years now and beside the workout, I got much closer to my cultural Thai roots. Martial arts is more than fighting. It's about personality building, respect and culture. 'Fight Clubs' like this are dangerous for the participants. They don't know how to hit and could get injured seriously. I just hope no trained fighter is ever going to participate in such a fight and gets serious.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
roel_v 16y ago
There are many such 'fight clubs', not just for geeks, although those are most likely to videotape and post it to Youtube, I guess. It happens in garages across Europe (I have no reason to believe it is different elsewhere). It's just tough guy talking, to have a story to tell in the bar or club. I've been to many and in most places people just stand around to look tough, but avoid any actual workout or training. Any halfway skilled muay thai or bjj fighter (as in, 1/2 year of serious training) can take on 90% of the people in those sort of gatherings. I mean I'm 5ft9 and less than 170 pounds and I've relatively easily dominated people 1 foot taller and 50 pounds heaver, and I'm not even a good fighter. I've seen people get knocked out by accidental swings and hits, and people throwing up because the intense activity of a 1m30s fight was too much for them. Some nose bleeds here and there, but I've never seen 'serious' injuries, mostly because people have no kicking technique, no grappling skills (no joint locks or arm/leg bars) and telegraph punches from miles away. One dude broke his hand punching someone else on a a hard part of the jaw. I don't think it's dangerous, just stupid.
bioh42_2 16y ago
Why don't they go to their local Muay Thai/Boxing/etc. club and learn proper technique? It's serious, and requires a large investment of time, in other words its hard. This on the other hand is easy, lets be out of shape and bash each other with keyboards - yay!

lhnn 16y ago

OP doesn't remember the first two rules.

alinajaf 16y ago

As someone who practiced Kendo for just a while, the little scene where the guy swings a shinai around pretending to be what he thinks a samurai looks like was cringe-worthy and pathetic. If he ever does take up Kendo/Iaido, he will look back and regret it with the fire of a thousand burning suns.

ovi256 16y ago
Never regret anything, because at some point it was exactly what you wanted.

bigmac 16y ago

I've considered joining a Martial Arts gym, because I thoroughly enjoy the competition -- I wrestled all the way through High School. However, I've convinced myself that it may be detrimental to my long term cognitive abilities. Do any HN martial arts participants have any insight into this? Can one really expect to repeatedly get hit in the head and not pay for it, long term?

Eliezer 16y ago
Boxers lose IQ. I believe so do football players.
- rbanffy 16y ago
  So, it helps geeks relate with a larger part of mankind. That has to be something good, right? With a couple years of practice, they may even start enjoying reality shows...
- momotomo 16y ago
  Professional Boxers and Professional rugby players. There's a big difference between trying out social / club style sports and going into amateur / pro boxing competitions.
spreiti 16y ago
I've been doing Muay Thai and Boxing for many years and I work on my master thesis right now (Neural Networks and Statistical Data Analysis). So no, it doesn't make you stupid or influences you in a bad way. Au contraire: It helps you build your personality and you will pursue you goal more ambitiously. Also if you don't competet and only do light sparing you won't get hit hard in the head. So go to you local gym and have fun!
- roel_v 16y ago
  Well you can't conclude from your example that it didn't have any effects. Maybe you would have been smarter if you had only done ballet. I don't think so, that's not what I'm arguing, just that one cannot draw a conclusion from your anecdote.

JacobIrwin 16y ago

Chuck Palahniuk would be proud. I want a go with Sergey. Or Larry.

b0b0b0b 16y ago

These guys got some press several years ago: http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/multimedia/2006/05/fightclub http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/multimedia/2006/05/fi... I was amused hearing of fights where they beat each other only with rolled up newspapers. It beats watching tv and eating pork rinds, I guess.

billswift 16y ago
A tightly rolled newspaper or magazine can be an effective weapon; some schools of escrima or arnis demonstrate how to roll one and use it as a substitute for the short stick.
- yummyfajitas 16y ago
  Soccer hooligans use it as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millwall_brick http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millwall_brick

MrFlibble 16y ago

I'd rather see a reality tv Fight Club. Dancing With the Stars chicks tearing out the hair of American Idol wannabes? Sign me up! ...holy shit, re-reading that I think I just became a mainstream American tv watcher.

endlessvoid94 16y ago

To each his own. But this is idiotic.

georgieporgie 16y ago

This reminds me very strongly of Will Farrel and John Reilly in Step Brothers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0mUyH6dI8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0mUyH6dI8

krobertson 16y ago

Though I was facepalmed through the entire video... it does lend itself to one question: If you could geek fight anyone in history who would it be? :) I'm torn between 1960s Gordon Moore or RMS (any decade).

knieveltech 16y ago
ESR, definitely.
- billswift 16y ago
  He'd hand you your ass. I'm a serious martial artist and I wouldn't want to fight him (outside of training). http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=318 http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=318
  - knieveltech 16y ago
    You're assuming I wouldn't park a bus on him as an opening move.
rbanffy 16y ago
Bill Gates, but he would probably be hiding brass knuckles or a knife.

InclinedPlane 16y ago

How does this differ significantly from self-mutilation (cutting)? Sure, if you feel your life is hum-drum it's easy enough to hurt yourself and to hurt others. To indulge in your violent instincts. It'll pump endorphins into your system and make you feel alive. So will cutting, and bulimia. But these are very unhealthy outlets. I see the fight club mentality as an indication of the dysfunctional nature of modern polite (or "politically correct") society which tends to write off violence and risk as aberrations and taboos. We see this in the ongoing trend of dis-empowering individuals (often in the guise of protecting them) and shifting responsibilities (and power) to organizations and corporations. The perfect example of this is the commonplace fear and hatred of firearms amongst most urban professionals. This subject is too large to be addressed completely in a mere post or two. Suffice it to say that I think these "fight clubs" are a trend of men attempting to ape some perverted ideal of masculinity. A twisted masculinity of violence, domination, and disrespect.

jackvalentine 16y ago
I think your second paragraph answered the question posed in your first.
bioh42_2 16y ago
How does this differ significantly from self-mutilation (cutting)? How does American football (or ruby) differ significantly form this?
- JonnieCache 16y ago
  >(or ruby) I assume you mean rugby, but if not then this is the weakest contribution to the programming language wars ever. Rugby is brutal though.
  - bioh42_2 16y ago
    Ugh, worst typo ever. I did not mean to compare ruby to self-mutilation.
endtime 16y ago

rbanffy 16y ago

Loved the "I do it for the hugs afterwards" line.

jtbigwoo 16y ago
I thought that line was incredibly sad. Why isn't anybody hugging him at other times?

fbnt 16y ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R90QyIBJqrg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R90QyIBJqrg

wooptoo 16y ago

"I do it for the hugs" Awesome

Bitmobrich 16y ago

It looks like some miss guided people, that wrongly interpreted Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.

wil2k 16y ago

And I was thinking that geeks were sticking to Search Engine Battle Raps... ;-) http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=search http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=search engine battle rap

Roboprog 16y ago

Hitting each other with a keyboard? Now days, that's just funny (the keyboard probably took the worst of it). Back in the 80's, that would have been assault with a deadly weapon. Back then, keyboards had massive steel frames, "suitable for cracking a managers skull", as it says in the jargon file :-)

JonnieCache 16y ago

Real geeks do http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_boxing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_boxing

EvanK 16y ago

yeah, that is retarded. getting exercise is good. exerting yourself is good. even learning some kind of self defense is good. but that is just completely retarded. speaking as someone who DID get in a lot of fights growing up, the "it lets me know I'm still alive" thing is ridiculous; there are so many ways to enjoy life without beating the shit out of someone or having someone beat the shit out of you. take up martial arts, or rock climbing, or an actual sport.

codex 16y ago

"In Silicon Valley we have the highest concentration of aggressive people in the United States." Really? More than Fort Hood, Camp Lejeune, or the Louisiana State Penitentiary? What about New York City? I suspect that SV, in fact, has one of the highest concentrations of beta males in the US, and this club is an over-compensation mechanism.