Originally Posted by
Sharla
I think it probably depends on the style - boxing I'd say no.
Judo yes - there's a guy in my Judo club who's completely blind and he competes often successfully against opponents with no disabilities.
I think the people he trains with have to be more careful than ayone else because he doesn't always know where the edge of the mats it.
I saw him throw a guy onto the floor over the edge of the mat once and the guy who was thrown got up very slowly!
The coaches do a lot of one on one work with him with a radio nearby so he has a point of reference and his dog sits beside the mats with everyone's bags quietly and so well behaved I nearly stepped on it once and it didn't react!
I guess it's ok in Judo because after you get the initial grip you can pretty much feel where your opponent is and more importantly where they are putting their weight.
Judo is all about feel and leverage. Once the grip is attained then the throw happens quite quickly. Although i would say that getting the correct grip on a blind man would be a lot easier than getting one on a judoka who can see.
I doubt he would be able to fight at any competitive level unless against people with other disabilities similar to his. Eyesight is needed for grip fighting (when you get to a decent level...1st Kyu and above) otherwise you haven;t got a bloody clue where you are gripping.
In ground fighting feel and leverage again play a huge part and he could probably be a real handful without needing sight.
IN aswer to the OP's question though. If by fighting blind you mean standing there with a blindfold on surrounded by badguys and as they come at you, you pick them off with perfectly placed blocks, kicks, and punches. No...i'm sure there is some monk sitting in a shaolin temple somewhere that believes he can do this with compliant assailants but in a real situation with real people it doesn't work like that.
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Re: Fighting blind-folded?
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