Fight Science (2008)
Fight Science is a television program shown on the National Geographic Channel in which scientists and martial arts masters work together to analyze the world's fighting techniques, to compare the disciplines and to find out which one has the strongest hits, kicks and deadliest weapons. The show also tries to prove through science if certain legends in fighting are possible, such as whether a one-punch knockout is possible or if ninja are as nimble and deadly as stories tell. There is also a feature on human strength, wherein a man hits his head on bricks in order to shatter them. The show had several spin-offs including Sport Science. Narrator is Robert Leigh. It featured fighters including Rickson Gracie, Bas Rutten, Randy Couture, Alex Huynh, Amir Perets, Mindy Kelly, Bren Foster, Amir Solsky, Glen Levy and Dan Inosanto.
Seasons & Episode
Special operations forces are an elite breed of soldiers with the ultimate military training, superior physicality and extraordinary mental ability, especially under stress. The Fight Science team of scientists push these legendary fighters past their breaking point. A sniper is challenged to shoot between heartbeats while enduring temperature extremes inside a glass box. An Air Force pilot and an Army Ranger are spun in a gyroscope to test their ability to fight spatial disorientation.
For centuries, martial artists have been inspired by the animal kingdom. But can a human strike as fast as a snake, be as nimble as a monkey or as powerful as a tiger? The Fight Science team tests whether kung fu experts stack up against their animal counterparts.
The Fight Science team explores the deadly art of stealth fighters, from hidden defenses to infiltration and escape skills - and discovers some results that defy science. Experts in Brazilian capoeira, karate, tae kwon do, and muay Thai kickboxing execute hair-trigger techniques that push the limits of human ability. A martial artist demonstrates evasive maneuvers and a Shaolin warrior breaks a steal-tipped spear aimed at his throat, allegedly by manipulating the body's powerful energy.
What techniques can the average person use to survive a life-or-death confrontation? To examine methods of turning victims into victors, a team of self-defense experts employ a variety of advanced biomechanical sensors, high-speed photography and 3D animation in the custom-designed lab. You'll see how experts predict an attack before it happens, and how they prevail in a fight even when they are outmatched applying force to vulnerable points on an assailant's body.
They keep our streets safe using high-tech equipment, knowledge of human behavior and nerves of steel. But a cops number one challenge is surviving - and not killing anyone in the process. In a life-or-death situation, can technology determine who fails and who lives to fight another day? SWAT put police techniques and equipment through the ultimate stress test.