 A few weeks ago, we took a look at the live-action Batman films and analyzed the martial arts Batman employed in each film series. Now, if you missed it, there's a link down below in the description. We got a great amount of feedback, however, there was one comment that came in droves. Why didn't we include Adam West's turn at the Cape Crusader? Alright, we heard ya. Let's take a look. Hey guys, don't forget to pick up your own Colors of Combat t-shirt. We've got a brand new collection, 22 designs over multiple different martial arts. That way you guys can wear your art with pride. It's a way for us to support the channel without resorting to sponsorships while you guys have some really cool souvenirs. So get your own now. Check out the link in the description, artofwindowge.com slash store. So why did we leave Adam West off our previous list? Well, basically, we were looking at Batman from a martial arts perspective. And the live-action films featured fight scenes with real people doing real moves, so there was a lot to look at. Yes, Adam West also had a live-action film fair enough. But why didn't we do the same martial arts analysis with him? We just generally felt that he didn't really fit within the context of what we were looking at. But okay, we'll see what we can pull out of this one. I'll also address some irate viewers who pulled the actually card when I included Ninjutsu on the list. And I was also asked which arts I personally think Batman should train in, so I'll sum it up with that. So right off the bat, there are a few complications to analyzing this particular Batman's fighting style. The first is, the show is a comedy and it does not take itself seriously at all, even if the characters do. He's more of a camp crusader than the Dark Knight. Now that alone means the show focuses on slapstick and silly action sequences rather than authentic fighting techniques. The second complication is, it was the 1960s and public's awareness of martial arts was nowhere near where it is today. In the 60s, the general public was maybe aware of terms like kung fu, karate, and possibly taekwondo and judo, so martial arts culture was still very, very young in the United States. And I know in the comic books it's often established as Batman knows all martial arts or 127 arts or whatever. As I said in the previous video, I personally think that's boring and I think Batman is much more interesting when he's limited and has to make tactical choices. So we're not going to address anything established in the comics in this episode. This doesn't leave a whole lot to work with. We don't even have the stunt fighters to look at. Adam West's stunt double was Hooby Kearns, a notable stunt performer in his time, but I can't find any information about any possible martial arts training. So analyzing the show and movie fight scenes, looking past the slapstick, we can sometimes catch glimpses of real concepts. First and foremost, I would have to say boxing was part of this Batman's regimen. He is very punch-oriented and at the time, if someone knew how to fight, boxing was usually involved. Knockout punches, bobbing and weaving, and the occasional footwork implies that this Batman trained in some of the sweet science, though he must have trained at the morse code gym of fighting because he telegraphs everything. The other martial arts that was popular in the U.S. at the time was judo and on occasion we could see Batman and Robin break out rudimentary judo techniques. So I think it's fair that we add that. We also see Batman and Robin kicking. It's not good, but golly, there's a lot of it. Now any kicking arts at the time was pretty much either a karate or taekwondo, but he seems to limit the majority of it to front kicks. So combine that with the occasional one-step block and counter-combinations, this leads more towards karate. Now karate was still fairly new in the United States at the time, I mean there were some pioneers blazing the trail, such as Robert Trias, Peter Urban, Ed Parker, and others, but if you weren't in the martial arts circle yourself, you likely wouldn't have heard of them. However, Adam West seems very well versed in the arts of Vrack, Raph, and Beth Poudot. Now, Boy Wonder Robin was played by Bert Ward, who was said to have had real martial arts experience. Now, this is something I thought was common knowledge, however, when I was doing some surface level research, there seems to be a bit of ambiguity here. He himself claimed to be a black belt in karate and trained at taekwondo and supposedly broke a board during an audition to impress producers. Though there seems to be a lack of official record of him training and a lot of public skepticism, so that kind of puts a big question mark on his claim. And it doesn't help that Bert Ward himself also admitted in an interview that the board breaking was just a karate trick he learned from a karate enthusiast. What I will give the dynamic duo is a very keen sense of their environment. Now, as silly as the show is, part of the spectacle is watching how creative Batman and Robin use their setting and props as advantages. So for this Batman, we'll say that his martial arts background consists of boxing, judo, karate, and violent sound effects. And as a last minute addition, while we were putting this together, we found this clip, which shows that this Batman has a little bit of a standout skill from the other Batman, and we're gonna go ahead and add fencing to the list, because why not? Okay, Ninjutsu. In the previous episode, I included this as a universal attribute to all the other movie Batman. I didn't think this would set people off, but this is YouTube, so here we are. I got many angry comments of, actually, Ninjas weren't real, or actually, this isn't really an art and they didn't work pajamas. One especially triggered viewer went so far to accuse me of not putting a disclaimer on the video that it was fake and that I'm teaching people fake arts and shame on me because I'm going to get someone hurt. I didn't put a fictional disclaimer on a Batman video because I think most of you are smart enough to know that Batman and his movies aren't real. But, okay, here you go. Batman is not real. These episodes analyzed in Batman are not claiming Batman or his methods are real. These videos are a fun analysis of martial arts and Batman should not be taken as an example of legitimate fight training. Batman is fiction. But to set the record straight, I am aware that real ninja didn't run around in black pajamas and perform magic and that it's a Hollywood trope. The debate around shinobi in real history is a totally different topic. However, in the Batman universe, ninjas are real. The art of Ninjutsu is, even they say it in the film, real. So my usage of the term ninja and ninjutsu in the video are within the context of how they are established in the fictional universe of Batman. There you go. Glad we could clear that up. Now, if you stick around for a couple minutes, I'll address another triggered comment. But first, aside from the smoke bombs, deception, darkness and gadgets, what arts do I personally think that Batman should train? Now, a lot of people said that Batman is MMA and that he should train in that. Personally, I think an MMA gym would be one of the worst places for Bruce Wayne to spend time in. Not because they're bad. In fact, MMA gyms are fantastic and they can quickly teach a person how to fight. One person, in a controlled environment, without weapons. The MMA is still a sport and gyms usually spend zero time focusing on various environments, uneven terrain, attacks from weapons, fighting in the dark, in the rain, at heights or even in street clothes. However, the arts we usually see in MMA would be beneficial. So in my opinion, I think Batman should train in, one, boxing. He needs to hit fast, accurately and inflict as much damage with a single strike and keep going. Two, Muay Thai, primarily for the light kicks. Muay Thai has some of the most devastating chopping leg kicks that, if delivered to someone, not conditioned to them, can do a lot of damage. Now, there is a real-life superhero named Phoenix Jones that actually used this kick to win a Street Fight years ago. Those kicks work. Three, BJJ, however, strictly for escapes and reversals. Batman should spend no time on the ground if he can help it. He's not a grappler and that's the worst place he could be with multiple people and we've seen how vulnerable he is on the ground. Instead, he should learn escapes so that he can get back to his feet as fast as he can. Four, Judo or more suitably, traditional Jujutsu for the stand-up grappling to throw people to the ground and do some real joint damage. Five, Sambo would be a great addition for him to throw in. Rough, full contact grappling and slams mixed with striking. Very effective combo. Six, Krav Maga, mainly for the rapid fire, close in combat and tactical weapon usage and defense. Seven, Eskrima, to expand on his knowledge and skill with sticks and And eight, Taekwondo, if he wanted to add some versatility to his kicks. We do occasionally see him kick and Taekwondo could help diversify that skill. Now, as a caveat, I want to make sure that I would think Batman would have to train these hardcore, you know, not tend to a couple classes in these strip mall gyms. He would have to go and train hours and hours and hours a day under immense pressure to make any skills work at the level he would need them to. So I want to avoid any McDodger talk there. But Mr. Dan, you're a Kempo guy. Why didn't you say Kempo? Well, I didn't say Kempo because I was thinking more streamlined tactical that could be drilled hard and quick. In my opinion, Kempo is a great art. However, it's hard to be good at it if you're splitting your attention across eight other arts. Now, I do feel there are some attributes that would be very beneficial should my Batman decide to train in Kempo. Mainly a focus on the anatomical study of action versus reaction, the economy of motion, striking through sequential combinations and a focus on developing an awareness of other attackers. So that's just my opinion and what I would choose if I was creating Batman and his training regimen. I also ended the previous video deciding which Batman I think I could take myself and I said, hockey pads, you know, the copycat guy from the dark night. I just thought it was a funny way to end the episode. But apparently one viewer was especially triggered and left me this gem. Yeah, that stupid cop out answer lost you a potential subscriber and earned you a downvote. Treat your audience with some gosh darned respect. So I am sorry. I attempted to interject any levity into an otherwise dead serious subject. Batman is no place for humor, sarcasm or fun and I should have treated you all with more respect without making a joke out of it. So my serious answer would have to be Adam West because I feel I could see his telegraph moves coming from a mile away and I believe I could survive being hit by styrofoam and balsa wood. Besides, he cannot hit me if he cannot see me. So that's our take on the Adam West Batman in the world of martial arts. If you haven't seen the original video, there is a link down below in the description and I asked you guys, if you were creating Batman, what arts do you feel he should focus on the most? Also, since we're talking about Batman so serious to hear, what would it actually take for someone in real life to be a superhero? Now, we mentioned Phoenix Jones. Is he the real life Batman or the closest thing we can have to it? Let me know what you think.