Throwdowns > Closed

Baun-ded=PH in MOTION said 11/06, 01:05 PM
One could argue that the BIG SMOOCH, that Laurent Blanc did to goalie Fabian Barthez before the games in the 1998 World Cup was intimidating.
How this started and why Barthez allowed it, we'll never know, but apparently it worked wonders. France beat a very talented Brazil team to take home the World Cup.

Entertaining as the Haka is, as far as it being intimidating to the opposition it fails miserably and only serves to fire up the other side. Similar to Baseball's Closer Dennis Eckersley pumping his fist at the Toronto Blue Jays bench in the 1992 World series and followed by the Jays overcoming a 6-1 deficit to go on and win!

QUOTED:"Alexander Ovechkin admitted to a Russian TV station that it helps his game to have sex before games."

Now that may not seem all that intimidating to you on the surface but as talented as Alex is on the ice, he is unquestionalbly one of the ugliest individuals off of it.

Draw your own conclusions from this but keep in mind that Alex is not married.
The team plays 42 games on "the road."

Being the Captain certainley has it's advantages and would indeed, "intimidate" fresh young rookies.
(See photo in comment 4 below.)

Have fun HWC.

Baun-ded=PH in MOTION said 11/06, 02:18 PM
It is rumoured that just before such encounters that Alex can be heard shouting, "Ready or Not here I come."
Now that is just the point...ready or not...HE has a game to play. Now if you don't think a big ugly man chasing you around naked and with a ...you know, is intimidating, I don't know what is...just ask Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry.

But let's get back to the Haka-Kapa-O- Pango.
Designed by Dereck Lardelli the throat slashing move represents drawing vital energy into the heart and lungs. So you're wrong there.

In 2008 Whales refused to move off the field after the Haka...so reverse effect there.
In the same year, New Zealand did a Haka first...so obviously they are not intimidated by it.

The Haka in no way suggests to the opponent they want to put them in the hospital. So you're wrong there or just don't know the tradition of the dance. It is designed to reflect the multi-cultural make-up of contemporary New Zealand.

They may indeed draw energy from the Haka...but it does not intimidate other "insanely fit individuals" any more than two boxers do staring at each other.

Baun-ded=PH in MOTION said 11/07, 01:08 PM
The point is YOU might pi-ss your pants but YOU are NOT the other insanely 'fit' individual on the field.
So it isn't intimidating to the other side. If anything, it fires them up.
In Alex case, it's his ritual, not the woman's or other(not that there is anything wrong with that) so she has no choice, READY or NOT.
This happens 84 times per year, he needs help afterward relieving himself because he has trouble "touching his HOT STICK" as hockey fans know.
I've outlined in my previous arguments what the HAKA is about & why you are wrong.
That's why they're allowed to do it. If it was meant to intimidate the league would not allow it.

Not much different than a Sumu preparing himself before a match.

Being part of an Ali poem would intimidate me more.

Or the fear of ending up on the wrong side of a Rick Nash hi-lite reel.

In truth, there really is a very empty field of choices to compare the Haka. So your TD could be viewed as making a statement rather than a fair two sided debate.

I hope I have at least given FanNation pause to consider something via a 'debate' where there is otherwise none; thus not providing you an easy win.

That's my policy, see Dirty Harry's