In the annals of combats sports, martial arts, and combatives, there are few stories as compelling as this documentary on Regimental sergeant major John Cleese teaching a class on self-defence against an assailant armed with a piece of fresh fruit.
It first appeared in “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” Series 1, Episode 4 – “Owl Stretching Time” – which premiered on 26 October 1969. The first part of the sketch was also remade for the Pythons’ first feature documentary “And Now For Something Completely Different”, released in 1971.
In a remake for a new era of fighters and technology, Nikon partnered with two-division BAMMA world champion mixed martial artist Tom ‘Fire Kid’ Duquesnoy and sports photographer Tom Miles. They duo capture split-second moments of impact and reveal scenes that what would otherwise be impossible to see with the naked eye.
See how the rapid processing speed and high ISO capabilities of the Nikon D500 manage to capture the incredibly fast MMA superstar as he defends himself against various fruits such as watermelons, and pumpkins.
A man vs. orange juice.
A man vs. eggs, and ice.
Watermelon is no match for this man’s feets and fists.
A man vs. a pumpkin.
Video of the encounter.
Yes, a pumpkin is a fruit.
As Jennifer K. Nelson and Katherine Zeratsky explain for Mayo Clinic a fruit is the part of the plant that develops from a flower. It’s also the section of the plant that contains the seeds. The other parts of plants are considered vegetables. These include the stems, leaves and roots — and even the flower bud.
The following are technically fruits: avocado, beans, peapods, corn kernels, cucumbers, grains, nuts, olives peppers, pumpkin, squash, sunflower seeds and tomatoes. Vegetables include celery (stem), lettuce (leaves), cauliflower and broccoli (buds), and beets, carrots and potatoes (roots).
One thing that is simple to understand about fruit and vegetables is that most people don’t eat enough of them. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should aim for two or more cups of fruit a day, and two and one-half cups of vegetables. The usual adult eats one cup of fruit and about one and a half cups of vegetables a day.
Between 1999 and 2008, the actual number of servings of fruit and vegetables declined by about 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively. We also know that not eating enough fruits and vegetable plays a role in cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.
