learning exp

[andy]

not sure if i should post this here so I apologise in advance if I'm in the wrong area:
About ten years back after reaching an intermediate level in ma. I was young arrogant and foolish (had a lot of mental growing to wade thru)
Anyhow, I was at a bar one night and allready well into my beers when an aquaintence I knew showed up in the next room. I won't bore you with the details of our angst toward each other, suffice to say it was over a woman that the two of us should have both ignored anyway.
In short I had my back to him, I wanted to talk with him peacefully so I set my beer down and turned around into his fist.
ouch; pride was hurt more then anything, my point to all this --I think the few months of introspection this gave me helped me grow more in martial arts then any other time.
It caused me to always consider situational awareness for one thing, along with the value of sobriety. It also granted me a larger sense of humility
It caused me also to consider real world settings to a much higher degree.
I guess I'm wondering if anyone else had a similar learning exp.

 

[Brother John]

It caused me to always consider situational awareness for one thing, along with the value of sobriety. It also granted me a larger sense of humility
It caused me also to consider real world settings to a much higher degree.
I guess I'm wondering if anyone else had a similar learning exp.

Yes, I have.
These lessons are invaluable, never stop collecting them.

Your Brother
John

 

[swiftpete]

I learned that defending yourself when very drunk can be difficult, I went to a house party ages ago, drank a ridiculous amount of homemade cocktails and on the way out some lad stopped me with his arm and then headbutted me. I hadn't done anything to him but his friend then joined in punching me in the face. Thankfully didn't go down. Unfortunately the friend was shouting how I'd headbutted the person who butted me, while they were laying into me and no one really knew me at this party as i was a friend of a friend of someone there. So who did they believe?? So anyway it ended up with a hell of a lot of people against me, miraculously I didn't lose any teeth or break any bones. But i did end up with a very bruised face and some bruises round the back of my neck/head where someone was massaging me with his fist with sovereign ring on, while his helpful friend tried to choke me.

When staggering drunk its quite difficult to defend yourself, i think punches and kicks seem to come in a lot faster and catch you without you really seeing them!
Anyway this was years ago, i think i maybe would do better now in the same situation, although since i escaped relatively unscathed i don't suppose it went all that badly.

 

[swiftpete]

Another learning experience i had was when i was a teenager, before I'd started training in martial arts and i had some local black youths start a fight with me for no reason. I came out of a shop and they were outside, the ridiculous reason they came up with was that i was buying milk, which proved i was being racist.

Anyhow, I had an opportunity to strike first but thought i'd try and talk my way out instead by insisting i didn't want to fight etc etc. All it earned me was a broken jaw, 2 teeth knocked out and after a while some stamps to the head. Getting your head kicked in by 5 people isn't really a cool look, doesn't feel great either.
So i learned that sometimes you can't talk your way out of things, no matter what some people say, i know there are a lot of people on here that say that all the time, sometimes though it just doesn't happen!
To be honest even if i'd struck first i almost certainly would've had my head kicked in anyway but at least i could have evened it out a tiny bit!
So 3 things learned
1. Don't get in a fight with 5 people if possible.
2. If you're going to have to fight a large group cause as much damage as possible before hitting the deck. Then lie there and groan sometimes as your head/nether regions get stamped on.
3. Don't buy milk.

 

[rutherford]

When staggering drunk its quite difficult to defend yourself, i think punches and kicks seem to come in a lot faster and catch you without you really seeing them!

Yes, they sure do.

And, it takes a lot longer to switch gears. If you've got the idea that you're just gonna talk, the fight will probably be over by the time you're ready to fight.

 

[FearlessFreep]

This is one reason that when I'm playing gigs out at someplace that serves alchohol, I dont drink. If I want a drink, I have it at home

 

[andy]

thank you the value of the experiance is beyond price. but who is darrell craig?
The lessons learned are what I'm hoping others may share as well.
I think I am a more realistic martial practitioner for it. the situational awareness. the mechanics of physical movement. the maturity of responsible actions. The self examination. The harsh reality of what a person may or may not do at any given moment- maybe I'm ranting. But the lessons I came away with I believe made me a far better person and practitioner of ma.

 

[swiftpete]

Sorry if i'm being blind by not seeing it in the thread but i am confused who darrell craig is as well, why did you mention him?

 

[andy]

sorry friend,
A kind person just gave me a positive post and mentioned that name.
but I don't wish to get off my original query- who has learned from a setback-
or what was first, concieved as one?
and how and why are you better for it?

 

[jfarnsworth]

.... If I want a drink, I have it at home

I hear 'ya. Too much trouble to get in whilst drinking out and about. :asian:

 

[sgtmac_46]

I went to a party when I was 19. We were standing around drinking (I had just started and was still working on my first beer), when an acquaintance of mine who had been drinking all day, decided he was going to tackle me. I hadn't done anything to offend him or upset him, he just felt like tackling someone and I was standing there. He hit be broadside and tackled me in to the side of a truck. My head hit the bed, and then the exhaust pipe, slicing open my scalp, and resulting in five stitches.

After we hit the truck, I scrambled to my feet. He was so drunk he was still laying on the ground where he tackled me. He was so drunk he didn't remember tackling me the next day. He also didn't remember me kicking him in the side of the head and ribs afterwards either. Just as well, no hard feelings.

Bottom line, keep an eye on people...especially drunks.

 

[searcher]

I have had eye-opening experiences like you describe and they are very valuable. You should be very glad that you were able to walk away, I have seen to many that were not. I have not had a drink in 5 years last June 17. This has probably helped me more than anything, since I tend to be over-eager at testing my martial skills. To many times I have had bad experience with mixing alcohol and testerone.

 

[arnisador]

Darrell Craig is an iaidoka, no?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0804870233/

 

[bignick]

I mentioned it in a private message. Darrell Craig also teaches Kaisho Goshin Budo Jujutsu in Texas. Some similarities so I asked if he studied under Sensei Craig.

 

[lonecoyote]

I'm with searcher. I haven't had a drink in over six years. Quitting was the best self defense move I ever made. I look back and wonder about how I came through so many bad situations relatively intact.

 

[Tony]

Well even before I started training in Martial ARts I was attacked when I was 17 walking out at night down town. What it taught me was to be more aware of my surroundings and not to walk down town at night. I recall one of them saying " take him in the alleyway", thats when i knew I could have been on the news so I managed to get up al my strenght and struggled free. Even though they had hit me a lot, even kicked me in the groin I felt nothing and there were no mareks at all probably because of the large amount of adrenaline I had. I seldom get drunk and I probably drink maybe 3 times a year but never to excess. I like to keep my wits about me.

 

[arnisador]

I haven't had a drink in over six years. Quitting was the best self defense move I ever made.

An excellent point. People focus so much on fighting that they can lose track of what simple steps one can take for self-defense.

 

[CuongNhuka]

Darrel Craig does differnit forms of ju-jitsu and yes Iaido.

 

[CuongNhuka]

ohh almost forgot Darrel Craig also wrote at least 2 books. Iai, art of drawing the sword. and japans altamit martial art, jujitsu before 1882. i have the second and think he's a pretty intresting person.

sweet Bright bless your blade

John

ohh by the way, if you haven't yet read the thing about canada out lawing the martial arts

 

[arnisador]

He is a fairly prolific writer, I believe.

I don't know anything about his jujutsu style though.