What goes through your head in a street fight?

[RTKDCMB]

You can run if you only need to defense yourself,

And if you are confident you can get away.

 

[Buka]

When someone tries to rob you, what you may have in your mind at that particular moment can be:

- How much money do I have in my pocket?
- How long does it take me to make that much money?
- Can I afford to lose this money?
- Does he have a knife or a gun?
- Do I have a knife or a gun?
- Does he have friends near by?
- If I start this fight, do I have chance to take off afterward?
- Do I have the right shoes to take off?
- How fast and how far can I run?
- Do I know the environment well enough?
- Can I afford never come back to this location for the rest of my life?
- Can I afford to leave this city after this fight?
- Can I use this opportunity to test my MA skill?
- When was the last time that I had used my MA skill successfully?
- Can I rob him after I have won this fight?
- How much money do I think he may have in his pocket?
- ...

God, I loved that last one.

 

[JowGaWolf]

This is what I do to prepare for a street self-defense.
1. Prepare myself mentally by acknowledging that self-defense is not the same as a street fight. Often self-defense is deadlier and could involve weapons.
2. Prepare myself mentally to be able to do whatever is needed to defend myself no matter how bad it may hurt the guy I'm fighting. A bad self-defense mentality would be me being more concerned about me hurting my attacker than my attacker is concerned about hitting me.
3. Prepare myself mentally by acknowledging that I'm going to get hit if fists start flying. I can't be afraid of being punched and kicked.
4. Prepare myself mentally by analyzing a situation. I don't want all of my conflicts to result in fights, I have to take cues of when I can exit or when the aggressor can exit. I had a case where the attacker showed signs of wanting to back off. If I see something like this then I'll let attacker make his exit by not taking a victory lap on his exit by saying "yeah you better walk away."
5. Every few months I remind myself of what my first sifu told me. About how I should approach my martial arts training. "Strike your enemy, break his nose, and make him drown on his own blood." This is the energy of not only my training, but also for my self-defense if I'm every in a situation where I'm actually having to fight because everything else failed.

I do a lot of physical training for fighting but for self-defense most is mental preparedness. I think what you are experiencing will stop once you are mentally prepared. You should always run through some worst case "what if" scenarios through you mind. What if I go to a club and this guy sucker punches me: Think of ways to avoid it, ways to spot someone who might want to sucker punch you, and what to do if it resulted in a fight. When situations get bad you can instantly tell who was mentally prepared vs the ones who were caught totally by surprise.

I don't know if this will work for you but it's what I do almost monthly at least 3 or 4 times a month to make sure that I'm mentally prepared. Also for me hitting a stranger is much easier to do than to hit someone I know. Once a gain this is mental training on my part.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I like this video because you can actually see the thought process.

lol what thought process? Dude shouldn't have slapped him with a pizza lol. In what world do people live in that they would think there would be no consequence for slapping someone in the face with a pizza? My life experience book clearly states that if I slap someone in the face with a pizza that there's a 99% chance that I'll have to pay the consequence for it. There's a 85% chance that I'll pay right away. If I'm in the inner city then there's a 95% chance I'll pay right away. lol.

Slap a person in the face with a pizza then then tell the person that you just slapped with a pizza to calm down? lol. That's what happens when you kids don't learn how to think beyond Step: 1

 

[JowGaWolf]

When someone tries to rob you, what you may have in your mind at that particular moment can be:

- How much money do I have in my pocket?
- How long does it take me to make that much money?
- Can I afford to lose this money?
- Does he have a knife or a gun?
- Do I have a knife or a gun?
- Does he have friends near by?
- If I start this fight, do I have chance to take off afterward?
- Do I have the right shoes to take off?
- How fast and how far can I run?
- Do I know the environment well enough?
- Can I afford never come back to this location for the rest of my life?
- Can I afford to leave this city after this fight?
- Can I use this opportunity to test my MA skill?
- When was the last time that I had used my MA skill successfully?
- Can I rob him after I have won this fight?
- How much money do I think he may have in his pocket?
- ...

Can I use this opportunity to test my MA skills? lol. I'm forever thinking of this. I sit and think of the day where I might actually have to use what I've been learning and training on some guy who is just determined that he's going to fight me on the streets. To unleash the full range of MA with no rules of what can or can't be done in the process of self-defense.

 

[drop bear]

lol what thought process? Dude shouldn't have slapped him with a pizza lol. In what world do people live in that they would think there would be no consequence for slapping someone in the face with a pizza? My life experience book clearly states that if I slap someone in the face with a pizza that there's a 99% chance that I'll have to pay the consequence for it. There's a 85% chance that I'll pay right away. If I'm in the inner city then there's a 95% chance I'll pay right away. lol.

Slap a person in the face with a pizza then then tell the person that you just slapped with a pizza to calm down? lol. That's what happens when you kids don't learn how to think beyond Step: 1

I agree. I am sure though there will also be the argument that deescalation is always the correct answer. And so the guy who got pizza slapped should have walked away.

But you can see the reaction that goes from disbelief to what do I do here? To screw that.

I am also impressed by the thought process of the guy who did the pizza slap in that he did not understand where the violent reaction stemmed from. And did not understand why the other guy hit him. All quite an amazing look into two peoples psyche in a kind of awkward social situation.

 

[Paul_D]

So if we just need to read some books for self defense, I guess we don't need to practice any martial arts to learn how to fight and protect ourselves.

You are still confusing fighting with self defence.

If your 80 year old grandmother wants to learn self defence are you going to tell her she's got to join an MMA gym and roll? Or are you going to teach her the skills to avoid situations in the first place?

Prevention is better than cure, I refer you back to the children crossing the road analogy.

 

[Paul_D]

For the benefit of Hanzou

This is an example of both Threat Awareness and Target Hardening, two self defence skills.

www.suzylamplugh.org/personal-safety-tips/free-personal-safety-tips/safety-on-the-street/

This is fighting. It is illegal and has absolutely nothing to do with self defence:-

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2831609/Shocking-footage-Ireland-shows-two-men-violent-bare-knuckle-street-fight-terrified-families.html

Yes, SD still requires some physical skills/techniques of course, but they form only a very small percentage of SD as a whole, the majority is on avoidance and awareness. Fighting, and proficiency at fighting, should still not be confused with SD or proficiency at SD.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I agree. I am sure though there will also be the argument that deescalation is always the correct answer. And so the guy who got pizza slapped should have walked away.

But you can see the reaction that goes from disbelief to what do I do here? To screw that.

I am also impressed by the thought process of the guy who did the pizza slap in that he did not understand where the violent reaction stemmed from. And did not understand why the other guy hit him. All quite an amazing look into two peoples psyche in a kind of awkward social situation.

The delayed response was probably his alpha male coming out. He could either risk appearing weak or he could handle his business. I can't say that I wouldn't have responded the same way (punching the other guy), it would have been an immediate punch right after the pizza slap. That's just "streets" that's in me where something like that could be seen as a weakness. If a guy can slap me with a pizza and get away with it then I'm just asking for others to take advantage of me in the future. That punch was probably more about saving face than anything else. There were women standing around him as well which makes the matter even worse. To be slapped in the face with a pizza, to appear weak in front of women, and to be humiliated all at the same time.... hmmm that would pretty much back me into the corner of "why you gonna make me hit you" lol.

The thing that really amazes me more than the pizza slap is how unaware everyone else is that something happened. I would have been on high alert so I can get out of the way if things get crazy. They just stand around like no big deal.

 

[JowGaWolf]

For the benefit of Hanzou

This is an example of both Threat Awareness and Target Hardening, two self defence skills.

www.suzylamplugh.org/personal-safety-tips/free-personal-safety-tips/safety-on-the-street/

This is fighting. It is illegal and has absolutely nothing to do with self defence:-

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2831609/Shocking-footage-Ireland-shows-two-men-violent-bare-knuckle-street-fight-terrified-families.html

Yes, SD still requires some physical skills/techniques of course, but they form only a very small percentage of SD as a whole, the majority is on avoidance and awareness. Fighting, and proficiency at fighting, should still not be confused with SD or proficiency at SD.

I agree.
Self-defense could include using anything to fend off an attacker. In the U.S. when people think self-defense one of the first things they think about is some kind of weapon with the goal of not getting into a toe-to-toe fight or to end a fight quickly. Just because someone can't fight doesn't mean that they can't defend themselves. People have dogs so that the dog can defend them.

just be sure to have a larger dog if that's the plan lol

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Can I use this opportunity to test my MA skills?

One time I walked on the street in Hawaii. A guy tried to pull a girl into his car. The girl was screaming for help. I walked behind that guy, gave him a neck choke. The guy screamed, "Please don't kill me!" (even today, I still can't believe he would say that.) He let go the girl, the girl ran away, I let go my choke, the guy ran toward the opposite direction. I saved the girl and I also got a chance to test my "neck choke". Nobody got hurt. It was a happy ending.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Did you "test drive" his car after he ran away?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Did you "test drive" his car after he ran away?

I left the scene soon after. Didn't want to wait for him to come back with a gun.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I left the scene soon after. Didn't want to wait for him to come back with a gun.

that is so funny to me because that's how I think lol. I grew up during a time where it was common for the losing person to leave and come back with a gun. lol. A lot of times you didn't even have to fight to have that happen. People losing basketball games and getting clowned on the courts were known to come back with a gun. And according google it still looks like people are getting shot on basketball courts.

 

[Dirty Dog]

What you describe sounds to me like an attempted kidnapping. Honestly, I'd probably have kept the hold on till he passed out (to make sure he didn't draw a weapon immediately) and then called 911. But circumstances...

 

[JowGaWolf]

What you describe sounds to me like an attempted kidnapping. Honestly, I'd probably have kept the hold on till he passed out (to make sure he didn't draw a weapon immediately) and then called 911. But circumstances...

Maybe if the girl didn't run away.

 

[Hanzou]

You are still confusing fighting with self defence.

If your 80 year old grandmother wants to learn self defence are you going to tell her she's got to join an MMA gym and roll? Or are you going to teach her the skills to avoid situations in the first place?

If she's serious about self defense, then she would need to learn both in order to be completely safe (though I'd put her in Bjj or Run-fu instead of MMA).

We can have all of the best intentions in the world, but sometimes we simply can't avoid violence when it comes our way.

 

[Dirty Dog]

If she's serious about self defense, then she would need to learn both in order to be completely safe (though I'd put her in Bjj or Run-fu instead of MMA).

I'd recommend a gun club as an even better choice.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

What you describe sounds to me like an attempted kidnapping. Honestly, I'd probably have kept the hold on till he passed out (to make sure he didn't draw a weapon immediately) and then called 911. But circumstances...

That event happened in the summer of 1984 (more than 31 years ago). I was young back then. I may think more as you have suggested if it happens today.

The interested thing is, Was that

- fighting? There were no punches exchanged.
- self-defense? I wasn't defend for myself.

The guy attacked the girl, I attacked the guy. I don't know what I should call this.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

We can have all of the best intentions in the world, but sometimes we simply can't avoid violence when it comes our way.

Agree! Sometime we just have to take certain risk in our life time. I love the battle speech in the Braveheart movie.

"Fight, you may die. Run, you live, at least for a while, and die in your bed many years from now ..."

This short film makers me to feel that if I was on that bus and I didn't do anything, I may live for the rest of my life with shame.