I Was Assaulted Last Night...

[stoneheart]

but luckily I escaped unscathed. Last night I attended a farewell happy hour for a coworker of mine who was leaving the company we work for. A group of us ended staying longer and it was around midnight when I was accosted by a hostile fellow club patron.

Apparently he mistook me for someone else (as I later found out). He accused me of interfering in his relationship with his girlfriend. It was loud in the bar and I didn't understand what he was saying when he first grabbed my shoulder. I sort of just smiled and said something unintelligible, surprised as I was.

He snarled at me and took a swing at me. I didn't think at all - this was all reaction. I stepped quickly to the inside of the hook punch and grabbed his wrist, pulling his arm to my waist as I simultaneously struck his nose with a knifehand. I suppose he was off-balance already or I had pulled more strongly than I thought because this guy was now face-to-face with me and falling onto me. Somewhat panicking, I kneed him somewhere in the midsection. This was really an ineffective blow unlike the knifehand but it at least set up a wrist lock takedown where I spun out the reverse way and forced him to the ground on his face.

The bouncers came over after that, and I found myself being tackled and restrained by a couple of them. After some sorting out, we found out why the guy had attacked me in the first place, and he apologized, but we both were evicted from the club. They didn't call the police, and I'm relieved about that.

I'll be honest. I feel fortunate for coming out of this altercation unharmed. I'm not the kind of guy who gets into fights at all, and this violence was totally unexpected. As I write this, I'm still a little (numb?) from last night, it was so unbelievable.

People, keep on training hard. You never know when you'll need your martial arts. This altercation was over in less than 5 seconds. It could have easily ended with a severe injury for me if my body hadn't automatically done something I had practiced thousands of times before.

 

[Monadnock]

Glad to hear you are OK!

 

[Ceicei]

Glad you survived. It could have been worse if it wasn't for your training. Kudos and you keep training also! You're right, we cannot predict when and where an attack may occur.

- Ceicei

 

[terryl965]

Stoneheart glad you are fine and also glad it was a mistaken identity for you. We just never know when something is going to happen

 

[exile]

Stoneheart—first, I'm immensely relieved that a valued MT friend of mine is safe and sound after being the victim of an unprovoked attack. That's the biggest thing about all this, that you're OK.

Second, you are dead right about the importance of training for this sort of nasty unexpected very close fighting. Just how likely is it that you'll need to use that training? Very small. But so is the likelihood that you'll need your seatbelt and your airbag. I've driven for decades with nothing but the most minor fender-benders, once every five years or so. But I use my seatbelt religiously and I wouldn't buy a car without driver-side airbags for both me and my front-seat passenger.

Third, re fight duration: 5 seconds is probably a good estimate of how long these horrible little empty-hand firefights last. You get in quick and effectively or you don't get in at all.

The bouncers sound very professional—restrained you guys without injuring you. All in all, given how unlucky you were to cross this guy's path, things worked out really really well... weird to think of it that way, but I think it's true!

 

[IcemanSK]

Glad to hear you are OK!

I second that!

 

[tshadowchaser]

First I am happy that you came out of it in good shape.

2nd: It sounds like all your training paid off as you had no time to think but only to act. The fact that you subdued the guy and no one was badly harmed speaks well for your training.

As you said one never knows when an incident will occur and constant practice keeps our reflexes in shape.

 

[Doc_Jude]

Glad you're okay!
Just one more reason for us all to keep training if you ask me...

 

[MA-Caver]

Great that you got out of that alright. Been in a couple of bar fights myself and they're nasty because you've got so many people around and you don't know WHO's the other guy's friend. Plus bouncers won't always be like the ones that handled you and your assailant, they're usually over-testosteroned ex-football jocks that couldn't get into college or the pros and just use their size/bulk to man-handle folks instead of properly subduing them, i.e. getting paid to look for a fight waiting to happen. Yours rightly assessed the situation enough that it didn't warrant calling the police. I've known a few bouncers (in Dallas) that were LEO's (or former) working a second job.
Keep training til it's second nature like your breathing. Thanks for sharing that.
Again glad you're okay. :asian:

 

[Touch Of Death]

but luckily I escaped unscathed. Last night I attended a farewell happy hour for a coworker of mine who was leaving the company we work for. A group of us ended staying longer and it was around midnight when I was accosted by a hostile fellow club patron.

Apparently he mistook me for someone else (as I later found out). He accused me of interfering in his relationship with his girlfriend. It was loud in the bar and I didn't understand what he was saying when he first grabbed my shoulder. I sort of just smiled and said something unintelligible, surprised as I was.

He snarled at me and took a swing at me. I didn't think at all - this was all reaction. I stepped quickly to the inside of the hook punch and grabbed his wrist, pulling his arm to my waist as I simultaneously struck his nose with a knifehand. I suppose he was off-balance already or I had pulled more strongly than I thought because this guy was now face-to-face with me and falling onto me. Somewhat panicking, I kneed him somewhere in the midsection. This was really an ineffective blow unlike the knifehand but it at least set up a wrist lock takedown where I spun out the reverse way and forced him to the ground on his face.

The bouncers came over after that, and I found myself being tackled and restrained by a couple of them. After some sorting out, we found out why the guy had attacked me in the first place, and he apologized, but we both were evicted from the club. They didn't call the police, and I'm relieved about that.

I'll be honest. I feel fortunate for coming out of this altercation unharmed. I'm not the kind of guy who gets into fights at all, and this violence was totally unexpected. As I write this, I'm still a little (numb?) from last night, it was so unbelievable.

People, keep on training hard. You never know when you'll need your martial arts. This altercation was over in less than 5 seconds. It could have easily ended with a severe injury for me if my body hadn't automatically done something I had practiced thousands of times before.

I'm a bartender; so, I'm not preaching, but Bars are great places to be the victim of mistaken identity. I know its a dumb song but, if your gonna go to a bar "You wanna go where everybody knows your name".
Sean

 

[zDom]

Hmmm: "mistaken identity" or looking for a victim and ended up "choosing poorly"? (and then using the "mistaken identity" story to smooth things over when it went poorly for him)

I wonder.

(I once watched a guy assault a friend of my brother under the same premise: that he had been messing with the assaulter's girlfriend. At the time, I waited for him to defend himself before stepping in to break it up. If I had it to do over again, I would have stepped in sooner and more forcefully.)

Either way, the guy deserves to have charges pressed against him for assault and should be barred from that establishment. It is people like him that make bars dangerous places.

Even if you HAD "interferred" with the relationship between him and his girlfriend, he is not justified in assaulting you, and initiating his assault in a bar indicates he is not only a thug, but a stupid thug.

I only wish your response would have caused him serious enough injury to make him seriously reconsider the possible consequences before assaulting another innocent person in a bar or other place.

I'm glad things worked out for you and you ended up unharmed!

 

[stoneheart]

Thank you for the well-wishes from everyone. It's true that bars aren't the safest places to be. I'm a fairly new father with a wife to go home to, so I truly don't hang out in them frequently at all. Actually, this is the first time I've had a beer outside of my home in over a year, but I won't blame the bar for the incident.

I only wish your response would have caused him serious enough injury to make him seriously reconsider the possible consequences before assaulting another innocent person in a bar or other place.

I'm fairly sure I broke his nose with the shuto. He was bleeding profusely onto his white shirt. It was a very vivid image.

If I could take the strike back and still have escaped safely as I did, I would however.

 

[Kacey]

Y'know, he started it, and you finished it. You didn't get into trouble, and he should have - and still could, I suspect, if you wanted to press charges - but is it worth it to you?

I'm glad you're okay, and hopefully, whatever injuries he sustained will stop him the next time before he thinks he sees someone who he thinks is interfering in his relationship.

 

[Carol]

VERY glad to hear that you are OK!

You are so right that you will never know when you will need training.

 

[14 Kempo]

Was he looking for me?

Glad you were able to handle the situation ... train, train, train ... there is a reason for it all.

Funny thing is our Martial Arts training, we spend hours upon hours of blood and sweat for something that most of us hope we'll never find a need.

 

[Miles]

Glad you responded appropriately and no one was hurt!

Miles

 

[theletch1]

Great to hear that you're training kicked in without having to give it any conscious thought. This situation is why I just don't go to bars/clubs at all any more.

 

[Sukerkin]

Thank you for the well-wishes from everyone.

You're more than welcome, sir, as I add mine to the 'pot'.

It's true that bars aren't the safest places to be.

And yet oddly I've had a fight erupt all around me and have a guy pause in his scrapping to apologise for spilling my drink and actually go and buy me a new one when it was all over :lol:.

I'm a fairly new father with a wife to go home to, so I truly don't hang out in them frequently at all. Actually, this is the first time I've had a beer outside of my home in over a year, but I won't blame the bar for the incident.

I concur completely - the days when you could go out to the pub for a few pints and a chat are long gone it seems, at least in towns. Too-bright lights, too-loud music and too-high temperatures are all the order of the day to make you drink more .

I'm fairly sure I broke his nose with the shuto. He was bleeding profusely onto his white shirt. It was a very vivid image.

If I could take the strike back and still have escaped safely as I did, I would however.

Absolutely the right attitude, my friend. We train in martial arts, in part, to enhance our ability to defend ourselves (just as you did) but also it is important to retain the mindset that violence is the last resort.

I have met a few MAists (usually young ones) over the years who took delight in regailing me with tales of the hurt they'd inflicted on someone as if it was something to be proud of; to my mind they've missed something along the way in their training. :tdown:.

 

[kidswarrior]

I'm fairly sure I broke his nose with the shuto. He was bleeding profusely onto his white shirt. It was a very vivid image.

Very easy to do.

If I could take the strike back and still have escaped safely as I did, I would however.

I know what you mean. I regret every time I've ever hurt someone else, even when it seemed there was no choice. Still, better to live with that regret than a broken nose of your own. So, all in all I believe your training took over and provided the best ending possible under the circumstances. Glad you're OK.

 

[kidswarrior]

You're more than welcome, sir, as I add mine to the 'pot'.



And yet oddly I've had a fight erupt all around me and have a guy pause in his scrapping to apologise for spilling my drink and actually go and buy me a new one when it was all over :lol:.




I concur completely - the days when you could go out to the pub for a few pints and a chat are long gone it seems, at least in towns. Too-bright lights, too-loud music and too-high temperatures are all the order of the day to make you drink more .



Absolutely the right attitude, my friend. We train in martial arts, in part, to enhance our ability to defend ourselves (just as you did) but also it is important to retain the mindset that violence is the last resort.

I have met a few MAists (usually young ones) over the years who took delight in regailing me with tales of the hurt they'd inflicted on someone as if it was something to be proud of; to my mind they've missed something along the way in their training. :tdown:.

If I'd just read the whole thread first, could have saved my post and just typed, What he said. :lol: On top of that, I'm locked out of the rep vault, so can't even rep Suke for a superb post. :rules: