"On The Street"

[MJS]

Looking through a recent Black Belt magazine article the other day, I came across an interesting article. The author was writing regarding the myths of what people think an attack and the attackers on the street will be like. His first remark states that the people that we may face on the street, are not the big, bad people that we imagine. He states that people who tell us to watch out for certain parts of town, because they may be ridden with drugs, gangs and prostitution are simply preying on our fears.

He goes on to examine the 'typical' street fighter, giving the impression that the most common will be someone out of shape. His next step is looking at the skills of the average street fighter, stating that their skills are limited to poor boxing skills consisting of right hand punches and kicking someone once they're down.

He concludes his examination by saying that fighting on the street is no different than in the ring. We're still facing someone determined to hurt us, the difference being, that on the street, we don't have to fight fair. He also states that the chances of your street attacker pulling out a knife and killing us are slim.

So, thoughts on this? Is the picture that he painted accurate, or is he clueless as to what its really like? IMHO, this person either lives in an area where the crime rate is low or he just isn't keeping up with the times. Oddly enough, I read an article in this past weekends paper, talking about a gun that was used in 11 recent shootings in the City of Hartford. In addition to the shootings, it also mentioned that this single gun, was also used to muggings, drug deals, etc. Hmmm...but then again, I thought the odds of a weapon being used were slim??

Mike

 

[MJS]

Not sure how long the article is going to be kept online, but here is a link for anyone interested in reading the story.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-guns1113.artnov13,0,2136341.story

 

[Drac]

I must have missed that article, thank God...Speaking from my own experiences as an officer..They may be old and out of shape but they will keep on fighting, they will bite and spit..Do they do that in the ring??? What was this guy smoking???
I have responded to calls where a veteran "street fighter" took apart a trained martial artist whose never been bloodied..If they are carrying a weapon they will use it without hesitation..I'm sure other will have better comments..

 

[Shizen Shigoku]

Depends what you're talking about: An assault like a mugging? a bar room brawl? gutter punks scrapping in the street? a gang initiation? an attempted kidnapping or rape? home invasion? was the attacker provoked?

If it is a street-fight, then by definition that means there are no victims involved, both (or all for a group encounter) have agreed to the activity.

If is is a form of predation, then the nature of the attack will depend on the attacker's motivation.

I think the article you reference is describing a very specific situation and isn't really describing street violence as a whole.

It sure doesn't match up with my experience.

 

[MJS]

I must have missed that article, thank God...Speaking from my own experiences as an officer..They may be old and out of shape but they will keep on fighting, they will bite and spit..Do they do that in the ring??? What was this guy smoking???
I have responded to calls where a veteran "street fighter" took apart a trained martial artist whose never been bloodied..If they are carrying a weapon they will use it without hesitation..I'm sure other will have better comments..

Thanks for the reply! I'm sure that being in the line of work you're in, you've seen quite a bit!!! By all means, feel free to share more if you choose to! The article in question was in the Jan. 2006 BB mag. I also forgot to mention that the author of this article was using those street fighting videos that you can view online or buy in stores, as a basis for his theory.

Mike

 

[MJS]

I think the article you reference is describing a very specific situation and isn't really describing street violence as a whole.

I took the article as him talking about an assault on the street and the types of people that would commit these acts of violence on the street.

He very well could have been referring to something else, but that is my interpretation.

Mike

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

Frankly, if I should be confronted on the street, my first line of defence would be to high-tail it out of the area and avoid the p*ssed-off thug altogether.

I did not find this author's view very realistic.

 

[Drac]

Thanks for the reply! I'm sure that being in the line of work you're in, you've seen quite a bit

Mike.
All of the members who are LEO's have seen their share..I am going to find that article and maybe write a response..I want to work in his city..

Dan

 

[arnisador]

The street-fight videos are helpful, but I think the fact that they were taped biases the sample. A weapon is pretty common, I'd wager. I also think Drac makes an excellent point: These people will keep coming, fight dirty, and often win. If they didn't, they'd have stopped by now! Never underestimate the advantages conferred by aggression and tenaciousness.

 

[MJS]

Mike.
I am going to find that article and maybe write a response

Go for it!! I was thinking of doing the same thing.

..I want to work in his city..

Dan

The author put Columbus, OH as his city/state.

Mike

 

[terryl965]

All I know is where and when a street fight begins all bets are off and only the strongest will be able to leave.Street fighting and getting in a ring are two totally different approaches to fighting. A thug don't care about rules and if he hurts you or how many of there friends jump in the middle of a fight, they are there to hurt you for that dollar in your pocket.
Terry

 

[BlackCatBonz]

sounds like a load of poop to me.
ive seen guys getting kicked in the head when they were down like their head was a football.
i agree with the whole conditioning aspect of the average guy on the street....but they usually get you when your back is turned.

 

[AdrenalineJunky]

The problem with this is that it's all speculation; the only solid information comes from people's past experiences, which vary, to say the least. I've hung out in Oakland and San Francisco's Mission a lot, without having anybody mess with me. On the other hand, I've been to smaller towns and had people pick fights and pull weapons on me. Street fighting = unpredictable. I spent four years bouncing at a rough hip-hop club in my area. . .drunk people feel less pain and don't think about the consequences of their actions. . .that's about the only constant, at least in my experience. Otherwise, anything goes.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Looking through a recent Black Belt magazine article the other day, I came across an interesting article. The author was writing regarding the myths of what people think an attack and the attackers on the street will be like. His first remark states that the people that we may face on the street, are not the big, bad people that we imagine. He states that people who tell us to watch out for certain parts of town, because they may be ridden with drugs, gangs and prostitution are simply preying on our fears.
Mike

If that were the case, than those "certain" parts of town of which he speaks would have no higher of a crime rate than anywhere else. It sounds a little to me like an informmercial for "unarmed" fighting techniques, because if most people aren't armed, and you buy HIS videos - you WILL prevail. Yeah, right.

My car broke down one evening in "that" part of town, and let me tell you, I got some real looks and even had a group of 4-5 young males try to follow me. I ran and hid and had the tow truck pick me up at the Police substation down the street.

 

[Drac]

drunk people feel less pain and don't think about the consequences of their actions. . .that's about the only constant, at least in my experience. Otherwise, anything goes.

Also very true..

 

[MJS]

The problem with this is that it's all speculation; the only solid information comes from people's past experiences, which vary, to say the least. I've hung out in Oakland and San Francisco's Mission a lot, without having anybody mess with me. On the other hand, I've been to smaller towns and had people pick fights and pull weapons on me. Street fighting = unpredictable. I spent four years bouncing at a rough hip-hop club in my area. . .drunk people feel less pain and don't think about the consequences of their actions. . .that's about the only constant, at least in my experience. Otherwise, anything goes.

Thats true. Certain areas will have more/less crime than others. I just find it odd that the person who wrote this article is making a general assumption of all areas.

Mike

 

[KenpoTex]

I read the article when I got my copy of BB this month (articles like this make me wonder why I subscribe). I think the guy is definately wearing a pair of "rose-colored glasses."

The impression I got from the article was that he thinks people who train in self-defense are being deceived because the are training for situations that, according to him, are extremely rare.

Maybe it's just me but I thought the reason that we trained was to handle those [thankfully] rare incidents.

 

[MJS]

I read the article when I got my copy of BB this month (articles like this make me wonder why I subscribe). I think the guy is definately wearing a pair of "rose-colored glasses."

Unfortunately, this guy seems very set in his ways. I highly doubt that those glasses will ever come off.

The impression I got from the article was that he thinks people who train in self-defense are being deceived because the are training for situations that, according to him, are extremely rare.

Maybe it's just me but I thought the reason that we trained was to handle those [thankfully] rare incidents.

Well, I don't know about him, but I'd rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Mike

 

[Adept]

Well, I don't know about him, but I'd rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Mike

Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, eh?

 

[MJS]

Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, eh?

Absolutely! If we think about our training, we have techniques for countless situations, some of which may never come, but we're still training in the event that we do find ourselves there.

Mike