Teaching the student how to fight

JowGaWolf

Sr. Grandmaster
MT Mentor
Joined
Aug 3, 2015
Messages
13,960
Reaction score
5,849
One day someone asked me would I hit a 12 year old in self defense. My answer was "Yes, and I'll hit him with a chair if I need to" They looked at me shocked and horrified then I showed them a picture of a big 12 year old. Would I hit all 12 year olds with a chair? Of course not. The age isn't the issue. It's the size . Not saying that this guy is mean. He's probably a teddy bear, but there are other people his age who may not be as kind, but back to the point.

There's no way that anyone one of us here would be able to use the same force that is used to detain a skinny 12 year old half his size, to stop him. Now think of someone who is not nice, but aggressive who is the same size. You may let a small angry 12 year old punch you, but for me personally, I have no interest taking angry punches from someone his size.


At this point I actually feel sorry about him being so big at a young age because I know the police will think the same thing, if he ever got into a situation where police arrive on the scene. I'm pretty sure his mom gives him lectures about not appearing to be overly aggressive. Or at least I hope she does.
 
Last edited:

JowGaWolf

Sr. Grandmaster
MT Mentor
Joined
Aug 3, 2015
Messages
13,960
Reaction score
5,849
Again not the age...The size and this time the skill set. I used to train a teenage girl who was about 14 at the time this incident occurred. She has one of the most powerful hits that I've ever seen for anyone her age and more powerful than many of the adults that I train with. When I spar with her, she's not allowed to hit me as hard as she likes. For me that would be stupid on my part and dangerous for me. She's tall and skinny just a lot of power and natural strength.

One day she wasn't in the mood and another adult did something that made her swing on him. I can't remember what it was, but it wasn't anything inappropriate. I think we were working on techniques and she was just moody. But she swung on him and hit him in the arm with anger which I quickly addressed. But the thing that really stood out to me was the fear in this 45 year old man's eyes. I've never seen that in him before. He always felt safe in the school but at that time, it was clear to see that he was afraid of her and it was clear to me that she could physically beat him and wasn't afraid to do it.

The 45 year old is heavier but the teen is taller. He has no skill in fighting, but she was good enough to beat all the boys, but went easy on my son because she had a crush on him lol. She would always make the adults giggle when she was younger because she was the one knocking the wind out of them. If there was a boy crying that day, it was most likely because she punch them too hard. So from that point on we worked on her control. I'm glad we did because as a 16 year old teen she had more than enough power in her punches to knock me out and I would be stupid to think otherwise.

If it ever came down to a fight. I would have to actually fight her. I wouldn't be able to just take her lightly like that and still remain safe. It sounds bad, but it's not she's just that talented. She's about 18 or 19 now and still trains kung fu and I can only guess that she's stronger than she was at 16. She's definitely much taller, she looked like she's creeping up on 6 feet the last time I saw her. Her mom raised her to never hold back if she's attacked. I've heard some of the conversations her mom had with her, and anyone who thinks this girl is going to ease off out of concern for their safety, would have made a costly mistake.

Can I fight. Yes,
Am I good at fighting. Yes,
But that doesn't mean other people can't fight.
 

Hanzou

Grandmaster
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
6,770
Reaction score
1,330
Here's what you need to understand.
1. You applied the necessary amount of force to stop your attacker, which is directly related to your skill set. Not everyone can do what you did. I wouldn't expect someone's grandmother or someone without your skill set to take the same course of action. I don't train any technique with the word triangle in it, so that student will get what I got. I'm also not in any role that requires me to Detain. Until I work a job that requires me to Detain, I have no interest in started of with the goal of detaining.

2. A student that you face over there is not the same as a student that I may face over here. I don't know how big students in your area get, but in the U.S. this is a reality. Students here are big enough to slam teachers and cause serious harm. This student isn't attacking with a hammer and I can tell you if he threw fists like this I wouldn't care about restraining him for his safety. I would be more concerned with my safety.

I was born and raised in the US, and while I'm not there now (thank god), that incident did occur in a US high school. And yeah, the guy I dealt with was a teenager who was the size of a house. In other words, I agree with everything you're saying here. Some kids are bloody huge and require full force to deal with.

Here's your hammer attack scenario.. She should have put him in a triangle like you stated.

Hmm, she's lucky to be alive. Hammers to the skull are no joke.
 

JowGaWolf

Sr. Grandmaster
MT Mentor
Joined
Aug 3, 2015
Messages
13,960
Reaction score
5,849
I was born and raised in the US, and while I'm not there now (thank god), that incident did occur in a US high school. And yeah, the guy I dealt with was a teenager who was the size of a house. In other words, I agree with everything you're saying here. Some kids are bloody huge and require full force to deal with.



Hmm, she's lucky to be alive. Hammers to the skull are no joke.
I'm just very cautious about my ability. I undersell myself a lot to help me stay in tune with the harsh reality that there is someone out there that can whoop my butt like it was nothing and that some of those people are younger than I am.

The world isn't the same place that it was when I grew up. Kids were actually kids and acted as such, The kids these days experience things that my generation never had to deal with, and that forces some or influences some to be be vicious at their age. When I was a teen, it was unthinkable to attack a teacher. The number of teachers that were attacked in the 70's and 80's is probably rare and not often. Same with the number of teachers who fight students. There was no such thing as a "knock out game" and active shooter drills were unheard of. I'm not happy that's now a norm., but it is what it is. The US at times can be really dangerous
 

Svarog

Yellow Belt
Joined
Sep 19, 2020
Messages
24
Reaction score
8
self-defense is much wider subject then just fighting. It is 99% prevention. So if you want to teach someone how to defend him self , teach first proper way of recognizing and avoiding potential threats. If confrontation happen bit still didn't become physical, there are ways to defuse situation, so those skills are also important. Next step is to teach students how to use non lethal selfdefense tools , like pepper spray . At the very end, when we talk about physical engagement , teach students only three of four punches and kicks they can be executed with fill power, and then work on situational training every class. Put students under a lot of stress so they can develop mental resilience so they will not find them self in totally alien situation when they have to actually fight . Teaching selfdefense is totally different from teaching traditional martial arts
 

Gerry Seymour

MT Moderator
Staff member
Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
29,973
Reaction score
10,532
Location
Hendersonville, NC
self-defense is much wider subject then just fighting. It is 99% prevention. So if you want to teach someone how to defend him self , teach first proper way of recognizing and avoiding potential threats. If confrontation happen bit still didn't become physical, there are ways to defuse situation, so those skills are also important. Next step is to teach students how to use non lethal selfdefense tools , like pepper spray . At the very end, when we talk about physical engagement , teach students only three of four punches and kicks they can be executed with fill power, and then work on situational training every class. Put students under a lot of stress so they can develop mental resilience so they will not find them self in totally alien situation when they have to actually fight . Teaching selfdefense is totally different from teaching traditional martial arts
The problem with most of that other training is you can't really verify it. It's worth teaching the best of it you can gather, but they can't really test avoidance against a resisting opponent in class. Nor can they actually practice significantly with their pepper spray in class. You can pass along the information, and it may even be good information (some places it really isn't). You can even role-play and practice scenarios. But that doesn't actually give you or them a chance to see if they are effectively learning what's being taught, nor whether what they good enough at what they are learning to actually use it under stress.
 

MFC__2020

Yellow Belt
Joined
Dec 3, 2020
Messages
39
Reaction score
6
Location
Vancouver, BC
You run them through the system like everyone else since that's what they are there for.

If their life is in predictable immediate danger during periods when they aren't training at your school you should advise them to contact the police and not rely on being a Batman type of person.
 

Latest Discussions

Top