What exactly IS "The Street"?

[Jenna]

Hey everyone I have seen this term "the street" used frequently in martial arts / SD discussions. And but I do not imagine that "the street" in reality will mean the same for us all. And so I am just wondering when you hear or read the term "the street", what does it mean or signify to you in the MA or SD context? eg. does it represent for you a place or a scenario or a situation? Is it hypothetical or is it real and likely?

I hope that makes sense. Thank you all
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[seasoned]

"The street" is reality at it's finest. The dojo, even though reality based, is not the same, It is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. No matter how well you know something, no matter who you are, the streets will find you out. You can be Sensei, Master or what ever handle you may have, but, if and when the time comes, and the mean streets come up and hit you in the face, will you be prepared, that is the question. This is what "the streets" mean to me.

 

[Big Don]

the mean streets come up and hit you in the face, will you be prepared, that is the question.

It should go with out saying, that if the mean streets do come up and hit you in the face, you did something wrong...

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

The street means the real world also known as reality where anything goes. It comes from literally the street as streetfighting in which there is no rules anything goes to accomplish survival.

The street presents reality vs Dojo training in a safe enviroment and kata. It presents scenerios of real world encounters and life or death altercations.

 

[seasoned]

It should go with out saying, that if the mean streets do come up and hit you in the face, you did something wrong...

Right on, Big Don.

 

[just2kicku]

Hey everyone I have seen this term "the street" used frequently in martial arts / SD discussions. And but I do not imagine that "the street" in reality will mean the same for us all. And so I am just wondering when you hear or read the term "the street", what does it mean or signify to you in the MA or SD context? eg. does it represent for you a place or a scenario or a situation? Is it hypothetical or is it real and likely?

I hope that makes sense. Thank you all
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

Good question Jenna,

To me it's kinda like telling a teenager that someday they'll be in the "real world". It's not a place per se. They go to college and choose a career, but the real test is to get out in the world and see if they'll succeed.

In the dojo we practice for the "streets", but it is a controlled environment. The streets to me, could be a time, place and situation where your knowledge and training have to pass the test where there is no controlled environment. It's more or less a them or me situation.

 

[sgtmac_46]

As has already been pointed out, 'the street' represents any unplanned violent physical confrontation, as opposed to 'the dojo' or 'the ring'.

 

[girlbug2]

My interpretation of "the street" is any place outside the protected confines of dojo, home, or other supposedly safe area. Of course, safety is an illusion anyway; one can be assaulted in one's home or even in the dojo. So really, the street is everywhere.

 

[Jenna]

seasoned, Big Don, JadecloudAlchemist, just2kicku, sgtmac_46, girlbug2 I do appreciate your interpretations very much. Thank you all for taking the time to reply I was wondering what is the actual *reality* of the street for you? Is it a situation that you train for but have not encountered? Is it an actuality that you have to deal with maybe in the course of your duties or because of an unavoidable event? Is it a particular place? A person or group? I do not know if I am being too clear, sorry...

For me "the street" is my perception of personal space at the garage I work in; it is an unwelcome but generally unarmed pester and threat; it is the substance-abusing youths perennially at the end of my block that I cannot walk, drive or cycle past without at least verbal whatnots; it is a gang-run estate that I will not cycle across to get home in the evening. I make it sound bad and but it is my normality. That is "the street" for me. Beyond that, it is a general notion of threatening or violent situations that I try to train for as realistically as conceivable, and but which are to be avoided at all costs and if at all possible.

I wonder what the street is for you, since we all live in different realities, as it were. I am just wondering how the realities of this "street" we train for differ from person to person and one city and country to another

Thank you all again. I appreciate your replies a lot and I appreciate your patience and the fact that my posts are not always too coherent
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[stickarts]

To me it means an uncontrolled environment where anything goes or may happen.

 

[terryl965]

I have to agree with Frank on this it would mean anything and everything can and will happen.

 

[Thems Fighting Words]

I have to agree with Frank on this it would mean anything and everything can and will happen.

Within the confines of physics ofcourse. :mst:

Just a thought with that "anything and everything" idea. How often does one actually encounter a world class opponent on the "street"? It's not like Frank Mir stands around the local park waiting to mug people. Mind you, BJ Penn might.

 

[MJS]

Hey everyone I have seen this term "the street" used frequently in martial arts / SD discussions. And but I do not imagine that "the street" in reality will mean the same for us all. And so I am just wondering when you hear or read the term "the street", what does it mean or signify to you in the MA or SD context? eg. does it represent for you a place or a scenario or a situation? Is it hypothetical or is it real and likely?

I hope that makes sense. Thank you all
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

seasoned, Big Don, JadecloudAlchemist, just2kicku, sgtmac_46, girlbug2 I do appreciate your interpretations very much. Thank you all for taking the time to reply I was wondering what is the actual *reality* of the street for you? Is it a situation that you train for but have not encountered? Is it an actuality that you have to deal with maybe in the course of your duties or because of an unavoidable event? Is it a particular place? A person or group? I do not know if I am being too clear, sorry...

For me "the street" is my perception of personal space at the garage I work in; it is an unwelcome but generally unarmed pester and threat; it is the substance-abusing youths perennially at the end of my block that I cannot walk, drive or cycle past without at least verbal whatnots; it is a gang-run estate that I will not cycle across to get home in the evening. I make it sound bad and but it is my normality. That is "the street" for me. Beyond that, it is a general notion of threatening or violent situations that I try to train for as realistically as conceivable, and but which are to be avoided at all costs and if at all possible.

I wonder what the street is for you, since we all live in different realities, as it were. I am just wondering how the realities of this "street" we train for differ from person to person and one city and country to another

Thank you all again. I appreciate your replies a lot and I appreciate your patience and the fact that my posts are not always too coherent
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

As others have said, its any place that is out of the confines of the dojo; the real world. While we probably won't replicate that feeling in the dojo, we can try to do our best thru the right training. Spontaneous drills, scenario training, all of those things will aid us in dealing with those unexpected things that we may face.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

The Streets:

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[JadecloudAlchemist]

do appreciate your interpretations very much. Thank you all for taking the time to reply I was wondering what is the actual *reality* of the street for you?

Brick to the head,Golf club to the back,3 on 1 stomping on some guys head.

an actuality that you have to deal with maybe in the course of your duties or because of an unavoidable event

Brick to the head was a fight I don't remember. Golf club was a robbery,3 on 1 was some skin head fight I saw in a parking lot.

Is it a particular place? A person or group? I do not know if I am being too clear,

It's all around you it can happen at any time at any place. Some places a better chance some people more likely.

I wonder what the street is for you, since we all live in different realities, as it were. I am just wondering how the realities of this "street" we train for differ from person to person and one city and country to another

The street to me as soon as I walk outside my house I am in the street. Everyone I meet has the potential to cause me harm. I always keep looking over my shoulder its just the way it is. Most dojos I have been in do not train you to handle the confrontation you will meet in the streets. Dojos I have been in paint a nonresistant,static technique. It does not mean the technique is bad it is the application of the technique that is in question.
You can check any youtube video to see what street encounters look like and adapt your training and drills to meet this type of onslaught.

 

[Gordon Nore]

Hey everyone I have seen this term "the street" used frequently in martial arts / SD discussions. And but I do not imagine that "the street" in reality will mean the same for us all. And so I am just wondering when you hear or read the term "the street", what does it mean or signify to you in the MA or SD context? eg. does it represent for you a place or a scenario or a situation? Is it hypothetical or is it real and likely?

I concur with those who say 'the street' is really a metaphor for an uncontrolled environment. My teachers used to put it this way: There's no such thing as a fair fight; there's no such thing as a dirty fight.

Going back to my years working in restaurants, I was always keenly aware of objects that could be a threat to me or others... ashtrays, glasses, furniture. When I was walking someone to the door, I often pushed these items out of the way, or steered the person I was walking away from them.

Once I was visiting a bar I used to work at, tended by the person who trained me as a barman. He was walking a fellow out, as I was pushing stools and sliding ashtrays out of reach. I didn't even work there, but I knew intuitively that these items were a threat.

Now, for me, I don't walk 'the streets,' which means I'm likely not to be wandering in a dangerous neighbourhood at night. My own neighbourhood is pretty safe, but things happen. I'm conscious of where I am and what I'm doing. If I go to the corner store, I take some cash, not my wallet with all of my cards and ID. I figure, if I don't have it, I won't be risking my life to protect it. If it's dark, and I see clusters of people who make me suspicious, my mit is wrapped around my kubotan. I'm particularly conscious of using bank machines that are not in plain sight, things like that.

So there's a number of ways of interpreting the street and how to make oneself safe.

 

[jks9199]

"The Street" is a catch-all, like others are saying, for what I generally call the Real Deal. It's what those of who train for self defense and real-world application prepare for. There are tons of illusions about the Real Deal, and lots of outright myths... but it's what we do our best to gear our training to prepare ourselves for. This preparation includes physical training as well as book research... and, for those of us who have been there and have the t-shirts, reviewing what worked and what failed to see how we should change our training.

 

[Ironcrane]

I do agree completely with all the things mentioned about "The Street." But on the flip side of the coin, sometimes I feel the street is overhyped. Some people tend to go on about it, as if you're all of a sudden going to be surrounded by an army of Ninja Vampires, armed with machine guns, or something to that effect.
Most all the street fighters I've seen, just charge in with their head foward, and flail their arms around. And I don't mean to downplay street fighters by saying that, as they are without a doubt, dangerous. But there is a limit to what said street fighter can do, even without rules.

 

[Deaf Smith]

The street is everything outisde the dojo. Just walk down the road, or into a building, or a park. It's everywhere people are.

But remember that when you travel outside your home area, the street will not be as familiar as where you live. And that's the big problem. You don't know which corner is the dangerious one, nor what time of day it becomes dangerious.

Many people are robbed or worse cause they didn't know the area they were in was a real bad one. They didn't know the street.

Deaf

 

[chinto]

As has already been pointed out, 'the street' represents any unplanned violent physical confrontation, as opposed to 'the dojo' or 'the ring'.

yes, "the street" refers to any place but the dojo where you encounter violence that is for real. By for real I mean that it is situation where some one has put you in fear for your safety and its time to defend yourself.

I would also say, that in such a situation you had better assume it is deadly force that person intends till shown other wise. So yes there are no rules except staying alive and as uninjured as you may, and the attackers safety or even continued life is something to disregard as completely secondary to your own.

Remember IF YOU FIGHT YOU MAY DIE! and act accordingly! Because if you do not fight in such a situation YOU WILL AT BEST BE INJURED AND WILL PROVABLY DIE!