Why do some people value Street fighting so much.

[Ironbear24]

This something I just don't understand because the majority of the time Street fights will be when you are very outnumbered, your opponent has some sort of weapon or advantage. Or they are simply some drunk idiot or in general an ******* and they usually all know little to nothing about fighting.

They often question your capability based on whether or not you have been in one of these "real fights". And even go as far giving more credibility to people who have been in more of these situations over a person with actual martial arts training.

I myself have only been in about 3 Street fights and the amount of martial prowess that occurred in them, or rather the skill I displayed in them didn't seem like much. This is because it didn't take much to win the fight, these people were idiots, and idiots in general tend to be terrible fighters.

The fight ended with me clinching him by the shirt and low kicking his legs reapetedly while I was rotating with him. He broke the grapple by shoving me where I then kicked him in the face and right there, the fight was over.

The next fight I was in was two guys trying to beat me up over my jacket. One wanted my jacket and the other was I guess his butt buddy and decided to help him. He pulled out a pocket knife, so I picked up a chair and began swinging it at them.

The guy then said " what the @#$% you're cheating." I said really you the one with a knife. An old lady then came by and yelled at us saying she is calling the cops. We then all ran away.

The last one someone attacked me with a box cutter, I don't even know why, it was something stupid and honestly I only remember his face and the fight because it was scary. I think it had something to do with my cousin and his gang, he knew I was related to him so I guess it was a big @#$% you to my cousin. He pulled out a the box cutter and slices my upper arm bad, I tried blocking and stopped my face from being sliced but that was still real bad. I was bleeding and felt might headed as soon as I saw myself bleeding like that.

Something took over and I just punched the guy in the face, I heard a loud thud and felt the shock of the hit travel up my arm. I managed to grab his wrist and control the box cutter. Next thing I know his friends pull him away and my cousin and his friends came around. It turned into a nasty fight. I did not take part in it after that though because I want to take care if the cut.

To be honest. All of these fights felt like either a fluke, or me taking advantage of my surroundings and a mix of dumb luck. I will say none of these were my greatest feats of martial skill because the greatest ones for me happened in competitions and in the dojo, when I was fighting people who KNEW how to fight over stupid thugs that just rely on being cheesy to win the fights that they start in the first place.

I seriously don't get why people give more credit to these idiots over someone like myself who is actually trained to fight, and claim that martial artists in general are weak because they don't "fight for reals." And that people like this are tougher.

They are not tougher, the word they are looking for is cowardly. Idiotic maybe. I do not view my 3 fights as a badge of honor, I see them as something to be embarrassed about. I will also never view my lack of a long lost of Street fights as a badge as a sign of weakness, but I see it as a sign of intelligence. Many of them could have been avoided if I were not stupid and trying to front my own ego. The first one happened because a guy slapped me, so I reacted that way. The second one I could have stayed around my friends instead of walking home alone at 11:30 at night in a bad neighborhood.

The third one I was associating with the wrong people and got caught up in stupid ****. I pride myself in avoiding these situations, not taking part of their idiocy. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Street fights will be when you are very outnumbered, your opponent has some sort of weapon or advantage.

1 am in the morning, someone knocked on your bedroom window. You open your front door. It was one of your neighbors. He told you that his young brother was just beaten up by a group of people. He need your help to revenge. You brought one of your weapons, didn't know whom and how many that you are going to fight against. Soon you found out your that it your group of 20 guys against the other group of 20 guys. The fight started, someone that you have never met attacked you and you fought back. ...

Thing like this happened quite often when I was young back in Taiwan. Under the name of "neighbor help each other" (the modern term could be to protect your turf), street fights did happen.

 

[Ironbear24]

Sounds like the people in Taiwan are much more brave than in the U.S. Out here people only fight if they are much bigger, have a weapon or more numbers.

 

[Lameman]

I can't even remember 1% of fights I've been in, they all sorta blur. But, yeah, largely that is how it goes. And most of the time its something stupid that could've been avoided. And the paranoia sticks with you even after you are out. I can't even go out to eat without one eye going camillian and looking for threats. Don't even get me started on cell phones... 99% of wannabe hard***es can't tell their *** from a hole in the ground when it comes to a fight. They've all been to the school of hard knocks, and that mostly just teaches stupidity. That doesn't make them less dangerous though. The last 1% though are no joke. I've fought more then a few proffessionally trained martial artists many bragging about their skill or belt level. Afterwards I often wondered about what kind of teacher would elevate such a stupid fighter. I have no disrespect for the arts but I have often wondered about the teachers. Giving out belts just to make a few bucks. Highly skilled, with no grasp of the basics. Sorry, now I am ranting. I like what you said. And people are idiots. But you should try and understand that you are what you know. You have no knowledge of a thing then you make prejudiced assumptions. Assumptions that would be proven wrong if you put on the other guys shoes.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Sounds like the people in Taiwan are much more brave than in the U.S. Out here people only fight if they are much bigger, have a weapon or more numbers.

Even when I was in my 1st grade, the kids who came from mainland China fought against kids who were native Taiwanese. The group fight started during the 2 hours lunch time. All kids treated that kind of group fight as "fun". No kid tried to hurt another kid. If I hit you, you are out. Everybody followed that rule.

 

[pgsmith]

Why do some people value Street fighting so much.

Because the vast majority of people have never been in one, and the vast majority opinion of martial artists is that they are learning how to fight. I grew up the white kid in a poor predominantly Mexican neighborhood. Street fights were very familiar, and I learned early-on that it takes much less time to recover from a wound to your pride than it does to recover from a wound to your body.
I've met a very large number of martial artists over the years. With the exception of those who were in law enforcement or security work, there were very few that ever had to use the physical techniques they learned to defend themselves or their family. (I've asked that question a lot!) A lot more have said they make frequent use of mental techniques learned through training such as threat awareness.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

A lot of people who start a martial art do so for self-defense reasons. They have no knowledge of how to tell if an instructor is good or not, so they use the instructors experience in what they're concerned with as a judge. Their criteria doesn't really have a basis in reality, but they have no way of knowing that, especially if they haven't been in a street fight as an adult.

 

[Andrew Green]

Street fighting is a fantasy sport for most. Everything you do works in it and everything you don't do doesn't. In reality most of us are never going to be in a street fight. Since it's rather unprovable, at least in a way with any sort of ethics involved, people can do whatever and the fantasy works.

We also tend to like that "who's art is better" argument way more then matters. Put in a rules based context we can figure it out just fine. We know what works in wrestling, we know what works in Muay Thai, we know what works in MMA. Take it to street fighting and suddenly you got weapons, environment, multiple attackers and all kinds of other things so it becomes impossible to say what actually works best as there are too many variables. Therefore whatever I do is best

Personally I think getting overly concerned about street fighting is not particularly healthy. Obviously some people need it, cops, security, etc. But that's a different sort of street fighting then some random attacker coming at you for your cash, which is what most think of in the martial arts. I'd rather focus on sport, fun, fitness and healthy things. I'd rather approach people thinking they are good people rather then worrying about random attackers all the time.

 

[JowGaWolf]

For the majority of people the possibility of being in a fight on the street is higher than being in a professional fight. The only way professional fight experience out numbers a fight on the street occurrences is if you are currently a professional fighter. For the rest of us, we have been in more fights on the street than professional fights. There is also a difference between a "street fight" and a fight breaking out on the street. I've never been in a fight where I willingly met a person that I didn't like, at a specific location and time, for the purpose of fighting them. If I don't like the person then why bother? I have however been attacked before and each time martial arts saved my butt.

I put more validity on how people deal with the random attacks out of nowhere than I do, people who meet up to fight, or square up to fight. People who square off are usually doing that Alpha male stuff. Most martial artist who train for actually fighting have a different air about them. They are like the dog on the street that has that quiet stare that puts fear into people. Even though we don't "speak dog" we understand that stare to mean, "Don't mess with me, and I won't attack you." Martial artists tend to have that same calm and focus in their eyes that makes it easier for them to talk down aggressive people easier than someone who doesn't train to fight. When you fight in the ring, none of that matters because it's a sporting event. Sporting events are about being #1 Top Dog and not about survival.

I've seen people who train martial arts for fitness and people who train martial arts so they can fight using those techniques. Even though they train the same martial arts, the one who trains to fight for self defense has a different stare. Maybe the stare is one that makes the "predator" feel like they may actually become the "prey."

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

A lot of people who start a martial art do so for self-defense reasons.

When I was 11, my brother in law taught me an open hand form and a pole form. One day I got into fight and I couldn't apply what I had learned. I asked my brother in law. He said, "If you want to learn how to fight, repeat 1 step 3 punches for the next 3 years". In the following 3 years, I totally gave up my form training. I just did my

- step, punch, punch, punch,
- step, punch, punch, punch,
- ..., and still
- step, punch, punch, punch.

That was the best MA suggestion that I have ever learned through my MA training.

 

[Ironbear24]

When I was 11, my brother in law taught me an open hand form and a pole form. One day I got into fight and I couldn't apply what I had learned. I asked my brother in law. He said, "If you want to learn how to fight, repeat 1 step 3 punches for the next 3 years". In the following 3 years, I totally gave up my form training. I just did my

- step, punch, punch, punch,
- step, punch, punch, punch,
- ..., and still
- step, punch, punch, punch.

That was the best MA suggestion that I have ever learned through my MA training.

So are you saying simplicity is the best?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

So are you saying simplicity is the best?

To be able to do one thing good is more important than to know many things. The step, punch, punch, punch is just the starting point. If you can throw good 3 punches combo such as:

- jab, cross, hook,
- jab, cross, uppercut,
- hook low, hook middle, hook high,
- hook, back fist, uppercut,
- ...

you will have all the punching tools that you need for the rest of your life.

A guy in Taiwan had spent 2 years to train "hip throw" only. In that 2 years, his father won't allow him to train any other technique. Later on he became Taiwan Chinese wrestling champ.

 

[Ironbear24]

To be able to do one thing good is more important than to know many things. If you can throw good 3 punches combo such as:

- jab, cross, hook,
- jab, cross, uppercut,
- hook low, hook middle, hook high,
- hook, back fist, uppercut,
- ...

you will have all the punching tools that you need for the rest of your life.

A guy in Taiwan had spent 2 years to train "hip throw" only. In that 2 years, his father won't allow him to train any other technique. Later on he became Taiwan Chinese wrestling champ.

But this sounds so boring . I guess if it will make me a better fighter i'll do it.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

But this sounds so boring . I guess if it will make me a better fighter i'll do it.

Many people just can't go through that "boring training stage" and quit. This kind of "boring training" method may not work for everybody. But if you look at this way. If you spar/wrestle 15 rounds daily,

- today, your succeed/failure ration is 8/7.
- tomorrow, your succeed/failure ration is 9/6.

As long as you can see your successful ratio is getting better and better, it won't be that boring after all.

I do know someone had spent 6 months in "single leg" training. In one wrestling tournament, he had used "single leg" to take down 7 of his opponents and won 7 rounds back to back.

IMO, to be able to develop some "door guarding skill (bread and butter move)" through life time MA training is very important.

 

[Lameman]

Of course the inherit weakness in heavily focusing on just one or a few things, is you are going to be very easy to read. A guy who likes to punch a lot, wears that on his body like clothes. I don't need to wait and see what he does, I already know. I already know what to watch out for and if I can take it away from him, I know that I will have an edge. Course if you win before I can do that, then it really doesn't matter.

 

[MAfreak]

i had a lot of "street fights" as kid, long before martial arts training. i wouldn't recommend it but personally from todays point at least i could say "yes, i had full contact fights without any rules" (and not just point fighting or sparring or such) or "yes this is common" and "this could work" or "this won't work" etc. just useful experiences like the training itself.
but anyway, don't streetfight. i wouldn't do today as well.