Thread: For the experienced only.

In me experience I find that the fact that you have a completely different mindset in the ring and on the street plays a big role. On the street it comes down to pure instinct and its rare that your instinct would tell you to throw a big flash kick. As regards training helping you in street situations I throw tidier punches and am quiker to the mark but thats about it. I think nebody who trains seriously will develop a healthy respect for fighting and thus fight less when confronted outside the ring/dojo. Maybe this is down to the fact that you feel you dont have to prove yourself anymore cos MA gives you a healthy outlet to do this. I know thats true in my case- I used to be a right little terror when out on the town but now fight only when I'm outta options. I might throw a few knees or kicks just above their knees out on the street but you wont find me doing ne Bojansky-style flights!
MA gives you enuff fighting confidence that you dont need to fight

Good question, and I'm sure you will get some varied opinions from here, but here is mine: With Amateur and Pro, I have close to 30 fights in the ring(I know, some of you have over a 100). Anyway, I have had more than my share of street fights over the years as well, not by choice of course, wrong place wrong time shit, ya know. ON to the point....While I have kicked both low and high in the ring, I have never thrown a high kick on the street. IN fact, I have thrown very few low kicks, as the fights have always seemed to have erupted fast and the gap was closed instantly, so no room for kicks. ON the other hand, knees and elbows and palms to the chin have proven effective. But the last two on the street were like 13 on 3(I was one of the 3) and 15 on 2(guess? yep, I was on of the two). IN both of these I was LUCKY enough to talk our way out of a major ass whoopin. I pulled guys off my friends and managed to calm them all down without throwing one strike. Again, very lucky!

My point to all of this is: it is hard to transfer technique from the ring to the street simply because "time" is going at mach 10, thus less time to think and set up shots. What you will bring from the ring to the street is this: Confidence, control of emotions(more relaxed means longer wind) timing, balance, power, and speed, etc...it is the attributes that training and competing develop, that come thru for you in the street.

With your ring experience, you will be more prepared than the average Joe with no experience. The more you train, the more comfortable you become having someone throw shots at you, so in the street you can think clearer.

ONe more point, My advice: NEVER kick high in the street, if you kick low set it up on the high line first, then take the kick low. Remember, there are no "absolutes"...anything can happen at any given time, and anyone can be beaten at any given time.

Hope this "book" answered your question to some degree. Good luck!

Your second question about the shin kick to the leg....I don't think it will be enough to stop the guy on the street, atleast not the first kick. The adrenaline is pumping to high to feel that kinda pain right away, even groin shots don't always stop your oponent immediately. If you do the low round to the leg, I think you are better off going for the inside or outside of the knee vs. the thigh. It goes back to the mindset like JimmyQ just said.

Yea, I would agree, a guy expecting punches will be overwhelmed by the knees, expecially multiple knees. You keep a guy on the defensive all the time and it is hard for him to counter effectively, whether the ring or the street. And, keeping him off guard by switching the attack line is good also. Mixing up the elbows on the high line with the knees on the middle and low lines, and sticking in that low kick during range transitions seems to me to be a good game plan.

Originally Posted by Screamtruth

I've been reading alot throughout this forum, and I have seen that there are a few ring experienced fighters. I have a question for you, and will appreciate your opinions on them.
In all my matches, I rarely kick high, such as to the neck or head. If I see a deliberate opening, then maybe I would go ahead and shoot for it. Although that holds true for a ring match, what about on the street? I have yet to use any of my ring experience in a confrotation elsewhere, and I sometimes question it's effectiveness since I do not know how your average Joe out and about would react to a leg kick, or an elbow across the face. How does your ring time affect your real world scenarios? Has anybody had a confrontation in which they have utilized their low/high Thai kicks? I am comfortable in the gym, but I have a somewhat dimmed confidence out and about.

I am a boxer and I only did boxing for more then 12 years, I've had more scraps in the street than the fights on the ring(competition).
I would rather advise you to discard the possibility of using head kicks in the street, and this is just an opinion from my direct experience. I've had in two diffrent occasions fights with guys who I suppose did martial arts, I can't tell as I am no expert in understanding styles especially from scraps happening very fast in the street, these guys seemed very good with kicks, the first one gave a very high kick in the air and I think it was more to intimidate me, so that I stop, he probably thought that I would shit myself If I think that I was risking to fight against a skilled M. Art expert, that was his mistake with me, he could not know that I was nominated the " Machine gun" in my gym, for my fast boxing combinations, after I closed the distance while his leg was just about to land I attacked him with fast series to face and body just to see him sleeping two seconds after that. The other occasion with another guy, and tha was six or eight months after that, it was with a real tough one who did not wait to launch his attack kicking me to the head, I did not see it coming, I jsut felt something hitting me on the head and I almost lost balance, must be that I am used to take punishment and being a boxer I just instictively counterd with my right hook, closed the distance and here again while he was trying to clinch me I landed four punches before he sat on the ground with a nose running like a tap! but I must admit, that kick made my jaw sore for few days! I think if I was not an experienced boxer he would have probably kicked the shit out of myself.
Not that I go looking for shit, everytime I fight is pure self defence!
With all the respect!

Peace

One of my friends died yesterday in a street-fight. He was struck on the head with a hurley[I dunno if ye know wot that is]. It just puts a perspective on things wen here we are chatting away bout our streetfightin experiences. In memory of Rocky O'Reilley[1983-2004].

Hey Jimmy,

Sorry to hear about your friend. My prayers go out to his family. Yes it is ironic how this happened and here we are discussing it...in fact, yesterday, just before reading your post, I was on the IKF kickboxing forum and a young kickboxer in Virginia tried to save a dog(thats right, a dog) from 4 pumks beating it with 2x4's. Well, he was whoopin' them as I read it when one pulled a knife and stabbed him just under the ribs. They then ran off, the cut just missed being fatal, so he was very lucky.

Yes, you are so right, it does put life in perspective, sad but true.

Keep your chin up man.

Respectfully, Pete Peterson

Thanx for that lads. I'm staying in this weekend as the town is at a standstill due to reprisals. Violence just seems to beget violence.