streetfighting

[ncalpunker]

Hate to contribute to this, but try and avoid a fight if you can. This is hard when your ego is at stake. I have been in lots of street fights (both winning and losing), for one reason or another and I still do not advocate street fighting.

If you do need to fight, the most important thing I have learned is to be able to sum up if the confrontation is gonna go to blows or just be verbal in seconds. Once I make up my mind that the confrontation is gonna go to blows, I just start swinging away. That has been a huge advantage, especially when I have been outnumbered or the other person seems to have an advantage.

The best way to stay out of a fight is just to be friendly and respectful of others. Most people get into fights out of pure disrespect for one another. There are those that start fights just to be bullies and those people probably don't get much resistance from the people they start it with. So throwing the first punch in situations like this work best.

Anyhow, just be smart and try not to get into any fights. I don't go around starting fights, but certianly don't like to be disrespected or see someone that is weak be disrespected, but in the end you are only gonna get into trouble by fighting. I have broken 4 knuckles (and it hurts and you are out of commision for at least 4 to 6 months each time). My last fist fight landed me in jail.

I recently started taking muay thai as a way to have fun fighting in a safe and sportsman like manner. You should look at Martial Arts as a way to better develop your personal self-confidence and discipline. You probably shouldn't be overly concerned with using it in the street. And believe it or not, most (not all) poeple have hardly ever been into a fight or had a valid reason to use their training.

Just my two cents.

[Streetprince]

street fights yeah i been in em. but i never EVER started a fight but I will always try to finish em. but plz dont go looking for trouble beacuse there is always a badder mofo out ther. since class started i could of been in maybe 7-8 fights at the local bars/clubs and i dont drink so i woulda been able to serious kick some drunk arse. but I didnt beacause who knows the guy probly has a freind in ther not drunk and possibly he could be a bad ass so i always walk away. but keep your eyes in the person when you turn away.they might just want a cheapshot.

[OneKick]

Great advice, most times your best weapon is a pair of Nike shows and a sense of what you are actualy going to fight for, as well as live with the end result the next morning. In other words did you fight because there was no other way (mugging) or because somebody said something or similar that nobody can remember the next day ( as your are sitting in the police station to sort out the night before).Another factor is....is this incident 50m from your house or ...in a dark alley in somewhere in SE Asia where even if you take out 1-2 guys, eventualy the other 15 guys with ice picks and fan knifes will eventually catch up with any martial arts skills....the belt is in the ring only, the street has no rules. The locals may also decide to wait for any retaliation for a few days, just as your buddies are somewhere else and you are somewhere where there is no way out.
The other likely scenario is where you have no choice than to fight, in that case you need to strike first, fast and decisive, there is ususally no time for more than 1-2 punches/kicks/elbows....and they have to be effective. Dont stick around for the 10 count and do the "Nike" thing while you still are ahead. Weapons...unless you are planning for a fight (bad plan), dont bring any with you specially if you are in another state or foreign country, you may win a fight but loose the rest of your life. If needed improvise, when there is no other choice and you really have the skills to use them. Nothing looks worse than missing a wild swing with a stick or similar while loosing your balance. Once the 300lb guy with a mustache handle falls on top of you, all the BJJ training wont do much for you, specially if the second smaller guy decides its safe enough to start kicking you in the head from the other side.
What martial art to learn for "the" worst case scenario ? Simple, effective and fast......and it needs to be like an instinct, no time for anything fancy or slow. Western boxing is a good one, Muay Thai and perhaps a few good Judo throws and locks, but dont take the fight to ground or distance. You should decide (before anyone gets close), what part of the body to attack with the best strike/Kick/Knee/elbows while you still control the range, timing and target. Aim for lower body parts (groin, knee, ankle, feet), have a "secondary" target in mind in case you need to (missed, blocked) as head shots tend to miss when you really need one, as well as expose your balanance and the other side will most likely expect or worse be able to counter. Also be surprised how hard the chin of some of these punks are....but a groin is a groin and all knees (from flyweight to heavyweight) are pretty fragile.Strike downwards in slashing motion, hit through the area and get set to cover/guard yourself right away...as you already move away (bolt). The post fight street scenes are always ugly, either you loose or spend he rest of the night in the back of a police car explaining why your opponent is bleeding and you are not! Sorry a post to long...it basically sucks to be in any street fights, because there is no upside either way. A clear cut of self defense is different, but it will be your burden to prove. As one law official (they are in the same boat) told me: "Make sure that the guy that broke into your house, tried to rape your wife....falls "INTO" your house after you shoot him with a shotgun, while trying to run through the backdoor. They were not joking either....