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In response to many threads that are all or mostly dealing with the ineffectiveness of traditional MAs at self-defense I ask what kinds of people should you be training to defeat?
There are 4 basic categories for potential fighters/attackers:
1) The amateur,
2) The professional,
3) The sexual predator
4) Chemically induced craze or the mentally ill.
*and their subcategories
The amateur:
A: This guy is your basic ordinary nice guy he isn’t going around looking for trouble. He is someone who is just looking for a good time and he just wants to be left alone, but under certain circumstances if provoked he might be ready to take you on or defend himself.
B: An ordinary guy as above but may become macho when drinking or under other circumstances and can’t control his ego. He will be the guy who tends to fight when drunk, or he feels he has to protect his pride in front of his friends otherwise he would never be a problem. This guy probably gets beat up every now and then because his mouth gets a little loud at times.
C: Any of the above but is either very muscle bound or a trained Martial artist.
None of these guys are bad asses they do not go around looking for a fight but under the right circumstances they may end up fighting. They may fight for ideological reasons, in self-defense, or because they got drunk and got loud, etc, but they usually fight fair and aren’t looking to hurt anyone. Their fights are amusing to watch but no one winds up in the hospital (usually anyway).
The professional:
A: The criminal! He is a guy looking to rob you to score money. He may want money for drugs, or he may be involved in a gang initiation, or some other reason involving criminal activity. This guy will usually be armed with a knife, gun, or several of his friends. He is a predator, looking for prey; he’s the guy in the dark alley or in the dark parking garage outside the mall or movie theatre. He will pick the place, choose his prey, and he’ll strike when the time is right for him. They usually don’t want a fight but will seriously injure or kill you if they have too.
B: The alpha macho male with ego to large for his little head and a temper out of control. He is always looking for a fight to show how bad ass he is. These guys usually have large muscles and a very hard core personality to go with it. These guys usually have a reputation for fighting and putting people in the hospital, even their friends are afraid of them. These guys were the bullies in high school who never grew out of it. They fight for the thrill and excitement of it. They are the ones who will start the fight, sucker punch you and after you lay unconscious on the ground they continue to stomp your head into a bloody pulp then Bragg about it to all their friends for years to come. They have a temper problem and have no fear and are willing to use violence at the drop of a hat.
Any average black belt of any style or system should be able to defeat pretty much anyone from the amateur category without much of a problem under most circumstances. These seem to make up the majority of scraps you see at house parties, school yards and most bars.
The problem is you have a martial artist who defeats one of these guys in the amateur group and thinks his art is effective at self-defense. Well that’s good and all but you should be able to defeat this guy, but what about the second category, the pro?
Can you defeat him? The criminal just wants your money or property, just give it to him! There are only a small set of circumstances where you would fight these guys. Only engage them if you believe they will kill you and there are no other alternatives.
The best way to defeat these guys is to not be there in the first place by using your intelligence, common sense, situational awareness and knowing your surroundings. Do not go out alone at night, stay out of bad areas of town, do not go into dark places, Etc. Cooperate with the perp’ if you do find yourself being robbed.
Generally speaking your martial arts training won’t do much good because you’ll be out numbered or they will be carrying a weapon to use against you. I don’t care how good you think you are at disarms don’t do it unless your live is in immediate danger of being snuffed out.
Now for group B professionals the street fighter, these guys are very violent and they just want to pound you. They do it for the fun of it! They don’t fight fair, and they don’t fear you. They will usually pick a fight because they think you are weak or they just don’t like the way you look. They will posture and talk shit like what the f*** are you looking at or simply ambush you with a sudden unexpected attack.
The B group pro lives and dies on the streets and comes very physically and psychologically tough.
Can your martial arts stack up against these guys?
Other types:
1) The drug crazed: they can be difficult because they may exhibit super human strength and may not feel pain or fear.
2) The mentally ill: They also may exhibit strength that is greater than what you think they should have, they maybe hearing voices and lashing out of fear or paranoia. These guys can also be very violent and will usually attack unexpectedly
Scenario 1:
Amateur
Dean he’s married with a kid or two, he stands 5’10” 160 lbs who works behind a desk in a high rise building and drives a BMW, Maybe he’s had a bad day, a fight with his wife and he’s frustrated with traffic in afternoon rush hour home. He stops at the store to get something for dinner and you (unknowingly of course) cut in front of him at the check out stand and he comes unglued and begins spewing forth obscenities at you and maybe a threat.
Now the Dean category of person will usually be easy to talk down (verbal de-escalation) and this type of encounter will usually not end in a fight. If it does any Martial artist with an upper colored belt or black belt should be able to handle Dean quite easily even if they are smaller. Dean shouldn’t present much of a problem.
Scenario 2:
Amateur
Dan he’s a normal teenager (18) he has a GED and works in a record store stocking CDs. He drives a VW bus and likes the cure or maybe the Grateful Dead. He is 5’11” 170 lbs. At a house party and after several beers and a shot or two he sees you talking to his girl friend. He becomes jealous and comes at you. Again as a Black belt of Joe Bob’s blow job jitsu you should easily talk him down or if you must easily defeat him.
These types of people make up a great many fights just because there are so many of them. Most black belts of any style should be prepared and do quite well as long as Dean and Dan’s friends don’t appear and join in or they pull a weapon.
Scenario 3:
Pro (criminal)
You just got out of a late movie and you and your girlfriend are walking back to your car. The parking lot was full when you came in and your car is at the far end of the row in the dark. Your and your girlfriend are talking about your favorite scenes in the movie and aren’t paying enough attention to what’s going on around you. You open the door for girlfriend and let her in and you walk around to your door as you open it you hear something behind you as you turn around you see a guy with a knife (or could be a gun) who says give your wallet.
It doesn’t matter how much training or how good you are or what style you practice just give him your damn wallet (do not attempt to disarm him)!
He runs off with your money but you and your girlfriend are okay.
Scenario 4:
Pro (the alpha male bad ass)
You are sitting there with a buddy from work having a cold pint enjoying the music and conversation when a large muscled guy with tattoos from head to toe walks in. He looks like he just got out of prison and all he did there was spend time in the weight room. He goes by Bubba he is mean with an attitude and even his friends are afraid of him. He has no fear of anything or anyone including the police or the justice system, and he is definitely not afraid to escalate the violence to the point it becomes extremely serious.
You hear a glass drop behind you, you instinctively turn and a couple of tables over Bubba make eye contact with you. He’s pissed off because he just found out his girlfriend has been messing around on him so he came to drown his sorrows. He jumps up and yells what the F*** are looking at. You say nothing but he comes towards you anyway.
Now Bubba is the kind a guy who will pick up a pool cue, or break a bottle to cut you with, or approach you with his finger of the left hand swinging around pointed in your face and a knife in his right hand hidden behind his back. He will club you, cut, you, sucker punch you and when you are on the ground he will continue to stomp your head into oblivion.
Does your martial art prepare you for Bubba?
So what kind of people does your martial art prepare you for? A martial artist who defeats a person from the amateur category and then says “see my training, art, or style is effective in self-defense”. I say fine, but it should be for that category but Bubba is the person you need to be training for if your self-defense is going to be worth a damn. We can scenarioize (new word) Bubba all we want too but your training has to built around modern scientific principles with realistic hard core and training.
Of course let’s not forget about the other categories. Basically if you can defeat Bubba you can defeat the rest, at least under most circumstances. However there are never any certainties. And martial arts will not stand up to a gun (run!).
There are 4 basic categories for potential fighters/attackers:
1) The amateur,
2) The professional,
3) The sexual predator
4) Chemically induced craze or the mentally ill.
*and their subcategories
The amateur:
A: This guy is your basic ordinary nice guy he isn’t going around looking for trouble. He is someone who is just looking for a good time and he just wants to be left alone, but under certain circumstances if provoked he might be ready to take you on or defend himself.
B: An ordinary guy as above but may become macho when drinking or under other circumstances and can’t control his ego. He will be the guy who tends to fight when drunk, or he feels he has to protect his pride in front of his friends otherwise he would never be a problem. This guy probably gets beat up every now and then because his mouth gets a little loud at times.
C: Any of the above but is either very muscle bound or a trained Martial artist.
None of these guys are bad asses they do not go around looking for a fight but under the right circumstances they may end up fighting. They may fight for ideological reasons, in self-defense, or because they got drunk and got loud, etc, but they usually fight fair and aren’t looking to hurt anyone. Their fights are amusing to watch but no one winds up in the hospital (usually anyway).
The professional:
A: The criminal! He is a guy looking to rob you to score money. He may want money for drugs, or he may be involved in a gang initiation, or some other reason involving criminal activity. This guy will usually be armed with a knife, gun, or several of his friends. He is a predator, looking for prey; he’s the guy in the dark alley or in the dark parking garage outside the mall or movie theatre. He will pick the place, choose his prey, and he’ll strike when the time is right for him. They usually don’t want a fight but will seriously injure or kill you if they have too.
B: The alpha macho male with ego to large for his little head and a temper out of control. He is always looking for a fight to show how bad ass he is. These guys usually have large muscles and a very hard core personality to go with it. These guys usually have a reputation for fighting and putting people in the hospital, even their friends are afraid of them. These guys were the bullies in high school who never grew out of it. They fight for the thrill and excitement of it. They are the ones who will start the fight, sucker punch you and after you lay unconscious on the ground they continue to stomp your head into a bloody pulp then Bragg about it to all their friends for years to come. They have a temper problem and have no fear and are willing to use violence at the drop of a hat.
Any average black belt of any style or system should be able to defeat pretty much anyone from the amateur category without much of a problem under most circumstances. These seem to make up the majority of scraps you see at house parties, school yards and most bars.
The problem is you have a martial artist who defeats one of these guys in the amateur group and thinks his art is effective at self-defense. Well that’s good and all but you should be able to defeat this guy, but what about the second category, the pro?
Can you defeat him? The criminal just wants your money or property, just give it to him! There are only a small set of circumstances where you would fight these guys. Only engage them if you believe they will kill you and there are no other alternatives.
The best way to defeat these guys is to not be there in the first place by using your intelligence, common sense, situational awareness and knowing your surroundings. Do not go out alone at night, stay out of bad areas of town, do not go into dark places, Etc. Cooperate with the perp’ if you do find yourself being robbed.
Generally speaking your martial arts training won’t do much good because you’ll be out numbered or they will be carrying a weapon to use against you. I don’t care how good you think you are at disarms don’t do it unless your live is in immediate danger of being snuffed out.
Now for group B professionals the street fighter, these guys are very violent and they just want to pound you. They do it for the fun of it! They don’t fight fair, and they don’t fear you. They will usually pick a fight because they think you are weak or they just don’t like the way you look. They will posture and talk shit like what the f*** are you looking at or simply ambush you with a sudden unexpected attack.
The B group pro lives and dies on the streets and comes very physically and psychologically tough.
Can your martial arts stack up against these guys?
Other types:
1) The drug crazed: they can be difficult because they may exhibit super human strength and may not feel pain or fear.
2) The mentally ill: They also may exhibit strength that is greater than what you think they should have, they maybe hearing voices and lashing out of fear or paranoia. These guys can also be very violent and will usually attack unexpectedly
Scenario 1:
Amateur
Dean he’s married with a kid or two, he stands 5’10” 160 lbs who works behind a desk in a high rise building and drives a BMW, Maybe he’s had a bad day, a fight with his wife and he’s frustrated with traffic in afternoon rush hour home. He stops at the store to get something for dinner and you (unknowingly of course) cut in front of him at the check out stand and he comes unglued and begins spewing forth obscenities at you and maybe a threat.
Now the Dean category of person will usually be easy to talk down (verbal de-escalation) and this type of encounter will usually not end in a fight. If it does any Martial artist with an upper colored belt or black belt should be able to handle Dean quite easily even if they are smaller. Dean shouldn’t present much of a problem.
Scenario 2:
Amateur
Dan he’s a normal teenager (18) he has a GED and works in a record store stocking CDs. He drives a VW bus and likes the cure or maybe the Grateful Dead. He is 5’11” 170 lbs. At a house party and after several beers and a shot or two he sees you talking to his girl friend. He becomes jealous and comes at you. Again as a Black belt of Joe Bob’s blow job jitsu you should easily talk him down or if you must easily defeat him.
These types of people make up a great many fights just because there are so many of them. Most black belts of any style should be prepared and do quite well as long as Dean and Dan’s friends don’t appear and join in or they pull a weapon.
Scenario 3:
Pro (criminal)
You just got out of a late movie and you and your girlfriend are walking back to your car. The parking lot was full when you came in and your car is at the far end of the row in the dark. Your and your girlfriend are talking about your favorite scenes in the movie and aren’t paying enough attention to what’s going on around you. You open the door for girlfriend and let her in and you walk around to your door as you open it you hear something behind you as you turn around you see a guy with a knife (or could be a gun) who says give your wallet.
It doesn’t matter how much training or how good you are or what style you practice just give him your damn wallet (do not attempt to disarm him)!
He runs off with your money but you and your girlfriend are okay.
Scenario 4:
Pro (the alpha male bad ass)
You are sitting there with a buddy from work having a cold pint enjoying the music and conversation when a large muscled guy with tattoos from head to toe walks in. He looks like he just got out of prison and all he did there was spend time in the weight room. He goes by Bubba he is mean with an attitude and even his friends are afraid of him. He has no fear of anything or anyone including the police or the justice system, and he is definitely not afraid to escalate the violence to the point it becomes extremely serious.
You hear a glass drop behind you, you instinctively turn and a couple of tables over Bubba make eye contact with you. He’s pissed off because he just found out his girlfriend has been messing around on him so he came to drown his sorrows. He jumps up and yells what the F*** are looking at. You say nothing but he comes towards you anyway.
Now Bubba is the kind a guy who will pick up a pool cue, or break a bottle to cut you with, or approach you with his finger of the left hand swinging around pointed in your face and a knife in his right hand hidden behind his back. He will club you, cut, you, sucker punch you and when you are on the ground he will continue to stomp your head into oblivion.
Does your martial art prepare you for Bubba?
So what kind of people does your martial art prepare you for? A martial artist who defeats a person from the amateur category and then says “see my training, art, or style is effective in self-defense”. I say fine, but it should be for that category but Bubba is the person you need to be training for if your self-defense is going to be worth a damn. We can scenarioize (new word) Bubba all we want too but your training has to built around modern scientific principles with realistic hard core and training.
Of course let’s not forget about the other categories. Basically if you can defeat Bubba you can defeat the rest, at least under most circumstances. However there are never any certainties. And martial arts will not stand up to a gun (run!).
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