The Law and Training to Fight

[freefighter2010]

I have met some great fighters and martial artists on this forum. Some of them I would fear being in thier presence as there mere presence would destroy me !

You guys have trained in kungfu, THAI boxing, karate etc spent hour conditioning your fists, muscles turning your hands and feet into deadly weapons.

Maybe you guys are now ultimate fighting machines. But have you stopped to think about the Law ?. What if you accidently wield a blow that crushes someones skull (ok slight exaggeration but still) this could land you in jail.

What are thoughts on the law ?

[Knuckles&Knees]

I have met some great fighters and martial artists on this forum. Some of them I would fear being in thier presence as there mere presence would destroy me !

You guys have trained in kungfu, THAI boxing, karate etc spent hour conditioning your fists, muscles turning your hands and feet into deadly weapons.

Maybe you guys are now ultimate fighting machines. But have you stopped to think about the Law ?. What if you accidently wield a blow that crushes someones skull (ok slight exaggeration but still) this could land you in jail.

What are thoughts on the law ?

Just my point of view, but I think concern for repercussions of the law, for serious injuries that are non-fatal and don't cause paralysis, especially when no weapons are involved... the extent of the concern is probably balanced by the environment you're in.

In my neighborhood there is not much concern I have regarding police and courts in relation to breaking someone's knee or even cracking someone's head open. Many people in my neighborhood prefer not to talk to the police even if they've been mobbed assaulted.

My greater concern would be not leveling enough force against a person to let them know I neither care about going to jail or sending them into a casket. But this is only in relation to my neighborhood and people from certain neighborhoods.

I would not want to *badly* harm someone from a nice neighborhood or well-to-do suburb because - generally speaking - people from there operate on a different value system. Extensive time in jail would almost be a certainty and not only that.... you probably didn't have to go that far to make your point and secure your peace. In the 'hood' it is different, you are not just sending a message to the person you harm, but you are sending a message to the community. Very prudent.

[Guest]

Have a very clear understanding of the law, as it relates to self-defence and reasonable use of force, in your particular corner of the world. This is often very subjective and open to interpretation and manipulation, so there are a range of pro-active and reactive steps you can take to cover your arse. Some of these are being covered in the "Helpful Hints" thread.


p.s. I love the fact that you thought the skull crushing bit was the only slight exaggeration in your intro!

[aseepish]

Also know what kills your "self-defence" defence in your jurisdiction. In Canada for example you cannot claim self-defence [for assault causing less than greivous bodily harm/death] IF YOU PROVOKED THE ATTACK. The means of self-defence typically has to be proportional to the threat you faced. There may be a requirement that you had no reasonable avenue of escape.

Be aware of the consequences of both a criminal charge [beyond the sentence - you could lose your job, your passport, in some jurisdictions your right to vote] and civil suit. Remember O.J. - the Crown/D.A. may not have enough evidence to convict you, but you could still get your pants sued off you in civil court.

And never ever rely on legal advice you found on the internet.

[freefighter2010]

In the UK unfortunately laws are always biased towards the criminal. So if you land a blow on the criminal you are screwed. UK is too full of human rights bullshit and thats why people get away wiht murder overhere. I think we should be more like USA and clamp down on

[Tom Yum]

If a person demonstrates a level of harmful intent (i.e. aggressive actions) you are allowed to use just enough force to subdue the threat, I believe. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[FitnessRubber]

most of it tends to come down to the rules where you live