Thread: Fighting -- How to Fight

Punching Tip:
I punch straight with a twist to cause extra damage, punching like this is effective after softening the target with a light jab or disorientating parry.

Always keep thumbs outside of fists unless you want them broken, and keep wrists solidly in line with forearm. Punch with largest two knuckles.

Kicking Tip:
Kicking is not for those without the ability, if you kick on your feet and have not trained to do so (to inflict damage on a target), then I suggest you do not do it unless you are on the floor and trying to fend off while getting up.
If you attempt to kick without proper training then you will likely do more damage to yourself and little to the opponent, also opening yourself up to be countered.

Another tip for kicking is to use a hook kick at a medium range towards the face, perhaps after lightly kicking towards the shin to increase expectancy from the attacker. Coming in a crescent motion upwards, an aware human attacker will have the natural instinct to grab the foot or leg. They will reach downwards and around much too slowly as they interpret your kick to hit their midsection or as a flashy miss, your then straight leg bends at the knee and hooks towards their face causing serious damage, likely incapacitation. An axe style kick -- over onto the collar or neck, can be effective too, but takes much longer to implement and you can be pushed or grabbed more easily, especially if you don't make a decent crescent motion with your leg.

Unless someone is running towards you, I advise you do not enter a fight with a kick unless it is to soften the lower body, leading you up towards a more damaging facial attack. Be careful though, if not done correctly then it is provocative to a punch to your face or a push -- while balancing weight on one leg (even for a low shin kick) this can be devastating to your position in a fight.

Haha, thinking back to my fightin' years *sigh*

Well, the way I'd fight was always real basic... a bit of a mix between straight out boxing, some kickboxing, and some basic grapples and chokes. I did take muay thai, but only for a year. I never really stuck with lots of the more complex strikes, but it did me good as far as numbing my knuckles, knees, and elbows.

Here's my 'style':
Stance - Dominant leg back, left hand out, right hand back. (basic northpaw)
Footwork - Not a lot really, most of my 'dodges' were from bends at the hip, back, and knees.
Punches - Mostly heavy strike with right, or a left-right. Don't use jabs a whole lot, more kicks.
Kicks - Most fights with me ended with a guy on the floor, not from knockout, but 'cause I absolutely ravaged their legs with inside leg kicks. I'd leave their legs so hagard that they'd not be able to walk for days after... literally.
Chokes - Just basic rear and front chokes.

As far as hints and tips... dunno really. There's the obvious, like keeping the thumb outside the fist, and the wrist inline with your arm. Keeping your hands nice and high, and never lowering your head unless you want a knee to the mouth. Just common sense stuff like that. Keep limber, and remember that most people throw punches right for the face (about a 6-8 inch area) so all you have to do is move a foot back or to the side before he connects and you're good. If you ever see the guy 'winding up' for a hook just duck and spear him right in the hips and take him down... likely he'll smash the back off his head on the ground and be out for good. Don't under estimate body shots, 'cause I see so many fighter always looking for that knockout shot. Well I'm going to tell you from experience, if a guy connects with your gut with a solid punch or kick then you'll be messed for the fight... I mean it'll likely end the fight right there. Lots of people focus on protecting the head and face... so if you find an opening kick your leg straight out (sparta style) and even if you have a weak connect you'll daze him pretty bad. The gut is a soft place... take advantage. Also remember when you're kicking to take care not to gibble up your ankle... 'cause if you're hurting just to stand how do you expect to fight?

Anyways... there's a few really basic tips to someone new to fighting... nothing special... but it's just stuff a lot of people don't consider. Like body shots and leg shots can end a fight just as fast, if not faster, then going for head shots. Cripple a guys legs, or tenderize his guts, will surely end a fight... and with much less mess (no bloodied faces).

Originally Posted by ClouD

An axe style kick -- over onto the collar or neck, can be effective too, but takes much longer to implement and you can be pushed or grabbed more easily, especially if you don't make a decent crescent motion with your leg.

Landing an axe kicks are bad on the knees, I never recommend using one. I don't even teach this kick because of that.

I also don't like the term fight, to me a fight is where both parties tries to hurt the other party. An expert will simply move around an attacker and knock them out of commission in a humane way

ClouD are you trained? You seem to have more knowledge than one without proper training would have.


I've been in two "fights" in my life. One was in high school, a kid who didn't like me and I were exchanging words, he jumped on me. I just threw him off of me and held him down until our coach came over and took him away. I didn't bring up my adrenaline and really didn't feel anything for that because I didn't consider him a physical threat so it was very mechanical.

The other was my fault. My friends and I were drunk and saw these two white kids with their pants half way down their asses acting gangster. We thought it would be funny to give them a wedgie since their boxers were exposed so I did it. They both attacked me, I took one of them out with a kick to the stomach and just moved around the other guy until my friends got to us. Well worth it, I hate those types of people, and it was nice to bring them back to reality.

Peripheral Vision is extremely important, when fighting. When fighting, you want to maintain eye contact with your opponent as often as possible. This not only allows you to see where the less-experienced fighter is planning to aim his attack, but it also keeps you from telegraphic your own targets to a your opponent. When staring at an opponents eyes, you should still be able to see that person's entire body, if they are far enough to use every limb effectively. Do not focus too intently on their eyes, as that will give you tunnel vision. Rather, keep your eyes at eye level, but broaden your awareness to everything within your sight range.

Good Defense vs. Overwhelming Offense - Which is better is up to the fighter, but they are both very important. Do not be afraid to take shots (defending them to the best of your ability, of course). This teaches you a lot about your opponent and his/her habits. Do not simply rush into every situation with a barrage of attacks. This puts too much weight on your being able to control a fight, and is just not advisable, if you don't know much about the person you are fighting. This is most effective when it is more or less an even fight. If you can move, and you can block, you can win any fight with minimal effort. Moderation is key, though. Having a solid defense is only good for you, if you're able to do something with it.
In more extreme situations, though, it's best to come at your opponent with overwhelming force. This not only (potentially) disorients the opponent, but leaves them at the disadvantage of having to structure their attacks to fit your position upon them. Light attacks like jabs and erradic movements and chops allow you to more easily set yourself up for more damaging blows by keeping your opponent guessing as to what angle you will possibly attack from next (a key component in the 'lighter', more speed-based, forms of kung-fu). If your opponent has a weapon, it is said that you never take your time in fighting over possession of the weapon. You position yourself to where the weapon is not a vital and immediate threat, and you unload on your opponent with the most overwhelming/damaging force that you possibly can. Go for the throat, the eyes, the nose, WHATEVER you can, and do it in the fastest and most repetitive way possible. Then, when your opponent is completely overwhelmed, even if just for a moment, strip them of their weapon.

Originally Posted by ClouD

Kicking Tip:
Kicking is not for those without the ability, if you kick on your feet and have not trained to do so (to inflict damage on a target), then I suggest you do not do it unless you are on the floor and trying to fend off while getting up.
If you attempt to kick without proper training then you will likely do more damage to yourself and little to the opponent, also opening yourself up to be countered.

That being said, learning to kick is invaluable. It adds a dimension to the fight that most inexperienced opponents (and even the novice street fighter) is completely unprepared for. It forces your opponent to watch your feet, even when they are wanting so badly to anticipate your punches. Unless they are able to maintain enough control to use their peripherals, they will have to re-adjust their eyes often, leaving you to see where they are focusing, at all times. They legs are also longer than the arms, so a good front or side kick is a great way to push someone off of you. Done hard enough, it will stun them just long enough for you to close range and subdue them. Timing is very important, though. Ideally, you want to wait to use a kick, when your opponent isn't likely to see it coming, because it does leave you off balance, even for a moment, and could be taxing. If you land a good punch, throwing a kick behind it can be a game changer. Also, if you feel confident enough in yourself that you can sacrfice balance, a good front kick to the face, while your opponent is still swelling up his chest at you, should prove both unexpected and critical. Make sure you're up to speed on your kicking ability, though. Don't just throw one out there if you haven't practiced it, or don't know how to recover, if you end up on your back.

As far as personal experience. I've only been in a few short, real fights. I've walked away from plenty, though. I've been in numerous karate, boxing and free-form sparring matches, but people have their own opinions on whether or not sparring counts as "fighting" experience. I've taken a little over two years of karate. A couple of weeks of Muay Thai (officially - plenty of home practice), and a lot of boxing drills on my own time. A large portion of my experience comes from having grown up sparring with my closest friends, in our front/back yards. Had teeth knocked out, gave a concussion or two. Good times.

I usually fight with my left foot forward (dominant hand/foot back, like mindwanderer), and I'm most comfortable with kickboxing. I've got good hands, a good right roundhouse, side and front kick. I'm much less experienced with my left foot, but that's the one I throw my spinning heels with. I'm usually very patient and calculated in intense situations, and am usually not the kind of guy you want to just go balls out on, without a good defense. I don't have a lot of experience with getting punched in the face, though (without gloves, at least), so I often question how well my chin would hold up, were I to get into a fight at present. I don't plant on finding out any time soon, though. Any fight you can walk away from is a fight won, I think.

Speaking from martial arts experience (I'm not much of a scrapper).

Don't underestimate body shots, a good hit to the solar plexus will knock the wind out of someone and bend them over for minutes. It also avoids causing serious harm to the person's face/head if you don't want to go to jail. Body shots are critical if you're defending yourself from a drunk or somebody tweaked on drugs because their pain tolerance will be much lower and knocking the wind out of them is pretty much the only way to get them to stop attacking.

Also, never open an attack with a rear leg kick, you can see it coming from a mile away and it exposes your whole body in the process. Bad bad.

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Don't underestimate body shots, a good hit to the solar plexus will knock the wind out of someone and bend them over for minutes. It also avoids causing serious harm to the person's face/head if you don't want to go to jail.

Agreed.

Body shots are critical if you're defending yourself from a drunk or somebody tweaked on drugs because their pain tolerance will be much lower and knocking the wind out of them is pretty much the only way to get them to stop attacking.

I agree as far as weed, aether, and booze... but as far as heroine, speed, meth, and cocaine, I've seen people take mace and batons to the face and not even be fazed... so if the person you're fighting is tweaking out it might be best to try and avoid the fight altogether

Also, never open an attack with a rear leg kick, you can see it coming from a mile away and it exposes your whole body in the process. Bad bad.

In some situations, that'd be true, but if this is a street fight then likely your opponent isn't particularly experienced... and if you know how to toss a wicked rear leg kick then you could end the fight right there. I saw a fight online were a guy threw a massive rear leg kick, with an amazing follow through, that ended up busting the guys arm 'cause he tryed to block the kick. So, if you're confident... I'd go for it... but if you have any doubt, then don't try.

Assuming right handed.

Keep your left foot forward. Angle your body slightly in that direction.

Keep your arms high, covering your face, keeping your fists on your forehead, knuckles facing out. But leave a gap, just enough for you to see, but not enough to let a fist in there.

Keeping your hands there will mean any punch straight to the face will not effect you too badly. And remember, you still have peripheral vision when you are like that. This means you can see "hooks" (punches that "hook" round to hit your face sidey-ways)


Bounce about, like, bounce forward then back, forward then back, so on so on so on.


In this stance and movement, you are able to dodge punches by bouncing further back or ducking or moving to the side, and block punches, jab easy, then make a hard punch.

You can also kick well from this stance. One kick would be to lift your knee up, then extend your foot outwards to kick. Or, if you are too close for that, you can knee them in the stomach by bringing your knee up and bringing your body forward to bring your knee in with a good force.

i couldnt find the picture cause im on a different comp but ill summarize it

1: Chop to the throat
2: Punch to the stomach/balls
3: Knee to the face
4: ????
5: Profit!

First off, I never specifically have any routine to a fight, so I can only state the things I generally improvise as the opporitunities come and go.

Basically, and most importanly, is seeing. Your peripheral vision is extremely sensative to movement, and you can use it better than your focal view to read a person. So, don't look at the person. Look through them. Aim your view two meters behind the person, and it will do wonders. Seriously. Relaxation and looking through a person means far faster reaction time, and a greater awareness of the situation as a whole.

Which brings the most important thing in fighting-- being relaxed. If you're at all tense, your punches are going to feel strong but be weak. What I mean is, flexing as hard as you can and throwing a punch as hard as you can is not nearly the strongest thing you can throw. A loose arm to start and punch fast that ends strong is what you want. Flacid forearms is key to punching because you'll hit faster and stronger and with far more accuracy. Relax your shoulders. Even if you're using one side as neck support- you can still relax your shoulders. Keeping them tense only fatigues your arms faster and makes the fight all the more requiring of efforts that shouldn't be needed. If you keep your chin tucked back and shoulders postured properly, there's no need for a tense shoulder.

As specifics go for me personally, I fight in a left-foot-forward stance that's quite short, light when mobile and rooted when stopped. I've gotten far better at maintaining rooted stances when I'm not moving, and what I'm next to improve on is getting that down when moving. Seriously, if you can do that, expect to fall over when pigs fly and that's about it. (if you're unfamiliar with the term, it's essentially the feeling of focussing your weight downwards. Starts simply by imagining that your feet are buried 3 feet in concrete and imagining it vividly. Try it yourself-- just hop around for two seconds then ask someone to lift you, then take a deep breath in and imagine your feet in 3 feet of concrete-- push the feeling down your body with the exhale, and feel it in your legs, and let them lift you again. They'll have a far harder time doing it).

So, yeah, left foot forward stance and I keep my elbows about a fist and a half apart just above my belly button with my hands at my cheeks. This allows me to move very shortly to the location of a strike, so it's far faster to block things. The use of your whole body in this position is essential-- because your hands are pretty much on the centerline, when pivoting your hips left or right a punch can have a lot more power, even if it's a very subtle movement.

I do love my kicks, and until recent injuries I've been kicking people far taller than me in the head which is quite handy :] front leg kicks are harder to pull off sometimes (I've grown used to it) but they are soooo handy. Kick with your back legs a few times, in the same general place. I like to taunt the person-- right rib kick, right head kick, right head kick, right head kick, LEFT HEAD KICK OUTTA NOWHERE. Just little things like that are great, as long as you keep them inconsistant. Never do the same pattern more than once, or you'd likely be caught for it. Switching up heights is also essential if you want the person to just be dumfounded with your techniques. Kick/punch to the head to open up the body, hitting there to open up the head, repeat and the odd time add in some leg kicks, some hitting in the same spot twice--- to an unorganized mind, it really can overwhelm someone.

As for movement, I'm generally pretty clunky. I don't move a whole lot, and when I do it's pretty linear (bad). Once I get in close I circle around them partway and exit with a kick or something like that, though. Still, be as unpredictable as possible when you want to come in close.

Kicks I use: roundhouse, stomps, crescents, front kicks on some weird diagonal angle (not sure what it's called, my teacher uses it and he just calls in a "flip-kick"), side kicks. None of that cheesy jumping and spinning shit for me.

Punches I use: Just the basics-- jab/punch, hooks, uppercuts. Vertical punches (swoon punches is how you pronounce them in kungfu, not sure how they're spelled >_>) are sometimes used when there's just a small gab exposed on someone where it will fit, but I still rarely use them. Before you get into that fancy crap, master the basics.

So basically you want to have full awareness, good posture, and an empty mind. Think of nothing. Music that's stuck in your head is great-- takes your mind off the fight. Once you've trained yourself to simply react instinctively to a punch coming at you, there is no thinking. Have nothing on your mind whatsoever if you can, and you will come out strong.

EDIT: Forgot to mention one important thing about my stance, my hips are always squared to the person I'm fighting. So, both feet pointing forward. It may seem awkward at first (and it is) but kicks, front or back leg, some far quicker when turning your hips to either side of a kick is equal (for a back leg kick you essentially need to turn the same amount as you do for a front leg kick, as opposed to another stance with the back foot turned away from you; the hip needs to be turned more, and while it may be slightly more powerful to a person the same as you doing it, it's far slower, and recovery time is worse, and balance issues arise as well).

Originally Posted by Banana

i couldnt find the picture cause im on a different comp but ill summarize it

1: Chop to the throat
2: Punch to the stomach/balls
3: Knee to the face
4: ????
5: Profit!

Assuming the person won't do anything in defense or initially, will we?

Also, one final thing-- my hands never leave my face for more than a split second. They don't drop for any kick, and they don't gradually float down to my shoulders when doing combinations. They are always there at my face, and when they leave, they return as fast as they left.

I have practically no street fighting experience, but the one fight that I did get in while in college, and the street fights that I have seen, all ended end up on the ground. My advice is to avoid fights all together. IMO, there is only one true instance when we should "fight" and that is in protection of ourselves, family, others.

If somebody bumps me at a bar and gives me a look, sure my blood boils a little, but what's the point of instigating a fight. Most of these types of fights seem to end after a few punches and some rolling around on the ground until it is broken up. This would not count as protecting yourself.

Now, about 5 months ago, there was a home invasion robbery (two armed men) a few streets from our house. One of the gang banger robbers hid out in our detached garage for 4 hours until the cops gave up looking. Unknowing, I went out later to feed our cat (he had reached in the pet door to unlock it), the dead bolt was locked. I don't usually lock the dead bolt. I had taken my camping knife with me to the garage because all the police commotion had racked my nerves a little. I tried to rationalize why the dead bolt was locked. Surly my wife was out there earlier or something. Something wasn't right though so I walked back around the corner to process it. That's when I saw somebody peek through the shades form inside the garage. The word "armed" zipped in my head. After crapping my pants, I quickly ran back into the house, locked the door, set the alarm, and called 911. The police had to use the dogs to get him out, but eventually did. About a week later I found the 9mm that he had stashed in our garage while hiding. I also realized that he had moved a 2x4 from my wood pile and left it sitting right inside the door. I'm sure he had one of the two ready when he heard me unlocking the door. This would be an example of a time when a fight was potentially unavoidable. Luckily my brain processed it all fast enough that I chose not to kick open the door and try to take him out.

My point is that you might end up fighting somebody who is just out looking for a good street fight, somebody with a gun, somebody with 10 friends around the corner, or somebody like me who will avoid it at all costs.. but then will assume that you intend to kill me.

I have taken Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for over three years now. I also took Aikido and Judo for a brief time. I agree that stand up is great, but in terms of self defense you have to be prepared to end up on the ground. If I am presented with a situation in which I have to protect myself or somebody else, I will be rushing in, probably eating a few close shots on the way in, and then putting the poor fellow to sleep. If I have done everything to avoid it and the person still comes at me, I'm assuming that he intends to kill me. So, everything goes: eye gouging, biting, groin shots, whatever it takes.

As far as actual technique, they only way to learn it is to go train it. It all seems very easy and practical to twist you fist this way, or stand that way, but much of it goes out the window when the sheit hits the fan. This is one reason why I love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Rendori (free sparing) takes up the majority of our class. It is not uncommon for new students to puke during their first couple of classes because of the intensity of the cardio required. It adds a level of realism that you can't get by repeating forms over and over. And to go a step further, BJJ tournaments are about the closest thing to a street fight that I have ever done (MMA of course as well). At tournaments the competitors normally feel twice as strong and twice as fast as my class mates during free sparing. Their adrenaline is pumping and they aren't concerned about popping my elbow or putting me to sleep like they would be their teammate during a class. I have competed about 15 times now and still get nerves every time. They are a huge confidence booster though and a great way to find out what techniques I can actually get to work in the heat of battle, and which ones I need to refine.

My advise is that if a person is truly wanting to learn self-defense. Enroll in a BJJ class that does lots or free sparing and encourages competing. Some form of stand up would be advisable as well. Muay thai would be my art of choice. I already have too many hobbies and interests though. I feel comfortable with BJJ and some heavy bag work at home for fun and exercise.

On a side note: go to youtube and type "bjj vs" and take a look at some of videos. I would never downplay another martial art, so please people don't get your feathers ruffled. The videos just help explain my reasoning in choosing BJJ, besides the fact that it looked damn fun.

All my respect to all martial arts and artists.

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Also, never open an attack with a rear leg kick, you can see it coming from a mile away and it exposes your whole body in the process. Bad bad.

It doesn't expose anything, if you're exposing your body to throw a rear-leg kick then your form is incorrect. Also, a read leg roundhouse from an experienced martial artists shouldn't take more than 100ms. A black belt can deflect it, but someone who doesn't know how to fight won't be able to. Even if they see it coming and somehow get their arm there, doing a correct block takes skill. If the block is wrong the arm will absorb the kick and break instead of harmlessly deflecting it. I agree you should never open with it, though, but a rear-leg sweep would work nicely.

He's a well executed rear-leg reverse roundhouse kick, notice that my hands are still near my body in a defensive position, I am not exposing any of my body to my opponent:

Question:

I've found that I can deliver much more force with a palm-strike than I can put behind a punch, the effectiveness of which I had demonstrated in the only fight I'd been in (I did not instigate it): the two palm strikes broke the skin on my opponents face, one on each side. I had only been able to do this by intending to send a strike low, which got him to lower his arms in response, but that's besides the point. Can the palm naturally take more force, or are my wrists just weak?

You're probably weary about breaking your hand so you don't hit as hard in a fist, you can hit just as hard though. Punches go to soft areas, palms go to the head or other hard areas.

Consider this: Fists are knives, palms are hammers. Both are indeed effective, you just must wisely decide when to use what. If you are to hit an area that would otherwise be awkward to effectively hit with your fist, a palm is reasonable. Nevertheless if you lack hesitation with a strike, whether it be a punch or a palm, damage will be done and minimal harm will be done to yourself if you can summon the selflessness to do it properly (that is, lack of worry of any kind. Even a glimpse of it may set you back enough to shatter a precious bone in your hand).

As Ninja stated, palms for harder places and fists for softer places would be the best thing to work with. Not all situations may keep this consistent, though-- bricks and boards do break with fists as they do with palms, it's all a matter of your confidence to break them.

Originally Posted by ninja9578

It doesn't expose anything, if you're exposing your body to throw a rear-leg kick then your form is incorrect. Also, a read leg roundhouse from an experienced martial artists shouldn't take more than 100ms. A black belt can deflect it, but someone who doesn't know how to fight won't be able to. Even if they see it coming and somehow get their arm there, doing a correct block takes skill. If the block is wrong the arm will absorb the kick and break instead of harmlessly deflecting it. I agree you should never open with it, though, but a rear-leg sweep would work nicely.

During a rear leg kick, your shoulders go from being angled to the opponent to completely facing your opponent, presenting your entire chest/abdomen. Sure you can keep a guard up, but you can't cover your entire body with only two arms, there are always some gaps. A great sparring tactic was to time a front leg sidekick in the ribs/gut of someone doing a back leg kick. This worked so well because kicking with the front leg is always faster than kicking with the rear leg. I'd recommend a rear leg kick only if your opponent is already destabilized.

Now assuming that the average man isn't a black belt at something, his kicking technique will probably be off to start with, so exposing so much area leaves you open to a quick counterattack, and I've seen a few real fights where one guy lunged after another guy doing a back leg kick taking him to the ground.

The amount of time that your shoulders are square is a fraction of a second. Only a very skilled fighter can get in and counter attack in that amount of time, and only if it's a roundhouse kick or something. If it's a front kick, they can't come into it, it is not wise to move into a kick that can generate in excess of 2000 pounds of force.

A great sparring tactic was to time a front leg sidekick in the ribs/gut of someone doing a back leg kick.

Sparring is not fighting, and that technique only works against low ranks. It'll probably work with a black belt, but any higher and it won't. It wouldn't work against me, because I've seen that combination so many times that sidestepping the side kick and grabbing the leg has become second nature. If I have ahold of your leg, that back kick isn't coming and you've exposed your back

I very often get confronted for absolutely no reason. Sydney, I suppose...
Anyway, 'faggot' and 'little cunt' are the common names I get branded out of the blue, just before my palm starts aching.

First a slight shiver, the adrenaline always comes for me, no matter how minor the incident, I treat all hostility as a threat, potentially including blades or guns. Best to try and get out of the situation at this point, for everyone involved. Either way, I focus the adrenaline to settle and I strengthen my core muscles, my arms and legs relax and I stop talking. At this point, a somewhat euphoric anticipation occurs for me, I quickly check all targets and raise my hands defensively, as if I want to try and get out of it, aggressors will not likely attack with great force nor anticipate your attack if you appear weaker. If you can't get out of the confrontation at this point, it's time to do something. A hard strike to the nose or throat as they are talking will stop the first one immediately, immediately going into a more linear position to defend and counter any others in the group. Speed is very important with groups, no time to stand still with multiple attackers.

It's always best to walk away when you can before any fighting starts, but if in a fight, I think it should be seen to the end, including trying to arrest the attacker/s if possible and calling for police and medical aid.

@ Ninja, I am well trained in Taekwondo (many years), as well as extensively incorporating Aikido. I've been in I-don't-know-how-many fights, and have only taken a very minimal amount of hits.

----

Yesterday, while I was on my way to the train station to get to the Mardi Gras, a group of three stereotypically up-themselves-aboriginal kids came up to me, they were aged probably about 13 - 15, two of which were bigger than me and all were extremely aggressive. They called me a faggot, told me to fuck off to the Mardi Gras, and slightly tripped me. I turned around and gave them a stern look, and continued walking with my friend (a girl). They followed me up the street and eventually ran up and tried to front on me, I told them they were making a mistake and that they should not be doing this. I said I just wanted to have a good time.
I got into my fight zone, one guy raised his arm and I immediately went into a guard. I was very ready to use a deadly palm strike to the nose in this situation, I had a girl with me and wasn't about to let anything happen.

Luckily for all involved, I know one of the drug dealers in the area and he saw what was going on and came past. He told them to leave us alone and something about the Mardi Gras and that he'd fuck them in the ass right there if they didn't.

This situation phased me afterwards for quite a while, specifically because I'm 18 and these guys were obviously kids, though still a definite threat to us. I kept thinking about how I could be in a cell if I had severely hurt or killed one of them. I dunno if I should go to the cops and report it or not, I'm likely to see them again in that area and it will probably get ugly.
What advice can anyone give me to deal with this situation in the future? I felt that potentially deadly force was required since I was with a girl, there were three of them and that they had followed me up the street. Getting a knife pulled on you where I was is not uncommon, and I was advised by the guy (the dealer) who came along to carry one -- something I'm not sure is such a good idea.

Ninja, I would love to do some sparring with you some time . In any case, it is a very good idea to move into a rear roundhouse kick. By cutting the distance, you negate your opponent's power (which is in his foot and shin that has "overshot" you) and he is in a very vulnerable state on one leg and full of momentum.

Cloud, do you live in the Bronx wtf... I have never been taunted by a sober stranger in my life.

I live in Sydney. It's a shit hole, though I have been approached in other parts of Australia similarly.

Me looking like I'm 15 and somewhat feminine leads to malicious people (usually teens) approaching me. Mix in broken communities and unspoken racial tension between one or two groups and you have these people willing to become violent for no reason. On average I'd say it's about once every week to two weeks that something like this happens. Usually violence is avoidable, sometimes not.

Being well-spoken has also proved to be a serious affront to these 'faggot' haters.

ClouD, I think you did the right thing - in that you didn't over-react. Though you felt the urge to use deadly force, you didn't, and the situation worked itself out. I'm not saying that everyone should refrain from deadly force in all situation, but you showed restraint long enough for the situation to defuse itself, however coincidentally.

In the future, there is little more that you can do - that you didn't already do, in this situation. If someone wants to try to fight you, they are going to try to fight you. The best thing you can do is be ready. Once you're passed that point where you're no longer comfortable with their aggression or distance, it is a matter of self defense.

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Ninja, I would love to do some sparring with you some time . In any case, it is a very good idea to move into a rear roundhouse kick. By cutting the distance, you negate your opponent's power (which is in his foot and shin that has "overshot" you) and he is in a very vulnerable state on one leg and full of momentum.

Cloud, do you live in the Bronx wtf... I have never been taunted by a sober stranger in my life.

I said a front kick. I never throw roundhouse kicks unless I'm fighting a low rank, I don't think anyone at my rank does. Its good to step into any roundhouse, front or rear leg because you can sweep them very easily.

I'm always up for a sparring match, although I officially retired in 2008. What's your rank good sir? Would we be grouped together if we wound up at the same one?

I don't like this talk of grouping belt rankings with skill rankings. You could be a black belt and a shitty fighter-- a white belt and an excellent fighter-- it depends on the individual. I never refer anything I do to a generalization of what everyone does in my ranking-- everyone is different. No two black belts are the name. Nobody fights the same. We are all different, and I think that belts just mainly show the time and effort a person has put forth in order to learn with the martial art. That does not mean they know how to apply themselves as one would expect them to determined by their ranking-- some may have way more self confidence than others.

I fight white belts all the time, I fight black belts all the time. There is a difference between fighting them, for sure, but I'm surprised at how subtle that difference can sometimes be. There are a lot of people out there with just a natural willingness.

Anyhoo, just my thoughts on the whole ranking system.

Originally Posted by Spenner

I don't like this talk of grouping belt rankings with skill rankings. You could be a black belt and a shitty fighter-- a white belt and an excellent fighter-- it depends on the individual. I never refer anything I do to a generalization of what everyone does in my ranking-- everyone is different. No two black belts are the name. Nobody fights the same. We are all different, and I think that belts just mainly show the time and effort a person has put forth in order to learn with the martial art. That does not mean they know how to apply themselves as one would expect them to determined by their ranking-- some may have way more self confidence than others.

Completely agree. As a novice (white belt / yellow stripe), I beat one of our junior instructors (brown belt / black stripe - one step below black belt) in one of my very first spars, with far less training.

"The Only thing belts are good for, is holding up your pants."
~Bruce Lee

Originally Posted by Banana

i couldnt find the picture cause im on a different comp but ill summarize it

1: Chop to the throat
2: Punch to the stomach/balls
3: Knee to the face
4: ????
5: Profit!

1.Get underpants
2.?
3.Profit


Fighting isn't fighting. It's not a struggle, or at least it shouldn't be. Take the path of least resistance.

"A black belt only covers two inches of your ass. You've got to cover the rest."
- Royce Gracie

If you like, my sensai, Grand Master Forrest G. Blair, has a blog. he's a busy guy, but he's gotten some good stuff on there. http://fgblair.com/