Hypothetically, there’s no immediate option to escape a person who has attacked you and is intent on causing you further harm. Do you think you would be able to fight back and create an opportunity to escape? Do you have a plan for if things go sideways and you end up on the ground with them raining blows down upon you? Can you fight to survive until your last breath?
My body is covered with 34 Bouncing Betty S-Mines. If an attacker brings me down it will be a pyrrhic victory.
Sounds like overkill. 33 won’t do?
Sadly no, I bought the mines in bulk and needed something to do with them. Basically sunk cost at this point.
Not if the person attacking me out of nowhere is an American cop. Lose lose in every situation.
Absolutely. That’s a tough situation. It would be hard to prove you were justified in self-defence if you even made it out in one piece. It’s better to comply unless you’re absolutely sure you’re about to be murdered.
I’d like to think so, but the reality is that it’s really hard to know which way a fight will go until it starts. That said, having training definitely gives you an edge in a violent situation. If you train regularly, then you’re likely going to have a good chance to get out of the situation.
Big aspect of effective self defence is developing good habits and muscle memory so that when you do end up in a situation where you have to fight then you react without having to think about it.
The other thing to keep in mind is that you should always have situational awareness. Typically, fights don’t just happen out of the blue and you can tell that you will end up in a confrontation before it happens. Realizing that confrontation is about to happen will put you in a much better spot when the fighting starts.
You make a good point about consistent training. I’ve taken a week or two off before and it’s crazy how quickly I notice my skills start to dull if don’t train regularly. The best fighting is intuitive and done on auto-pilot.
And yes absolutely the sooner you see something coming the better. Situational awareness is key but I also think it’s important to train for situations where we’re caught off-guard.
Yup, when you’re under pressure you’re not going to have time to think and you’re going to default what you’ve practiced. So it’s really important to to focus on techniques that don’t require a great deal of precision and you can execute confidently. Real fights get messy quickly, and fancy techniques aren’t likely to work like they do in drills.
I find the another aspect that’s important is being flexible. You have to read your opponent and adapt to them. Body language transmits a lot of information, and a fight is a lot like a conversation. If you’re not paying attention to what your opponent is telling you then you could be in for a surprise. This is a skill you can only develop through sparring I find. Once you’ve done some sparring you start getting a feel for what the other person is trying to do, and then you don’t need to think about it.
Yeah I’m always humbled and learn so much when I spar. Timing, distance, and the ability to read your opponent I find are best developed in sparring. No matter how many times you do a drill it feels completely different trying to execute the techniques in sparring.
And I think you’re absolutely right about technique as well. Technique doesn’t win a fight. When fights get messy the fighter who can has a better foundation and drive and can perform the basics well will be in a better position to come out on top.
Completely agree, sparring is really the key to becoming a good fighter. I also find it’s valuable to spar with people doing different styles if you have a chance. Everybody has a preferred way to fight, but it’s good to be aware of what other people are trying to do. I started with striking, and a friend of mine did Judo. We did some sparring and I realized that I could get thrown easily because I lacked awareness. So, I ended up doing some judo for a few years to learn to defend against that. Striking is still my preferred approach, but now I’m much better at not getting tripped or thrown when it does come to grappling.
I’m currently trying to find a feasable way to do that. My main issue is that I would want to be able to strike and grapple during sparring to make it more realistic. I’m not saying that judo sparring for example wouldn’t be valuable, just for me I’m not sure it would be worth the time and money right now. We already do grappling work at my school and although it isn’t anywhere near judo level I’m not too worried about holding my own against a grappler. Maybe an MMA gym is something I need. I wish I could train like an MMA fighter or a spec ops soldier all day though lol.
I reached out to a muay thai school in my area and asked if I could participate in their sparring sessions without taking classes… I never heard back lmao
For sure, something like MMA sparring is probably the closest you can get to actual fighting within a safe context. Unfortunately, a lot of schools tend to be insular because instructors are afraid they’ll lose students to others. I’ve always found this to be pretty silly. If you’re not confident enough in your art to actually try it against other schools that says a lot.
Exactly. The focus should be on learning and improving before all else. Sell-outs and inflated egos are everywhere unfortunately
I was almost killed by a bully in secondary, then I almost killed him by choking him when I got him off me me and was dragged off him by a teacher. That’s the only violent experience I have ever experienced. I’d probably get my ass kicked now. But maybe I’d fight back efficiently, who knows. I also avoid confrontation and violence as part of my beliefs so only in serious defense.
That’s a great philosophy to have, the best defence is not fighting at all. But we have to be prepared for the bullies in all aspects of our lives. Have you ever considered training to improve your fighting capabilities?
i do Tàijí daily :)
I take it from your initial comment that you don’t incorporate sparring into your training. Sparring would definitely give you a better benchmark of your abilities and show you where you can improve.
I practice myself, I have no schools or people near me right now, I am moving to HK soon so hopefully can find a school.
Good stuff!
Well at home I’d definitely be fine, I have guns and swords everywhere. In a brawl scenario with not much around I’d say my chances are fair against anyone that isn’t especially formidable, I don’t have any special defense training but I am at the very least in decent shape and have the advantage of being super tall and having a long reach.
That’s great you are well-prepared at home but it sounds like you’re not lawfully able to carry weapons on public. It sounds like you have some natural talent for martial arts. Have you ever considered training in self-defence or martial arts to improve your chances at surviving when you are unarmed? I can tell you from experience that training has had a positive impact on my weapon skills as well.
I mean I could I guess but being randomly assaulted simply isn’t something I’m all too concerned about if I’m being brutally honest. I collect weapons more as whimsical SHTF preparation then out of a serious fear that I will get attacked by some thug.
I don’t think it’s likely to happen to me either, but my thinking is that I’d rather be prepared for the worst than hoping or betting that it won’t happen.
It’s better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. :)
I love that quote! It perfectly encapsulates the importance of training in times of peace.
I can’t but i will try to kick them in the nuts.
One good kick to the nuts and the fight is over. Unless they’re on drugs and can’t feel anything, in which case eye-gouging would be in order.
i’d shit my pants if i land a good kick in the nuts and they don’t even flinch.
Yeah I guess at that point throw your shit at them and hope it sticks
Imagine throwing the shit and they don’t flinch either
Nightmare scenario. I guess I’d try ripping off his dick or attempt to convince him I have aids
Yep I have that in mind too
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BDSM training can be brutal for sure. Gotta make sure they’re willing to do or endure anything
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Fair point. It’s important to have options if one solution doesn’t work.
Untelling. Getting jumped aint helpful.
It’s a difficult situation for sure. The only solution is to overwhelm them with violence to create an exit.
Adrenaline goes both ways and it’s wishful thinking to believe it will save you in a fight. It will make little difference against a trained opponent. Even the guy in the story admitted he got lucky. The young mountain lion cut his throat and could have easily hit an artery. He was only able to kill it because it bit into his wrist and was too stubborn to let go.
I can’t
That’s good you’re honest with yourself about your abilities. Is that something you would like to be able to to do?
Well I kinda don’t want to be r*ped then brutally murdered but that’s just me ig
Lmao I can relate! Have you considered taking any classes or teaching yourself? It’s possible to reach a relatively decent level of competancy with some consistent training.
I’ll try what I can
Awesome! Learning how to fight has been life-changing for me. I feel more confident in myself and my ability to handle stressful or threatening situations. Feel free to reach out if you need some direction!
Do you think military training is good enough for learning self defense? Might do my 1 year in the people’s army of algeria and go back to being me.
I’m not sure of their training program but as far as I’m aware soldiers are only taught basic hand-to-hand combat in most militaries, as most fighting occurs at a distance. I know some militaries have more training or clubs for those who want it though.
I think it would definitely be beneficial, the only thing is it’s important to train consistently to keep your skills sharp. Muscle memory is lost over time. It has to be part of your system to be effective.
Before the pandemic, back when I was in a shape that wasn’t complete shit, my primary source of exercise was going to a nearby boxing gym where the workouts were lead by an old professional boxer/muay thai fighter who happened to be a former navy seal. I was never good at making and following through an exercise routine on my own beyond maybe a regular run, but going to classes made it easier for me. I would do a one hour boxing class every few weeknights. Saturdays the gym would have an hour long bootcamp of intense exercise followed by an hour long muay thai class followed by an hour of sparring and or various boxing exercises. I worked up to a point of doing the first 2 classes pretty consistently and doing the sparring, while not consistently, I would do it more often as time went on. While I don’t think I’d have been able to fend off the kind of attackers I’d need to worry about, if there was ever a time I was building towards it, it was then.
I’ve really let myself go since the pandemic started, and the gym closing for while during lockdown didn’t help. Even though I’m not eating like complete shit now, I’m still way too sedentary and fat, and the chronic insomnia doesn’t help with that. I don’t think I’ve forgotten the form of how to throw a punch, but I’m really out of practice and my obesity limits my mobility and form. Maybe my immense mass could be useful in extremely rare situations, but even if that was true it wouldn’t be enough to compensate the handicaps.
Sorry to hear about your situation, it sounds like you had a good thing going. Have you thought about slowly working your way back into an active routine? I find i get a lot out of working out, doing drills, or shadow fighting at home.
I’m gonna try easing myself back into exercise by walking regularly. Pretty much every other exercise I can think of seems overwhelming.
Glad to hear that. Stone by stone the mountain is moved 👍
Yes, I did in 4th grade, there was a lot of kicking, biting, fists, scratches etc, we both got a lot of bruises and marks, but I got the upper hand even if he attacked first and it happened in full classroom with a lot of distractions and I didn’t plan to hurt him much. Rematch happened in 5th grade 1vs1 out in open school yard, this time I didn’t hold punches at all and it ended in like 1 minute or 2. Haven’t been in a noteworthy fight since.
Do you think you would be able to hold your own in a fight today?
Probably if I don’t hold back.
It sounds like you’ve got a lot of natural talent and instincts for fighting. Aggression and doing whatever it takes to win will go a long way. Have you considered training to take your skills to the next level?
Yes, as soon as I’m free not to hold back, that’s basically it. I considered, but didn’t because I wasn’t in fights for years.
Against an untrained opponent you might be ok, but a well-trained opponent will have an easier time countering undisciplined aggression. Even though I haven’t been in a fight in a very long time I still train hard because i would rather be prepared for the worst. Do you think you might be at risk of violence in the future?
Nah, now that I’m homeschooled, pretty much 0% chances, but if I come across some chetnik in street who is up to no good because I wear communist symbols for example, I go out with my brother or sister 95% of time so it would be 2 on 1 either way, but it’s peaceful out for now.
As for the revolution, yeah, I will need a prep time.
Are there any good schools in your area?
