disciple
Senior Don Juan
Real fighting involves other factors than just knowing how to properly execute a kick or a punch or do a take down or whatever.
In order to survive a street fight you have to know how to handle yourself in a CRISIS situation.
This is actually the most important element in dealing with a real life encounter.
Regardless of what martial art discipline you choose to train with, if it doesn't prepare you mentally to deal with the stress of street fighting, then it is useless (except as a sport or for exercise, spiritual insight, etc.)
This is why alot of martial artists get their a$$es kicked out on the street.
When in a real encounter or in a situation that could turn into one at any moment, alot of things go on in your mind and body.
Most people either freeze up or they become completely unraveled and lose control.
Maintaining focus and control during such a time requires you to practice having these things behorehand.
As with most things, there is a physical and a mental side to this preparation.
On the physical side you must:
Learn how to deal with pain and keep on going in spite of it.
Conditioning your body to be as strong, agile, quick, and full of endurance as possible.
Learning and practicing simple, effective, self-defense techniques and principles that are easy to remember and use instinctively rather than complex combinations and movements that are harder to remember and execute in a real situation.
The techniques and principles you learn must take into account the unpredictabilty of real fighting situations in which anything can happen.
On the mental side:
You must maintain awareness of your surroundings at all times (what if there are more than one assailant or what if someone pulls out a weapon or tries to sucker punch you or take you by surprise?)
Learning how to ignore unnecessary distractions like the weather (what if you had to fight in 95 degree heat) or fighting in front of your woman (worrying about looking tough or not getting your a$$ed kicked and looking like a punk)
Learning how to keep your focus on your primary objective which is self-preservation (which is one of the first laws of nature) and not get too ****y because of your martial arts training or knowledge.
Learning to harness and make use of your killer instinct or develop one if you don't have one.
Having a killer instinct means you have the mental willingness to inflict severe damage on another human being (some people have a mental conflict when it comes to maiming, disabling, injuring, or in extreme circumstances possibly killing another person).
Learning how to make use of your environment for both defensive and offensive purposes (ex., turning objects in your environment into potential weapons or using them to protect yourself)
Learning how to develop your street smarts and gut instincts (which is essential in surviving on the street)
Understanding the mentally of your typical street thug/thugs and how to use body language and non-verbal communication to prevent most physical confrontations from ever happening in the first place.
Understand the universal principles of combat such as distance (kicking distance, punching distance, trapping distance, grappling distance) and how to use these principles to your advantage
Knowing when to fight and when to flee
Learning how to fight "dirty" and use the only rule on the street which is that there are no rules.
Learning to take an aggressive rather than a passive attitude toward a threat.
Learning how to fight only when absolutely necessary and not because of silly verbal disputes or ego clashes with another person (in other words, only if one's physical well-being were directly threatened)
How to control one's natural fear and not let it control you (not always the easiest thing to do)
As one can observe, the mental side of preparation is greater than the physical side.
If a person takes these factors into account in terms of readiness for a street fight situation, that person will have increased their chances of surviving and in many cases avoiding such encounters.
By the way, I had to learn how to survive these kinds of street situations long before I gained any martial arts training or knowledge.
I've survived really bad neighborhoods, been in the "one against a group" scenario, learned how to avoid setups and traps, had a weapon pulled on me, learned how to intimidate others and not give off any "victim" vibes, and I've have had to inflict damage on someone who was trying to do the same to me.
I know from experience the adrenaline rush, the excitement, fear, rage, and what goes on in your body and mind.
I've also studied JKD and have picked up elements of other fighting disciplines that are useful in real life situations.
On top of this, I also once worked as a bouncer at a club and I had to help handle some physical altercations.
In order to survive a street fight you have to know how to handle yourself in a CRISIS situation.
This is actually the most important element in dealing with a real life encounter.
Regardless of what martial art discipline you choose to train with, if it doesn't prepare you mentally to deal with the stress of street fighting, then it is useless (except as a sport or for exercise, spiritual insight, etc.)
This is why alot of martial artists get their a$$es kicked out on the street.
When in a real encounter or in a situation that could turn into one at any moment, alot of things go on in your mind and body.
Most people either freeze up or they become completely unraveled and lose control.
Maintaining focus and control during such a time requires you to practice having these things behorehand.
As with most things, there is a physical and a mental side to this preparation.
On the physical side you must:
Learn how to deal with pain and keep on going in spite of it.
Conditioning your body to be as strong, agile, quick, and full of endurance as possible.
Learning and practicing simple, effective, self-defense techniques and principles that are easy to remember and use instinctively rather than complex combinations and movements that are harder to remember and execute in a real situation.
The techniques and principles you learn must take into account the unpredictabilty of real fighting situations in which anything can happen.
On the mental side:
You must maintain awareness of your surroundings at all times (what if there are more than one assailant or what if someone pulls out a weapon or tries to sucker punch you or take you by surprise?)
Learning how to ignore unnecessary distractions like the weather (what if you had to fight in 95 degree heat) or fighting in front of your woman (worrying about looking tough or not getting your a$$ed kicked and looking like a punk)
Learning how to keep your focus on your primary objective which is self-preservation (which is one of the first laws of nature) and not get too ****y because of your martial arts training or knowledge.
Learning to harness and make use of your killer instinct or develop one if you don't have one.
Having a killer instinct means you have the mental willingness to inflict severe damage on another human being (some people have a mental conflict when it comes to maiming, disabling, injuring, or in extreme circumstances possibly killing another person).
Learning how to make use of your environment for both defensive and offensive purposes (ex., turning objects in your environment into potential weapons or using them to protect yourself)
Learning how to develop your street smarts and gut instincts (which is essential in surviving on the street)
Understanding the mentally of your typical street thug/thugs and how to use body language and non-verbal communication to prevent most physical confrontations from ever happening in the first place.
Understand the universal principles of combat such as distance (kicking distance, punching distance, trapping distance, grappling distance) and how to use these principles to your advantage
Knowing when to fight and when to flee
Learning how to fight "dirty" and use the only rule on the street which is that there are no rules.
Learning to take an aggressive rather than a passive attitude toward a threat.
Learning how to fight only when absolutely necessary and not because of silly verbal disputes or ego clashes with another person (in other words, only if one's physical well-being were directly threatened)
How to control one's natural fear and not let it control you (not always the easiest thing to do)
As one can observe, the mental side of preparation is greater than the physical side.
If a person takes these factors into account in terms of readiness for a street fight situation, that person will have increased their chances of surviving and in many cases avoiding such encounters.
By the way, I had to learn how to survive these kinds of street situations long before I gained any martial arts training or knowledge.
I've survived really bad neighborhoods, been in the "one against a group" scenario, learned how to avoid setups and traps, had a weapon pulled on me, learned how to intimidate others and not give off any "victim" vibes, and I've have had to inflict damage on someone who was trying to do the same to me.
I know from experience the adrenaline rush, the excitement, fear, rage, and what goes on in your body and mind.
I've also studied JKD and have picked up elements of other fighting disciplines that are useful in real life situations.
On top of this, I also once worked as a bouncer at a club and I had to help handle some physical altercations.
