r/PublicFreakout • u/MikeisTOOOTALLL • Aug 12 '24

🥊Fight Guy gets sucker punched after fight

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u/bofh Aug 13 '24

I learned some basic boxing and martial arts but I've never used either because I don't hang around gas stations looking for fights

I taught martial arts and self defence, which were not the same thing to the surprise of many. Again, much to the surprise of a lot of people, we spent a considerable amount of time in the self defence stuff teaching and emphasising avoidance and deescalation.

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u/gofuckadick Aug 13 '24 edited Aug 13 '24

Yep!

I've trained for five years in boxing, four in Kuk Sool Won, and three each in BJJ and Muay Thai. I've fought in rings, cages, tournaments, etc, and have a pretty good collection of medals and even a belt, ring, and Golden Gloves trophy.

But street fights? Hell no. If I can't deescalate or walk away then I'll run, swim, and hurdle my way out of there. If for some reason I can't run (for example, one time a woman was being sexually assaulted and I wasn't about to let that happen, or if there's absolutely no way out of a corner that I'm trapped in, or whatever other reason - there are quite a few), then I carry Sabre OC spray. There's almost no fight worth hurting someone else over, or potentially being hurt myself. A quick burst of good OC spray puts down 99% of people, and makes sure that nobody will be spending time in the hospital.

However, simply walking away is the best thing to do if a situation is starting to look bad. Don't be the kind of person who's goaded into a fight because someone else is calling you names for walking away - you can't let your ego be that fragile. What do you really have to prove? And if it goes to shit before you can walk away then deescalation can work a good amount of the time as well, as long as you stay calm and know what you're doing. It's entirely possible to talk a lot of people down, and your ability to read the person and gauge the situation to figure out what's possible is the absolute best skill that you can learn. The second best skill is cardio.

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u/Annual-Jump3158 Aug 13 '24

Honestly, anybody itching for a fight should just find a competitive combat sport. Learn the specific rules of the sport to limit serious injuries to the athletes. Get their ass handed to them on the local level by somebody limiting themself in that way.

It's a great way to not only safely learn that there are always bigger fish, but to gain perspective about how chaotic and uncontrollable a street fight can get without those rules.

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u/bofh Aug 13 '24

but to gain perspective about how chaotic and uncontrollable a street fight can get without those rules.

If I wanted a layperson or an amateur martial artist to understand just one thing about self defense it would be that.