I’ve been in at least 50 street altercations in my career, only three that I’ve started.
They have included Donny Brooks, bar fights, knife fights, beer bottles, baseball bats, multiple opponents (almost all), and different combinations of all of the above.
I’ve been held up at gunpoint (because I wasn’t paying attention), and that poor guy is lucky to be alive today and serving 25 years in prison (California’s three strikes rule).
I’ve been punched, stomped on, manhandled, stabbed, sliced, shot and missed and shit and beaten.
However, I am still here and several of these adversaries no longer reside in this world, why?
Because I have always trained for the real event and always understood ‘The rule of the road’.
What is that you say? Are there rules in a street fight? So what should I worry about?
Yes, my friend, there is, but for most of you this rule is not what you can really expect or are not prepared for.
All of us are law-abiding citizens, we work, we play, we take care of our families and we try to conduct our business in a civilized and friendly way. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone approached life the same way?
The problem is that they don’t.
There is always someone who is having a bad day and wants to play kick the cat (your cat). There is always someone who gets their sense of being by projecting terror, force, and pain onto someone else. There is always someone who wants what you strive to achieve. There is always someone who wants to live out sexual fantasies and will choose someone they don’t know to make it come true (you). There are always drugs and alcohol, knives and guns, posturing and attitude.
And sooner or later it touches all of us, either directly or indirectly, through family or friends.
So what is the rule? It’s simple, my friend.
“NO RULES.” – It’s anything and everything goes.
That is not to say that there are no exceptions to this rule, but the first thing to realize is that your survival is the only thing that matters, nothing else and no one else matters.
The exception is where it can sometimes get complicated.
Although there are no rules in the street, there are different levels of conflict. Which means that in order to stay within the bounds of the law and reasonable behavior, you should only fight at your opponent’s level.
If he is unarmed, you should be unarmed. If he has a gun, then it’s okay for you to find one and use it (yes, he finds one on the street and his sewers are full of useful and often deadly tools of destruction).
But here’s the thing: a basic street reality in today’s big city and even laid-back country is this. In essence, there is no such thing as one-on-one combat anymore. Get into a fight today and chances are you will find yourself fighting 3, 4, 5 or even more opponents; Are you ready for that?
So remember, the only rule is the rule that you can do whatever it takes to ensure your survival.
Here are some tips to help you do that…
1. Street fighting is not a game, it is not a sport; Always remember the rule.
2. Apart from that rule, remember: ‘there are no rules’. It’s a no-holds-barred combat situation where anything goes.
3. Fighting can also involve the law (it has for me on several occasions). This means that you can go to jail or even prison while the lawyers and the court system are busy figuring out a really complicated situation.
It’s highly unlikely, but remember it’s happened before when it comes to innocent people.
4. Fighting will almost always require someone to need medical attention, especially when it comes to loss of self-control or weapons.
5. Real life street fights and self defense situations rarely last more than 20 seconds, with the first 3-8 seconds being the most critical.
6. The self-defense of you and your family is your personal responsibility (unless you hire a bodyguard to protect you).
7. Good news. If you know what you’re doing, most fights are avoidable.
8. Counter attacking can, in some situations, be as effective or even more effective than attacking.
9. In a confrontational situation, you will always do better if you can stay calm and avoid panic.
10. 90% of all attackers will open their attack with a right hand punch. This is usually a very wide, open hook or tedder that is easy to see and control.
Remember that the shortest distance between two points and street safety is a straight line or straight road; especially if it is thrown correctly and with real power.
Now look again at number seven, ‘Most fights are avoidable’. This is true they are. Like I said, I’ve been to at least fifty on the street during my time in the trenches, but I’ve avoided at least four times that amount (yes, for a few decades, my job kept me pretty busy).
You must constantly assess the situation in which you find yourself. Look at your opponent, look around you.
What is the environment? How many others are hanging out in the distance? What’s in your hands? Is there an escape route once things go wrong? so on and so on.
If you have to defend yourself, speed, surprise and aggression are essential. If you’re going to hit someone, you better make it count, there better be some good old fashioned power involved.
You better have trained for reality rather than sport and you better be ready to do whatever it takes to survive.
That’s the rule!