Image via WikipediaMost people have no clue how to win a street fight or protect themselves from a predator or attacker.
The problem is we are constantly bombarded with bad information from movies, martial arts, MMA fights, and our own fantasies about fighting.
In all honesty street fighting is pretty straight forward. The key is understanding a few basic principles to make sure you come out on top.
Street Fighting Tactic #1: There are no rules in a street fight.
Forget what your mom, dad, or teacher told you. It's okay to poke the eyes, scratch, bite, or go for the groin. In fact if you don't do one of these things you will likely lose the fight.
There is a reason why you tell your 8 year old child no to do these things. They cause a lot of pain and can seriously injure someone. These are the exact goals of most street fights (remember the guy attacking you wants to hurt you, he's not looking for a fair fight).
Street Fighting Tactic #2: Distract Your Attacker.
Using a distraction technique before the fight has officially started is one of the best things you can do to set yourself up for victory.
Here are a few tried and true distraction techniques. Beware though, many of these will initiate the fight so don't use them unless you are sure you can't escape the situation without a violent conflict.
One of the best distractions is to simply drop some change on the ground from inside your pocket. This will seem farfetched until you use it (you will thank me afterwards). From the time we are children the sound of change jingling on the ground causes an almost reflex like reaction to look at whatever has fallen on the ground. This split second distraction is all you need to ensure that he can't block or avoid your first strike.
The next best distraction is to take that change and toss it into his face. This causes a similar split second distraction. (This is obviously one of those moves that initiates a fight)
If you are in a bar toss your drink into his face. I imagine 100 proof whiskey will burn a bit in the eyes (luckily I've never had the experience).
If you don't have change in your pocket, or a drink in your hand, or any other item you can throw at your attacker (like a lit cigarette, pair of glasses, etc) your last ditch distraction should be to look behind the person like something is coming, or something has surprised you. This causes a reflex like reaction to see what is going on (similar to the jiggling of change on the ground).
Even if he doesn't completely fall for it he will likely still be tempted to look which will distract his brain just long enough to give you an unfair advantage.
Street Fighting Tactic #3: Always hit first.
This is another instance where you have to lay aside your John Wayne tough guy fighting fantasies. Being noble and letting the other guy hit you first is the best way to lose a fight.
Unlike you see in the moves your attacker won't wait for you to wipe the blood off your chin and get your dukes back up after he lands that first punch. He is going to assault you with the nastiest barrage of strikes he can think of.
In addition to all this, fight statistics from all different sources (Police, FBI, Underground Fighting, Street Fights Caught on Tape) prove that the guy who hits first is much more likely to win.
Street Fighting Tactic #4: Only Strike High Value Targets.
This is where the nasty stuff comes in. High value targets are parts of the body which cause extreme pain, distract your attacker, or disable him.
These are things like the eyes, ears, throat, groin, knees, and nose. Don't waste your time or energy with body shots unless no other target is open. Having a target focused mindset (where to hit him) as opposed to a technique focused mindset (how do I hit him) is the most crucial street fighting tactic out there, aside from hitting first (but even then you need to know where to hit)
Street Fighting Tactic #5: Never Go To The Ground.
This isn't a UFC fight and the ground isn't padded. On the streets good things Never happen on the ground. An ex-gang enforcer I worked with a couple years back (who worked in both Chicago and Los Angeles, two of the roughest cities in the U.S.) told me that he never fought on the ground, ever. If he went down he got right back up.
His real life experience told him the same thing my years of research told me. When you go to the ground one or both of you are going to get seriously injured. The ground will cut you up, take the skin off your knees elbows and face, your head can be smashed into the concrete, and your head also becomes a great target for kicking.
If you follow these simple street fighting tactics you will be miles ahead of most average guys. In fact using these street fighting tactics will actually give you a fighting chance against a hardened criminal or street fighter.
If you want to learn more street fighting tactics and techniques check out my blog at Fightfast.com/blog.
Stay Smart and Stay Safe,
Bob Pierce
President, Fightfast.com
Bob Pierce
President, Fightfast.com
Bob Pierce is the President of Fightfast.com which specializes in providing its customers the practical knowledge and skills they need to keep themselves and their families safe. TRS the parent company of Fightfast.com has been a self defense industry leader since the early 1990s bringing costumers highly skilled instructors with real world self defense skills.
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