Don't punch in a real fight (video)

Very good information. I remember the first time I learned how pointless punching is and it changed the way I looked at self-defense.

This is fantastic, and very true..

Thanks for sharing, E0N!

I still maintain that Fairbairn/Applegate/etc is one of the best systems of self defense.
Simple, to the point, easy to retain, doesn't take a lot of initial skill, and is very specific on where and when to use a closed fist so you don't break it on their head.

Basic concepts, practice practice practice, and will to maim.

I doubt I know enough to recommend a specific system, actually. I'm not quite a martial arts whiz... by a long shot. I can confidently state that punching someone in the head can hurt your hand, though.

Personally, I'm more for incorporating my legs in a confrontation, as in my experience it's been most effective in keeping distance between myself and the pursuer. Increasing ones' flexibility is also important, because if your leg is ever grabbed/deflected/pulled, you are less likely to be thrown off balance, and it's easier to free yourself from holds without being taken to the ground.

......That, and I'm not a very strong puncher.

Assuming of course you want to distance yourself from the other guy.

Midnite Detective wrote:

Assuming of course you want to distance yourself from the other guy.

That's a fair point to be made.

A basic tenet of many arts is to strike soft targets with fists and hard targets with open hands. But eveything is situational, and I agree with MD that patience is key for making the most of your punches, and also with Crimson about flexibility.

And here I thought that was just common sense.

Urban Avenger wrote:

And here I thought that was just common sense.

It's certainly not common. No. I think the media is wholly responsible.

The three most useful tactics to win a fight is ambush, counter and running like hell. Kicking above the hip is generally a bad idea, because it give your "friend" oppertunities to counter. Same with hammer and knife blows, they are to wide. And yes, running away and not getting badly hurt is a victory in most situations.

The guy in the video seem to have learned violence by beating up his wife. He's preaching tactics that won't do much for you if you are up against somebody who is capable of hurting you.

look if your going to use a knife you need training. a knife is just like any other weapon

Knife hand.

I thought I'd share this video about balance points to help provide some ideas of how an attack being thrown at you can be a window of opportunity, punches included.

A little subjective to say the least, maybe it should be if you don't know how to punch don't punch in a real fight. You don't need to hit someone in the head to stop them, in my experience a mouth full of puke does that quickly.

And a good punch is compact, there won't be a window.

You can hit the solar plexus and knock them out pretty quick with minimal to no damage to your hand.

yea im going to come out and say it. not throwing punches in a fight is a dumb idea. not to contradict this rather professional looking video, but if you don't use your fists in a fight your most likely going to louse, face it

there is a reason every martial arts form with the exception of capoeira has punches. its because they are a vital form of self defense.

are you telling me that this one guy is right and thousands of years of ancient studies and techniques are wrong?

im going to go with mr miyagi on this, sorry

I think it should have gone without saying that if you are going to throw punches in a fight, you should have both the discernment as to when your fist should be thrown, as well as the skill to do it properly. Unfortunately, no matter how skilled you are, unless you've done some heavy hard-style training, a bare fist making contact with hard surface (ie; the top of a person's head, as demonstrated by the video) will often do more harm to you than the recipient of such a blow. Common sense dictates that if you are in a scrap, you use every possible means to your advantage in stopping the onslaught.

That being said, perhaps the title of the video "Do NOT Punch In A Street Fight" was ill-conceived, as to the varying situations where such an attack would be best suited.

how bout this: don't be a dumb ass in a fight

know where to land your blows, don't be a dip shit

Patchwork, I do believe you just "TL;DR"' me.

In other words, thanks for summing up my words! Hahaha..

patchwork wrote:

don't be a dumb ass in a fight

Okay now you're just asking for too much...

I didn't mean to offer this as gospel. I just view it as worth thinking about. There are alternatives to punching. I've said before that I'm no martial arts expert, however I do think -- just IMO here -- that if you're trading punches with someone it's more likely a game than a fight you really have to be having.

Anyway... opinions... opinions...

Double Helix wrote:

I thought I'd share this video about balance points to help provide some ideas of how an attack being thrown at you can be a window of opportunity, punches included.

It gives a lot of ideas on doing martal arts exhibition. Using those points the way demostrated in the video only work if you know when and how the attack is going to be (and some of them require an oppornent that WANT to lose), so it won't help you much unless you're psycic.

It's good as principles, but useless as technices.

One of the most effective defenses against a punch to the face I learned is simply to duck and let the attacker's knuckles glance off the top/crown of your head. Often it leads to broken and/or dislocated fingers.

Punch the body, elbow/forearm the head. Fast kicks to the legs to slow them down, only kick higher when oppurtunity strikes.