WSU Urban Survival ; Realities of street combat

The sterile environment of the training hall or gym does not always adequately prepare one for street combat. Many fighting systems have turned into forms of fitness or sports where points and competition are more important than practical fighting skill sand concepts. This is no disrespect to sport systems because they still can and have been used successfully in self defense of course. In reality though, you should train for what you are preparing for, and if you are training for street combat / self defense, your skill set should directly prepare you for that. Likewise if you were training for sport, you need to train accordingly or you could never be a force or win in the ring or on the mats.

If you go to YouTube.com and but in street fights or street fight compilations you will see many situations an instances of fights and self defense scenarios where people are attacked with weapons, knocked out cold, assaulted my multiple opponents and others. In many cases, if these individuals were trained in self defensive measures designed for the street, they would have been able to neutralize the threat, it not avoid it all together.

Everyone of any age and gender should possess at least basic skills at defending oneself. A person does not have to become a black belt or competitive fight to attain self defense ability. The more training , the better, but not everyone is made to be a warrior. Being struck, swept, thrown and all the other contact and conditioning is just too much for some folks, but crying in the training hall is much better than bleeding on the battlefield. A lot of standoff situations where fighting is eminent could be verbally diffused if not avoided by breaking contact by simply creating distance with the aggressor. Real fighting does not take place in a controlled environment with gloves and rules. The common trends in street altercations is the age old sucker punch or sneak attack, being jumped by multiples, and weapon based attacks. You cannot count on the mercy of a attacker if they knock you down, because they will soccer kick you in the head, stomp you, mount you and punch you. Due to the popularity of combat sports like the mixed martial arts, even the average street thug is accustomed to using basic martial arts maneuvers.

When you train, you should be training in skills that serve the right purpose. If your desire is to be a competitive fighter then train towards that. If it is self defense then train accordingly. Knowing how to fight in every range such as striking, trapping, standing grappling or clinch fighting, and ground combat is the base. Learning how to use weapons as well as empty hand defense against them is very pertinent. Knowing how to deal with multiple attackers and even more foremost, verbal de escalation and skills of awareness and avoidance. It sounds like a lot, but there are a lot of situations you may face. You would rather have the training beforehand, than to be a victim and then seek training after the fact. An attacker does not care about you or your well being. They do not heed proper use of force and will not stop when they get you down. They do not care how bad they hurt you, or even realize the damage they are doing should they get advantage and continue to pummel you.

In the average street encounter, a person with even general or basic skills could thwart a common attack by an aggressor. If aware and mentally prepared, things like sucker punches, and other common street attacks can be easily countered or avoided all together. The thing is, it takes time and training to develop the skills to do this. It is not something that comes overnight but it is well worth the time and sweat. You have to ask yourself are you worth it ? Is the safety of you and your loved ones and those around you at any time worth it ? The best thing you can do is invest in yourself. Time in the training hall and even time in the gym staying physically fit are all an investment in yourself that pays great dividends. You stay ready and you will not have to get ready . The following are some videos of street encounters that correlate with many of the things mentioned above. Keep those concepts in mind as you watch, and you will be able to understand much more about the scenarios that took place. These skills can help you, and keep you mindful. A little learning goes a long way. (Scenes of violence and foul language).

https://youtu.be/lACRhglVkrU

https://youtu.be/T1Am3vqhiu4

https://youtu.be/_Wx4U_4evr4