sansoouser Posted July 22, 2004 Author Posted July 22, 2004 I read a good analogy in a book on fighting, people see it as a poker game. The trash talking is throwing in a few chips then the shove is raising the pot. And people see a punch as putting in more chips than the other person wants to lose, but most the time the other person throws in their chips and adds a few. Meaning, it's like poker, each strike is just to try to scare the other person away and hope he won't want to lose that many chips, or teeth. The amateur shoots his hands out ferociously, but lacks any true power. A master is not so flamboyant, but his touch is as heavy as a mountain.
tommarker Posted July 22, 2004 Posted July 22, 2004 What's even funnier than you saying that is that it sound just like something your instructor would say.... Look at his instructor... where do you think HE got it from? All joking aside, I think there are some very real situations in which walking away from a fight could be more harmful in the long run. Especially in a psychological game where someone is trying to establish dominance over you. Think of prison or school (in some places this isn't too different.) In some cultures, walking away from a fight is a sure way to be viewed as a punk who can be walked on. Would you rather put up with that, or put it to a stop at the beginning? This is NOT the same as fighting to merely protect your ego. I'm talking about a fairly rare (for most of us, probably) occurance. I'm no longer posting here. Adios.
TangSooGuy Posted July 22, 2004 Posted July 22, 2004 What's even funnier than you saying that is that it sound just like something your instructor would say.... Look at his instructor... where do you think HE got it from? All joking aside, I think there are some very real situations in which walking away from a fight could be more harmful in the long run. Especially in a psychological game where someone is trying to establish dominance over you. Think of prison or school (in some places this isn't too different.) In some cultures, walking away from a fight is a sure way to be viewed as a punk who can be walked on. Would you rather put up with that, or put it to a stop at the beginning? This is NOT the same as fighting to merely protect your ego. I'm talking about a fairly rare (for most of us, probably) occurance. Agreed. A prime example is actually the bullyingthat many kids face in schools. Kids are repeatedly told to walk away while the bully makes their life miserable. There are times you have to stand up for yourself. It's really unfortunate that so many schools today have developed a no tolerance policy tat punishes both the kids in the above case, though. The teachers aren't allowed to protect students physically, and now students aren't allowed to protect themselves, either.
Rotten Head Fok Posted July 22, 2004 Posted July 22, 2004 I prefer not to fight and will do what I can to avoid any situations that might put me in a possible scuffle. You must be stable and balanced in your foot work, if you have to use your martial knowledge in combat, your intent should be to win. If you do strike, you must release great power! The martial arts are easy to learn, but difficult to correct.
wing chun kuen man Posted July 22, 2004 Posted July 22, 2004 TangSooGuy, That is "democracy" for you, or rather a perverted version of democracy where for the sake of "human rights"; "civilization";political correctness, etc. even from a young age a victim mentality is being programmed into our societies. We are not given enough rights to protect ourselves, and even worse the people who are supposed to protect us have in many cases less rights than the thugs and the criminales. One can be arrested for violent behavior by using "excessive force" to break some bully´s nose, eventhough the powers that be can go and bomb the crap out of (i.e. kill/murder) thousands of people just to get at a "dictator". Back to the point. The comments made by you and tommarker are very true. I think that when it is a matter of dominance and bullying, walking away will most probably escalate the problem to an eventual violent confrontation at later stage when one has had enough. So, it is better not to walk away from these kind of situations if at all possible and settle them then and there. Wing Chun Kuen Man Real traditional martial arts training is difficult to find.....most dojos in the west are Mcdojos....some are better and some are worst....but they are what they are....do you train in one?
White Warlock Posted July 23, 2004 Posted July 23, 2004 Single encounter situations, i usually walk away, make peace, or apologize. If it is someone i have to deal with regularly, as in a prison, a school, or a jobsite, or if a loved one is in danger, i put my foot down. I deal with the issue in a controlled manner, applying just enough force, or presence, to ensure the incident does not escalate. I aim for the confrontation to be about me and him, and nobody else, and about nothing else other than the specific motive of that particular confrontation. I.e., i do talk initially, to define exactly why the confrontation is happening in the first place, and then making sure that the argument or confrontation is decided based on said targetted topic. Doing so helps to redirect the whole thing to a 'non-personal' level. An exception to this is when i'm in the wrong. If i'm in the wrong, i apologize and do what we both deem is necessary to make amends. Finally, i try to clean the slate of things immediately after the end of the confrontation. Part of what helps with this is letting someone hold a modicum of self-respect. For instance, i invited one person to lunch shortly after subdueing him. In another, i complemented someone on how well they fought. In another, i placed out my hand to shake, knowing full well he would not. Etc... The good guy stance does work, as long as you're sincere. "When you are able to take the keys from my hand, you will be ready to drive." - Shaolin DMV TestIntro
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