Could you beat a street fighter?

[STR33T GUY]

I’ll define a street fighter as someone who is a member of the criminal underworld and has chosen to make their way through life by using violence.

From my experience the typical or “average” street fighter has some but not a lot of MA training. Enough training that they are familiar with most MA techniques but not very proficient at them. Besides his aggression the biggest advantage that the typical street fighter has is experience. Although the typical street fighter has had only two or maybe three real street fights to their credit (as oppose to beating up weaklings), that experience gives them a huge advantage over someone without that experience.

So could you fight off a typical street fighter if you had to?

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Without actually selecting an individual (street fighter) for each of us to fight with, nobody can honestly say one way or the other whether or not we could win a fight against him.

However, isn't what we're doing by training in the MA's to survive a fight against a person such as you describe? Of course it is.

What I tell my students is that a real fight is:

25% luck -- Seeing and taking advantage of a huge opening in your opponents defense for example.

25% surprise -- I ADAMENTLY am opposed to assuming a fighting stance and a loud KAI!!! at the onset of a street fight, like I see so many sensei teach. To do so forewarns your opponent that you (might) possess fighting/MA skills, and by doing so, you have lost the advantage of surprise.

50% skill -- self-explanitory.

[STR33T GUY]

You didn’t list experience in you percentage breakdown. That’s a huge oversight on your part, since experience is over 50% of what determines the outcome.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

You didn’t list experience in you percentage breakdown. That’s a huge oversight on your part, since experience is over 50% of what determines the outcome.

No oversight...experience would be under skill. Experiences give you skills.

[STR33T GUY]

No oversight...experience would be under skill. Experiences give you skills.

What in your opinion is the difference between “skills” developed through training and “skills” developed through experience?

Can you get the necessary “skills” through training alone?

Is it necessary to have real fight experience to develop good self-defense skills?

[Shorinryu Sensei]

What in your opinion is the difference between “skills” developed through training and “skills” developed through experience?

Skills developed throuigh training are learning of technique, developing power and reflexes, how the body works and can be manipulated, physics, mechanics, etc. Different levels of sparring (light, medium and full contact) teach you fighting skills and give you the opportunity to experience the closest thing you can have without actually going on the street and looking for a fight and honing the skills you are taught. Some techniques work for some, and not for others, and sparring is where you find out what works best for you. Also, what works in light sparring may not work well in full contact, or you can't do in full contact because it is to dangerous (knee strikes, eye gouges, throat strikes, elbow breaks, etc)

Can you get the necessary “skills” through training alone?

I believe you can. Actual experience is a better teacher of course to find what works, and what doesn't for you, but unless you want to go out and start fights every weekend (stupidity if you ask me), youy have to make it as real as possible in the dojo during training.

Is it necessary to have real fight experience to develop good self-defense skills?

I don't think so. If you teach your body correctly, practice hard and try to make your training as realistic as possible, your body will react better than your mind will if you let it.

I have a 52 year old student that has been with me for about 7 years now. Rod has never in his life been involved in a "real" fight outside of the dojo. Despite this, I feel that Rod has the skills necessary to handle most people in a street fight. Note I said "most" people. A good boxer or experienced street fight would give Rod some problems, but I think he'd do just fine if he was forced to fight. Rod is at an impasse in his training and is pretty much stuck where he's at skill-wise for a while until we figure out how to get past this point that he's been at for quite some time (talking years here).

[DKizzle]

I think I could hold my own against a street fighter, probably even beat them. I think you can get the necessary skills from training and sparring. And I've gotten very fast in sparring, which is a huge advantage in a street fight.

[dtstiachi]

to many unknown variables to adequately answer the question.

[Northren Ogre]

I was a street fighter and beat martial artists and I am a martial artist who have beaten street fighters. Like dtstiachi says, too many variables for proper answers.....

[pineapple]

Training in martial arts simply improves yours chances over your chances if you did not train.