Saying...

[JusticeZero]

You don't need to warn the guy about anything. By committing a crime, you take responsibility fr some consequences. Tell him not to come near you, and if he does and does something that resembles an attack, then you can later say 'you were afraid for your life' and it fully justifies one good solid attack.

[White Warlock]

I mean, if you are about to comfront some poor guy who is about to fight you (even though he might deserve a beating) a small warning could let him make the simple decision if...

The problem with this thought, is that it is an exceedingly dangerous mentality. You are immediately stepping into the waters of underestimation. You are 'assuming' that you are better than them. But, just as they cannot see you are trained, so is it possible you cannot see that they are trained. I, for one, give absolutely no indication i know how to fight, until it's time to do so. Instead, i do all the actions i need to do to give the impression i am not wanting to fight and then work to see what i can do to get them to realize they don't want to either (that's, of course, running with the assumption i 'actually' don't want to fight... for in some cases i do, and thus would not attempt deescalation).

Also, as stated before... you're assuming he's going to 'believe' you, when most likely he is not.

Sure he might use a weapon, but wont he do that either way if you are going to fight then their are no rules.

It's a lessor possibility, actually. If he underestimates you, he won't present a weapon. This is part of the goal of a good combatant, to have the assailant underestimate you so they don't escalate it to a point where suddenly you're fighting for your life, instead of subduing an idiot. But, telling them you're a black belt is like 'you' pulling out a weapon. It then tosses out the green flag on 'escalating' the incident.

• "I have a black belt, walk away."
   
  "I have a Smith & Wesson, die."

And...i'm not saying to tell everyone your true identity but - I always thought that karate is a means of avoiding fights.

Well, that's not really the case. It is reasonable to do what is necessary to avoid getting into a confrontation, as long as what you present doesn't escalate the situation or present consequence down the line, but karate isn't geared to provide a means for you to avoid a fight, only to increase the likelihood you are the survivor should a fight occur.

The martial arts, as a whole, are about realism... not pacifism.

[Eric_]

The martial arts, as a whole, are about realism... not pacifism.

Ooo, I like that. May i use it?

[Ego Assassin]

I don't know if this has been said because i didn't read the whole thread but i believe alot of people trained or not would just take that as a challenge rather than a warning. I would.

[White Warlock]

It was inferred by others and indirectly indicated by Orion, but no... nobody said it straight out. Thanks

Ooo, I like that. May i use it?

hehe.

[Justfulwardog]

On the other hand, i've learned that by openly talking about it, i cut through the tensions. For example, when those two guys asked, they were trying to start up dialog, but you clammed up. Probably the best thing you could have done at that moment was ask them if they had any training. By their answers, you could determine if they were interested, or simply needling you. I gather they were curious, and you could then have gone into chatting about some of the various nuances, and a few of the bloopers. It could very well have turned into a friendly & fun educational seminar. That's how my scenes turn out nowadays... in most cases.

Sharing presents trust and friendship. I.e., by sharing your knowledge you are 'entrusting' to them something they would otherwise have to obtain by training. By trusting, you open up the doorway to friendship. At any point you can opt to close that door, but a discussion isn't going to make them adept, or any more of a threat than they were thirty minutes prior... so the risk is virtually non-existent and the gains can be great.

Thank you, White Warlock. That is a very wise perspective. I never thought of it that way.

[Russell]

ALL HAIL WARLOCK

ALL HAIL WARLOCK!!!!!

(privte joke)

[scottnshelly]

I’ve had people harass me specifically because they heard of my martial training. I seem to run into a lot of rednecks that want to test their ability to fight against someone who has already proven their ability to fight, i.e. a Black Belt. I also hear a lot of people bragging about beating trained fighters.

If a bully were to approach me, it would be because he thought that he was bigger, stronger or more skilled than me. If I were to announce that I had training, it would only make him more eager to attack.

In fact, instead of announcing my martial training while being harassed, I’d be much more likely to say that I’m a pacifist. Then I’d try to confuse them about how they aren’t allowed to attack me because of the fact that I’m a pacifist.

One of these days I’m going to get an ink pouch installed so I can spray an attacker and run away real quick.

[Russell]

ink pouch installed where??? Get one on you nose so if any1 did punch you they would get covered in ink. Now thats an anti-bullying invention!!!!!

[h2whoa]

Why not just say...

"I'm a black belt in jiu jitsu , muay thai, shokatan, zzpas, abc, and def"

To a person who is causing trouble or about to fight with you. I'm sure they would run away with that

And if the guy you are about to fight finds out that you are a karate master, then you will find common ground on your fighting knowledge and not fight.

How is he then supposed to back down with some self respect?

Say this and getting into a fight is guaranteed!!