how to defend against kimbo

[Martial_Artist]

Kimbo bleeds like anyone else. He tires and feels pain too. Just to different degrees. People ascribe so much awe to his looks that they forget he puts his pants on one leg at a time like we do, he has to eat, breath, and use the bathroom too.

Strategy? Fight him like anyone else. Fight to win. Hit him hard. Move out of the way of his punches. I cannot understand the thoughts of those that solidify the fear of size into strategy.

Kimbo can take a hit. Well, a lot of people actually can take a good hit. The human body is quite resillient that way. I've seen people pummeled, stabbed, shot, and beat and sitting in a gurney telling me what happened. Kimbo just turns the reaction of being hit into a combative.

How many people practice getting hit or maybe even flinch-resistance training? It prepares the mind for the eventuality of being hit. Flinching is a defeated response to being struck. It's a "I don't want to get hit and that hurt, don't do it again!" response.

Suck it up. If little bitty gangbangers can soak up the punishment of being jumped in. Then you, as a trained martial artist, should be able to do just as well. You've just been approaching it all wrong mentally for too many years.

Seriously, the fear of Kimbo shouldn't even be a topic for martial artists. He is no different than anyone else you could potentially have to fight.

You guys need to remember that greatest are not all on television or youtube. There are plenty of serious fighters, many with experience far greater than backyard fights, on this world that don't show up on Spike.tv or youtube.

There are great athletes in the MMA world, no doubt. Kimbo can do damage, no doubt. How much of what you see is the mental defeat suffered by his opponents before any punch is thrown?

How many of you have already resigned yourself to defeat just because he looks scary?

If the thought of fighting a physically larger, stronger opponent frightens you, then perhaps you need to focus more on training. Power in hitting. Speed in hitting. Are we not martial artists? Adapt what you can do against whoever you fight.

One of the first rules of warrior training is not to kill your warrior in training. All this does is program the mind to "die" in a real fight. You must have the mentality that you can't be killed, even though you might. I imagine that many training scenarios in many of today's dojos result in a student losing the scenario. I provide an example: in Simunition training you are taught to keep shooting even if you take rounds. You are taught to win the scenario regardless of where you have been shot or what kind of wound you think you have received. Why is this important? Because the mind will play a great role in not just surviving a deadly force encounter, but winning.

There are countless stories of police officers facing bad guys after being shot and still fighting, even though mortally wounded. It's the least you can do for yourself and your loved ones. If thugs and criminals can take a beating or get shot and still fight, then why not us?

You have got to tell yourself that no one is going to take your life away from you. That no matter what you feel, you will go home to your family.

I hear so much of this defeatist attitude on martial arts forums that it is really no surprise why the public has no respect for traditional martial arts. It's not so much the technique as it is the students.

Students who do not train to win a fight. Who find it more comforting to say "I'd run away" or "He's too big and strong, so I would have to find a weapon." Students who have never felt pain to understand how to deal with it once felt at the hands of someone who doesn't care about you and would care less to see you dead.

Not to say running or obtaining a weapon are not solutions, but it's the instant "I stand no chance so better hedge the odds." This is not the mentality of the warrior.

Now, before you all run off screaming, you can't keep that ego and pride in a fight it will get you hurt or killed. You need to understand your limitations. It's better to avoid fights at all costs.

There is a season for all things. Including choosing not to fight. That's not the point of what I'm writing. I'm not writing about strategy. And if that's all you're seeing you've completely missed the point.

How can a serious martial artist view someone and the only or foremost response in a self-defense situation he can think of is to run?

Shouldn't the response be: Hmm, I would have a hard time fighting that guy. Maybe I need to work on this or that. I might not win, but he's going to hurt too.

That's something I learned as kid from my Dad. He told me when fighting a bully you make him hurt. You make him work, sweat, bleed even. You never let him win easily. You fight like that and even if you don't walk away strong, you walk away with respect for yourself and from your opponent.

People like Kimbo count on their intimidation factor in their ability to win. We all do to some extent. How nervous do you feel fighting against someone you know you can beat (say a white belt with no prior experience)? How does that confidence translate into your sparring match? Confidence is a huge factor in combat victories. Why do you think police and military train all the time? Why do you think they work on skill sets and developing skills sets? It's to build confidence in those skills to reduce the stress induced by combat thereby increasing their combat effectiveness.

Isn't that what you do each time you train at your dojo, dojang, kwan, or school? If not, why?

Aren't you training skills and sets tested and refined in an environment designed to increase warrior confidence?

We are martial artists and we might find ourselves entering the realm of the universal human phobia: the toxic, corrosive, destructive environment of interhuman aggression.

It goes along way to ask what is the difference between a tornado destroying your house and hospitalizing your family and a group of gang members breaking into you house assaulting you and your family hospitalizing everyone and then burning your house down. The end result is the same. You have lost your house and your family is in the hospital. Tell me, what's the difference?

I'll you think about that one.

Now, before everyone goes off and says you can't win every fight. There's always someone better than you. That's true, but that's not what you train your mind to believe. Because if you do, then the nexy guy you fight, who you might have a chance at beating, starts to hurt you or seems to gain the advantage what's going to happen? You're going to remember you can't win every fight. Or there's always someone better than you. You're going to lose mentally before your body even has a chance to win.

Saying you can't win every fight or there's someone better than you are not strategic considerations. They should be training inspirations, not fighting concepts when approaching a conflict.

Strategy is for a different post. We can argue running vs fighting. Weapons vs empty hands. But that's not what I'm talking about right now.

I'm trying to cut through years of whatever training you have undergone that has programmed you to accept the possibility of defeat for whatever reason and resign yourself to it. That's unacceptable from a trainers point of view. I would hope none of your teachers are creating warriors who lose. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to never accept defeat.

Which, unfortunately, appears to be the mass sentiment here.

Now, for those still stuck on tactics. I advocate doing whatever it takes to win. I'm not going to go into detail because it's out of place in my post. And yes, there are times when avoidance is wise. But I never advocate cowardice. I do advocate making sure you get home each and every day to your loved ones, for your loved ones.

Now, I understand some may have a hard time grasping what I'm talking about. Either due to age or experience. Some of you have never had to confront someone who does not feel remorse for killing or wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I hope you never have to. But you should prepare yourself mentally and physically for it. Why? Well, I'm assuming you've decided no one is responsible for your personal safety but you. You have chosen to study the martial arts. You are not studying dance or ballet. you are studying the art of interhuman aggression and combat. You might as well accept the far-reaching possibility that it might occur to you or a loved one. And it won't be pretty. It won't be like the movies. But you have time. And it is a double edged sword. On one hand you have the time to train because you have not had a deadly force encounter. On the other hand time is against you, you never know when you could face a deadly force encounter.

George Washington said those who desire peace prepare for war.

I think that's all I'll write on this. I probably should have just written an article on the subject. But I felt it better belonged under this topic.

I'm not arguing with anyone. It's not my goal to belittle fellow martial artists regardless of the petty bickering that exits among stylists or systemalists (those that bicker over system such as mma vs traditional). I have been a teacher and it has always been my goal to create warriors.

Take what you want from this. Or take nothing at all. As much as I would like all martial arts students to develop into warriors I also understand not everyone is. And there is nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is supposed to be a warrior. An ancient Greek warrior leader once said:

"Of every 100 men that they send me, 10 should not be here. 80 are nothing but targets. 9 are real fighters, they the battle make, Ah, but the one, he is a warrior, and he will bring the others back."

It should be the goal of teachers and students alike to be the one warrior.

MA

p.s.

It probably should be another post altogether the role of size in a fight. Being 5'05" 120 lbs against a 6'03" 250 lbs. But, like I said earlier, I am not writing about tactic, strategy, or technique. I am more or less simply providing a monologue on an observation of mine being a member of this forum for almost 6 years. Being a practicing martial artist for nearly 30 years. And being a teacher for around 10 years. And having seen these things on harsh, bleak ghetto streets.

Just my .02 cents.

[straightblast]

From watching him tonight it looks like all it takes is a short right from a LHW to take him out.

[bushido_man96]

That tends to be typical of MMA, though. One shot is all it takes.

[the beast]

I would suggest low kicks, take out his knees, he cant stand and fight,other than that try to out maneuver and out last him ,from what ive seen he doesnt have very good conditioning