Maintaining eye contact

[ps1]

Look up sucker punches on You Tube. You'll notice that many of them happen as one guy postures with another in a stare down of some sort. Then WHAM!!!! The buddy blasts the guy.

A person can talk about the lack of honor and cowardice in this all day long. But when you're laying on your back, getting kicked and beaten, your opponent's honor isn't that important to you anymore.

If a person wants to stare me down, I start looking for his buddies.

[joesteph]

Look up sucker punches on You Tube. You'll notice that many of them happen as one guy postures with another in a stare down of some sort. Then WHAM!!!! The buddy blasts the guy. . . .

If a person wants to stare me down, I start looking for his buddies. (emphasis added)

Thank you ps1! I'm reading what's common sense, and I'm wondering why I didn't picture this multiple attacker scenario before, which can happen in a bar just as well as "on the street." When I think of multiple attackers, I think of it being more blatant, while it can also be the "subtle approach" you're pointing out to be on guard against.

I imagine that as soon as his friends move, loudly call them on it and zone as best you can. (Pre-empt attack? Maybe a necessity.) Forget the initial adversary's schoolyard stare; look about you with a resolute expression on your face, and watch out for "incoming."

I take it that this "Tip of the Day" is presented as a public service to martial artists everywhere.

[Wa-No-Michi]

Shouldn't we training in our experiences rather than talking about it anecdotaly as it were.

Joe, you're a great bloke and and all that, but I think you've got to spend a little more time on the mats.

This way you will know what works best for you.

[joesteph]

. . . I think you've got to spend a little more time on the mats.

This way you will know what works best for you.

I wish I had the time, Wa-No-Michi, especially as a single parent. It's also tougher to recuperate when you're in middle age (will be 57 in January).

But thanks for the advice.

[Wa-No-Michi]

. . . I think you've got to spend a little more time on the mats.

This way you will know what works best for you.

I wish I had the time, Wa-No-Michi, especially as a single parent. It's also tougher to recuperate when you're in middle age (will be 57 in January).

But thanks for the advice.

Much respect to you Joe, I know how hard it is as a parent. Didn't mean my comment to be disrespectful in any way.

It will come though with a bit of mat time, and its better it takes as long as it does for you to realise this yourself.

[bushido_man96]

I think a stare-down ends up being more attached to an ego thing than anything else. What can you win with a stare-down? If you have those really intimidating eyes, you might deter someone's ideas, but more often than not, I don't know that it garners anything.

I think if someone glared me down, I'd start looking away, and breaking eye contact, so they might start thinking that they do have me intimidated. Then I might have one up on them.

[tallgeese]

A vetern cop once told me when I was a rookie to quit looking at people's eyes.

He quickly followed with "their eyes aren't gonna hurt you, it's th ier hands that are gonna do that"

[bushido_man96]

Words of wisdom often sprout from common sense, don't they? Yet at times, we need to be grounded like that so we don't over-evaluate something.

[tallgeese]

So true.

[ShoriKid]

Don't worry about theeyes. Like others have said, they won't hurt you, and a good fighter can try to lead your attention with them almost like a fient. My first instructor taught us to look at the "golden triangle". From a point between the eyes to the tip of each shoulder. Look "at" that broad area, which gets your perifial{gahh...I can't spell} vision going. You see little bits of movement that way.