Got in a street fight :(

[chrissyp]

So, long story short, I ended up in a situation where I had to engage in self defense against being sucked punched by a drunken family member.

I'm not proud of this, nor is that the point of this post.

i'm posting this, because I learned through this conflict, what it means to be a martial artist, or something;

I held back, I didn't hurt him like I could have, I picked and choose my shots. Even though I was very emotionally hurt, I had concern for his safety, and only did what was nessesary to end it, and avoided really hurting the guy.

Before martial arts, I would have just hurt him...maybe it means I've learned compassion for my fellow man?

I'm also been hard on myself, from a training POV, because it felt like I threw technique out the window at first, until I collected my cool, and then I could apply what I've learned. But is it also one of those things you can't really train for? How do you prepare for such a thing?

[Harkon72]

The short answer - you can't. Training gives you options, like you said, you had choices. He is fortunate and so are you. Your options are your gift to him. He may not realise, but you do and that's all that matters.

[chrissyp]

The short answer - you can't. Training gives you options, like you said, you had choices. He is fortunate and so are you. Your options are your gift to him. He may not realise, but you do and that's all that matters.

Thank you. I needed to hear that. Means a lot.

[mal103]

You kept control of the situation and yourself so well done.

[cheesefrysamurai]

Glad to hear your ok-

Well handled.

Keeping your head, being tactical, while being considerate- is very impressive.

I would have preferred of course you didn't have this test but regardless you passed.

[sensei8]

The short answer - you can't. Training gives you options, like you said, you had choices. He is fortunate and so are you. Your options are your gift to him. He may not realise, but you do and that's all that matters.

Solid post!!

You practiced the practicality of Mizu No Kokoro and Tsuki No Kokoro; well done!! You didn't want to, but you did what was necessary and no more!!

[Spartacus Maximus]

It was indeed the right thing to do to exercise control and minimize damage. Dealing with a drunken family member or relative is definitely not the same as a situation where one is facing violent aggression from an enemy.

The response must be in proportion to the attack AND the type of violence. A drunken family member attack is not of the type of criminal or predatory violence. It does not justify anything more than the strict minimum such as a controlling technique. After all, the attacker is your family and you will have to deal with him after he sobers up. Seriously injuring him may very well compromise your relationship in the future. In my experience, situations involving aggressive drunks are among the easiest to avoid without ever having to resort to physical defense.

[sensei8]

That's why when anyone starts drinking, I leave with my wife and kids, when our kids were still kids, and we leave immediately without explaining why! My job is to protect them, and I do that without asking their permission and I don't let them argue that they want to stay; they know better than that.

[Archimoto]

The short answer - you can't. Training gives you options, like you said, you had choices. He is fortunate and so are you. Your options are your gift to him. He may not realise, but you do and that's all that matters.

Very well said!!!

[SaiFightsMS]

[quote name="chrissyp"

I'm not proud of this' date=' nor is that the point of this post.

i'm posting this, because I learned through this conflict, what it means to be a martial artist, or something;

I held back, I didn't hurt him like I could have, I picked and choose my shots. Even though I was very emotionally hurt, I had concern for his safety, and only did what was nessesary to end it, and avoided really hurting the guy.

Before martial arts, I would have just hurt him...maybe it means I've learned compassion for my fellow man?

[/quote]

Holding back and doing just what was needed to handle the situation shows your maturity and growth as a student of the martial arts. It is often said there is no first strike in Karate maybe you see a bit of insight into this now.