fighting

[shotokanwarrior]

Has anyone been in a real fight or self defense situation ( not sparring) and what happened?

[karate_woman]

I wouldn't say I got in a real scrap, but I did use some of my techniques at one point.

 

I was at a party at my ex husband's boss's place a month before my shodan grading. One of his coworkers was making out in the pool with some chick, and she went home. This left him both drunk and horny.

 

All my ex's coworkers knew both me and my ex were regularly taking a martial art (me karate, him jujitsu). For some reason this guy wanted to touch me and thought it would be funny to try it. I told him not to, but he persisted in trying. I was fending him off with soft techniques, basically redirecting his hands away. Of course, that was great fun for him and just encouraged him.

 

I got tired of the situation, and nobody said anything, so I distinctly remember making the decision to strike him to get him to stop. II had a clear shot at the face, but opted instead for a simple palm heel strike to the side. I picked that target because as much as I wanted him to stop, I wanted to emphasize my point but not seriously hurt him because the situation didn't warrant it at that moment; if he persisted after the single warning strike, and I felt I was in danger, that was different. Fortunately, the warning strike was sufficiently hard to make him stop. He left me alone and was seen rubbing his side later that evening

 

My feelings afterwards were of anger and frustration. I didn't want to have to be put in a situation where I had to hit my husband's coworker. I felt that even though I could handle it (and did), the whole thing would have been avoided if my ex (6'2, 210 lbs) had simply came up to the guy and told him to cut it out. I mentioned it to my Sensei and he said he felt for my ex because knowing me, and what I was capable of (my ex and I often worked together on his jujitsu moves, and practiced sparring and grappling together too), he wouldn't be sure what was the right thing to do, and thought my ex would be worried about getting heck from me for intervening.

[IAMA_chick]

no, i'm a lover, not a fighter. lol. j/k. i have been really lucky and i have NEVER had to get into a fight.

[theswarm]

the only close to a situation I got was very similar in that I didn't really use karate training to diffuse it since i've been training karate

 

I was at a party and my band had played, I was shirtless and this guy was trying to make off with my shirt- he couldn't understand me when I said no mate that's my shirt. So I tried to grab it off him - well anyway this guy was like a pitbull and wouldn't let go. Eventually i just started twisting his arm but i was too sweaty to twist and he jumped on my back, so i did something I kinda judo ish stepped back bent over and threw him over my back. I didn't feel what he did warranted any severe action like a punch because he was intoxicated i didn't think he knew any better. So anyway, he's finally let go, he's on the floor going ahhh my back. Gets up grabs the shirt again. The thought on my head at this point was ahhh fuck why didn't i just move the shirt. I kept pushing him away with my fingertips on his solar plexus until eventually i managed to open the crumpled up shirt and show him it was my shirt, later on we were laughing about it.

 

dumbest scuffle EVER

[Ghost]

Karate_Woman

 

Sorry to hear that, that sounds nasty.

 

I think you did exactly the right thing and you should be proud of yourself. Idiots like that need to be put in their place.

 

I think its awful no one helped you.

 

I know i would have helped if i had been there and i dont think any one should be messed with like that.

[karate_woman]

Thanks, though I didn't feel a need to be rescused per se, just felt (and still do) that the situation could have easily ended in a non violent way if someone (other than me, who he found amusing) had just spoken to him. I was NOT going to just sit there and continue to let him try to touch me, either.

 

It was strange because I always knew I'd do my best to defend myself, but I'd never really thought about milder situations to use martial arts until that point...I guess I'd drawn the imaginary line in my head a bit further down the line, like actually being attacked or something. I think preventing people from touching me when I don't wish to be touched by them is valid, though.

 

The mental process I went through both at that moment and afterwards was enlightening though. I'd even done the mental work on being attacked by someone I knew, as we'd been taught that would most often be the case. I guess I always thought I'd feel I was in real danger if I were ever to use any aspect of my training, since it was emphasized that we weren't to use it unless it was necessary; we could be kicked out of our dojo for fighting. I decided it was necessary, and my compromise was only using the amount of force I deemed necessary to stop him instead of breaking his nose!

 

It proved one thing....I didn't freeze, I responded, just like I believed I would. I never expected to be able to think so clearly though - I thought it would be more instinctive - I guess it would have been if it had been real danger? It also could have been the fact that we've trained and trained for "unknown" attacks, where we don't know what type of attack (or even how many attackers) is coming, and we just respond with whatever we want. Since we can't "really" break our attacker's arm or leg in the dojo we also have to have a corner of our minds thinking and in the present.

 

Anyway...it isn't really an exciting story, but really made me think, and it is all I have .

[Ghost]

Nice one though i think you make a good point that fighting is not always all out and is sometimes subtle.

 

Its difficult when people stop at the edge and then just keep nudging that point.

 

In your case however you were well within your rights to break his nose if you felt like it as he was assualting you. I dont ditinguish any difference between that type of attack and a more violent one.

[hobbitbob]

When I lived in Baltimore, I was in a few encounters where I knew merely giving up my wallet wasn't going to make the other guy(s) go away.

 

I see these as failures, becasue I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I regret the injuries I caused.

[KaratekaAikidoist]

Being fourteen, rather short and in middle school, people think its cool to attack me especially right before my black belt testing. I either but them in aikido pins or hit them until they stop. I've had a few accidents when i first started out. A kid came behind me while i was alone and i did a backfist and gave him a bloody nose.Also, a guy in tae kwon do bearhugged me and I hit him in his "spot" really hard and made him cry.

 

Of course now I don't do that "It was two years ago" and I apologized to the people that it happened to. I think the tae kwon do guy deserved it. GO GOJU RYU!

[Karateka_latino]

I have been in Street fights before i started in the MA.

 

Im a kinda short guy so l had to deal with Bullies all that time and naturally i needed to defend myself somehow.

 

I kicked butt and got my butt kicked too. Is something you shouldn't be pround of doing.