Let us discuss a scenario.
Out of the infinite possibilities and choices of weapons, approach style, fighting background, mentalities, philosophies, etc, etc.
Your antagoniser approaches...
From our perspective.. all we see is an opponent in an altercation who is facing us with his left foot planted and leaning forward slightly with a light bounce in his movements. Both hands held up to shoulder's level with no cross of the centerline. This guy knows his basic stuff. OK, here we go. How do we approach this confrontation and come out winning?
Most common reaction (including mine) would be to drop back, favourite stance, guards up, and....
Tae Kwon Do trained martial artists will look for opportunities to counter the attacker with kicks?
Karatekas will attempt to punch and front kick him to a pulp.. maybe even a flashy Kyokushin Jodan Mawashi Geri? Ofc to the familiar tune of ooosh, ooosh, ooosh, ooosh!!!
Judokas might embrace him for that fate changing uchi-mata or seonage throw to the floor.. thus ending the fight?
How about our wonderful friends with MMA training.. Muay Thai and BJJ combo kick punch pre-emptive strike with a male homo snuggling on the ground ending with a armbar, legbar or kimura?
Or maybe put your guards up, mirror his stance and close the distance for a good old boxing match and out slug each other to a Koniakku ?
Oh.. and stop all the bad habits of cosmetic moves. Brushing your nose with your thumb ala Bruce Lee, spreading your hands apart and goading your opponent with your hands ala Wong Fei Hung, hopping and bouncing around ala Jean Claude Van Damme WILL get you in trouble eventually. I have personally seen people who are involved in street fights swaying their body ala street fighter... probably they think being proficient at computer and arcade games qualify them to be street fighters...
O - Only in their minds, fantasies come true.... these people have no idea whatsoever what is kumite.
M - Mentally insane to think they know how hard bones are until they make contact with someone else's.
G - Good luck with new sensations called, lactic acid build up, excrutiating pain, exhaustion and reality check.
I would suggest the following chain of thoughts/actions.. (which for common sense sake have to take place in your head rather quickly)
C - Check him out physically quickly. Learn to be able to assess a fighter's strength (hence potential source of attack) with a quick glance at his physique.
H - Hands MUST be relaxed and at the ready...at all times.
I - Intuitively load up your favourite combo. Counter or pre-emptive strike at the earliest opportunity.
C - CHEAT. Combat is based on deception.
K - Kick. Remember you have legs as well. That makes you more dangerous because you have 5 weapons of choice.
E - Expectations. Expect the unexpected from your opponent. Stay alert and focus on him at all times. That girl walking past with the ultra super mini-skirt can wait. Expect pain. Expect your opponent to be highly skilled.
N - NEVER EVER UNDERESTIMATE your opponent.
O - Outwit your opponent. Letting him underestimate your fighting capabilities.
U - Unbalancing your opponent is key to winning. Be it psychological or physical. Keep doing it.
T - Turning your back on your opponent is never a good idea. DON'T!
My first inclination to deal with this scenario is to drop into a stance which allows me to execute side-steps.. or if space constraint, close the distance between us fast. Guard at this point would be redundant because if we are planning to counter the attack based on positioning, any guard positioning would be more of a cosmetic move and in actual fights, that can literally kill you.
I would much prefer pre-emptive strike sen sen no sen, if possible at all, but in this case, since I already am in the frame of mind for tai-tsabaki, it would be sensible for go no sen. It might be a case of ura shuto or kote barai, followed by combinations of ura uchi and furi zuki. Depending on the followup, the opponent's defense and/or subsequent manouvres, distance 1 and 2 dictates a takedown is necessary, here is where diligent seonage and uchi mata practices pay off. Alternatively, ashi barai works at this distance if proper kakete waza is employed or if we are close enough for a kage zuki take-down combo.
Unlike most point scoring matches where a referee is there to see fair play, street fights usually require you to kick the living daylights out of your opponents to end fights, so do it fast, hard and in the most economical sense possible.
Someone once taught me, in mahjong, if you setup your tiles and see you might have an opportunity to complete and win within 5 rounds, go for it. If not, play for a draw by controlling your other players' cards. Worst case scenario, make sure you are the one who is paying the least in a losing round.
输少当赢 - If you suffer less loss then your opponent, you win.
That's the case in a fight, any fight. Nobody walks away smelling like a rose. Everybody involve loses. We won because we survived, and your opponent is lying on the ground. If you are going to be the one lying on the ground, make sure your opponent(s) have broken limbs, or have deconstructed facial landscapes, better still, when confronted by a group, make sure you take out the strongest one/ weakest one (everyone have different strategies) so that you won't be lonely lying alone in a pool of blood. *GRIN* Nah, it would be easier for police to trace your attackers if they have one or more bodies of your assailants to work with, then they can catch the other shit-heads.
So I advocate don't fight. If you must, make sure you win. If you cannot win, cause as much destruction as you can.
CJ
