Winning a street fight takes more than just taking boxing or martial arts classes. Fighting in the streets is an entirely different animal. There are no rules, no referees and you will most likely lose.
Here are the five reasons why you will lose in a street fight.
1. You let your attacker throw the first punch
Many martial arts schools teach their students to wait for the first punch before attacking their opponent. Unfortunately, that only works in the movies and dojos. When it comes to street fighting, it is a mistake to wait for someone to attack you first. You do not know what your attacker is capable of. He might be faster than you or a better fighter. In either case, allowing him to initiate the first strike allows him first mover advantage, which means you will have to move twice as fast in order to counter his attack and strike back. Such confidence in your ability can leave you laying unconscious in the streets or even worse, dead in a grave.
2. You don’t walk away
No one likes to be disrespected, but allowing it to lead to a fight could leave you with a black eye or missing teeth. Many fights can be stopped before they even start. All you have to do is walk away. If a person starts calling you names or cursing at you, leave. You cannot be disrespected if you are not there. Why stand and be a target of a person’s ignorance, just walk away. Yes, he might think you are a coward, but who cares. When did you start caring about what a belligerent stranger thinks of you anyway?
3. You judge a person by how they look
You cannot tell what a person is capable of just by looking at them. What you might think is an easy fight might be the worst fight you ever have in your life. I remember watching one a reality judge show on television. In this episode, a woman suing another women over money. The plaintiff had a large keloid scar across the left side of her face. When asked about the scar, she explained that the defendant smashed a bottle against her face when she (the plaintiff) and her friends tried to jump her. The plaintiff misjudged the defendant because defendant was smaller and outnumbered. As a result, she is now scared for her life. She should have just walked away.
4. You let your attacker get too close.
It is a tale as old as time. One guy disrespects another which leads to a stand off between the two men, face-to-face, and sometimes nose-to-nose, waiting for the other to back down. This is a ridiculous situation to put yourself in. Allowing the aggressor to get too close will leave you open to a blindsided attack. You should never let someone within the reach of your extended arms. This is your fence, a technique created by Geoff Thompson that puts a boundary between you and the aggressor so that you can assess your situation without getting sucker punched.
5. You think that fighting is fair.
While you might fight fair, your attacker will not. People who start fights often do so when they think they have the advantage such as having weapons or friends nearby to help. They are not thinking about honoring any codes or following any rules, just winning by any cost no matter if it takes a gun, baseball bat or knife. Going into a fight with a sportsmanship mentality will leave you at a disadvantage. You need to be ready for anything. Never expect your attacker to do one thing or another and never limit what you are willing to do in response.
6. You got into a fight in the first place.
Finally, the main reason you will lose a fight is because you got into a fight in the first place. Honestly, when it comes to fighting, you lose one way or another. You might win the altercation, but lose in court by being arrested and sued for assault and battery. Also, you could injure yourself during the fight or, even worse, accidentally kill your attacker. You never know how a fight will go. The best way to win is not to fight in the first place.