How to Survive a Street Fight

That’s what I was thinking as I was dragged backwards along the ground by my jacket. Kicks came flying in from above but it was dark so I had no idea how many people there were aiming blows at me before a couple of my own crew spotted me and came to help out. The coat was ditched for the rest of the fight and wearing anything with a hood that could be grabbed from behind wasn’t a mistake I made again.

Of course in the movies or on TV two people square off against each other and take turns to swing neat hooks at each other until the bad guy falls over. Real life fights aren’t like that – they are clammy, scary, painful and confusing.

And they don’t just happen to hoodlums – anyone at any time can find themselves confronted with the threat of physical violence. This is about teaching you to spot trouble, avoid it or survive it.

The assumption I’m making is that you have zero martial arts training of any type – if you have then talk to your Sensei, not me. I am also assuming that you have no (or very limited) experience of fistfights – if you have you don’t need my advice. This is intended to help you if you haven’t thrown a punch in anger since pre-school. A lot of it may seem like common sense but that doesn’t make it any less correct.

Avoidance

The first – and best – way of surviving a street fight is to simply not get into one in the first place. Learn the dangerous parts of town and avoid them. If you are out late at night then stick to the well lit areas. Don’t have expensive valuables on show – walking down a dark alley talking on a cell phone just invites someone to grab it. Be aware of your surroundings, where you are, where you are going and who is in front and behind you.

Always walk confidently – wolves attack the weak and street gangs are no different! Looking like a victim is a sure way of becoming one. Keep your head up, stride purposefully and try and project confidence.

If you see a group blocking a pavement ahead and you think they may be looking for trouble then be aware, be alert but do not look afraid. Do not turn suddenly and walk in the opposite direction. Do not cross the road – these are signs of weakness and will mark you as a target. Instead walk confidently towards them and around them. Don’t stare at them but don’t stare at your feet – if you make eye contact nod a greeting but keep walking.

Evasion

Even with the best avoidance you can still end up in a confrontation. You may get called out by someone in a bar. You might get someone stepping out to ambush you on the street, or an argument in a public space might escalate so that violence looks probable.

You have heard the expression “discretion is the better part of valour”. That means that if it’s about to hit the fan then running away is no shame. I’ve done it countless times when the odds were against me. If someone is facing you down and looking for a fight then look for your escape route and don’t feel ashamed of bolting and running for your life. It might hurt your pride but that heals faster than broken bones.

If running isn’t an option then talk your way out of it – use humour or any other means of diffusing the situation. Whatever you do though maintain the air of confidence – at all costs you must not let them see you are afraid, this only makes violence more probable.

The Last Resort

If it’s clear that you can neither run nor talk your way clear then you need to prepare for the fight.

If there is a group then you may be able to choose your opponent. The main aggressor is the last person you want to fight – they will be the strongest and toughest. However gangs often have a “runt”, someone smaller, younger or less confident. You’ll spot them on the fringe of your antagonists; they’ll be joining in but not leading. Make eye contact with them and call them out, switch the focus so that you are attacking the runt rather than the gang leader attacking you. With the role reversal you may be able to bully your way past the leader and into a position you can run from. At the least you may be able to take on a less able opponent.

If a fight is imminent then prepare yourself. If you wear glasses then take them off – it’s better not to see the punches than have the lenses broken into your eyes (believe me I still have scars from when I was jumped and didn’t have time to take my glasses off). If you are wearing a coat or jacket either take it off or zip it up. If you have rings with protruding stones take them off (you risk damaging your hands). Take deep breaths, focus on trying to stay calm. Form loose fists and keep your thumb on the outside not the inside.

A number of things will happen to you as the stress hormones are released. You may start to shake, you’ll get sweaty but feel cold, all the strength may seem to go from your body and you may feel literally “weak at the knees”. This is the primordial “fight or flight” reaction. Your opponent is feeling the same and it is nothing to worry about. Being ready for it is the best defence.

Try and maintain a little distance between you and your opponent before the fight starts so that you can see him coming. 99 out of 100 untrained street fighters will just lunge at you. This is your single best opportunity; step smartly to your left and swing as hard as you can with your right fist aiming for the point of your opponents nose. Try and swing from your hips so that your whole body weight goes into the punch (the power is not generated from your arm). It might be worth practicing this at home. This assumes you are right handed – reverse it if you are left handed.

If all goes well your opponent will have tucked his chin in as he lunged and will be coming straight towards you with his arms out to grapple. A swift punch will be unexpected and you should make some contact. A sharp blow to the nose causes the eyes to water, which will help you. It also gives him reason to respect you. Even if you miss his nose you should connect with either an eye or his mouth again giving him cause to think.

At this stage everything will suddenly get messy and very un-Hollywood. In all probability you’ll have grabbed hold of each other and you’ll now be grappling. At all costs stay on your feet, get a firm grip on your opponent, get your feet wide apart, tuck your chin into your chest and put your head in as close to his as you can. The aim now is to hang on for dear life until someone breaks up the fight. Stay close because that way he has no leverage to punch. If possible keep your elbows tucked into your ribs.

You have probably seen a few martial arts films where the bad guys are flattened by flying kicks and it looks pretty cool and pretty easy. Believe me in real life it’s not! And you will feel pretty dumb when the aggressor has a hold of your foot and is making you hop before he trips you and beats you up. Unless you are trained (in which case why are you reading this?!) do not kick!

The only exception to this is in the grapple where you may take a risk and try stamping hard on your opponents feet. It is a risk though as it will destabilise you and leave you susceptible to being put to ground.

If you are put to ground and your opponent keeps his feet then the fight is over for you. You may have a chance to grab your opponents knees as you fall and bring him down but realistically once you start to go then you’ve lost. At this point all you can do is damage limitation.

Curl into a foetal position, hands curled into loose fists over your ears and chin tucked into your chest. Pull your knees in towards your belly and bury your face in there. Roll so that it is your back that is facing your opponent and tuck your elbows in to protect your ribs and kidneys. The idea here is to take the blows on areas that won’t get damaged. Lie as still as you can and perhaps discover religion. It will feel like the beating lasts forever but in reality it won’t.

And that’s it – I can’t teach you how to be Bruce Lee and pulverise a dozen hoodlums but what is here might save you from a trip to the emergency room. If you are worried then I strongly suggest a trip to your local martial arts club – we’re a friendly bunch and the help and training you’ll get there will be a lot more useful than advice on the internet!

Good luck and stay safe!