Posted on 11/07/2015 1:26:36 AM PST by lee martell
I was on the stationary bike today, watching one of the TV's hung high on the wall. There was a bout of kickboxers just beginning. The only time I'm really interested in watching televised sports would be for activities in the ring and/or dojo. I tried to recall when was the last time, or one of the last times I ever put fist to jaw in anger? Training doesn't count. One is not even supposed to be in a boxing or martial arts class if you are too agitated, because that force will come out upon your training partner, who will have the urge to retaliate.
I've had a lot of experience in working with mentally ill adults, often much younger than myself. I've gone through training to chose the best approach when confronted by someone upset. First thing is not to escalate the situation if at all possible. That may mean not immediately responding in kind to every unkind word or unsavory tone. Second thing is understand you need not respond immediately to every perceived slight. But what if the tension continues to build? What if it becomes clear that ignoring the source or the troublemaker is not going to work. Third may be to speak with authority, possibly putting an end to the scene. Forth tactic is to let the person talk, some people just need to let go of built up tension. Maybe no one has been listening to them for quite a while.
I have to put on my (now dusty) Thinking Cap and go back, far back to the seventh grade. A classmate wanted me to take a duffle bag box to another area of the school for him. I knew that wasn't the school dufflebag, and that this kid had a reputation for drug dealing. I refused. The classmate took this as my way of saying that i was 'too good' to do anything for him or his friends. The banter went back and forth for a while, until the kid was 1 inch away from my face yelling about people like me, who don't think he's good enough to be friends with. I pushed him away, almost knocking him on his rear. We enchanged a few hits, not much. Mostly bluster. By that time. the school bell had rung for classes to change. The student didn't bother me after that, but I got dirty looks from his little Goon Squad for the rest of the semester. I'm sure you Freepers have better, more sizzling stories, but I don't really.
Even though my fighting experience was very minor, very quick and blood-free, I'm glad I had those few fights, because I felt a little braver about everything else after that. Learning to stay put and deal with a tense situation is a valuable trait.
Are todays' schoolkids ever allowed to fight without being put on detention or even expelled?
/only half-kidding/
Singapore, during my Navy days. I learned that my canary ass can’t cover the bets made by my alligator mouth when I have been drinking tequila. Which is why I no longer drink tequila.
My last real fight was in the 70s, a bar fight. I learned not to get in a fist fight with a golden gloves boxer.
Two fingers to the eyes.
Cupped palms to both ears.
Heel of palm to the nose.
Straight right (or left) to the throat.
You win!
During 30 years of law enforcement I have been in more fights that I can remember. I came into the job not knowing any martial arts and was relatively strong from lifting weights. In my first two fights I realized that strength was not enough, people on drugs and or mentally disturbed could be a real problem.
I ended up finding a judo school and went for 8 years. This helped me tremendously. I also studied some Korean karate, Sombo and Jiu Jitsu.
With all that said I know I am not the baddest man on the planet. I have learned a few things from these encounters.
First, my Judo instructor (who was also a police officer) used to tell us “Attack when attacked.” I used this principle throughout my career. Anybody crazy enough to attack you may be crazy enough to kill you.
I also subscribe to two other ‘maxims’ I learned from the military. SAS. Speed, Aggression and Surprise. And this gem: ‘Be polite, be professional but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.’ Thank you Marine Corps.
Use the color wheel police use: White: relaxed, no worries. I am rarely in this area. Yellow: heightened awareness (I’m usually here ALL the time. Orange: Something has caught your attention and you need to keep an eye on it. Red: Threat/threats.
Most people walk around in the “White” zone. Criminals look for this.
Get into the best shape you can. Learn some real martial arts if you can. Practice staying aware of your surroundings all the time including having a simple plan, even when walking down the street in your own neighborhood.
Get your CCW and carry a gun. Attack when attacked and fight like a scalded dog.
7th Grade, was a mild mannered kid. Bullied by a gang on the walk home from school for a couple of weeks. Finally had enough and turned around and decked the next kid giving me grief. Was then invited to join the gang. The next week we started to pick on another kid until his father showed up and threatened to beat us into mincemeat if we didn’t layoff his kid. Quit the gang.
Or jumped or knifed later by his compatriots. They might decide that he was a little weasel, but he was their weasel.
Training session sparring
A bar in Key West...I was a kid of 59 at the time. LOL
Bar room brawls are as American as apple pie.....but as with everything moderation is key. Age and wisdom take over soon enough...
About 1999. In a local bar a drunk came up from behind and attempted a head lock. I grabbed his forearm, lifted him off the floor and threw him against a wall.
He thought I was one his buddies and he’d show out for the women. Afterward, he sat beside me, apologized and said, “I can’t believe you threw me across the room!”
LOL...
Never been in a fight.....not even close.
College - a bar near campus. You can pretty much stop aggressor with a well placed punch directly to their nose. Having been on the losing side of that equation a couple of times in a H.S. hallway and in Key Club boxing, I can attest that the pain and the blood takes the wind right out of your sails. It’s humbling. And sometimes it is necessary to pass that humbling experience unto others.
I hear that... I'm the 'big guy' - You know the guy your drunk, pissed off buddy tries to fight to prove his manhood... The biggest guy in the place? I'm that guy. I'm pretty easy-going and I don't go looking for it - But it always seemed to be brought to me - nearly every night I went drinking, some half-drunk moron with a chip on his shoulder would have to try to take me on... and it became tiresome. Fighting just plain stopped when I quit going to bars. In fact, most of my woes ceased to exist when I quit honky-tonkin'.
Congratulations on the 5 years - I am not off alcohol, but I may as well be... Tend way more to sweet tea these days.
I heard the Three Stupids rule from a deputy sheriff last week in Criminology class. They bear memorization!
1977 while aboard ship...I was cleaning urinals in a head for inspection, and a guy came in (not from my squadron) and despite the sign that said closed for inspection, walked right over and used one I just cleaned (had to go back and clean it)
I don’t remember how it progressed, but I remember having my face pinned up against a urinal, then I turned the tables on him and has HIS face there, and then a Chief came in and broke it up.
LOL, he listened to my explanation, and made the guy finish cleaning the head with me.
College. A “friend” thought he could take me (he had a good 30 lbs. on me), and I held him in a position he couldn’t get out of. I learned that I’m not as weak as I think I am sometimes, and that people underestimate me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.