[super7man]

Last fight (sort of) was 1976.
I was living in Austin, TX. The apartment complex had its regular bully guy. He was the guy always loud at the clubhouse, changing the channel of the TV in the lounge while you were watching, in your face at the pool, etc.

One night I was in my apartment and there was a cricket in the stack of news papers near the front door. He was driving me crazy. I decided to jump on the stack and squish him. I jumped up on a kitchen chair and was ready to leap. At that moment the bully guy walked past my window. He went nuts over the fact that I was standing on the kitchen chair that belonged to the apartment complex.

I looked at him and he had blood all over his face. As he came through the front door, I hopped of the chair and hit him with a right hook to the jaw. He went down like a bag of bricks. I then turned to his friend who was standing in the door way with a look of “you want some too?”.

The friend was VERY apologetic and said that somebody had just cleaned the bully’s clock down at the pool and he was looking for someone to take it out on. I guess it was me.

The friend took him away. I saw the guy later and guess he did not remember a thing. I was expecting he was going to come after me but he didn’t.

I learned KEEP YOUR DOOR LOCKED.

[tacticalogic]

Wasn't exactly a fight, but it probably could have turned into one. Leaving a crowded bar, there's three guys down by the end of the bar to my left, two facing me and one in front of them with his back to me talking to the other two. All three are bigger than I am, but I'm only about 125 lbs. As I come up on them, one of the pair facing me looks at me and shoves the one with his back to me right into my path.

I reached out with my left hand, put 2 fingers into his back right next to a shoulder blade and pushed. He straighten right up and started cussing and moving trying to get away from it, so I just kind of swept my arm at the should to keep him moving away from me while I headed for the door. I threw a quick look at the other two as I passed and they backed away about a half step, like they didn't quite know what to make of that. I just kept going.

[laxcoach]

With regard to your question about fighting in school... Our school system has a “zero tolerance” policy. If you fight you end up in remedial school for a month, even if you are in gifted and are defending yourself.

My son is 12 and in 7th grade. Here is what this has done to the dynamics of bullying. Now even tiny kids can be bullies, because it is psychological instead of physical. Add the cyber part in and it gets more into the psych spectrum.

Kids can “say” things to each other via tech without having to look in someone’s eyes. They can do it in person without fear of retribution.

As a dad, I find that it makes me feel helpless. All it would take is a punch to the nose from my kid and a little punk would fold and never say another word. But I can’t have him do that. There are cameras everywhere.

The ultimate joke is that the athletic kid who is popular with girls is getting shit from the psychological, cyber bullies. It is crazy town.

There was an incident a couple of weeks ago where I decided that my son, who boxes, can’t hit the kid. But I know the dad and I am going to beat the crap out of him if he doesn’t stop his son. It stopped after that threat. Completely.

Last fight for me, not training, a bouncer jumped a friend outside a club when we were in college. We were in Buckhead (Atlanta) in the heyday around 1994. My dad was an MP and taught me a lot. I restrained the bouncer until the cops showed up.

[usual suspect]

Year 2000, Gull Island, Lake Saint Clair.
I was 49, some punk 1/2 my age tried to give me the “flying superman punch” sucker punch to my face. I got my Green belt in 1968 and managed to see him ‘flying” with my peripheral vision. Outward circular block and then I pummeled his face as he tried to take me down to the ground. I got tendonitis from hitting his face so many times. He got me on the ground, asked me a philosophical question “how’s that feel bitch”. I grabbed his neck with both hands, pulled his head down with all my might, rolled him over so all that was sticking out of the water was his nose, and pummeled him so hard that I had to be pulled off before I killed him...”effin bully.
After 39 years, I went back and got my Black belt in Tae Kwon do, took a year of Aikido, 9 months of Iaido.
Some guys won’t let you walk away from a fight, this idiot was showing off for his buddies.

[Ol' Sox]

Sophomore year in high school. Kid on the bus insulted my sister and I told him to pound sand. As we got off the bus, he yelled at me and charged. I took one step left and caught him in the mouth with a perfect, lucky right cross. He went down and I walked home with half of his front tooth stuck in between my first and second knuckles. Still have the scar 50 years later.

[HonkyTonkMan]

Bike Week, Iron Horse, David Allen Coe concert. Knucklehead on 2nd floor of deck tips his beer and spills it on me, laughing. In a flash I climbed up, knocked his beer bottle down, and had him held over the rail. Never knew what got him I wrapped him up so fast. My buddy pulled me down and I quickly made an exit.

I learned to respond quick, commit quickly,decisive. The element of surprise won the encounter. I also learned it was a foolish thing to do....cooler heads prevail. Spill beer on a shirt? buy a new one or go shirtless -- not worth arrest, lawsuit, medical, etc.

[Personal Responsibility]

I was always short and thin, didn’t have my growth spurt til 11th grade. I wound up being the picked on kid through most of high school. My last fight was coming off the bus in 10th grade, local neighborhood bully started saying stuff about me and I’d just had it. I dropped my backpack and said “you want to fight, let’s go.” He punched me once in the face but I was so mad I barely felt it. I punched him in the right temple, caught him clean too. He went down like a sack of potatoes. He started to get back up, I punched him in the same spot again. He stayed down.

Never hit another person, though I did dodge couple of punches at bars over the years.

[tx_eggman]

9th grade playing basketball on a driveway court. A friend got angry at me and started swinging. After it was over he had a black eye and every one there said I "won".

He got his kicks in too .. I learned that if that was what it took to "win" fighting should be avoided if at all possible.

[GenXteacher]

The last fight I broke up at work left me a bit sore. Then one of the students showed me a cell phone video...those guys didn’t look that big IRL....

[Oatka]

When was your last physical fight?

Summer camp, 1944 - dunno what it was about but I wanted to kill the kid in my 11-year-old rage.

Lots of near misses - my Guardian Angel worked overtime.
1) 1950s Navy. My shipmate was a short torpedoman 3rd class. Every bar we hit, didn't matter where, had sailors in it. Next thing, he's calling 'em "Surface Skimmers" (like "Jarhead" to a Marine) - we were submariners. Things go downhill from there and the next I hear is "Me and my shipmate will beat the crap out of all of you." I do my Tonto whaddaya-mean-we routine and drag his butt out of there with the lame excuse "he's drunk".
2) Lived in NYC then and 18 was the legal drinking age. On leave, I'd hit the local bat at 5 p.m. and shut it down at 2 a.m. Called some guy a fag and he threatened to cut me. The others said he had done it before. Went back the next few nights but he was a no-show.
3) NCO club 1980s San Diego. Civilian programmer now working for the Marine Corps. Went down there to install some programs in their PX system and was invited over for a beer. One Sgt., glass in hand, forearm across the bar, GLARING at one and all - you could tell he was looking for a fight. We locked eyes and I gave him the 1,000-yard-stare and nothing came of it. I begged off any future invites.

What did you learn?

Not a thing - until I grew up (when I got married at 27). After that it was, as others have said:
1) The three stupids rule.
2) Don't go drinking with short buddies, stupid or otherwise.
3) Better yet, stay away from bars.
4) Situational Awareness.

Lately though, at age 82 and after viewing politics, I'm starting to sympathize with this guy :-) :

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

The Winner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj6e8xpxomo

[chimera]

1992, I was 40 years old. A drunk street person accosted me in Chicago. I would have let it go if he hadn’t grabbed me by the coat lapels. I had to do the break-loose move (arms up and out) and then a shot to his face and another to the throat. That put him down. I didn’t want to touch him any more than necessary, so I learned that, as well as fighting with a drunk (when you’re sober) doesn’t end up being much of a fight.