Today’s video (and podcast episode) is story about the first time I ‘won’ a street fight by realising that the other guy – an older, shabbily dressed, homeless man – was almost certainly mentally ill.
There are a lot of people out there behaving like a**holes. And it’s normal to feel the urge to punch them right in the mouth to teach them a lesson.
But it can really shift your perspective if you consider that about 1 in 10 people are mentally ill.
Maybe that guy who cut you off and gave you the finger is an selfish jerk… but maybe he’s also just off his medication and is essentially a slave to his disarranged brain chemistry.
If you engage in needless fights, or if you kick the s**t out of somebody who should be on lithium or other anti-psychotics, then you’re a bully and an idiot.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t defend yourself if attacked; of course you should!
But most fights are optional, and each fight you avoid is a victory. If you need to remind yourself that the other guy could be mentally ill in order to calm yourself down and avoid that fight then that’s a useful thought.
First of all, you should be compassionate. I’ve seen people go from Doctor Jeckyll to Mr Hyde just because their liver wasn’t properly filtering the ammonia out of their blood. They went from normal to completely, utterly cuckoo, and it really wasn’t their fault.
Secondly, every single violent encounter is a huge legal liability for you. For example, if you KO the other guy and he gets killed when his head hits the pavement then it’s YOU who’s going to jail and everybody loses
(I discussed this in detail in my Death After the Knockout article)
Be compassionate AND be strategic my friends!
A Revelation That’s Helped Me ‘Win’ More than 10 Street Fights (Video)
Here’s the video of my insight…
A Revelation That’s Helped Me ‘Win’ More than 10 Street Fights (Audio)
You can also just listen to the audio form of this interview on my podcast.
All the same material is covered in episode 327 of The Strenuous Life Podcast which you can listen to using the podcast player that you already have on your phone!
For example, if you have an iPhone then it’s the purple app with the antenna-like thing in it; just click the Apple Podcasts link below to go to the right place and hit ‘subscribe’.
Here are the links to find the podcast on various players – today’s episode is number 327…
- Apple Podcasts (the purple app on your iPhone)
- Google Podcasts (the new google podcast app)
- Spotify (it’s free)
- Stitcher,
- Soundcloud,
- Google Play
Or you can simply use the embedded audio player below…
More Self Defense Stuff
If you enjoyed this video then here are some other articles you might like…
Practical Control Techniques for Law Enforcement
Law enforcement officers (including police officers, sheriffs, state troopers, corrections officers, deputies and more) have an incredibly difficult job. Part of that job is the possibility of physical confrontations with aggressive individuals or groups.
Very broadly physical confrontations can be divided into two categories…
- Controlling someone who doesn’t want he or she is being instructed to do, or
- Defending yourself against someone who is actively attacking you.
Each of these categories contains within it a spectrum of possibilities….
Click here for the rest of Practical Control Techniques for Law Enforcement.
Death After the Knockout (or Beware the Second Hit)
And there’s an old tough guy saying that goes something like this…
“If we fight there are only going to be three hits: I hit you, you hit the ground, and the ambulance hits 60.”
While that’s a funny thing to growl out in a droll John Wayne accent it also brings up a deadly serious topic. Something that could very easily land you in jail for manslaughter. There’s a super-dangerous aspect to the knockout, and it has to do with the second hit – the uncontrolled “hitting the ground” part…
Click here for the rest of Death After the Knockout (or Beware the Second Hit).
Surviving the Worst Case Scenario – BJJ vs a Gun on the Ground!
f you’re on the bottom using your guard in a submission grappling situation then the single worst thing that can happen is that the other guy drops back and locks on a heel hook submission, forcing you to tap out or suffer a potentially serious ankle or knee injury.
If you’re using your guard in an MMA situation then the worst thing that can happen is that you get hit with a super powerful haymaker or elbow that knocks you out, possibly breaking some facial bones in the process.
But in a streetfight the worst thing that can happen is that the other guy draws a weapon like a handgun…
Click here for the rest of Surviving the Worst Case Scenario – BJJ vs a Gun on the Ground!