What advice do you have for a guy who has never been in a fight?
Never been in a fight and afraid of fights, but want to learn some basics plus build up my confidence -- so I don't get my ass kicked if I'm ever in the situation. What will help?
First off, avoid fights. It's one thing to build your confidence in your ability to defend yourself and your friends, it's quite another to actively seek out fights. Don't do the latter. It will inevitably end very, very badly.
With that in mind, take a martial arts class. Personally, I'd look for a school that didn't teach just one style, but instead taught a mix. Learning one style is often great for fitness purposes, but in terms of self-defense it leaves you at a loss if you're facing someone who's not used to following the same rules as you.
If you just learn Judo, for example, you'll become great at grappling and throws, but that probably won't be of much use in a crowded bar when someone just punches you.
Plus, you probably won't use many of the moves you learn in a class in a real fight, which are quick and dirty and no place to try out that new hip throw you just learned. What you will learn and use instead is a basic concept of how bodies work, and where to focus your attack to get in and out quickly. So instead of throwing wild punches, you'll know which spots are most likely to shut down your attacker long enough to get out of the situation.
Classes also expose you to fighting in a controlled environment; you won't be out to hurt each other, but you'll get a general feel for what it's like to be hit and attacked. Knowing what a hit to the face feels like, even one from a gloved fist, will help take some of the fear away if the real thing occurs.
And, of course, classes will also make you stronger, fitter, and build your confidence.
But most importantly, martial arts classes are almost without exception focused on avoiding fighting whenever possible. They'll show you how to be effective should a fight become necessary, but also how to avoid fights in the first place, and how to keep them as short as possible if they do occur.
19 Answers
The only way to have confidence in a fight, is to have been in a fight. when you encounter your first you will always be scared/nervous. Now I would say not to bother about preparing for a fight for several reasons. First, you should NEVER fight someone unless they are physically hurting you, your family, friends etc. Anything someone is doing can be fixed or replaced. Second there are a lot of really worthless people out there who think they have something to prove. End up Kicking their (insert derogatory word) and they are likely to come back and shoot you.
I used to be a firefighter and have responded to a lot of fights and it always goes bad for everyone. Someone always goes to jail and gets sued when a fight occurs. I'm not saying don't defend yourself, but walking away from a meat-head who wants to fight is always the best thing.
Throw the first punch. Aim for the neck. Your opponent will temporarily lose his breath. Sounds like a low blow but if you don't do it your opponent will first. Then either be the bigger guy and walk away or do what you gotta do.
If you are positive that a fight is imminent there is only one thing to do. Throw the first punch. Aim for the neck. Your opponent will temporarily lose his breath. Sounds like a low blow but if you don't do it your opponent will first. Then either be the bigger guy and walk away or do what you gotta do.
First off, avoid fights. It's one thing to build your confidence in your ability to defend yourself and your friends, it's quite another to actively seek out fights. Don't do the latter. It will inevitably end very, very badly.
With that in mind, take a martial arts class. Personally, I'd look for a school that didn't teach just one style, but instead taught a mix. Learning one style is often great for fitness purposes, but in terms of self-defense it leaves you at a loss if you're facing someone who's not used to following the same rules as you.
If you just learn Judo, for example, you'll become great at grappling and throws, but that probably won't be of much use in a crowded bar when someone just punches you.
Plus, you probably won't use many of the moves you learn in a class in a real fight, which are quick and dirty and no place to try out that new hip throw you just learned. What you will learn and use instead is a basic concept of how bodies work, and where to focus your attack to get in and out quickly. So instead of throwing wild punches, you'll know which spots are most likely to shut down your attacker long enough to get out of the situation.
Classes also expose you to fighting in a controlled environment; you won't be out to hurt each other, but you'll get a general feel for what it's like to be hit and attacked. Knowing what a hit to the face feels like, even one from a gloved fist, will help take some of the fear away if the real thing occurs.
And, of course, classes will also make you stronger, fitter, and build your confidence.
But most importantly, martial arts classes are almost without exception focused on avoiding fighting whenever possible. They'll show you how to be effective should a fight become necessary, but also how to avoid fights in the first place, and how to keep them as short as possible if they do occur.
Take some sort of boxing class. It's a great way to learn to do simple things like keep your hands up instinct illy so you dont get punchifaced. I recommend seeing if you can get a buddy to do them with you as it's much better to have someone to learn/spar wit. Good Luck
2nd recommendation - watch Fight Club alot!
Obviously you never want to go looking for a fight. But if confidence is what you're after then take a martial arts class. I recommend Krav Maga as it's kinda geared towards street fighting self defense tactics anyways. I was a complete beginner when I started, having taken no martial arts before, and in my opinion it was really easy to jump right into things. Each class focuses on learning a few different moves (getting out of chokes, pins, practicing jabs, punches, kicks, knees, elbows, etc.) in certain situations, then combines them all together. It really does build confidence and it's a great workout at the same time. Krav Maga doesn't teach you to start any fights, but it does teach you what to do if a fight finds you.
learn some basics and never underestimate a challanger. to them, there may be no rules in a fight - i've learned this throughout my youth