Speaker to Animals wrote:This is what happens when people start white knighting themselves into a deadly fight while still thinking in terms of sports and television.
Not seeing how that story relates to the discussion at hand, that seems like a stretch. What makes you think sports or television lead the two dudes who got stabbed into thinking it was a good idea to step in, in that situation?
That's exactly the problem. It totally relates to this discussion and you don't understand why.
[*]Some MMA Techniques are Dangerous in a Street Fight - I don't mean that they're dangerous for your attacker, I mean that they could be potentially dangerous for you. Take for example, a typical wrestling-style single or double leg takedown: as the fighter shoots in for the take down the leading knee is "dropped" fairly forcefully down into the mat. This is perfectly fine on soft mats, but asphalt or concrete are a different story.
What happens if you miss the shot? Well, you've probably just fucked up your knee, making you a less effective fighter.
Immediately pulling guard is another example. Taking an attacker to the ground and holding him between your legs while you're on your back on the asphalt/concrete/broken glass isn't too smart either. So, if you're looking to apply your skill set to a self defense situation you need to be aware of the shortcomings of certain techniques - techniques that may work well with mats, padding, and a ref but could be disastrous should you try to utilize them outside that safe environment.
[*] A Street Fight isn't a Duel - Let's face it: combat sports are essentially dueling. It's always one on one. You always know the rules before going into a fight. Hell, there are rules for the fight. In a street fight/self defense situation there's none of that shit. The guy you're fighting could be trying to kill you. He could have a weapon. He could have several friends waiting to kick your skull in. Training in a combat sport does not prepare you for these situations. That's not to say you couldn't augment or adjust your training to help you better deal with these types of encounters, but you won't typically get that with "vanilla" MMA/Muay Thai/BJJ training.
[*] The MMA/Combat Athlete Mindset isn't Violent Enough - To many that may be a weird statement. A lot of folks have this idea that MMA is "violence incarnate" - that it's the height of our culture's obsession with violence. But this is a misconception. MMA's violent mindset stops well short of "ultimate violence". As a MMA (or other combat sport) competitor you're goal isn't to kill your opponent. Sure, you may want to knock him out. But kill him? No. The thing is, when you get into a real self defense situation, your attacker may very well be trying to kill you. You can't answer that type of aggression with the "I'm gonna knock him out" mindset. You can't waste your time trying to "feel your opponent out" as though you're in the first round of a cage match. No, you've gotta answer that level of violence with an even greater level of violence. You've got to be willing to kill if your life depends on it. This is an easy thing to say, but it's a very difficult thing to actually do. You will need to devote some serious time to developing this type of survival mindset if you are serious about surviving a truly violent encounter.
Maybe add another point: In a street fight, going all BJJ and taking one guy to the ground in grappling might not be the best idea when there exists the potential for other attackers to start kicking your face in.
