The Three Fights – Part 2

Continuing our discussion on fights from last week, the Second Fight is the actual physical confrontation.  It’s the real deal: you against one or more other people who mean to do harm to you or those you care about.  There are three factors that affect the outcome of the second fight and you have control over two of them.

 

First, is physical fitness.  This includes all ten aspects of fitness as you never know exactly what you’ll need to do in a fight.  Your opponents may be bigger or stronger than you, in which case you’ll need to use your physical advantages against them.  Remember, among combatants with similar skill levels, the one who is in better shape is more likely to win.

Skill comes second.  My sensei used to say that a fight was just a big ball of chaos and that the way to win a fight was to recognize an opportunity in that chaos, take it and use it to gain control of your opponent.  The more skilled a person is, the more opportunities he or she is able to see and exploit in a fight.  (An interesting side note, the Japanese word for a practice fight, randori, literally means, to seize out of chaos).  The more skilled a person, the greater their chances, even against a larger and more fit opponent.

Finally, luck.  That’s right, just plain dumb luck.  I always include this because it is important to remember that no matter how fit or skilled you are, your opponent always has a chance.  This helps keep me humble and reminds me not to underestimate anybody.  It’s always preferable to talk your way out of a situation, if possible, because you never know.

Another thing about real fights, they’re ugly.  It’s not like in the movies, even with skilled people.  Real fights are fast, furious and usually end up with both people wrestling on the ground.  There are no weight classes, no warm-up and no rules.  Real fights are not fair, so expect hair pulling, biting, gouging, clawing, weapons, multiple opponents and hitting below the belt; expect a dirty fight.  This is one reason why training in a combative sport, as opposed to training for unarmed combat, can be dangerous.  You will do what train to do, so make sure you’re training with the right mindset.

With strong mental preparation, you’ll win the First Fight.  With proper physical preparation, including physical fitness and self defense training, you’ll have a much better chance to protect yourself and those you care about from violence.   Next week, I’ll tell you how to win the Third Fight.