What has worked in real life self-defence?

[cakegirl]

We see a lot of posts that make claims about what would or would not work "on the street".

I'd like to hear true self-defence stories from you guys, as well as the training backgrounds of the people in them.

I can start. Background: I'm 5 foot 3 (166cm) tall, female, average sized. I was in a bar back when I was at uni, and I was walking towards the exit when a guy (avergage sized) stepped in front of me suddenly and grabbed my breasts. I did a "mawashi-uchi" circular block with both hands to get his hands off me, and then pushed him on his chest so hard that he fell back about 3 metres into a poker machine. I then walked over to him, got in his face and told him to never do that again. He was so shocked that he just laid there. I turned around and walked out. At that stage, the only martial art I'd done was karate (Shotkan and other Shotokan-like styles), for a total of about 2.5 years. The guy I pushed looked like he had a black belt in beer-do.

I have other stories about things that have happened to me and people I know, but I'll give you guys a chance to contribute some stories first.

Cakegirl

[pstevens]

Hello Cakegirl,

Nice to meet you... In my experience, most fights have been short and quick. The only fight I remember being longer than 2 minutes happened in high school. I was called a racial slur, even though I'm not of that ethincity - I'm 1/4 Thai and look Jewish. Anyway, all I remember was the other guy threw a lot of flurries, one landed on my cheek bone and bruised. I did a double-leg from wrestling and just cradled the guy, while occasionally punching him in the face. The fight was stopped by teachers.

I was confronted at a college party by a drunk guy who mistook me for someone else. I kneed him in the groin and ran away. It took less than 5 seconds.

Visiting my sister in Detroit, a guy accused my nephew of stealing a football, so kicked him square in the sternum with a side kick. He didn't get up, but I heard after I left, my sister's house was vandalized.

That's the extent of my fights, beyond another one I don't wish to revisit. But as you can see, it's just about doing little things that surprise people. I train martial arts as a hobby, but if it can save me, fine. That's the way I view it.

[polegirl]

I have never been in a fight but I have broken one up. Was at a BEP (Black Eyed Peas) concert when a fight broke out near me. It was two girls and everyone was watching. One girl had the other girl in a headlock and I grabbed the arm of the girl who had the headlock on the other girl and told her to let go (very calm voice). She stopped but did not let go. I said it again, still calm but in a "firmer" voice and she let go of the other girl. This took about 10 seconds, by which stage the bouncers had enough time to get there and they took over. I had been doing martial arts for about six months but felt confident enough to intervene, before doing martial arts I would have done nothing.

[Tom Yum]

A training buddy of mine kept getting accosted by a dog owned by his neighbor. The dog was allways aggressive and threatening to attack. One time, the dog came within a 3 foot radius and started inching closer to my buddy, so he teeped the dogs head. Dog gets slammed, but gets back and laches onto his shoe near the tongue. He shoved it with his foot and teeped it again.

The owner of the dog comes out and escalates with my friend and tells him he's gonna beat the you know what outta him and gets ready to get in his face.

My friend posts his hands out to keep the guy at arms length and tries to move back, but the guy tries to advance on him and my buddy throws a rear downward elbow straight down the top of the guy's face and it cut his forehead and the ridge of his nose, requiring a lot of stitches.

This should have never happened.

[JaredExtreme]

teeped

[bbbb]

sorry...

Never had the pleasure.

I have witnessed one of my friend's(no-two, but I didn't see the 1st one) get a bottle in the face.

Too many drug's and he really did ask for it.

I should've been smarter than that.

Then he told me not to worry about ...(ya know the story- he almost FUBAR'd me maate)!!

The first one-I saw the outcome...Lucky his dad had money. Some guy tagged up on his wall- and whilst TRIPPING OUT ON ACID he thought he would approach him about it... F*** M*: he looked like the guy out of T2!?

Another time we walked into a bar...those stepdad's can really help you out sometime's. He did boxing and had a few older brother's- so one punch each and we were very lucky he was there to get us outta there(and lucky he was a good 100kilo's). It was unprovoked...otherwise the stepdad would've left us to it!(Not my stepdad BTW)

These thing's are over very quickly..and you(I) basically freeze...so now I am doing Kung Fu.

Boxing's dangerous but I probably should do some at some point! But you can't mess with menacing power such as 100kg of experience. This guy was well experienced. If he wasn't : GOD KNOW's what would've happened.

Still S*******. The truth remain's the same. Some people and places have to be avoided. Don't hang out in pub's..like my dad said!

[Yu Law]

teeped

exactly, lol

[bbbb]

Please explain...

What do you mean by teeped!?

[dkm]

Hello Cakegirl,

Nice to meet you... In my experience, most fights have been short and quick. The only fight I remember being longer than 2 minutes happened in high school. I was called a racial slur, even though I'm not of that ethincity - I'm 1/4 Thai and look Jewish. Anyway, all I remember was the other guy threw a lot of flurries, one landed on my cheek bone and bruised. I did a double-leg from wrestling and just cradled the guy, while occasionally punching him in the face. The fight was stopped by teachers.

I was confronted at a college party by a drunk guy who mistook me for someone else. I kneed him in the groin and ran away. It took less than 5 seconds.

Visiting my sister in Detroit, a guy accused my nephew of stealing a football, so kicked him square in the sternum with a side kick. He didn't get up, but I heard after I left, my sister's house was vandalized.

That's the extent of my fights, beyond another one I don't wish to revisit. But as you can see, it's just about doing little things that surprise people. I train martial arts as a hobby, but if it can save me, fine. That's the way I view it.

you could've easily walked away from all those fights listed you big bully you.

[pstevens]

you could've easily walked away from all those fights listed you big bully you.

Yeah, I could have and should have... But I think when you're young, immature and egotistical, then someone makes you look bad in front of others, bad things happen... Not that it's a good excuse.

If it's any consolation, I did get waxed at a bar one time.... I believe I shared this with the forum when I first joined and everyone poked fun at me for about a month. But it happens.

[Tom Yum]

What do you mean by teeped!?

Not teepeed, teep (spelling?) as in push kick.

[Tant01]

A guy I know was having trouble with some neighbors dogs. They were violent pitbull crossed that had killed some local pets and livestock. Complaints were made but still the dogs would get out and run amok. They decided to attack one of the neighbor's visiting guests. He was rolling by on his HD and they gave chase and actually got him off the bike and had him on the road, tore his jacket and pants to shreds! But He managed to get to his knife and killed two of them in the process the other three dogs ran off to lick their wounds. Later that night he went down the road and threw the decapitated head of the biggest dog through the owners front picture window with a note attached that said: "Send more dogs!"


They never got out again...

[bbbb]

Fabulous...

Five pit bull's would require severe action.

I love it!

Lucky though!!

[Tom Yum]

A guy I know was having trouble with some neighbors dogs. They were violent pitbull crossed that had killed some local pets and livestock. Complaints were made but still the dogs would get out and run amok. They decided to attack one of the neighbor's visiting guests. He was rolling by on his HD and they gave chase and actually got him off the bike and had him on the road, tore his jacket and pants to shreds! But He managed to get to his knife and killed two of them in the process the other three dogs ran off to lick their wounds. Later that night he went down the road and threw the decapitated head of the biggest dog through the owners front picture window with a note attached that said: "Send more dogs!"


They never got out again...

Attacking or killing a dog in self-defense is one thing, but decapitating it is somewhat unusual.

[Tant01]

Attacking or killing a dog in self-defense is one thing, but decapitating it is somewhat unusual.

That wasn't how it died...This guy was a Viet Nam vet and a biker with a sick sense of humor. He just wanted to send a message.