Which Martial Art Is the Best in a Street Fight

For the past xx years, I've been fortunate to pick the brains of renowned martial artists and street fighters, many of whom I wrote virtually in the pages of Black Chugalug. One of the most impressive people I've met is an Englishman named John Skillen. His real-world skills and exploits are the stuff of legend. The feel he's accumulated while dealing with volatile situations makes him an ideal person from whom martial artists can glean practical self-defense insights.

Fighting Roots

John Skillen began his martial journey as a teenage hooligan who'd pick fights with anyone who offended him. With each battle came victory, and with each victory came boosted street cred. He quickly learned that he was capable of beating the best doormen — called bouncers in the U.s.. After x years of such incidents, a nightclub director with an if-you-can't-crush-'em-hire-'em mentality asked Skillen if he wanted to piece of work for him. He accustomed, marker the beginning of his transition from bad guy to skilful guy.

To polish his street skills, John Skillen studied lau gar kung fu, judo, boxing, kickboxing, and Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling. He earned a identify on the British Judo Council'due south national squad and won an individual championship championship in the sport. He as well trained with renowned self-defense force instructors Peter Consterdine and Geoff Thompson.

During his two decades every bit a doorman at some of the roughest nightclubs in the United kingdom, Skillen engaged in countless battles — and prevailed in them all, knocking out most of his adversaries and severely injuring a few. And so he abruptly abandoned the nightclub scene and opened a martial arts and fitness eye to teach people how to defend themselves — which is where this article comes in.

Before the First Shot

When information technology comes to self-defense, John Skillen says your main goal should be to develop your awareness and assessment skills and so yous can avoid hostile situations in the first place. In plain English language: Apply your eyes and ears to constantly survey the environment and identify threats. At the aforementioned time, central in on potential escape routes and lookout man for the deployment of subconscious weapons.

When avoidance isn't possible, Skillen recommends verbal de-escalation. Exist firm merely polite, always giving your antagonist an honorable way out. If that fails, you tin try existence aggressive, psyching him out until his own fearfulness overcomes him. Skillen relates an example of the latter strategy:

"Whilst working the door, I was approached by a gang of seven men, all intoxicated with various substances. I of those substances was obvious by the men'south size and rage—anabolic steroids! They were intimidating and highly aggressive. I was prepared for their arrival every bit I had been forewarned. The leader immediately exploded into a tirade of verbal violence. With bulging eyes and spit frothing at his rima oris, he threatened to kill anyone who tried to stop him from entering the venue. He used names of reputable fighters to bolster his threat.

"I stood my ground, and when he finished, I used the adrenaline he fed me to empower my own aggressive verbal counterattack. There was a silent standoff. Seconds passed, and with a frustrated scream, he turned and fled with his gang, unable to behave out his threat."

War of Words

If the aforementioned options fail or if yous deem them unviable, use charade and surprise to strike pre-emptively. John Skillen says you lot can feign cowardice and compliance to lull an adversary into overconfidence. That can create a window of opportunity to hit first.

"During one of the many times I was challenged, I used the cowardice ploy," Skillen says. "A man, 6-human foot-4 and heavily congenital, called me out for a match fight. The rules of the street applied: a battle to exist the last human being standing, no seconds, no ref. I walked away as if leaving the scene in silence—every bit if I was scared. Every bit I did so, the behemothic reveled in his momentary glory. 'That's it, walk away,' he said. 'I always knew you were a coward!'

"On that phrase, I took a breath and used the adrenaline surge the giant had excited within my body to turbo-boost my aggression. I turned and paced toward him, then sent him sprawling to his knees with a single pre-emptive whipping left hook. It was the shock of the unexpected happening that acquired his downfall."

Lest he be thought the aggressor, Skillen clarifies the circumstances: "I couldn't walk away; I had to fight him, or the situation between us would have become ane of the hunter and hunted with me being the casualty."

Physical Fitness

The physical facet of John Skillen's defense starts with mitt positions that serve as a protective barrier and range gauge. He refers to them as "fences," borrowing a term coined by beau doorman Geoff Thompson. Skillen augments his fences with either a natural-looking foursquare-on opinion or a slightly angled staggered "social stance." When coupled with body language that's deceptively passive or aggressive, depending on the situation, the positions arm y'all with a diverseness of options you tin can use to pre-emptively set on, if necessary.

When it comes to targeting, Skillen says go for the caput. Specifically, aim for the jaw; no thing how big or strong an assailant may be, a adept shot to information technology is the most effective and efficient way to return him unconscious. Other prime targets are the side of the face and the forehead. Second-tier choices include the cervix (for chokes and strangles), the groin (for kicks and punches) and the eyes (to inflict pain so y'all can complimentary yourself and become dorsum on your feet).

Are you fix for the shocker? Skillen says all other targets, particularly on the body, are worthless in most situations. Why? Because they're frequently protected—by heavy clothing, well-conditioned muscles, or the power to movement or embrace upwards enough to mitigate the damage y'all were hoping to inflict.

And forget about aiming for the knees, he says. They're practically worthless as targets because the timing required and opportunity needed to adversely affect them are difficult to prepare upward.

Down for the Count

In terms of offense, John Skillen says the easily are rex. He advocates using boxing-based directly punches and hooks because they, along with the power slap (a hooklike strike performed with the palm), are the most effective and efficient strikes for the real globe. Caveat: Don't waste time and energy throwing light, flicky shots. The longer a fight goes on, the greater your take chances of injury and defeat. E'er hit with full ability to terminate the altercation as chop-chop as possible, he says.

One of his favorite tactics entails launching a pre-emptive salvo of iv alternating claw punches delivered in rapid succession. Skillen has used the combination numerous times, so he knows how devastating information technology is. The kickoff punch usually will exist enough to KO your foe, simply a second or third one might be required. The fourth punch, he says, is just insurance.

Speaking of knockouts, he says information technology's best if you augment your power with the element of surprise. Top information technology off by cultivating your power to strike accurately without hesitation, fifty-fifty when you're throwing the first blow.

Alternative tools: The ex-doorman also thinks highly of uppercuts and overhand punches but in a more than limited capacity than straights and hook punches. Yous can use the uppercut as a pre-emptive shot or as a counter to a head-barrel attempt, he says, and yous can use overhand punches to bombard an enemy and cease him off.

Prescription for Pain

For hard-core street defense, John Skillen advocates only iv leg techniques: the front kicking, round kicking, soccer kick and heel stomp. Aim your front kick at your foe'southward groin. Use your round kick only when he'due south in a low position—for example, when he's bent over afterwards you only front-kicked him in the groin. Blast your soccer boot and heel stomp into his head, body, knees or ankles after he's been knocked down, assuming he continues to present a threat.

The head butt is the master weapon of many fighters, particularly in the United kingdom, and even though Skillen has used it successfully, he says the risk-to-reward ratio makes it a secondary technique. Sure, information technology tin can be devastating, but an improperly delivered shot tin can hurt yous equally desperately. Several of his friends have knocked themselves out and/or been severely lacerated while attempting it, he says. Reserve whatever forehead-to-brow action for situations in which you're on the footing or your easily are tied.

In almost standing situations, forget elbow strikes, he says. They may expect impressive on the heavy bag, merely rarely will they work in a existent fight because the proximity you demand to use them effectively is fleeting, so much so that a miss volition put yous in an bad-mannered position that may exist hard to recover from. And even when you connect, they often fail to do much damage other than intermission the skin.

It'south primarily on the footing where elbows polish, he says. When you're horizontal, the elbow becomes an efficient tool for battering an adversary into submission or unconsciousness. The reason is simple: Whenever the footing serves every bit a stabilizing platform, it allows elbow strikes to country with more authorisation.

Muddied Fighting

Biting is valuable in a ground fight, John Skillen says, because it can purchase you fourth dimension to free yourself from an otherwise inescapable grappling hold. Although you can target any part of your adversary'due south torso that's sensitive, consider the olfactory organ the chief target. A chomp on the beak will elicit serious hurting—and fright that it might be bitten off. Forget the ear, he advises, considering an adrenalized enemy will proceed to fight even after he's lost one.

Spitting can serve as a diversionary tactic to give you an opening to initiate or resume your attack, he says. Pinching, still, does aught productive. Likewise, scratching will have minimal event on an attacker—merely information technology will go out identifying marks on him and collect DNA residue under your fingernails, both of which tin can help in the aftermath of a crime.

Hair pulling probably won't stop an assault, but the hair tin can serve equally a handle to command a thug while you unleash punches, kicks and knee joint thrusts. Fish-hooking is of limited usefulness, he says, because of the risk of having your finger bitten.

1 unconventional technique Skillen finds constructive in street fights is the pharynx grab. He says it works well offensively and defensively, every bit a stand up-up restraining hold, equally a prelude to a knockout shot, and every bit a handle for smashing the skull into a door or wall. To apply it, catch your opponent's windpipe with a C-grip (four fingers on 1 side and thumb on the other) using your dominant hand. Simultaneously control the back of his caput or arm with your other hand. Complete the technique by excavation your fingers and thumb around the windpipe while pressing up.

Quicksand

A number of widely practiced techniques are as well iffy for the average person to rely on in a street fight, John Skillen says. They include sport-grappling techniques of any kind, throws, jumping kicks and whatsoever technique that requires you to turn your back to your opponent. Why? Because those moves put you in a vulnerable position.

In accord with his continue-it-uncomplicated philosophy, fakes, feints and drawing techniques should be avoided because they're impractical in combat. They're simply too complicated to pull off when you lot're under the effects of adrenaline, he says. Faking is all-time achieved using deceptive dialogue and torso linguistic communication during the pre-fight phase of a confrontation.

Endmost sound bite: To maximize your power to defend yourself, start with an attitude of "I'm willing to practice annihilation and everything to protect myself and my loved ones." Couple that with the techniques and strategies described in this article, and you lot'll have the best possible foundation for cocky-defense. After that, Skillen says, information technology'due south just a matter of practicing until they become second nature.

Almost the author: Lito Angeles is a Southern California-based law officeholder and MMA/self-defense instructor. To order his book Fight Night! The Thinking Fan's Guide to Mixed Martial Arts, become here now.

Bonus Content!

What nearly the hammerfist, the fave of MMA fighters? How useful is it on the street?

"Overrated for pre-emptive self-defense," John Skillen says. When continuing, he prefers boxing-manner punches and the power slap because they're far more surgical and constructive.

The primary functionality of the hammerfist, he insists, is when y'all demand a transition to fight back to your feet or when yous need to employ ground and pound to terminate a fight on the floor.

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Source: https://blackbeltmag.com/a-street-fighters-take-on-what-works-and-what-doesnt-in-real-world-combat

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