Street Fight Realities: Why Your Martial Arts Techniques Might Not Hold Up

Here’s a usual scenario: a man enters a mixed martial arts facility and dedicates his time to the craft. Proficiency in both a competition and a street fight was his primary goal. He starts beating people up in the gym, and his confidence goes through the roof. 

He then gets into an altercation with a belligerent drunk outside a bar one night. Armed with what he thinks are enough weapons to get him through, he engages in a full-blown brawl.
 

He gets beaten up and sent to the hospital with a broken nose and jaw. He may also never walk again after repeated kicks to the spine. 

Martial arts techniques don’t turn you into Superman. The streets aren’t kind to anyone, and knowing specific skills doesn’t always mean you’ll get out uninjured. 

Hopefully, this article will be a reality check for all who practice unarmed combat and think they’re untouchable. 

The Realities of a Street Fight

Hollywood brought us out of touch with reality in many different ways. It ruined the perception of what real romance is. In this case, it made many people have a false sense of belief of how an actual street altercation goes. 

These are some of the harsh but necessary truths. 

There Are Too Many External Factors

Sparring sessions and even prizefights happen in a controlled environment. Street fights are lawless. You think you’re up against one person, only to find yourself in a five-against-one battle. 

Worse, you have no clue what the other person is carrying. A tragic example is the story of Leandro Lo, an eight-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion in five weight classes. 

In August 2022, Lo got into a dispute with a man at a concert in his hometown of São Paulo, Brazil. According to reports, the other individual, later identified as a police officer, grabbed a bottle from Lo’s table. 

A confrontation ensued, and Lo tackled the man and held him down. He didn’t throw any punches or attempt any chokehold or joint lock. Upon separation, the individual pulled out a gun and shot Lo in the forehead. 

The decorated athlete died en route to the hospital. He was 33 years young. 

Lo’s death was a preventable incident. But with the knowledge and experience, he understandably took it upon himself to make a move. Unfortunately, things can quickly go south in a street fight scenario. 

There Are No Rules

Let’s stretch this point out a little further but within the context of a mano-a-mano situation. Two people start to throw down in front of a bunch of on-lookers. One drops the other with a cleanly landed but sloppily executed right hand to the jaw. 

The fight should’ve ended at that point. But instead, the ‘winner’ goes for a few more head stomps, leaving the other person unconscious and bleeding from the nose. He’s likely concussed and may even have a brain bleed. 

In the gym, you train for specific scenarios in a sports setting. When you step into a competition, a referee is there to oversee the action and make sure no one goes overboard. 

Street fights have none of those elements. And unless you let all rules fly out the window in your gym, you can never prepare yourself for such a dirty, unruly encounter. 

Concrete Won’t be As Gentle as Matted Floors

What you see below is a double-leg takedown. It’s similar to a football tackle where the goal would be to bullrush the other individual by swiping his legs from underneath him. 

If you notice, the person performing the move has his head on the outside. A slight displacement could end in him slamming the top of his head onto the mat. And yes, it’s happened in high-level mixed martial arts. 

Imagine this happening on a concrete floor. That’s never a sight to behold. 

Here’s another example. In the first few wrestling, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class sessions, beginners learn how to fall correctly. It’s called a break fall, where you use the arms to cushion the drop. They keep the chin tucked in to prevent the head from hitting the floor and bouncing like a basketball. 

Try to apply that in a street fight scenario. What do you think happens? 

The gym offers a haven for martial arts practitioners to perform these moves on matted floors to avoid injuries. Concrete won’t be as friendly. 

A Street Fight Will Always Be a Lose-Lose Situation

Remember the good old days when fist fights settled rifts? Rules of engagement even existed back then. Once the fight ends, you shake hands and move on with your day. You may even gain some respect for the other person for putting up a good fight, and the feelings may be mutual. 

Things are much different nowadays. Even if you get the better of your antagonist using your martial arts techniques, you could potentially face an assault charge. Yes, you could argue self-defense, but you would still need to go through the motions of hiring a lawyer, filing a case, and attending hearings. 

Ultimately, you shelled out money you could’ve put to better use and spent the time and effort you could’ve done so productively. 

Worse, you could become a viral sensation for the wrong reasons. Regardless of the context or the lack thereof, people can (and will) pile on you for the image that was there for them to see. 

In an earlier paragraph, you notice that the word winner is between quotation marks. That’s because street fights don’t have a real victor. You’re both losers for acting like juvenile delinquents in a schoolyard brawl, regardless of the picture-perfect roundhouse kick you landed.  

Now you leave the scene and make your walk of shame, bleeding on your tattered white t-shirt from your busted lip. Who wants that? 

Can You Ever Be Ready For a Street Fight?

Here’s a straight answer: no. Unless you can predict the future, no martial arts training will prepare you for a street fight, essentially a battle to the death. Not every technique you practice in a controlled environment will translate into a real-life scenario. 

But does that mean that practicing martial arts is a futile venture? Of course not. You can make your training practical for you. 

For one, drill submission grappling techniques to control and subdue, not to engage in a tussle or look fancy for the camera. The berimbolos and inverted worm guards you constantly work on in jiu-jitsu class won’t work here, so keep them within the mats. 

Remember this: unless you’re in a life-and-death situation, pacifying the altercation and getting out of there should be your only objective. We’ve written a piece on smart self-defense tactics. Do yourself a favor and read up. It may just save your life, and that’s no exaggeration.

Since we’re on the topic of training, make that a regular routine. You will rarely see professional fighters incite an altercation because they have the avenue to let out any pent-up aggression. They also have no ego since they likely constantly tap out in the gym. 

That’s how martial arts training is. Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes the nail, and that’s part of the beauty of it all. 

The bottom line is to save yourself from a street fight scenario and train instead. But if you find yourself in one, remember to approach it smartly and practically.