Street Fighting and Physical Conditioning: An Examination

"It's well-known that one of the most common reasons people lose fights on the street is lack of conditioning."

This quote is by some guy in some magazine I recently read and it made me step back and take notice. I want to examine this quotation and discuss its validity. First let's look at the subject of "street fighting."
When I was a young teenager studying martial arts my real goal wasn't to build character or to be able to defend myself, it was to build my ability at "street fighting." All the movies I watched, all the magazines I read, and all the people I talked to in the martial arts all talked about the street fight. I can even remember one of the black belts at a Taekwondo school I attended started a class with, "I'm not proud of it, but I was in a street fight this weekend and it taught me a valuable lesson... "
It was about this time that I really started to think about it and I suddenly had to ask myself, "where is this mystical street at where all these fights are happening?" The more I really started to look into it I could see a lot of reports of crimes such as aggravated assaults, assaults with a deadly weapon, and home invasions, but I couldn't find evidence of all this street fighting everyone in the martial arts was supposed to be getting ready for.
Years later the internet came about and soon I was on there watching videos of street fights; only the fights I saw really weren't fights. I saw video after video of one person just walking up and beating another person with little warning. These were assaults not street fights and there was nothing about them that I wanted to train for.
Fast forward several more years and a lot more training and I realized what a street fight actually is. To break it all down there are three categories of personal combat and they are:
1.) Mutual Combat With Rules. This is what most people think of when they think of fighting. This is boxing, kickboxing, wrestleboxing (mma), sparring, and any other time two or more people voluntarily agree to engage in a combat activity that is confined by set rules and often has some form of safety equipment and a referee.
2.) Mutual Combat Without Rules. This can be said to be the typical bar fight or the street fight. This takes place when two or more people voluntarily agree to fight each other but there are no rules or referee.
The thing I want to draw your attention to is that both of the above are forms of mutual combat; all parties are voluntarily agreeing to fight so if they get hurt it is their own fault for fighting and if they didn't want to fight they could have just walked away in the beginning. The third category is a little different.
3.) An Act of Criminal Violence. This is different than the others because there is no mutual combat; here one party simply attacks another party often with little to no warning. With this category of violence one party can't just simply opt out and walk away because the other party, the criminal, wants something from them and pursues them to get it. Also, the stakes in this manner of violence are higher because where in the two categories of mutual combat the violence is ego based and each party generally serves to stroke their own ego by besting their opponent, and so the goal is to "beat them up" and send them home with a black eye and bloody lip; in an act of criminal violence the goal is often to seriously injure or kill the other party.
In an act of mutual combat you may go home with a broken nose and bruised ego, but in an act of criminal violence you may be stabbed, shot, bludgeoned, stomped to death, end up in coma, suffer brain damage, or be killed.
Once I realized that the honest reality I faced wasn't some guy picking a fight with me it was criminal violence I gave up on the notion of street fighting. Today if someone challenged me to a fight and called me, my wife, and my mother every name in the book to egg me on I'd simply smile and walk away. My main concern is keeping myself and my family safe from the real threats of the world and that is criminals who don't put their hands up and square off with you before they attack you.
That is the reality of "fighting on the street," and I think that if you get into a street fight then you're kind of an idiot. If you want to go around picking fights then that is fine, but let me know where you'll be so I can be on the other side of town with all the other people that left their junior high mentality back in junior high.
Since "street fighting" is actually avoidable the average person just has to concern themselves with acts of criminal violence so let's look at that and how physical conditioning relates to it.
Most acts of criminal violence happen in five stages: stalking, closing the distance, the initial assault, completing the crime, and quickly escaping. These five stages often happen quickly and with little warning
First you have stalking where the criminal stalks their intended target, perhaps following them until they get to an area that offers concealment.
Second you have the criminal closing the distance with their target but doing so in a manner that won't make them feel threatened. They want to approach their target without setting off any warning bells so they often walk up to them but act disinterested like they're going to walk right by (and then attack by sucker punching them from the side or the rear), they may engage their target in quick innocent conversation like asking for the time, directions, or a cigarette and then close distance and attack once the person gets distracted by answering them, and of course sometimes they just run up and attack.
Third, you have the actual attack which we have already touched on above. The last thing the average criminal will want to do is get into a fight and risk getting hurt so they'll try to close distance without spooking you and then take you by surprise so it is important to remember that a real criminal will not put their hands up, they don't square off, they don't let you get into a fighting position, and they don't get into a kickboxing match with you.
Fourth, once they have their target in a reactive state, often bleeding on the ground, they complete their objective which is either to rob them, rape them, abduct them, or kill them.
Fifth, with the task being done they quickly leave to avoid being caught. The entire process can easily last less than 10 seconds and normally does.
So where does conditioning come in? It is important to be in shape in your everyday life and being in better shape may deter a criminal but in most cases it really isn't that important in order to survive a typical act of criminal violence. If you want to put your hands up and get into a fight with someone in a ring then being physically strong and in good aerobic and anaerobic shape would be a necessity because you would be competing in an athletic endeavor. If you're engaging in mutual combat outside of a ring then it comes down to causing injury which can happen very quickly and the situation is not necessarily athletic anymore. In this situation the outcome comes down to pure violent intent, luck, and experience more than any form of anaerobic or aerobic conditioning.
Here is an example of an actual instance of criminal violence: you're walking down the sidewalk with the street on your right side when suddenly you see a car pull up next to you. A man leans out the window and says, "Hey, do you know where the nearest gas station is?"
You stop for a second to think and you notice the guy opening his door and stepping out of the car. You stop and point up the street and you barely notice that he has taken a few steps towards you. He turns in the direction that you're pointing and asks a question and you instinctively look and point in that direction when suddenly he takes another step forwards and sucker punches you in the face. You stumble back and bring your arms up to protect your face but he grabs you and throws another four or five quick punches into your head and you drop to your knees. He pushes you over and goes through your pockets taking your wallet before he jumps back in his car and drives away.
In this example that repeats itself over and over thousands of times a day conditioning isn't really a factor for either one of you. Now if you turn and started to run as soon as he got out of the car then you would have the issue or aerobic conditioning, granted in this particular situation it is very unlikely he would have chased you.
Let's play that situation out differently, this time instead of sucker punching you and then overwhelming you, when he distracts you this time he instead steps forward and grabs you by the shirt with his left hand and puts a knife to your throat with his right hand, pulling you forward and growling, "Give me your @&*$# wallet!"
Thinking you might be killed you place your left hand on his right elbow and rotate your body slightly clockwise as you push his elbow into his body and pin it against his chest to remove the knife from your throat. You then step into him with your left foot and drive your right fist into his throat following all the way through, knocking him backwards about 4 feet. As you get ready to follow up with a kick to the groin he drops to his knees and lies down on his back making a strange gurgling sound as he grabs his throat and tries to breathe. Since it is clear he is no longer a threat you turn to run to someplace safe so you can call the police.
That is a realistic situation that also plays itself out, in one way or another, all over the country and how much conditioning did it require? The simple truth is that while instances of mutual combat can last several minutes or longer, acts of actual criminal violence are usually over in 10 seconds or less. Criminals are predators and don't want a fight.
If a lion stalks a gazelle and it detects her (females do most of the hunting) and runs away she won't chase it because she knows she won't catch it. However, if after she successfully stalks it and closes the distance she springs out and charges it and it turns and runs, there is a very short window when she will keep chasing it. The second she feels that she can't catch it she stops running and starts looking for another prey. Criminals are the same way; they don't want to fight with someone and most will only expand a little bit of energy before giving up and going after someone else.
Most of the guys I knew when I was younger that got in fights and won weren't well conditioned at all, they were just big and aggressive. They hit first and they hit often and when they weren't hitting someone whey were sitting on the couch watching TV.
Conditioning is great and I highly recommend it; it will only make you more effective and give you more options in a violent situation. However, as the level of violence goes up the length of the encounter typically goes down and so does and so does a person's need to be aerobically fit.
The question then becomes what kind of conditioning is most effective. Mental training is very important and the best way to do that is to visualize yourself successfully defending yourself in a life or death situation. Your body parts should also be conditioned to sustain impact without being injured, and the best tool for that is makiwara. Over time your bones will sustain small fractures and repair itself causing the bones involved in striking to get thicker and harder, able to sustain more and more impact and letting you hit harder and harder.
When the topic of conditioning comes up most people think of cardiovascular conditioning and that is also important. The problem with most people who train to "fight" is that they focus on aerobic conditioning. You see boxers, wrestlers, and wrestleboxers out there jogging and jumping rope getting themselves in great shape but then they become winded after just two or three rounds. Why is that? Aerobic conditioning trains your body for sustained repetitive motion but fighting is not repetitive. Fighting contains random and chaotic movements; you may throw 4 punches followed by 2 kicks, followed by hopping around for a few minutes, and then a minute or two of grappling. Nothing in a typical fight is about sustained repetitive motions, rather it takes place in small but very aggressive bursts.
To prepare your cardiovascular system for the random movements of a fight you should do aerobic workouts but you should focus most of your training on anaerobic conditioning. To a large degree, mastering offense is about mastering your ability to do the most "work" in small extremely aggressive bursts over and over. How do you train this? Simply start with a heavy bag and go all out striking the bag non-stop for 20 seconds. Focus on aggressiveness and overall intensity. Take 20 seconds to rest and do it again. Build up until you can go all out for 2 full minutes taking only about 30 seconds break in between. Take it into the ring and go all out with your partner for a full 2 minutes non-stop and do the same thing. If you can do this, you will have little problem overwhelming your opponent.
Another great way to train your anaerobic capacity is weight training. Years back an instructor of mine taught me a program that is not easy but definitely gets you ready to fight. The program was composed of circuits, you would do one set of four different exercises without resting in between followed by a thirty second rest and then you'd repeat the process four times. After the four completions you would rest two minutes and start on your second, and final, circuit of four totally different exercises and repeat the process.
What makes this type of circuit training different is that you want to make sure that the muscle to are exercising is located far away from the muscle you just worked, often doing an exercise for the upper body followed by an exercise for the lower body. You might start with bicep curls and then go right to calf raises, then shoulder shrugs followed by leg extensions. Your next circuit might be incline dumbbell presses followed by squats, then bent over rows followed by leg extensions.
The reason this training builds anaerobic capacity is that it causes your body to have to rapidly send blood to different areas of your body under stress, which is something it is not used to doing. This trains your body to handle the randomness of combat and I can't praise it enough. When I first tried it it nearly killed me (it is very tiring so you have to lighten up on the weight) but after a couple of weeks it gets a lot easier. I remember after about a month I could go the Taekwondo school I was training at for "sparring Wednesdays" (where sparring was the only thing we did) and not only did I feel energized but I stayed for all three classes sparring for nearly 3 hours and although I felt tired I also felt I very alert where I think I could have done just a little bit more. Aerobic training won't do that for you but anaerobic training will.
Matthew Schafer is a martial arts instructor with over 26 years experience. He operates a school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. To learn more go to http://www.self-defense-lessons.webs.com
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Choosing a Martial Art Style

You have a lot of disciplines to choose from when your looking for martial arts. You have stand up only martial arts, grappling only martial arts and mixed martial arts. A lot of time its going to come down what style you prefer but most importantly the environment that you learning in. I always recommend that you go in and check out different schools to get a feel for the instructors and the students. Also make sure its a clean facility, make sure its a certified school, black belt instructors and interview the students to see what they think about the school, see what they feel like they're getting of the program.

You have a lot of martial arts that are based on theory and you also have martial arts practical tested. What I mean by that is punching the air over and over again isn't the best to learn the technique you need to be hitting mitts, kick pads, bags and working your technique. If you're doing grappling you need to learn submission holds and be able to apply them against a resisting opponent so you can make sure your technique works. That's why I always recommend if your looking for a grappling martial art that you go with Brazilian jiu jitsu, hands down the best ground self defense there is. For stand up martial arts I always recommend muay thai kickboxing, the devastating art of eight limbs which is the most dominant stand up martial arts. If you looking for a little bit of everything and an amazing workout I recommend MMA classes.
Make sure when you look for these programs that you look for a school that offers a beginners only program. I highly recommend this, I deal a lot of people that come from other schools and they are frustrated because they just get dumped into a regular class and are basically used as a training dummy. So you want a find a school that has beginner only classes so that you can learn the fundamentals whether your picking brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai kickboxing, MMA you want to be able to learn the techniques in a safe environment while getting in shape and then as you progress you pick up the intensity into the next level program and into the next level program so you will always have a goal to get that next level which you have to physically be able to complete the class and technically be able to complete the class.
So you have a lot of choices when your looking for Martial Arts. I recommend that you do your research and look around. There are even more styles that I havent covered like karate and tae kwon. You can look at all the major discipline but in the end you'll see that brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai kickboxing and MMA are the three most dominant and most effective martial arts available. So find a good school online, go in check it out, get started training and strive to reach your goals.
You will learn Self Defense, Gain Confidence, Discipline, and Get in Amazing Shape! We have lots of programs to choose from, please enjoy our website and call us today at 817-614-9325 to set up an appointment for a Free Private Lesson & Consultation to see how we will help you reach your goals! Peak Performance Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Muay Thai Kickboxing LLChttp://www.peakbjj.com 133 Sports Parkway Suite H Keller, Texas 76248
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About Mixed Martial Arts

As one of the fastest growing sports in North America, mixed martial arts (MMA) are practiced by men, women, and children alike. Unfortunately, non-practitioners are quick to describe the sport as violent and barbaric while comparing it to such travesties as cockfighting or dog fighting. To say nothing of the lack of respect these comparisons mean for the highly dedicated and trained athletes that practice mixed martial arts, these characterizations also ignore the many benefits of it when it comes to physical and mental health.

Mixed martial arts were first introduced to North American audiences in the early 1990s. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was our first glimpse into the sport, but in the early days most of the fighters practiced only one discipline of martial arts. Eventually, athletes learned that to be competitive they must combine styles so that they could face any opponent, regardless of their fighting techniques. Today, jiu jitsu, wrestling, boxing, muay thai, judo, and sambo are just a few of the martial arts that many MMA fighters practice. To become the best, most well-rounded fighter, they can no longer rely on being an expert in just one field.
Jiu jitsu originated in Brazil and involves learning grappling methods so that practitioners can submit opponents with choke holds, arm locks, and leg locks. Moreover, jiu jitsu teaches fighters how to attack and defend from the ground and allows them to win, even from their back. Through sophisticated use of leverage and positioning, jiu jitsu prepares fighters to be more versatile in their offensive and defensive manoeuvres. Likewise, wrestling teaches fighters to use grappling techniques, throws, and takedowns to dominate a fight. Proficient wrestlers have excellent balance, strength, and mental toughness which are all qualities of a successful fighter.
Boxing is a popular component of a mixed martial artists' repertoire because it teaches effective striking. By using hands and fists, boxers can knock out opponents to win the fight. Similarly, muay thai is a type of kickboxing that includes striking with the hands and feet. Punches, kicks, elbows, and knees are all elements of muay thai striking that make for a more well-rounded fighter. Indeed, fighters often point to muay thai as among the most popular striking styles in MMA.
Another common martial art practiced by MMA fighters is judo. This Japanese martial art is known for teaching fighters powerful throws and grappling techniques. Unlike jiu jitsu, judo is generally practiced from an upright stance, but may benefit traditional jiu jitsu experts because it allows them to take the fight to the ground.
Finally, sambo is a Russian martial art that emphasizes the importance of takedowns and submission holds. It includes standing techniques that are similar to judo or wrestling, while incorporating choke holds, arm locks, and leg locks like those practiced in jiu jitsu.
Ultimately, mixed martial artists are highly skilled athletes who have been practicing various martial arts for years. MMA is not simply a barbaric sport that glorifies violence, but a carefully practiced sport that requires years of dedicated training by its athletes.
Please visit K Fitness to find out more about Mixed Martial Arts in Vancouver
Farhad Dordar is the President of Sport Kickboxing Federation, the governing body for Sport Kickboxing all over the World.
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The Benefits of Kickboxing

 

Cardio kickboxing is a sport that has taken over gyms throughout North America. As a fitness regime, cardio kickboxing has likely grown in popularity because it combines cardio elements to give practitioners a high-energy, full-body workout. Indeed, many different types of cardio kickboxing have been developed, and men and women increasingly choose this combat sport as the perfect method for maintaining their fitness, losing weight, and improving their overall health. Indeed, there are many benefits of kickboxing for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Reduce Stress
One of the best ways of dealing with stress is exercise. There are countless studies that support a regular fitness regime in maintaining healthy stress levels. Kickboxing takes the stress-reduction benefits of exercise to a whole new level. Kicking and punching can be cathartic, but the sport also demands cardiovascular fitness while providing strength training for your whole body. In fact, the movements learned in kickboxing class target multiple core muscle groups, and within a few minutes of kickboxing you'll feel your stress melt away.
Improved Confidence
Another benefit of kickboxing is confidence. During kickboxing training, your brain releases endorphins which are known to elevate mood and improve confidence. More importantly, the endorphins released during your kickboxing class will help you feel happier for hours after the workout has finished.
Better Coordination
Through kickboxing, you can learn better balance and coordination. You'll notice your posture improves as your core muscle groups strengthen, but you'll also improve your reflexes and coordination skills. Kickboxing requires that you learn to punch and kick quickly and precisely thereby giving you the opportunity to practice exact movements.
Lose Weight
As a full-body workout that incorporates strength training and cardiovascular fitness, kickboxing is a great way to burn calories. Indeed, in just one hour of kickboxing, you can burn up to 800 calories while you tone your muscles and improve your metabolism.
Increased Energy
Kickboxing requires a lot of energy, but it also increases your energy levels as well. When you first start kickboxing training, you may feel fatigued at the end of class, but as you build your strength and cardio fitness, your energy levels build as well. You'll also benefit from sweating out the toxins that you're exposed to throughout the day.
Make Friends
The gym is one of the best places to meet new people with similar interests. When you join a kickboxing class, you'll not just benefit from the physical improvements to your health, but improvements to your mental health as well. You'll have more opportunities to be social, and you'll build new relationships with like-minded people.
As you can see, there are many great benefits of kickboxing. Through kickboxing training you'll develop higher levels of confidence, coordination, and energy while you maintain your overall physical fitness.
Please visit K Fitness to find out more about Kickboxing in Vancouver
Farhad Dordar is the President of Sport Kickboxing Federation, the governing body for Sport Kickboxing all over the World.
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Yaw Yan Creed

In these times of guns and knives,
I travel in this world nothing on my hands.
If anyone comes to molest
and evil begins to dominate…
God is my only shield,
Faith is my guide,
Honor is my wealth,
Truth is my fortune,
and YAW-YAN is my weapon.
Sa Panahong ito ng baril at patalim,
ako'y naglalakbay walang hawak ang kamay.
Kung sino man ang dumating
at ako'y gambalain
at kasamaan ay ibig paghariin,
Diyos ay Kalasag, aking gagamitin.
Pananampalataya ay siya kong taga akay,
ang Dangal ko'y kayamanan kong tunay,
ang Katotohanan ay siya kong kapalaran
at ang sandata ko'y walang iba kundi…Yaw-Yan.

Yaw Yan

Yaw-Yan comes from a Filipino syllable Sayaw ng Kamatayan or Dance of Death .

 It is a Filipino martial art that was founded by Grand Master Napoleon Fernandez (1972) it sounds like Chinese and its form looks like Muay Thai but in reality its a Filipino art.  It has many variation of Kicks and punches (bolo punches), unlike other art Yaw Yan dont have a Kata  or form that needs to be memorize, the variation of kicks and punches can be combine freely does when its practitioner combines all this movement it seems that they are dancing. In yaw yan we develop our hand and feet as a weapon instead of using a stick in arnis ( a Filipino Stick Fighting art). One of the unique quality of Yaw Yan is that we dont have belts to distinguish ranks but instead we  value seniority and we consider our fellow member as our brother and sister and we consider our master as our father.