3 Signs Someone CAN Fight 

So my dad was a boxer and he had a friend and fellow boxer who was a good boxer (won several competitions), but got into fights with people who were stupid enough to provoke him and beat them horribly. He died from being shot in a bar by some guy who probably couldn't fight. He was sent home from overseas in a closed casket. I don't think he was 40 yet at that point. The point: it doesn't matter how seasoned a fighter you are, how big, how accomplished. Do not get cocky and do not get into fights unnecessarily thinking you can take the other person, because there will always be some lunatic who doesn't believe in fair fights or fair play competition.

A major sign that someone can fight, is that they won't want to fight, because they will understand that at any time, someone could literally die.

If somebody tries to start a fight for no reason and you are trying to back down but they are becoming more aggressive the chances are they are not a trained fighter, but in fact are somewhat insecure.

Bottom line: 1) Never underestimate the guy standing opposite you. 2) If you think you're a tough guy, there is always a guy tougher than you.

As an old man with heart condition, there is zero chance for me to win a fist fight with some a young thug. So I always have my two fiends close by. Smith & Wesson.

My friend who was a boxer and martial artist always told me to think that everyone one you meet could be a fighter. He advised me to never judge a person on how they looked. His idea was to get away if you can and don't fight. However if you cant do that give it everything you have.

Agreed, I am a Muay Thai and Taekwondo fighter and me and a friend of mine got in trouble with two guys on a festival. I am a very carefull and attentive person so I noticed how one of them pulled his knife slowly out of his pocket. These guys were standing like 10 to 15 meters away while this happened so we had just enough time to walk away, but as soon we noticed that they are following us we ran away. If the other person has a weopon y'all should always run away.

I worked at a renowned ‘tough’ club for a couple of years whilst studying at university. I had been boxing since I was 8. My dad was a boxer who ran me and my brother through 2 hours before school everyday. At 17 I started karate and jujitsu. When I worked as “security” in the club I was often buddied with this huge bodybuilder lad. I found out why. Not to be critical of him or anything, coz to be frank, his sheer size and menace got 90% de-escalation and compliance issues sorted. But in the 10% situations that didn’t work, he was literally as useless as a hat on an ass. That’s when I had to earn my pay.

Ultimately never underestimate anyone, Always be prepared for any situation.

Having served in the Marine Corps and been a bouncer at bars in the bad part of town, my best defense has been to deescalate situations. Being 5'8", but a stocky 190 pounds helped. Many times someone pulled a knife or even a gun in a bar and most times they were just trying to scare someone or make a point. In all but one such events I was able to get them to put away the weapon and leave. The one time I didn't was, I was breaking up a fight between two guys who were duking it out with fists. I grabbed one guy and flung him back just as the other guy came up with a knife and stabbed me in the stomach. Granted, he was trying to stab the other guy and got me instead, but it still hurt like hell! He ran out the door and someone tripped him. He dropped his knife, but kept on running. Several people knew the guy, so the police picked him up at home. Of all the fights I broke up that involved weapons it was the one I never saw that got me. Now at 70 years old I'm looking down at that scar thinking about how lucky I really was.

I heard this story once of a MMA fighter at my gym that got killed in South East Asia, he got into a bar fight with 4 dudes over a girl he was dancing with. He did easily knock down all 4 dudes and even broke one of the guys jaw but unfortunately he was killed because someone threw a glass bottle at his head from behind and he died. This story told to me by my coaches is a reminder that you may be a baddass that can take people on easily and defeat them however in the streets people don't play fair

I worked in a prison for 16.5 years and saw violence every day. I saw what works and what doesn’t. After while you can pick up the signs something is coming down. I had to make room entries on inmates and used timing most of the time to gain the edge and working together with other officers was the key. You use numbers and “all at once”. One at a time officers get hurt. Most real tough guys are not looking at you wondering if they can beat you. They are planning ahead how they will do it. And who gets off first has a big advantage. If he lands and hurts you, they keep throwing in clusters of punches and don’t stop until it is over or they are restrained. Body language and how you carry yourself is big as this video has shown. But even being tough won’t help you if you are facing several who want to hurt you. Most bullies in bars watch people and pick out those who won’t give him any challenge. I would drink until I reached a certain level and stop. I always wanted to be prepared to defend myself if I had to. Bullies always lead with their dominant hand and count on landing their haymaker. You will see “panic” on their face when they miss and are out of position and vulnerable. They build reputations by targeting someone drunk who is clumsy and stumbling. Best advice is to avoid a fight and see it coming before it happens.Too much testosterone in bars where there are women. And always go in with buddies and never alone. I would always survey the room first to look for the troublemakers and always look for potential weapons and exits also. I am an older man now who usually carries a gun or knife concealed and avoid certain places. Fighting is for the young bucks and I concede but will still defend myself or my wife. Just differently these days. And I would never pull a weapon unless I am using it.

All these rules do not apply when you are in Thailand. The fruit seller, the tuk tuk driver, the souvenir shop guy, the 7 eleven staff the road sweeper and literally anyone may all be former pro fighters or even former state Muay Thai or local stadiumchamps. I know a coffee stand lady who used to fight back in her village as a kid and teenager during local festivals. All these people are friendly and nice. You'd never know that they can take an elbow to the face and happily smile like it was nothing hahaha

The good news about trained fighters is that if they have that much self discipline to go to weekly classes, they usually will have the mental capacity to de-escalate. That is, in every gym I’ve trained in, I’ve yet to meet someone who fights in public by choice. Often gyms don’t like to train agro types, and knowing how to take someone apart tends to mellow them. This of course is not universal.

If the situation is tense and the other person is calm and collected, they can fight.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is not to be where bad stuff could happen such as bars at zero dark thirty (nothing good happens at 3AM down town). Choose your friends wisely. If you hang with loudmouthed people who think they are super bad, you may wind up as collateral damage when they write checks with their mouths their behinds can’t cover.

These are the signs of a boxer. A Thai boxer looks different. So do most other martial arts. The real thing to look for is how calm they are when confronted and how they are standing. I used to work a door in a rough place with a small guy who was studying ninjutsu (a note here for anyone thinking of being stupid in a bar - the small bouncers can all fight better than the big ones) and I don’t think I ever saw him nervous. Always calm and polite, but always had enough space around him to act if he needed to. Be afraid of the people who are polite in tense situations, it usually means they are dropping into their training, and their job is to mop the floor with other people who think they can fight.

One issue with this, in America loads of people carry concealed pistols. thousands and thousands of people. don't bring a fist to a gun fight.

I was fighting in bars and elsewhere thru my 20’s and 30’s. PTSD from Viet Nam. Last major fight almost killed me. Two gorillas held me while the 3 rd worked me over with a 4 point ashtray. Ended up with 3 concussions and had to lay flat for 6 weeks then had surgery for deviated syptum. ( nose ). By the time I was 100% I dropped my revenge plans and moved on. My intended revenge coulda locked me up for life. Now Im old, in good health, loving wife, no current enemies. A good Life can be created out of choas.

Very true.. My husband is a trained Tae kwon doe & he always tells me before you fight physically, You already did it in your mind & you fight with confidence.. My husband is so quiet, respectful that you would never expect he'd be the one to rip your throat out!!! Everything u said, he told me. He teaches me self-defense against a man because if he's not around, I have to protect myself. He's taught me if someone comes behind me & grabs me around my throat not only how to get out of it, but paralyze his body for a few. He also taught me exactly where to hit them, where there main organs are. We practice all the time because he teaches me.

Being ranked in 6 martial arts over 45 years, keeping calm and maintaining proper distance is key. Learning to de-escalate situations has kept me from getting in physical confrontations. Usually it takes two to tango. Walking away is always the best choice. :-)

I imagine that a trained fighter is the one that saves more energy before the fight, because everybody knows that when things start you will gonna need it.

As a guy with no limbs, I’ve learned that when I get in a confrontation I can’t do shit because I have no limbs. De-escalating is the best way to go.

I grew up boxing, swimming and playing basketball. Martial art has always been my favorite art form through athletics out of all three I have mentioned. Now just entering my thirties, after the techniques that I have learned and adapted to. I still believe walking away and not fighting is the best form of ANY martial art during a street fight.

Never get within striking distance unless you are prepared to fight. Once someone enters that space strike first.

"arguing with a stranger", a situation that you should avoid at all cost to start with. it has served me well through life. great vid.

One of the few things that taking Karate as a kid taught me was striking distance. NEVER stand in someones striking radius. Especially if it's a possible fight situation. Enter that radius only to strike them, then move outside of it again.

I grew up fighting then joined the Marines now I live off grid in the mountains. I loved fighting when I was dumb. Now I'll walk away from a fight if I can. Most fights can be de escalated. That being said anything can be a weapon. Pay attention to your surroundings. Trust your gut and everything will work out. Me personally I live alone and the wood burning stove keeps me company. Peace

A trained fighter will runaway from a fight if the opportunity presents itself 😊

NEVER, NEVER EVER FIGHT ANYONE WITH CAULIFLOWER EARS!!! Discolored knuckles, facial scars and bruises... Never fight these type of people.

There is always someone badder than you

I’m 38 and I’ve never been in a street fight. I feel how you carry yourself, who you associate with, and where you associate are big factors in whether or not you’ll find yourself in an altercation.

Former boxer who did some moonlighting as a bouncer here - I agree with basically all of this but some depends on what kind of fighter we're talking about. If I think someone is going to hit me, my first reaction is to step back with my right foot and take a small step back with my left (while saying I don't want to fight). That creates some distance and lets me load that left leg (right handed). I won't crowd someone because I need the room. But I also won't put my hands up. One reason is I don't want to be accused of being the guy who picked the fight. The other is I know I can get them up very quickly if I need to. Tough guys who couldn't fight seemed to have a very bad habit of mistaking that for being afraid and then walking right into a punch. So for folks in the comment section: if a person steps back, look where their feet are. If they're staggered, that might be a boxer who is willing and able give you brain damage.

Huge difference between a drunk and an experienced fighter. I grew up in NYC and many of my friends were golden gloves fighters, they all looked like me, normal kid. They never started trouble, but always ended it if they couldn’t get away. That’s right, out first reaction was always run away, cause it wasn’t that guy or group of guys you had to worry about, it was the dozens of guys hanging in the back out of sight you had to worry about who would come running once they knew a brawl was on, so if you were t in your own hood, you avoided at all costs cause everyone ran in packs, rarely solo outside your own block

the cemetary is full of good fighters and brave people

The calmer and cooler the person is during high stress / physical altercation, usually the better they can fight. Yellers and screamers are usually twets.

Thats true about the walk and posture about people who are into martial arts. They have this uneasy unexplainable but intimidating confidence and calmness that only a drunk wouldnt notice.

Alot of these signs are also signs of a bully who thinks he can fight because he is bigger than his prey but ends up being knocked out because he is too self confident and not as tough as he thinks

forget fighting, avoid the situation before it starts, be wise and recognize when the atmosphere is ripe for violence, and leave. Fighting is not worth it unless you are cornered. If cornered pull the equalizer out and have no mercy.

Interesting. I've been through quite a few fights. The more I fought, the more I did not take anything for granted. I ALWAYS assumed he was a fighter. I figured I would be ready for anything or at least closer to it. But usually I let my instincts take over and used my head as well. It's sort of hard to explain or describe this area but some times I would be getting overwhelming instinctual urges to do something that might actually save my ass. I liked to fight but not against a gun, baseball bat or even some knives. I'd rather wait in those cases and there have been a couple times that I went with my instinct and I thank God for that. I have to say that now that I look back at it as a much older man, I was blessed. I grew up in an area and time when fighting was what most of us did for fun. We called it bee bop. But it had honor and was never more than one on one and when a guy had enough we helped him up and usually ended up having a beer together then or the future. As kids, we would end up being best buds. My parents as would other parents would watch on lawn chairs as we did this. The only rule was you quite when the guy had enough. As we got older, usually after 16, another rule was added...nothing above the shoulders. If that rule was broken, the guy that got the cheap shot got a free shot. The spectators ensured that rule was adhered too. Of course, we also had the unplanned, "I'm pissed as hell and going to beat your ass" all out fights. These were the real fights the others were just for fun but they had there purposes. The small community and culture I grew up in was very tight and most of us had this mentality. Communities within driving distance that were not brought up like this were the ones we really looked forward too on the weekends. They could also be the most dangerous because they usually came from the bigger cities and didn't learn how to fight like we did but didn't like to lose as well. That would sometimes equal guns, knives and clubs...that ain't fun. More memorable but not as fun. Anyway, I really feel sad for the kids nowadays. Some of the younger educated types think what I grew up with was barbaric. They don't understand it is about honor. We loved it. The kids nowadays can get killed and usually it seems there is no more honor. 5-6 or more guys will beat on one guy. Sad Sad Sad. Oh well. Thanks for letting me remember some good times. God Bless

My mum _always_ said to me as a kid _"the quiet ones are the ones you've to watch out for"_ . She also told me _"kick them in the balls, and most boys will go down"_ . She had good advice, my mum.

Treat everyone as if they are a martial arts expert. Show them the same respect you would an MMA fighter. That will keep you out of trouble 99% of the time. On those rarest of occasions in which you have “no choice” but to fight, then it doesn’t really matter how trained and skilled they are, does it? If you “have to” fight, you have no other options. If you don’t “have to” then you shouldn’t. That goes for trained, untrained, drunk, sober, weak, strong, young, old, male or female.

I’m not a professional fighter but I value my life and will do anything to get home alive

I used to box, and one night out drinking with my boxing buddies someone came up and asked "what do you think is the best form of defence, judo, karate, boxing"? My mate answered "run like hell, its the only way you wont get hurt." 😅

As a young boxer I was exceptionally fast with my punches. Back then, street fights with fast hands, but poor timing , resulted in many misses and sprang wrists. Timing is very important.

As a flat-footed person, I used to walk heavily for my size. My mom pointed it out to me, as a young child, so I worked on it and no one would know, today, that I'm flat-footed. I've been told my movements are fluid. I've seen the same from other flat-footed soldiers I served with.

The biggest identifier I've ever had that someone is unquestionably not to be messed with is the "focused freeze" if you see the moment where they go from joking to real and theres just a split second where they just stop, and their whole demeanor changes from standoffish or even jovial to more statuesque but still fluid. Watch the hell out. They've decided you're a possible threat to their mood or company.

signs: 1) stance & position: hands down, relaxed, no target scan 2) movement: not flatfooted, well coordinated, rely on timing 3) short hair, scuffed knuckles, broken nose, stocky neck, shoulders, tap-out t-shirt also, behavior, confidence

Thank you for this. I spotted a fighter on the streets and he never saw my car coming.

My stepdad was an enforcer for some nefarious organization, the best tip he gave me was to avoid street fights at all cost. I've seen this principle in action often, you can't win fairly over a bunch of thugs.

This was well put together and educational - thank you !

Excellent presentation, thank you ! Having been quite a scuffler in grade school and high school, (college too), I can attest to the authenticity of this clip. Bill P.

As a bouncer for 22 years your advice is spot on

I don't know about the clumsy and flat footed part... Rocky Marciano's coach Charley Goldman said once: Rocky's short, stoop-shouldered and balding with two left feet. A lot of people say that he doesn't look too good in there, but the guys on the canvas don't look too good either.

This is a great video to help keep us out of trouble ..💪🏽👊🏽🙏🏽

Thank you. The person who taught me Lung Su, named Jeff LaRock, was a tiny guy who never acted aggressively; never argued; and never gave anyone any reason to want to harm him. LaRock was also an accomplished ballet dancer; he was also a medic who enlisted to sever in Vietnam.

"Fast is good, but accuracy is final!" --Wyatt Earp

I retired when I was 35, and I toss papers a few days a week to keep busy. Last month, I was having a bad day, as my dad was dying, and this asshat was in my way. He apparently saw what I was saying, and was waiting on me when I came back. He was about 6'4", shaved head, and we started getting into it. He saw I wasn't backing down, but it wasn't registering. I finally exhaled loudly and said quite calmly, "Let's start over." That jolted him back. He nodded, and I stuck my hand out and introduced myself. We shook hands and had a nice conversation. Crisis averted. No one ever wants to get into a confrontation, but as you said, pay attention to the other guy! He wasn't, due to his anger. I had already sized him up and knew if he got ahold of me that I was in for a bad time. That would have forced me to take him out first, and I hate to do that, because I'm a public figure and the Media would have had a field day with that. The best avenue to take, is try and avoid the confrontation in the first place. Know your enemy!

This was absolutely fascinating. Thank you!

no facial jewellery, few rings, no clutter around neck etc, pure flush bruv, you get me

A factor that you really won't be able to tell by looking, but what a person does for a living will be a factor, even if they are not trained fighters. Anyone who works with their hands in any kind of precision dexterity job will possess faster reflexes and muscle control compared to someone who does not make their living with their hands, as their brains have higher developed manual dexterity neural pathways as a result.

When I was younger I was a bouncer at several rowdy clubs. Being 5’8 and about 170 lbs, my 1st obstacle was getting hired. I overcame that by asking the owner or manager to hand me the phone book, which back then was always was very thick. Then using the trick I had been shown & practiced daily I would tear the phone book in half. Once hired I was able to descalate each situation without violence. The only problem was that often I would be challenged by those that really resented my intention to end the situation at the club. But the silver lining was that I was able to hone my considerable skills even further. Having a relatively small stature I was always under estimated which allowed me to finish what others started. For the record I learned bare knuckle fighting in Camden, New Jersey at the age of 14. Thanks!

Good info. One distinction is I tend to scan during potential conflict for additional threats. 🙂

You're absolutely right. I have 25 years military. However, I'm 75 years old. I practice all the time stepping back practicing fast draw from concealed position.

I do not care cause i treat every threat as 100% dangerous and do everything i can to stay away from those situations yet i do not fight back unless i must and by then its too late, does not matter if he never fought or is a master.

I trained for 30 years doing Shaolin Martial Arts. You're right. It's how they move. I can read it immediately. Even though I'm older and don't do as much training, I still move like a cat. I have the lopsided shoulder, too. I never noticed that until you said it. I actually have a wrinkle at the base of the right side of my neck that's not on the left because of the way my head and shoulder are positioned.

hi mate just like to say I found this video extremely valuable. I am a security guard from Australia and we have to deal with brutal fights in our city center (Brisbane) daily. I would love to ask if you could do a series of videos like this aimed at training security guards on what to look for and early detection of trouble. This short video taught me more than 6 months of traditional training. Please could anyone wanting this series please like this comment.

The takeaway here is ..... don't go starting fights with someone and just mind your business. 99.9% of trained fighters aren't going to start a fight. Keep your head up and your ego down and you'll be just fine.

The weaker you are the louder you are, that's all you need to know.

Some people are not trained per se, but rather experienced. If he takes off his watch, puts up his phone or drink, he isn’t talking himself up. Those are some of the signs that he is dangerous, even if he has no traditional training, but a good deal of experience.

Thanks for the update

Trained Martial Arts for over a decade. Won't claim to be a trained fighter though. This video is spot on and very informational. Appreciate it.

A lion doesn't tell you he's a lion...he just eats you.

I've got 5 years of Taekwondo & 12 years of in ring boxing. I'm flat footed & don't raise my hands unless I ABSOLUTELY need to. I'm also completely stoic.

EXCELLENT video especially the bit about movement I've been saying for years that fighters and most animals are constantly sizing these signs up without even thinking about it. Because nobody wants to pick a fight they're going to lose :D

great video - subbed and will keep watching your videos

I’m a boxer I’m telling you I avoid fights at all cost because I know what I’m capable of. 🥊💯

i do not mess with anyone because getting punched in the face really hurts.

I'm a boxer with an orthodox stance, and it's in fact the *left* side of my traps that are larger than the right, and by a large margin. I put that down to the fact that while I'm delivering harder shots with my right hand, I'm far busier on my left side, throwing many more jabs and left hooks than backhands. In fact, much of the time I don't throw any backhands during sparring; this is I guess due to my particular style. I have only twice found myself in the situation that had the potential to get physical, but still, I would say the dead giveaways as to whether someone has trained as a fighter is (i) their posture, and (ii) whether or not they are lean - by-and-large, someone who routinely trains in a gym is going to look like they're in good physical condition imo.

My martial Arts teacher always said that if you believe every one had either a gun or a Knife and avoid everything you can, the moment you hurt someone you will be the person that they lock up.

I will say the only thing i disagree with is the agression aspect. I feel like the more trained you are the more you are used to being in an elevated situation, the less aggressive and tense you get. Its like another day in the office so the only moment you let your anger and aggression go is when it is absolutely needed. But the best defense is literally controlling your emotions and deescalating the situation

I think having wrestling experience helps. Put a striker on the ground and than control them for a while and you see them slow down and the confidence starts to ebb.

Glad I watched this, very exhilarating and mind opening. Makes me want to finally learn!

You were absolutely right about target scanning. I do it all the time. But I always target scan legs. To size up their ability to generate power with their legs, for vulnerabilities in their legs, particularly their knees. I am looking at how you are built and the best angle to break your knee. If someone has toothpick legs, I am not going to take them so seriously. That doesn't mean I am not keenly aware of them, anyone can pull a weapon so I am always ready to respond to that, not just empty hand attacks.

If you do this much thinking in this type of situation then you're already toast

0.31 made me smile. When I was in highschool my sensei told me when a situation got escalated to smile. He said it would help me control my emotions and not get angry. Back when I was still going out to clubs and had a situation apparently I did smile. On a few occasions my uncle and some friends told me I started smiling and I wasn't even thinking about it. Sometimes the other guy would get a puzzled look on his face. I don't really hear people bring this up. Keep the videos coming. ✌️

Was drunk at party years ago. Having conversation with strangers, we discussed hobbies/interests. This guy said he studied martial arts. I stepped to him like a drunk fool; calling him a liar. He FLIPPED ME up into the air, and I landed on the hardwood floor; knocked the wind out of me. I got my breath back as I was getting up. “You good?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m good.” I replied. I learned a valuable lesson that night.

Yes sir! Thanks for the note.

As an ex kickboxer there are definitely quite a few key indicators to knowing how well someone can fight.

I've experienced that nobody touches me because sometimes I look like a fighter even when I've never been in a street fight.

You forgot the 'Eye of the Tiger.' Thats a dead giveaway

So in a nutshell trained fighters will sucker punch you.

Most of the time, someone who is trained have self control and discipline. They avoid confrontation and fight if possible.

He who lives by the sword will die by the sword.

Nowadays, When novices confront experienced fighters…usually a shooting occurs.

Loved the Tapout T-shirt reference. Made me laugh

Just leave people alone and don't try them but always be prepared to shock someone with that equalizer. 👊🏾

Being able to apologize and walk away is a sure winner each time.

Not a 'trained fighter' by any means.... but my Dad was an Army Ranger, and he did teach me things on how to defend myself. The rare times ive gotten into situations that could have potentially turned into a physical altercation, i was guilty of what you called 'target scanning', as i'd give the other individual a quick glance over while making mental notes of distances to things like knees, throat, eyes, and the area just below the sternum. Interestingly enough, when you mentioned 'stance'... one thing i did when i was caught in a situation that came about as close as ive been to a fight, was lean back against the wall i was backed up against, loosely folded my arms across my chest (but didnt cross them had them layered one over the other), and lifted up one foot to press it against the wall behind me. I essentially had my hands ready incase i needed to use them, and had mad the decision to use the wall as leverage to force myself forward if needed.

The description of "Broken nose, cauliflower ear, scarred face and scuffed knuckles" doesnt sound like he's very good at fighting...😂😂😂