4 REASONS UNTRAINED People ARE MORE CAPABLE in Street Fights 

I'm a BJJ blue belt. I can confirm that brand new guys are easily the most unpredictable and most likely to give you injuries. They roll in a panic state and have unexpected movements. One time I had a new white belt guy grabbing and twisting my fingers. That's why I love training with them, it's a good simulation of what you can expect on the street.

Rule of thumb - never underestimate your opponent, even those who appear untrained.

Some of the wisest words I ever heard from a martial arts practitioner (I think). On the street, you are not facing off with a level headed person that conforms to any "rules", and that is a scenario you have to be aware of and train to counter.

Ive noticed untrained fighters throw "pure offensive" strikes... something much like the "unblockable boss attack" in a videogame... you can either interrupt if you are quick enough or get the hell outta the way, but if you stand and try to out technique the guy, you're gonna be on the recieving end of that wild strike...

It made me remember my fights with untrained people, on the streets it's mostly chin down haymaking brawling, but in the ring I was sometimes caught by suprise by some guys. The thing is, when people start training, their techniques become somewhat unified in according to the most artists of their styles, so it's really easier to spot a hit coming and therefore they are more predictable. But with untrained people, they sometimes have their own perception of fighting and when they are not forced to fight, but in sparrings, for example, they are letting their imagination lose. For example, when I fight, I analyze my opponent and think of combinations like "okay, he opens his liver when he jabs too far, so jab to switch middle kick might be good", but when they think, they come up with sometimes unpredictable combinations, that are unique to their perception of what may work, in a way of Saenchai's techniques, but with no technique whatsoever, and this really makes me wonder, how many undisclosed talents there are, that just happened to not have the chance to be developed.... Creativity is really underrated in martial arts, in my opinion. People strive for speed, reaction time and wide arsenal of known hits, but in untrained people it is pure creativity and I like it!

Like always, awesome video. Perfect explanation! As a psychiatric nurse & CPI Instructor, I have dealt personally with patient that assault from left field!.I try to explain to people about unpredictability combined with underestimation is a perfect storm for a failed self defense situation. Intermittent explosive disorder or impulsive aggression, premeditated or not, a disproportionate reaction can be perceived as "retard strength" explosive outbursts of anger/violence, at the point of rage, disproportionate reaction to the situation at hand can lead to complications based on underestimation. You hit the nail right on the head!

Situational awareness or presense of mind, quick physical reactions or reflexes, mental strength or toughness, composure or self-confidence, resourcefulness, the instinct or the will to fight back and defend yourself, knowing when to fight back or when to just run away as fast as you can, avoiding people places and situations that potentially lead to heated altercations or violent encounters, and your martial arts/fighting/self-defense skills and techniques (if you have any or some) which you have spent long periods of time practicing and training, can drastically increase your chances of successfully defending yourself in street fights and surviving similar violent self-defense encounters. Speaking based on my personal experience as a self-defense practitioner.

Never underestimate anyone

As a former bouncer, I concure with everything in this video. Sometimes, they just explode out of nowhere.

Overtrained folks can lose aggression and be too relaxed. Not that full aggression is intelligent but it’s hard to deal with.

This is the hottest take I've ever seen. Every untrained person I've seen fights the exact same, crazy telegraphed punches or tackle. To say unpredictably is a reason they have the advantage is insane.

I guess the years of working the door at night clubs was training for street fighting. Always stay on point till the problem is 20 ft away from you and keep them in sight till they are really gone. I've learn about that move of them starting to turn away fake, you move to the other side and back so your not where they last saw you. Doing that is surprising enough to make many think their out of their class and really leave. And it opens things up and gives you reaction room if they keep coming in.😁 There is an old saying. "The only person the best swordsman in town has to fear is the worst swordsman in town".😎😁

I noticed in-trained fighters don’t react to feints in the same way as the trained, if at all. So make sure your feints are actually strikes(even if they aren’t very hard) so that if they don’t react, they get hit. If the fight lasts past the follow ups, you will have begun to teach them to react. Generally, fights involving the untrained are short tho. Thanks Doc, be safe

Another problem is that people that formally train to fight train against others that are formally trained. The cues and movement patterns are different for untrained and trained fighters.

One of the "problems" I've spotted untrained people don't see faints so that means faints doesn't always work on them they just go for a punch while you're going for a faint and that could catch a trained guy off guard

Cold aggression! I learned this when I was 8 in martial arts. I’m now 45 years old and it’s helped me through the years.

Very interesting. Having practiced Muay Thai for fifteen years. I always thought sparring newbies is v3ry difficult as they lack the predictably of more trained fighters

Cold aggression comes from experience. After serving in hostile combative theaters the reflex and ability to unleash decisive outcomes, becomes something one has to learn not to use.

This... made so much sense. You explain things very well!

Another informative video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Dr P. So many great points. Hot and cold aggression. You nail it with the mindset of the untrained person. They go for broke without internal self awareness. Booze helping fuel the liquid courage sir. Totally agree with you sir in that the trained person needs to in less than milsecond go to raw mindset then controlled mindset. End it. Yes, you are so correct in training for the unseen or unpredictable sir. So damn true. Is his friends coming out of the shadows? So, Dr. P have a street mindset, trained mindset etc that flows under pressure. Great content sir.

Only seen a few videos, but this looks like a great channel. Straight talk without the bravado. Many thanks.

Thanks Sifu for the help!

This is true, when fighting with true rage, you get hit and feel nothing. Nothing stops you.

Perfectly summed up.. Love it..

Great info. I find that regular four times a week 5 mile jog's give me the endurance stamina. And fast fifteen 2 minute rounds, a minute break in between pad work and bag work give me that explosive stamina. Thanks dude.

Your advices are GOLD. I am happy that most of advices you gave were/are part of my Security background. But everytime thank you to share all of this

Great ideas on this thankyou. Last thoughts are very intuitive and resonate with my own experience. 🙏😁

A great commentary about realism outside the training hall. I definitely would like more on this subject Dr Mark. I greatly admire your insight and understanding of not just the physical, but the mental aspects of violence. How could I get in contact with you?

Great learning points, thanks. Best regards 🙏

Woah! I LOVE this one!!! What a fantastic point of view; (and as usual) very well shared indeed! Thanks again Buddy :-)

I think it was from the movie Shanghai Knights. Owen Wilson was fighting Jackie Chan and knocked Jackie Chan down. Owen said, " I don't know karate, but I know crazy!"

The best advice on self defence.❤

Absolutely brilliant information.

I'm a smaller guy. I weigh around 135lbs, and I grew up in a rough gang infested neighborhood. I've been in more street fights than I can count. I'm almost 60 now, and the last fights I was in happened in my 40s. Over women. Of course. When I and my opponents were drunk. Of course. Rule #1: Stay sober Rule #2: Stay away from strippers. (much easier when you are sober) Avoid fighting if possible. Rule #3: If there's no way out of a fight, hit them before they hit YOU. Repeatedly. In the balls, throat, eyes, jaw, etc. Use whatever force multipliers are at hand. With lethal intent if necessary. Rule #4: Keep on hitting them until they are no longer a threat. Rule #5: Get the hell out of there. If you feel like squaring off and brawling, don't. If you're drunk and trying to impress some stripper, and can't help yourself, keep your hands up to protect your face. 99% of thugs are headhunters. They'll look away, and then throw a sweeping right handed sucker punch at you to start the fight. So learn to keep your hands up, and your palms OPEN and FACING them. Do not look away or turn your back on them. Back away slowly while making (dead) eye contact. I'm 50/50 wins and losses in street fights, but I'm still alive, and un-maimed. The first time I used a makeshift weapon I was 8 years old. It was at my 3rd grade bus stop, and I used a metal lunch box to once and for all put an end to the bullying of a bigger classmate. As a teenager and young adult I was "jumped" countless times, and dealt with multiple attackers and home invasions repeatedly. I've been punched while I was sitting down. From behind. I've been attacked at 3:00am. Naked. Drunk. In bed. (See rule #2 about strippers). I've been attacked at liquor stores, and on dance floors. In classrooms. At parties. And of course in nightclubs and bars. When you are a smaller guy, You never know when some bigger idiot is gonna try to bash your head in. I spent a year studying Krav Maga, and hold a yellow belt. But belts are meaningless on the street. What matters is focused agression and viciousness and especially, surprize. I was once attacked by two gang members while drinking a carton of milk in front of a convienance market. The first lowlife comes up and says: "Hey Essay!" (LA latino gang slang for "hey dude") "Gimmie a drink of your milk" So I tell him to "f*ck off" and immediately put on my full face motorcycle helmet and backpack preparing to leave as quickly as possible. As I stand up his mate grabs me from behind. By my backpack ...and he restrains me as his buddy squares off, kicks me in the groin, and then takes a swing at my face. Remeber the full face helmet? Most thugs are as dumb as a box of hammers. He broke his hand on my chin-guard lol. ...and getting kicked in the balls is a sexual fetish of mine. So that just made me horny. Horny to f*ck 'em BOTH up. But I was the one who was f*cked, right? The second guy had me fully restrained - I couldnt even raise my arms because of how he had me pinned. WRONG! Remeber that motorcycle helmet on my head? I snapped my torso forward to open a gap between his face and the back of my head. Then I snapped my head back like a mace and smashed his face in with the BACK of my head. F*cker let me go immediately. They broke off their attack and ran away, and I got the hell out of there. A few years earlier I was jumped and stomped to a bloody pulp by two OTHER gang members at the SAME market. That one was over a personal beef / score settling over a gang home invasion where I sent one of them to the hospital with a club to the back of his head. I was 15 years old, and no, I wasn't in a a gang - that's why I was attacked. The market was the only one in my neighborhood, so it was like watering hole for predators. Again, my advice is to stay away from loose women, rough parts of town, and street gang territory if possible. If you are cornered and attacked, fight like your life depends on it, because it DOES. Use any means availible to disable your attacker(s) I'm an old man now. I don't like fighting and never have, but Los Angeles is a violent, unpredicatble place. I carry pepper spray and a small, lethal metal impact weapon capable breaking bones in close quater combat. Google "Monkey's Fist". Yea, they are illegal. They are also uncommon and look like innocent key-fobs, so your unlikely to get arrested for carrying one. I used to carry a small fixed bladed knife, but knives are obvious and messy weapons. Here's how to "win" (survive) an attack on the street by even the biggest, most skilled and determined assailant or group of assailants armed with a knife or monkey's fist - without killing anyone: COVERTLY grab your knife or blunt force weapon. Drop to the ground and shoot for the legs. Start stabbing or clubbing their ankles and knees with your force multiplier. If you can sever a tendon or shatter an ankle or a knee they will not be able to physically fight or chase you. Period. No matter how big, driunk, or angry they are. Think about it: How are you gonna fight someone if you've only got one good leg - or no legs at all. I learned this watching Montey Python - and learning Muy Thia durring my Krav Maga training days. Muy Thia fighters don't head-hunt. They kick your quads and hamstrings until you cramp-up and collapse. That technique works, but it takes a bit of time, especially with big drunk agressive arseholes. So just use a weapon to immediately cripple them. Then run away. Hope no one was able to ID you so you don't go to jail for defending yourself - something I've endured more than once. Thankfully I've never had to cripple anyone, but I'm quite prepared to do so if the need ever arrises. You should be too.

Well put.

Very good advice, mate.👍

Good stuff, I used to rely on my running speed to get me out of trouble as I get older that won’t work. These days my EDC is two mace containers, two knives and my last resort of my G 43. In the US people have to be prepared for active shooter situations. It has been a few years since I have trained. Time to get back to it. Thanks again for what you do.

Awesome advice at the end.

Totally accurate,,,great show,,,,great training

Now that was actually a fascinating twist on the usual take that goes with such advice. 🤔

As usual you are spot on my brotha. That’s why I love your vids.

In the few unfortunate times I've been in street fights, I found that most people get seriously hurt from literally just tripping over a curb or getting tackled to the concrete, or missing a punch and hitting a car or a something else.

Another great program my friend. Be well.

Great video. Thank you

Great explanation! 👏🏽

Excellent this is so so so true well done Osu

Wise words indeed. One thing to add though, drugs and/or alcohol nowadays are going to be far more present in bar/street confrontations. This not only makes the untrained opponent over confident but - in the case of “powdered” drugs - also adds the element of anesthesia which makes harming said opponent a more difficult task if applied in traditional ways …

Thank you very much!🙏

Thank you for making this video I try to explain to my students that in a self-defense situation on the streets treat every person as if they were a grandmaster expect everything and the unexpected gym and dojo rules do not apply on the streets

Solid points.

I have to admit. This video is one of your absolute best.

Great video Sifu. Hope you're all well at LWCC

This is a great lesson. Thanks. And Peace.

Very well said

Never letem that close. They get to hand length its time.

Thank you!!

And... If you can get off the first shot, even if, or especially if it's a proper jab, it'll levels out the dude with rage / tardstrength and saps their gas tank right off the bat. That first shot also flips your own switch on as there's no turning back, you're in a fight now, get to work mode kicks in and it takes away that tense finite moment between not yet a fight and now you're fighting.

Very interesting!!

Thanks again and true. There is an enormous difference in training as a fighter and training to fight in the 'real world'. In training to fight in the 'real world', instructors were adamant that, if we had to fight, be sudden, direct and violent. Ie. you are NOT in a gym, you are NOT in a fight with rules or boundaries. You are in a fight that, if you lose, it means that at best you will be severely injured and at worst dead. What I like about your channel is that you recognize that self defense is not competition sport. Thanks again.

You are the most honest trainer on RU-vid

It's like the snakes, young snakes are more dangerous than mature ones. They get scared easily, don't tend to evade confrontation and in their bite they give you all the venom they have in their system. Great video and advice, you have a new follower :)

EXCELLENT video. Also worth noting…you can win a fight on the street but lose big in the courtroom. Best to avoid if possible.

Well said.

this might be the most important and best Video in the context of streetfight-Situations ever. No Matter what Martial Art one is training, this has to be aknowledged

Correct on all points 👏👏👏👏

I made these comments on a past video of yours - all of them. Glad you made a video out of it......

Yup. Definitely agree,

It's been my experience that most impromptu fights are started by a partially trained bully, trying to impress somebody else by picking on a smaller guy that is obviously alone. Usually the first hard punch wins.... struck while the tough bully is still in the yappy phase. I find that the best opportunity comes, when he tries to touch you. He wants you to beg. The hard part is not defending yourself from a loudmouth. It's keeping the buddies out of it.

Excellent. Deduction. I know what you mean!(the Psychology of the fighter[s]...etc )👍😁❤️

You have the most legit videos about street defence and fighting I have ever seen My opinion what most people lack is converting flight into fight as initial stress from predator freezes them, and they want to escape not to fight especialy if they have family members close by.Anger is very powerful toll Converting fear to anger is so important in fighting doing damage and disabling opponent if need to be even killing Good tactics is not to think of consequence of dying in fight or being killed as dying is happening anyhow

I have come across this mentioned elsewhere but only in passing or suggested in a description of a scenario, but this is the first video I've seen with a thorough treatment. Pure technique may get you out of a violent encounter with someone exerting wild physicality, but, sometimes, an animal needs to be wrangled. It is very likely that the untrained has had many encounters improving his skills as well, so techniques like the ones mentioned here are important to take the assailant out of his game.

EXCELLENT VIDEO

I've always said to my Muay Thai instructor, yhat we are only getting good at fighting other thai boxers, so I also picked up BJJ and only got good at fighting other BJJ guys. So I started going to train at other Martial arts for usually a free week trial. So I could see different perspectives

Many guys with "Little-man Complex" and also "Hotheads" will fight anybody too!

Very well said. And we shouldn't expect proper stances and attacks.. keep distance and wait while ready to defend first.. or just finish first..if you have to.. I did that with 4 guys.. after a verbal exchange, I just finished the job..

I have heard this view before but it does not match my experience. I have resolved situations with untrained people many times in the street. My martial art friends have utterly destroyed untrained people in street fights. A friend of mine in America was arrested and locked up in jail for driving on an expired driving license on New Years Eve. The regular holding pen was full so he was put in with a bunch of convicts who were being transferred. My friend was an expert in Tae Kwon Do. Not an art known for its flexibility. One of the convicts decided to pick a fight with my friend. My friend made an example of him to make sure the other convicts didn't get any ideas. He beat that man so badly that the cops separated him from the convicts for their safety. I think that the perception that untrained people have an advantage is just that. A perception. It reflects your own lack of psychological preparation in your particular art. I assure you that the training you have, the fitness, the breath control, the consistently fast and powerful blows you can deliver, and the combat ready instincts that you will develop through your training, will enable you to easily despatch virtually any untrained thug who makes the mistake of attacking you.

I’ve been practicing Taekwondo for just over 5 years now. I train hard every day as I’m retired military with PTSD. I work hard at gym when not directly train martial arts. I’m following you Sir, because I’ve found so much value in your past videos. I’m developing me after almost 18 years in USAF. I work at local Martial Arts school, I love to watch younger adults grow and become responsible grownups. After military, struggling to find life again I’d found martial arts. Through development of my person, I’ve found that my fear in public places is diminishing much. I’m able to go into public and be there for longer periods of time because of my working with martial arts. “Finding this channel has helped me so much to have more confidence In knowing I can be a good person and support those around me if need ever came. Also through watching your videos I feel I’m able to be more effective in reasoning in a tense situation. Having ptsd, I’m wishing to have a normal life and I’m on a list for a another service dog. That will be a freedom of course, but I want to obviously be enabled to fly alone. Following Sir, and thank you for all of the content which I find so useful in getting my confidence back… With my therapy and constant volunteering at local Taekwondo school, going to gym and working on me every day… Thank you Sir!

I just maintain situational awareness, especially when someone's giving me a weird vibe. I'm an ameture mma fighter, so I'm confident I can keep myself safe as long as there's no weapons pulled, but most people don't attack without provocation. Just make sure to stay in your own lane and watch your back. When things get hairy, it's best to run.

Exceptionally insightful analysis of why the trained mind is more likely to lose against an untrained fighter. The trained refuse to explode even when they find themselves in the fiery situation. They often want to wait their turn which does not happen before they are hit with a stray blow

I agree 100%

Distance is always your friend, and always expect to be assaulted, and be the meanest motherfucker in the fight.

my dad is a Moo Duk Kwan Tang So Do instructor. he was teaching this white belt in front of class and told the white belt to throw a front kick. the white belt kicked my dad in the groin, totally unexpected. With regard to unexpected attacks, keep distance, cannot throw anything at you unexpected if you just maintain adequate distance. once had a dangerous boxer trying to get close to me, but just controlled distance by not letting him advance, just backing up so he couldn't close. Kept the fight from happening.

They aren’t more capable; not in the least. They fold like wet paper.

In a formal setting, im sparring by the book with predictable offensive and defensive characteristics. A street fight? The minute someone starts barking i immediately grab for the throat and if i can't get em down im hitting vitals, the crown jewels, a sweep, eyes, or swinging for the fences. Im eating that punch with my hands tight to the chin because it's always a wide haymaker and hitting with a counter with all i got. Im 40 and still get into the occasional brawl. The Marine in me won't retire

Nice beard dude!

You always need to keep in mind and I mean always you never know what a person is capable of one time in a women's self defense class the instructor has this woman ( an untrained person 6 feet tall 260 pounds ) stand in front of him he asked her what would you do if a man was going to hurt you she screams at the top of her lungs then punches him in the face full power and speed the yelling distracted and surprised him and he never ducked or blocked blood was everywhere you need to be prepared for the unexpected you never know what someone is going to do

Sage advice

I trained BJJ for 13 years before I realized it is almost useless in an actual street fight. Over the years people had told me this, even guys I trained with, and I thought they were utterly full of crap. Then I saw someone who competes at a professional level get their ass handed to them by some big deaf dude with no training, just a lot of rage. This was years ago and I'm much more well-rounded now, it was a big wake up call.

Never underestimate your opponent

I agree with everything you say. I would add, differentiating a trained street fighter with a trained prize fighter. I get that 99%of the people you're trying to get through to, are the latter. However, I think making that distinction clarifies the mentality of the type trained fighter, that you're trying to convey. When I train police and other public service personnel we drill that distinction in when we get candidates that are D1 wrestlers or Golden Gloves boxers, and train them to be more reactive. Thus making them trained street fighters. Conversely, we train prize fighters to look for consistency, to use the rules and be more proactive. Mind you I said "more" proactive or reactive. It's always a mix.

I remember when I was doing amateur boxing, I sparred with a guy who was better practised and more technically proficient. He would land more hits on me and even combos. As I realised I was under-skilled by comparison, I realised my best weapon against him was to be completely unpredictable. So rather than throw my (orthodox) left jab out (which he waited for and countered a lot) I started to just throw a solid right cross at him out of nowhere. It worked and caught him many times stopping him in his tracks. I remember a few times he even gasped with frustration being caught with such a supposedly telegraphed punch. But boxing wasn't really my game I much preferred BJJ.

There are a lot of false points, though I do agree with the mentality of the fighter. Only problem is that trained fighters ARE fighters. They are built to fight and were the guys on the streets. But the instinct to fight and how to control yourself is taught and much better when you learn to fight. Main point being, a trained fighter is trained to fight. And in any scenario, it doesn't matter how angry the guy is, the trained fighter will win with advantages. All 4 points are edges, not advantages.

4:53 what video is this I’ve been trying to look for it.

New to your channel good content if there is good material art to learn what would it be?

Makes a lot of sense..

Right a different type of training, how do you know what the guy gonna do, do they have a blade for instance

Cool I am a former golden glove boxer and career bouncer if you have never competed, I would tend to agree with this no matter the level of black belt or whatever you put on it. But if you have been a competitive martial artist I would disagree. The cold aggression thing is the most eloquent way I have heard this described 👍🏿

I had excellent fitness, speed and good technique, I have weathered some storm, I have run away since almost no one could stay with me for the first 40 meters……but now I am 63. I dont fool myself. All those elements are vastly degraded. My situational awareness is massive, and I never place myself in situations that can go south. I can spot or sense the crazy dude from a mile away and avoid him. Remember guys, you can lean into your skills now but one day they fade off some. Be mindful of those years ahead. Keep honing your skill but be mindful.

Cold aggression. That sounds like my version of Devil Mode. All the fun of a rage fighter without the vulnerability of fighting angry.