Do NOT throw body shots in self-defense... maybe... 

I was mugged while i was waiting for him to say exploit

The triangle , square, circle combo usually works best for me

I boxed competitively for 13 years, and I've had some experience in altercations in the street, especially when I was younger. My experience is that no random guy in a parking lot is ready for a liver punch, especially if thrown in a flurry, head-body-head kind of. Every altercation I have had, has been ended with me simply forcing the exchange of punches at a "middle" distance. So step in with an overhand, or lead hook and just go from there. Most of the time they panic and try to grab you by the head, which is just about the time you dig to the liver. Most people don't train for shit (the ones that do usually aren't out looking for trouble), and these randoms aren't really used to getting caught with crisp punches thrown with intent. They understandably buckle.

The last street fight I was in was about 10 years ago. This psycho jumped out of his car after almost running ME over. Anyway, I remembered my Thai boxing friend's saying, 'man with no legs cannot fight.' So I faked a low kick to see what he would do, as he was postured in a boxing pose as if he knew what he was doing. He didn't try and check my kick, so I just started chopping down leg kicks just above and to the side of the knee, with my shin. I saw the fight drain out of his eyes, as I kept him at distance and waited for bystanders to break it up, which they eventually did. I think distance is the best defence, whether you get that distance by kicking or running, it's all good, as long as you don't end up on the floor.

"In fact it makes it more difficult to fight well if you're smart." No wonder why Floyd is so dominant

"No except when the answer is 'yes.'" That's pretty much a perfect answer. Every rule has its exceptions. And for this one, it's don't throw body shots in a street fight except for in these specific situations. Good video.

liver shots and solar plexus shots are pretty solid, even against adrenaline. The last guy got his jacket pulled over his head. I love jackets, it's like a gi edit:I love not fighting even better!

Body shots are actually excellent in my opinion. Less chance of breaking your hand, knocking your opponent to the point of their head hitting the ground and possible death and law suit. Also every naive street fighter flares punches with their head and upper body tilted back. That's excellent time for leg kicks and body shots especially since most don't even consider it hence an open target. No amount of adrenaline can help with a good liver shot. Your body shots down whether you like it or not and it's FUCKING painful. Just my opinion

Body shots always Body shots every time Without gloves your bare fist fits perfectly (and in devastating fashion) between the bottom rib and the hip bone of the person you're help to make better life choices People who get dropped with head shots are down for maybe 30 to 90 seconds People who get dropped with a good body shot are down for minutes Elbows are better for connecting to the head Knees are beautiful in the clinch Using words is better than using violence but if you need to protect yourself or someone you care about then use what you learned in the boxing gym or the Muay Thai gym where you train Rear naked chokes are great also :-)

Great points, the context of combat sports is indeed different from self defense.

That and punching a skull barehanded with adreniline in your veins can easily cause hand damage.

Most people who are untrained haven't got a clue what to do if they get held in a Muay Thai clinch. You can drag them around like a ragdoll and throw all the knees you like. However, just like this video is about exception to a rule, there's one for every technique. The clinch is great of the untrained, but you don't know what they have in their pockets, and it's a bad position to put yourself in if there's a knife you don't know about.

If someone is leaving his stomach open I'm taking it in a fight

A liver shot is only of the most painful shots u can get, always aim for the liver if you're going for the body.

The answer is yes if you are good at body shots. The availability of getting hit in the head if not exclusive to street fights. You don't need rounds to set up a body shot either.

Dude thank those people who actually have open enough eyes to check out what's going on. We don't have anywhere near enough citizens willing to make sure everything's ok!

I find pooping in my hand and using it as a projectile is a good deterrent. Whether you hit them on the body or face.

You make a lot of valid points mike, but I still think a good liver shot, via a Knee or a kick can hurt an the other guy pretty bad, specially if it's some thug who doesn't have proper fighting skills. Even if someone blocks a knee or kick to the liver (roundhouse kick with the shin or back kick), if they aren't used to it, it will fuck them up. But you have to feel really comfortable with kicking and using knees. so I guess for the average person it's not a reliable resource. (Maybe I am just too obsessed with always going for the liver, I dunno)

Why not? I'm a short guy. If my opponent is taller I'm not going to be able to hit his head without making him double over. Body shots can accomplish that goal.

I laughed for a good 5 mins at the ending, but on a serious note your vids are very insightful without losing the entertainment value. Thanks a ton 🙏🏾

When I was 20 in the Navy I got in an altercation where I wanted to get physical but leaving marks in the face was supremely out of the question and the guy had a metal zippered light jacket on and not only were my body shots ineffective but my knuckles were shredded by that jacket. We got our misunderstanding out of our systems and were able to continue our professional working relationship and the power imbalance was more evenly distributed afterwards regardless of any institutional hierarchy

I love closing the distance taking away their power and busting out a couple nasty elbows. Tottaly changes the pace in the situation of fighting someone whos more or less a brawler type fighter. (haymakers and such)

I use this combo in sparring and it works really good. Jab, cross, liverhot,hook right, hook left. With the jab cross they put up their hands so they open up for the body shot

I've personally used body shots in a couple of street fights and they work but in clenched and close positions..if done correctly and properly placed they can end fights quick

In a street fight everything happens so fast you really dont have time to get a perfect body shot in action. You will know if you have ever been in one the haymakers are coming from all directions so the best option is to go preemptive and then create some distance and if you get an opportunity you go for a body shot to get your actual knockout blow. Although this is in theory but it may change as per the situation. But i agree to the point made in the video.

In a way, I see more chances for body shots in a streetfight: 1) inexperienced combatants; also more people without their guard up more focussed on dodging 2) possibility to get people off-guard in skirmishes 3) from a grappling scenario 4) headshots often more dazing than downing (without gloves hitting that hard can injure you) 5) punching someone right at the start of the fight when the hands are still down, or people are pushing each other

A body shot is probably one of the best things you can do in a street fight or self defense

I used a short rib, or solar plexus punch in my school days, and it stopped fights before they started. While the kid is yelling and posturing arms flailing, he'd be wheezing on his knees and unwilling to continue. But I agree with an unknown trained opponent or in the ring you HAVE to think it through.

I’m glad he finally got “exploited.” I was screaming at my phone hoping he would hear me.

I laughed at "we accomplished nothing" LOL!

One thing people seem to ignore is that the body might have some sort of protection. If it's winter and you're figthing someone with 2 layers of clothes and a leather jacket, your body shot won't do shit

As a preemptive strike, I've found it useful before they have an adrenaline dump. Most untrained people have never experienced a good series of body shots or have the musculature to grit through them. A longing straight to the upper abdomen then left hook. That's 2 body shots in a row with their hands down...lungs and liver. Try it with gloves mid conversation.

Body shots are great when the other person covers their head, turtles in and doesn't have a good view of his opponent.

I think Newton's third law of motion sums up a lot of combat quite nicely. This also helps with analyzing risk to reward ratios. No matter what you choose to do, there is either a counter or a consequence to that action that requires an understanding of the sacrifice you're willing to make in exchange for a chance of winning or survival. In essence, you win 100% of the fights you don't get into.

In real street fight, no one bothers to catch the punch. It usually doesn't work because there is no time to react that way. Everyone is throwing punches everywhere in haywire.

Mike, that body shot technique was Mike Tyson's favorite. Oh, you mentioned it lol

One of the last fights i was in many years ago I hit 99% of headshots that did the job dropped dude most ppl are more about talking than actual hand skills

“Infact it makes it more difficult to fight well if you’re smart.” Interesting statement 🤔 care to explain what you mean by this?

I’m a retired professional fighter. Even though this guy doesn’t really have legit competition in his resume, all of his videos I’ve seen of him, tends to be pretty accurate when it comes to defending yourself in a street fight. A lot of people are so naive and ignorant when it comes to their knowledge on how to defend yourself from someone trying to attack you. In my personal experience, it’s important to end a fight by absolute most brutality. People nowadays carry weapons or may quickly go run to their car and grab one, after they’ve been dropped in a street fight, but not subdued or knocked out. I had one guy chase me with a machete after I dropped him with a stiff jab, but thought I should leave him be since he could not walk properly. Things like this, you can only experience it to know. I personally believe, to make sure your attacker is also either knocked out or to the point that you definitely know, they will not be able to chase or go after you afterwards. Good videos!

I go to a boxing gym and studied a lot of mike Tyson fights I did the uppercut combo today and it landed perfectly

That's why there are kicks and knees

Unless you’re an experienced amateur or pro boxer I wouldn’t recommend going for body shots in the street

I love these uncut scenes 😂😂😂😂 makes you genuine

"In fact it makes it more difficult to fight well if your smart" (2:08) is a great line, second guessing and overthinking things are hobbies of mine. That was brilliantly succinct.

They can be useful during a "Drunk Uncle" scenario too, even when it's not really your Uncle but instead a Homey just needs a little check. And I have only had one liver shot in my life , and about 55 nut shots. I'd take another 55 before I'd take another liver shot. Good Lord that is a whole new kind of pain

Do body shots if you can do them efficiently haha😂

I’ve dropped someone with a shot to the ribs. He swung at my head, I ducked underneath and shovel hooked him hard in the ribs. Fight over. The guy didn’t get up for about 10 minutes. If you hit with power it’s all you need. It absolutely does work and you don’t even need to use it to set up another shot.

I'm a little late to the party, but I friendly sparred with a boxing instructor. After a barrage of head punches he managed to land a solar plexus. I have to say my air was knocked out of me for 30 sec to a minute... now this makes me wonder why some pro boxers locked on defensive after a body shot

I work as a security guard and bouncer, all I've ever needed is some grappling and the occasional jab-cross if the fella is hell bent on fighting me

I don't see the associated risk of changing level for the body jab in a self defense context, with pants on there is little to no chance of knees or kicks reaching you so as long you keep your shoulder aligned and raise your guard you should be fine. The body jab is one of my go to punches, because it's significantly safer vs any slip or parry and counter techniques (be they strikes or takedowns) and it draws their hands down in order to expose their head for a follow up. Height differentials also matter, which I think should always be taken into consideration in a self defense context because people do not start fights unless they know they have a physical advantage over their target (or they're a woman with lower average height across the sexes) so the ability for a participant to head hunt may be at a significant disadvantage compared to body shots in the first place. Furthermore, you're not wearing gloves so the solar plexus and liver are much softer targets for you to hit with your fists than the skull. Honestly, I would make the body jab a corner stone of any self defense system because realistically it's low risk for fair reward and shouldn't be categorized with body hooks or a body uppercut which leave defensive gaps.

Honestly comes down to what you feel you do the most damage with and have the most confidence in throwing in a high stress situation. Going to be different person to person so there's not really a right answer.

I’ve been in a lot of street frights over the years & have only thrown body shots a few times. If the opportunity is there take it, if you have to drop your guard to do it, it’s the wrong time. The things u should be worried about is to keep moving and never go down to more then one knee if there are more then one.

Hmm, I had a freind that went to China and trained for full contact. He also got in a lot of fights in the street, a lot. He told me that his favourite opening move was a palm strike downwards to the solar plexus and USUALLY they would fall on their butt before he could hit them again. Btw that mike Tyson combo is great, but better if you go jab, step right hook to ribs then big straight left (instead of right uppercut) - because you switched stance while stepping right. Good to see you show that, I drill it every day because I think it is too tricky for your average joe. Keep up the good work. Used in sparring, nobody sees the big right coming, and you have all the time in the world to take the head off. The right to the ribs seems to work in the bag as a palm strike btw. Keep up the work good bud.

What kinda life are people living that they get into street fights and start throwing body shots??

Perfect analysis. No comment. (except to say "great as usual)

Everyone's got a story. Here's mine. Got jumped in a parking lot after work. Had a bag in my left hand and a guitar in the other. Experienced thug gets in my face. Verbal de-escalation did not work.This wasn't a robbery. He just wanted to hurt me. I try to create distance. Drop my bag and take a big step back to create space so I can use guitar as weapon. Critical fumble. While mid-swing, I eat a right hook so violent that I'm practically looking in the opposite direction. But I'm not out. I'm still in the fight and defending "intelligently" (ha!). I had never been in fight. Not like this. Thug takes guitar out of my hands and as i'm covering up my face and going for a clinch he uses the guitar as an axe against my right ribs. I remember dropping straight down. Like I was a marionette and someone had just cut the strings above my head. While my head was on a concrete curb and I was crumpled on the ground in a fetal position; he proceeded to use what was left of the guitar to pound my head like he was playing Whack-A-Mole at Chuck E. Cheese's. I wasn't even covering my head. I had my arms shielding my torso. This was almost 20 years ago and I vividly remember thinking: "I'm so glad he's hitting my head. At least he's not hitting my ribs anymore". That's the power of the body shot. I learned a lot that night. -I learned to look for signs of an imminent attack (in hindsight, there were tons). -I learned that I can take a punch. -I learned that you can't talk your way out of a fight if someone is hell bent on hurting you. -Don't get caught alone. My female 115 lb co-worker probably saved my life that night by jumping on his back and peeling him off of me. -It could always be worse. What if his 2 buddies waiting in the car had decided to join in? -Be a good witness. My co-worker ran after the car and got their license plate number. She repeated it over and over again so she wouldn't forget. -I was disarmed in seconds. What if I had had a knife or a gun instead of a guitar? -Even if I was trained to use a knife or gun, my hands were full. I barely had time to drop my bag before the right hook came. -Train in a martial art. -Know some first aid. It could be a while before you can get to a hospital. -Starbucks employees have better health insurance than some nurses. Let that one sink in for a moment. -And most importantly: When it comes to guitars, String it. Don't Swing it.

What if....i tickle the dude? Guess you never thought about that huh? JK Keep up the good videos :)

False, if you’re an effective puncher you can drop a guy with a bodyshot in a street fight

Love the realization at the end as with any argument about what to do or not to do in a street fight... don't do this... unless it works....

Also if land good body shot it’s also a push/hand check. If opponent tries anything simultaneously it will be while pushed backwards or forward momentum halted

Almost forgot...we all took a vote and you should have mona in a seg at least once a week. Mon w/ Mona?

A good street shot on the streets always follows a well connected jab. My favourite combo as a teenager when kids in school was to hard jab the jaw; use the impact reaction to full power kidney or solar plexus then an uppercut. It always stared with a jab. A good body shot even in sports needs to be opened up. I learned this training in Karate. Some of the best strikes make you vulnerable. The only defence to this is to open up the gsurd first otherwise your asking for a creaming.

I’m no tough guy but the one move that saved me before I knew how to handle myself (against someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing) was the front kick Never trained in my life but it keeps distance and openings

[Love your videos, Icy Mike. Keep up the great content!]

When you were doing the body punch and the uppercut when you had him trapped sometimes you don't have to worry about your feet coming out because your body does some things naturally like balance itself if you feel like you're going off of balance so some things come out of automatically

You're on the mark. Nothing is safe about a street fight but no point in exposing yourself more than you have to.

Great vid. Love the how... what’s the word??... it means to be real... “Genuine?” No like to be yourself even if it makes you look less than perfect.... Candid!!! this video is. The info was great too. Love that dirty boxing combo.

One exception comes to mind. A short, powerful puncher with good boxing skills and quickness. Head hunting is difficult, because he is reaching, reaching, reaching. But he is already in range of a taller man's body, with quite a large target, I might add. Sink in a couple of Rocky body shots, causing the taller man to come down to cover up his body. Now, he is in range for a good head shot or two or three. Currently, I am far, far beyond my prime (I'm old) and in no position to execute this plan. But I speak from experience from decades past.

I use a makiwara punching board .got it around 1975 .Its good exercise as it gets your breathing going .Also kep hitting it hard enough an if you have to punch a assailant , beleive me a straight hard punch to the body will hurt.And with regular makiwara use is very hard to block .I was one of the very few at our dojo that used one ( or had one ) and i could punch through most guys blocks.There is a saying makiwara training gives you a freight train punch.I am 80 now and just use it for exercise to keep my breathing good and heart rate up.

So mix it up end it quick... acomplish something ☺, lovehow honest this guy is.

"The answer is no, except when it's yes," Love it! It's the truth! Also true about a lot of things in self defense....

That sounds good until the wind gets knocked out of you or liver gets hit or a run gets bruised. If someone is wearing a thick jacket or layers of clothes then it could be not as effective

Very balanced video it’s all down to the situation

I prefer the body jab to expose the head like you said. But when I want to do damage, I'll stick to front kicks and or knees.

The agony of a body blow can take a second or two to kick in ⏱ Do we need to consider that 🤔 In the ring it won’t matter much 🥊 But on the street it could be significant ☠️

Have just used this video link in support of an argument on another channel, I like what your channel and what you are doing. Stay strong

Would love to be trained by this dude...looks like he's my size but you can tell he has heart and more importantly knows what he is doing

I know what your saying in like a self defense situation but for street fights I use body punches just like boxing, mma, etc not because “it drops them.” But because there is a sense of security when you drop down to the body when you are just head hunting you leave your temple or sometimes jaw dangerously exposed and for a lot of people it’s hard to get a good punch off while slipping simultaneously or sometimes you just don’t create enough of an angle to get off their centerline so basically why I go for the body with punches is because it kind of gives the illusion that you are safe after a while they get tired and there is actually a chance to drop them I did this the last spar I had with my friend

"We accomplished nothing... THANKS for watching!" XD

First video i saw on this channel and i loved it... Subscribed. A realistic logic analysis of what could happen.

Hahaha i like how real is this guy, looses the track of the video purpose and is not afraid to show it, even turn it into a funy thing, that is been cool 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

Haha this was good stuff, I've always kind of felt the same with the "no except when yes"

Opportunistic ! Great topic.

I have respect for him. I want to point this out before I rant. Body shots, in a street fight, are incredibly good if done right. Even in competition fighting they don't always faint. There are body hook shots that are close to upercuts that don't leave you exposed. If you throw a lead hand shot a liver shot will drop them long enough to get away. At the beginning he had said that dropping them wouldn't work because you can't do it enough however it is science that if you put enough force behind a liver punch, and with this punch you would be, it will act like a temporary paralysis. It only lasts a few seconds and then it's over but it would be enough to get away. All you need is one strick to the liver, not many to the head, which is also a harder target to hit.

No one ties up in Street fights. head locks or tackling the person to the ground are more common. Body shots do work in street fights but not the way it was demonstrated here

Don't think of gloved style body blows. Straight lead hand or rear cross to either the solar plexus or the joint between manubrium and the body of the sternum (kyokushin style bread and butter) works and don't require you to change levels or open your face. Slightly closer range than to the face but sometimes that is good or needed. Palm down hooks just below the armpit can work too when they are reach for you. Same set up as to the head, but can slide under when they go to cover their face.

The truth is that if you weigh 150 pounds and your assailant is 200 pounds or over, in all probabllity your body shots are not going to do that much damage. I believe it's called 'eating a punch.'

I get the gist, that's was honestly pretty straight forward.

Liver punch, kidney punch, solar plexus punch, sternum punch, collarbone punch, intercostal destruction ribs punch, all funnybones and nerve busters. Harry Houdini literally DIED from body shots.

Yeah liver shots and solar plexus shots.

Look, body shots should probably be the FIRST thing you go for... with your feet! You kick to the body not punch. It can really back up an attacker, give them a whole new dynamic to worry about, and gets them to bring down their hands. You don't need great flexibility or serious training either. You're welcome.

I look for the left hook to the kidney after a straight right. But only if feel comfortable taking it the ground. If the guy knows how to shoot I’m wide open. Good video!

A liver or rib shot is affective if well timed and dug in. A good bodyshot is dictated by foot positioning and foot positioning should come natural to a real fighter.

"We accomplished nothing" we enjoyed watching you guys joke around while teaching more than anything. Hard2Hurt and HardNot2Laugh.

Untrained opponents would get dropped by a bodyshot

Thanks

Other reasons I like a preemptive combination of body shots are 1. It's on lower end of the visual cone making it harder to see especially if people go tachypsychia 2. The distance from my waistline to the body is quicker than the waistline to the head 3. Aiming for the apex of the clavicle which is also the body accounts for a margin of error from him mid fight slipping rolling and fading.

When a was a kid, I always aimed for the tip of the nose. Then I hit multiple times to the face and followed up with hooks and uppercuts when they covered up. The first punch to the nose do that they will have problem with vision. It should be done with a faint first. If you have not been training boxing but just wrestling, you should take the fight to the ground if possible. If you are a female, strikes to the groin and running, is maybe the only alternative. The nose is a soft target. It is a good chance that you will cut you hand on their teeth but your wrist will survive if you do not hit the forehead. It is easier on the inside to aim correctly with the fists or use elbows. Grappling can be used to line up the target. A quick pull downward and you have the position for knees from the head-side. All fancy stuff you can forget. A fight is about instinct. The core in fighting is grappling, then comes boxing-skills, then skills with elbows/knees, then kicking. You just need the basic kicks (no jumps or fancy stuff). And always look for weapons or things that can be used. If you know you are going to be attacked. My advice is to get in a position that is possible to defend. Every striking-art with focus on sparring or reality, will teach you this. But just remember to remember, when the shit is going to happen. It saved me once.

I am boxing and my coach always says: if the man doesn't care about his liver go for it. But the street fight is a whole another thing go for chin or legs or even the side of the head if you have longer reach keep him at a range where if you hit you dont get punished and if you have shorter reach get in his face and keep hitting him but if you have the same reach keep your hands up and go for the counter

Lead right to the sternum going for the heart - then left hook to the jaw its all over - high low high low combinations