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The self-defense scenario: a brawl

Given that we should never be the ones to start a fight, it can happen that we are (inevitably and involuntarily) involved in a brawl with which we have nothing to do.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

In particular, the category of self-defense scenario we are going to discuss could be (for example) a dispute already escalated (between other people), where (apparently) it is no longer possible to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner (read Self defense: 10 correct attitudes during a quarrel).

In this type of context, our “collateral” involvement can be of 2 kinds:

Casual – We ended up in the middle of the brawl by chance (eg. during a scuffle between drunken people at a party)
Specific – We are trying to get out of a situation dangerous directly for us and for those with us (eg. a friend of ours has been attacked)

Let’s see what we can do.

What to do: a few tips

Before fighting

Without any pretense of completeness (each scenario is a case apart), here are some ideas:

Protect ourselves – Trivially, it does not matter what is happening (a verbal quarrel or a physical confrontation), the first task is to be ready to defend ourselves (read A self-defense trick: the secret guard stances) and the second is to keep under control the scenario’s interactions (read Constant attention: what is and how it works); these 2 activities may seem obvious but in a stressful situation they are not at all and the simple fact of taking a balanced / defensive stance and positioning ourselves in such a way as to see everything that happens around us is incredibly important
Assess the situation – Once positioned coherently, we have to quickly assess the situation; what level of violence has been reached (pushes, slander, beating, harassment, etc.)? Let’s ask ourselves if an eventual physical intervention can improve or worsen our safety and the one of the potentially involved people; let’s reason about to what extent is it legal and reasonable to act
Evaluate the extent of the danger – Let’s try to rapidly understand how many people are involved, how many others could take action in a second phase and more generally, what are the risks we are running (scenario’s obstacles, level of preparation of the aggressors, their psychophysical state, possible weapons, etc.)
Plan a safe strategy – Made the necessary assessments, it is necessary to establish an action plan (read Personal defense: the S.A.F.E. method); in a matter of instants we need to try to identify the optimal solution for us and those who are close to us (eg. find a way of escape, read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///), as well as a safe mode to achieve it (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
Use negotiation – If possible let’s always try to lower the tones, at any stage of the fight (read Self Defense: 10 Things to avoid in a quarrel); offering a dignified and / or reasonable “exit of scene” for the aggressors (even after the earliest blows exchanges) can save our lives and / or the one of all the other people involved (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)

A note by Master Kongling – Regarding the last point: let’s never convince ourselves that there is no more room for talking: we will know it only after we tried, in no case before. We do not have to forget that if both parties actively interact verbally (dialogically, not alone), the fight (almost certainly) cannot begin. The reason is that discussing is a too difficult task to be accompanied by other complex activities. It’s simply about slowing down, slowing down and toning it down. Why? To impose our beliefs? No, because as a rule, time is our friend, the more time passes the more the anger decreases and (in many cases) the more time passes the more there is a possibility that someone arrive to help us (police, etc.).

What to do if we have to fight

Unfortunately, not all self-defense scenarios can be solved without recurring to the application of violence, so let’s see a few suggestions:

Asymmetric fighting – If we have to fight (and this is the last chance, read The 6DKF’s diagram about the use of violence), we must try to gain a strong advantage over our opponents (eg. an improper weapon, read Improper weapons in a real situation); the greater the advantage will be, the more we will have the opportunity to prevail (or even to induce the aggressors to desist, read How to always have the possibility to prevail)
Keep the guard active – Let’s always try to keep the guard active (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///), a correct distance, a variable rhythm / pace, rational directions of movement and to never end to the ground (read How to avoid the ground fighting); until we continue to move (especially circularly), the attacks of our opponents cannot reach their full potential (if they are not skilled)
Keep the aggressors in our vision field – Even if we are strongly attacked we have to continue to see what is happening in the fighting scenario and especially, we must try not to let ourselves be surrounded (read Forget everything you know about multiple opponents fighting); if we do not want (we cannot) escape it is better to have a wall behind us (at a reasonable distance, not attached) than an opponent; the idea is to do not focus only on the adversary we are facing, we need a broad view (read The overall view: see everything, do not look at anything)
A good movement strategy – Pitfalls can come unexpectedly from every direction and at any time; let’s choose a free, secure and open motion path that ensures us the best control over space and time; let’s never stop moving but without wasting uselessly energy; as we said let’s move circularly and never in straight lines, this forces (low-level) fighters to lose their attack power; especially if the opponents are more than one let’s move laterally and curvilinearly so that they hinder each other
Use the surroundings to our advantage – Let’s stay away from all the possible active / passive scenario’s criticalities (eg. stairways, sharp obstacles, etc.); on the other side, if possible, let’s opt for a space displacement that provides tactical advantages (eg. maintaining the sun behind us, safely forcing the adversaries on dangerous terrain, etc.)
Do not waste energy – We have to be patient; we always have to try to economize the forces; a normal confrontation consumes a lot of energy but a clash that could involve more opponents costs exponentially more (and there is no certainty about the total duration); we do not have to use explosive power (in movements and in striking) if we are not more than sure of the efficacy of the specific action; let’s use credible feints playing on rhythm / pace changes instead that on speed; the best thing is to use the adversaries’ strength against them (or, at least, to force them to waste their energies in vain efforts)
When the attacks are successful – When we find a way to open a breach in the opponents’ guard let’s attack decisively, in sequence, explosively, trying to reach the most sensitive points; the idea is to stop only when we have a “surely safe” option to flee (everything more or less in relation to this can become a serious problem for our life, read Best martial arts for self-defense)
Use a rational level of violence – To save our life and physical integrity does not mean to unnecessarily violate others one; even if it is hard, it is important to always calibrate our aggressivity in relation to the actual danger level and not to our anger; it makes no sense to strike to the throat someone who has simply given us a push (read Self-defense: how to defend from a push) as it makes no sense to be unsure against someone trying to pierce us (or others) with a knife (read Self-defense: how to defend against knife attack)
Flee, as soon as possible – As soon as we have the chance to leave the fighting scenario let’s do it and doing this let’s abandon all physical and mental burdens on the battlefield; things like suitcases, packages or even pride, fear etc. are of no use to us; let’s eliminate every desire to fight (regret, rage, etc., read Revenge and resentment, knives taken from the blade side); if not out of a good heart of a real martial arts practitioner, let’s do it out of selfishness, the transition from reason to wrong is extremely light (especially from a legislative point of view)
…

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

Everything we said is a wide extension of what we must learn to do in an extremely short time, our general strategy must be clear now and all its sub-tactics must be mastered in a serious self-defense path
It should never be forgotten that no one suddenly learns how to fight in the street (read How to learn to fight: all the steps), especially against multiple opponents (a scenario that unfortunately happens often, read How to fight with more than one opponent at the same time) or worse against prepared ones
We need daily training (including sparring), to be prepared for a real fight (read What is the difference between real fights and combative sports) and above all, have tactics / strategies ready for a rapid adaptation / application (through simulations of assaults, as realistic as possible, read How to simulate realistic self-defense scenarios)
Let’s study, test and prepare our bodies (in the worst case we will have kept ourselves in great shape and health) but first of all, let’s learn to prevent the most common critical situations (maintaining rationality and serenity)
The world is not such a horrible place, we just need to be rational and pay the right attention (read Identify the dangers as animals do)
…

In the next articles of this series, we will deepen the topic.

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – A video course about the fundamental steps to build real martial skills
Self-defense basics: how to – Everything you need to protect yourself and who is with you
Self-defense: not violent self-preservation – Methods to solve self-defense scenarios without recurring to violence
Static and dynamic balance: how to – The capability that distinguishes the expert fighter from the novice

In-depth articles

Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons – The limits of martial arts in self-defense contexts
Self-defense: aggression in front of a supermarket – A real situation solved without recurring to violence

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Have you ever seen / faced a real brawl?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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