Do people that take fighting lessons, fight more?

TiberiusClaudis

OP here. Thanks one and all for the feedback.

For the record, I'm a Buddhist and about as anti-agressive as anyone. So no, I don't have any burning desire to get my head bashed in. However.....

During a recent discussion with a few of my mates (all of us are in the USAF), we were talking about a situation that happened to one of them in the PI, Manila I think. He came out of a bar and saw 5 locals beating up on a service man...Army, I think.

He was a brown belt in Karate and ended up stepping in and holding them off until they heard sirens. Then everyone bolted.

Made me wonder what I would have done. I'm almost positive I would have stepped in...but other than basic training, I've never been instructed in fighting. So it made me think..

BTW, I know a lot of people will say that the Army guy may have had it coming or if caught the guy could have gone to the local prison or what happends if one of them pulled a knive or gun.. Understood, but you don't really think about it that hard when something like that happens right? So if you saw what this guy saw...and had to act instantly...would you or would you not fight? Just curious.

dakotababy

I would think learning how to fight would actually provide more control over urges to fight - especially with the mind set that most people do not know how to fight properly.

I live in a rather disgusting city in Canada. I have wanted to learn how to fight about 6 months after moving here, mainly for safety reasons.

dbmata

BTW, I know a lot of people will say that the Army guy may have had it coming or if caught the guy could have gone to the local prison or what happends if one of them pulled a knive or gun.. Understood, but you don't really think about it that hard when something like that happens right? So if you saw what this guy saw...and had to act instantly...would you or would you not fight? Just curious.

He's a brother in arms, you'd be almost duty bound to keep him from getting his teeth kicked in, if for no other reason than to protect US government property.

Still, 5 guys on one is a pretty ***** scenario.

Alatariel75

I do TKD and it teaches me to avoid fighting wherever possible, and if it is unavoidable, get out ASAP. I don't think it would make you more likely to fight unless you get into a club/class which promoted that kind of macho bulldust, and then it is the issue of the club, not the martial art.

rml_16

OP here. Thanks one and all for the feedback.

For the record, I'm a Buddhist and about as anti-agressive as anyone. So no, I don't have any burning desire to get my head bashed in. However.....

During a recent discussion with a few of my mates (all of us are in the USAF), we were talking about a situation that happened to one of them in the PI, Manila I think. He came out of a bar and saw 5 locals beating up on a service man...Army, I think.

He was a brown belt in Karate and ended up stepping in and holding them off until they heard sirens. Then everyone bolted.

Made me wonder what I would have done. I'm almost positive I would have stepped in...but other than basic training, I've never been instructed in fighting. So it made me think..

BTW, I know a lot of people will say that the Army guy may have had it coming or if caught the guy could have gone to the local prison or what happends if one of them pulled a knive or gun.. Understood, but you don't really think about it that hard when something like that happens right? So if you saw what this guy saw...and had to act instantly...would you or would you not fight? Just curious.

The OP sounded to me as though your wife thinks you'e going to suddenly become a violent, aggressive person from taking this class. That isn't the same as walking out to find a friend being beaten and stepping in to possibly save a life.

Fighting in defense of self or others isn't the same as fighting just to fight. It doesn't sound like you're going to turn inot "that guy." Take the class, have fun.

harktosh

I've done martial arts for years. If anything, it has taught me control. The discipline of martial arts isn't to get into a fight or act on violent tendencies. It is to know how to fight and use those skills in real situations should they ever arise. In my schooling, I was taught that we are to fight only when it is unavoidable, to be humble and try to be as non-confrontational as possible. We were also taught not to brag about our skills or even show them off.

There are jerks and show offs in all disciplines. Would I defend someone else? Heck yes I would. Would I start a fight just because I know I have a good chance of winning? Absolutely not.

jimmmer

OP here. Thanks one and all for the feedback.

For the record, I'm a Buddhist and about as anti-agressive as anyone. So no, I don't have any burning desire to get my head bashed in. However.....

Tell it to Bhodidharma.... :laugh:


Seriously though, being able to handle yourself and knowing it as a fact means you have nothing to prove to yourself or others. It takes the cowboy out of a man. A great martial artist, IMHO, should be able to see the trouble brewing and make sure it doesn't get to the point where fists (and other stuff) is flying.

It's not always possible to forestall trouble though, but still, I can count on one hand the number of times I've needed to defend myself in the last 20 years.

Laura732

Nope, but I didn't hesitate to defend myself when I had to.

greengoddess0123

Taekwondo 5th Gup sounding off here. Just a semantic point here, but "fighting lessons" doesn't really describe the content of a martial arts discipline (from what I've been taught). "Self defense" is perhaps a better term. We're not taught how to fight people really, but to defend ourselves against attacks and neutralize threats. Again, a semantic point. I can certainly see how it could be seen as "fighting lessons."

That being said, I agree with other posters who say that there's a type of person who tends to get into fights, whether or not they've been trained in martial arts. I can also see how the philosophy and discipline of martial arts could temper the more aggressive nature of some folks.

In the school I attend, if you are discovered using taekwondo aggressively, rather than defensively, it will result in loss of rank or expulsion from the school.

Squatch3099

I would imagine that they don't fight more but rather come out winning more.:bigsmile:

tiggerGlasgow

Only during training. Most martial arts teach conflict avoidance and most people who study a martial art are less likely to get involved in a fight than those who don't. They are also better able to deal with what happens if they find themselves with no option but to fight in that even if thet get hurt they recover much more rapidly mentally and emotionally from the fight.

kingjabou

Learning to fight should teach the act of restraint. A person with sociopathic tendencies reaction to getting into a fight would be the same if he learned to fight or knit. I have done several disciplines through the years and only fight if it is the only possible conclusion out of a situation.