Street Fight , Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 3:09 AM, in

Ever get really angry at somebody and start thinking about how good it would feel to give him a nice beat down, make him sorry for what he did? Or maybe you're a girl who would like to physically show another girl how you feel about her using your knuckles. You might fantasize about a clean punch to someone's face or maybe even kicking him when he's down, really letting him have it. Then you could stand over his downed, broken body, just to make extra clear what happens when someone messes with you. Perhaps you've actually acted on this impulse, or have at least seriously considered it. If you are, this article is here to tell you to pull your head out of your ass and realize that there's no real winners in a fight. You could argue this, it is sure, but also keep in mind that it is very likely YOU will be the one laying trampled and bleeding, wondering where all your street-tough kung-fu moves gleaned from years of watching fights in movies went.
Street fights are messy and always ugly. Unless you're defending yourself, you tend to look as bad as the guy who loses. Just look at some of the videos of real street fights on YouTube- people often go into the fight looking cocky and aggressive. These people also often get their asses whooped. When you are watching these videos, realize that THIS COULD BE YOU, humiliated and hurt in public. The only thing these videos should inspire in you is the realization that fighting of this kind is really kind of stupid.
Of course, this is not to say that martial arts are stupid- far from it. Martial arts can be a great discipline which conditions your body-mind-soul. The lessons contained in real martial arts are great life lessons. One thing you can learn from them is how to avoid stupid situations like the street fights you might see on the internet or elsewhere. If you live in an area in which you are likely to be physically attacked and can defend yourself (as opposed to being held up at gunpoint), you might want to check out self defense systems such as krav maga. It is important to keep in mind that it is basically always best to not fight, if you can walk away. Unless you feel that competitive fighting is your path, it is wise to embark upon study of any martial art with the intention to learn to defend yourself, but also to develop and grow in one of the most awesome ways we have.