If you spend any time on Tik Tok or Youtube, or social media in general, you will come across plenty of videos showing a variety of violent altercations.
It’s actually pretty sad to see, as these videos come from all over the world.
Given that humans can be violent creatures, it’s imperative that you understand the key principles to winning a street fight.
While I’ve been a martial arts student for many years, formally and informally, I can tell you that winning a street fight has nothing to do with knowing hundreds of kung fu techniques or fancy jiu jitsu moves.
Yes, that training is definitely valuable, but street violence is far different than training in the dojo.
Ultimately, prevailing in a straight fight can be boiled down to several key principles.
Hit First
The best self defense instructors from around the world will tell you that about 90% of street fights are won by the person who throws the first punch.
They know this because they’ve tested this principle in real life.
However, there are legal considerations to think about. You can’t just start swinging during an argument. But, this does not mean you have to wait until their fist is flying at your head before you take a shot.
Therefore, good instruction in self protection will involve learning the signs that someone is about to hit you.
For example, if we are having a heated discussion with someone, within fairly close range to each other, and suddenly, they shift weight, they are likely ready to take a swing, as they are loading up.
Another clear sign is if someone is standing in front of you, giving you a hard time, and then suddenly reaches for something in their back pocket…it could be a weapon.
Waiting for them to display the weapon increases you chances of getting injured or killed. This type of movement is a clear sign of bad intent and potential access of a weapon, so you not only should hit first, you MUST hit first.
Hit Hard
One thing I see out of many martial arts instructors in their videos on how to fight is a lot of throwing of jabs or quick kicks. Sure, that’s fine in an MMA match, but a ridiculous concept for street fighting.
When it comes to street fighting, you need to ALWAYS assume that your opponent is armed, and has a partner or two.
Getting into a boxing or MMA match with a street thug is a recipe for disaster. You want to end any confrontation as quickly as possible.
Therefore, it is imperative that you learn how to hit hard. This goes even for smaller females.
A small person who knows how to strike and kick hard can at least get an assailant to see some stars so they have the opportunity to escape.
Hitting hard also doesn’t just mean head hunting with your hands and fists. A solid kick to the groin will stop just about anyone in their tracks.
Having the ability to hit hard means you can potentially knock someone out with one strike. That’s a skill that comes in handy when faced with an armed criminal, or one that has an accomplice or two.
Therefore, when you are looking to hit, especially if you are looking to hit first, hit hard!
Grab and Control
Quite often, when someone tries to punch you, they will try to grab you first. This allows them to gain a little bit of control as they attack.
This is extremely common in the street fighting videos you will see online.
You should put this idea to work as well.
An important tactic is this… after you get that first shot in, you should try to grab onto your assailant with the other hand. This idea has two purposes.
First, if you have delivered a knockout blow, it allows you to help control their fall.
Many times, people die from a fight because their head hits the pavement, or a curb. They don’t usually die from the punch itself.
This also helps you legally. If you knock someone out with a punch, and then control their fall, you can perhaps explain that in court and get more favorable treatment.
However, if that first shot doesn’t knock them out, you still have control. If you feel them struggle, you know you must continue with your offense in order to end the fight.
Remember, you aren’t out of danger until your assailant no longer poses a threat. This brings me to the next principle…
Continuous Assault
Street fights are not an exercise in choreography like those brawls we see in the movies. There is a winner and a loser, and the winner is the one who goes on the offensive and stays on the offensive.
To win a fight, you need to be on offense, and you must continue to stay on offense until the threat is ended.
This means you don’t stop with your assault until then.
Whatever your preferred striking technique, you keep using it until your opponent is on the ground and either unconscious or no longer a threat.
High Low Principle
This principle refers to attacking the opponent’s head and below the waist to end the fight as quickly as possible.
The idea is to keep them on defense, off-balance and unable to respond.
Kicks or knees to the groin can open them up to assaults to the head, which will allow you to end the fight.
Or, you can get that first strike to the head, attach, and follow up with a knee strike, then another strike to the head.
Circumstances will dictate your response. Therefore, it’s a good idea to train a variety of sequences with similar tools, and then you will ultimately learn which ones come most naturally to you.
Always move forward
The last principle for winning a street fight is that you should always be moving forward. If you are moving backward, you are on the defensive, and that means you are losing.
Putting pressure on your opponent by moving forward and taking ground means they can’t retaliate with force….they simply don’t have the leverage.
Therefore, with every strike and kick, you move into the space they once occupied. If they are a tough opponent, eventually, this pressure will wear them down, and you’ll be able to deliver that final knockout shot.
Final Thoughts
Naturally, all these principles are easier said than done. At the very least, you need to train for skill improvement, so that you can at least kick and punch with force if needed.
If you have no experience with street violence, you will always be at a bit of a disadvantage. Training with partners will at least provide you with some confidence that your tools are well developed.
Simulation training is another step you can take that I’ll discuss down the road, but you have to have very skilled partners for that type of training.
