# Defense against the sucker punch



## stanley neptune (Feb 19, 2004)

How do you defend against a sucker punch?

Last night on the Channel 25 news in Boston there was a story about a bunch of punks who roam the streets sucker punching and fighting with people and video taping it. These dirt bags are the lowest of low.

I have told many people that the best self defense is self awareness and to avoid areas of trouble. But when you have the dregs of society who think it is acceptable to attack innocent people to get their jollies you may become a victim no matter where you are.

How can you defend against such an attack?

Stanley Neptune


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## OUMoose (Feb 19, 2004)

Simple Answer:  you can't. 

The only defense measures you can take here are to not frequent the "less than savory" areas unless you have to, and never travel alone.  

All I would hope for is that someone gets a hold of that video camera, so those thugs are put away for a bit to cool their heels.  

"but you're honor, I didn't do it!  Really... lets go back to the tape...."


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## OULobo (Feb 19, 2004)

Situational awarness!!!!!!! Know and enforce your personal space boundries.


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## Black Bear (Feb 19, 2004)

OULobo is correct. 

Awareness, distancing, a nonviolent protective posture (e.g. what Tony Blauer or Geoff Thompson teach--the "fence", or palms forward at head height) and damn fast shielding tactics based on the flinch (e.g. what Tony Blauer or Richard Ryan teach). 

Remember also that your basic S-R response time can't be improved that much _directly_ (by trying to be "faster". What you can do is learn to respond to earlier stimuli, as well as minimize the distance that you have to go to evade or shield, by having your hands in that nonviolent posture in the first place. 

The question is exceedingly difficult to answer if you frame it in your mind as how do you generate the response if there is no stimulus. If you expand your awareness of the problem, there are a lot of things you can obviously do in training to enhance your ability to respond adaptively to the situation. 

Remember that when someone says "you can't" do anything about something, it usually means that THEY don't know how to. 

Furthermore, so the guy blindsides you. So? Well maybe he DIDN'T have a razor blade hidden in his hand. Maybe it isn't over, maybe you're not dead yet. So you also have to train to deal with the blindside and how to respond effectively from the point of getting punched hard in the side of the head. 

Notice I'm giving mainly "training" answers as opposed to "technique" answers. They're not the answers that you necessarily want, but as Shinmen Miyamoto Musashi said, "The way IS in training". 

Finally, have a look at buying Tony Blauer's "Science of the sucker punch" and his other related works, as well as Geoff Thompson's little booklet, "The Fence". This information has been around for years and years, and even now a lot of martial artists are just beginning to ask the right questions, realizing that their classical training is not addressing it.


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## Thesemindz (Feb 19, 2004)

I kind of equate this to the "What do I do if someone has a punch one inch from my face?" question. The simple answer is, "You get punched." What you do after that may decide success or failure. Sometimes a self-defense situation doesn't start on my terms. In fact, I would say it never does. If it did, there wouldn't be a "situation." 

Black Bear has it right when he says it's all in how you train. Awareness is the key. If you see a band of teenagers with a camera who seem to be looking for trouble, steer clear. Unfortunately, you won't always see them coming. I'm sure our law enforcement and military friends on this forum would agree, you can't be on red alert all the time. The human mind just can't handle the stress. Every once in a while your defenses will be down, and you might get attacked when they are. A good friend of mine was brutally beaten and mugged coming out of a gas station a few years ago. He was with several other adult males right in front of his own home. Five guys attacked from behind, and the first stimuli he got to react to was when he was grabbed by his pony tail, pulled over backwards, and punched in the face. Sometimes, that's just the way it goes. 

I wouldn't worry to much about this type of attack. Train hard, try to be alert, and if you get punched in the face, don't give up. I tell my students that they can't let their mistakes stop them, because if they find themselves in a fight, mistakes have been made. Freezing up will only make matters worse.

-Rob


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## Touch Of Death (Feb 19, 2004)

stanley neptune said:
			
		

> How do you defend against a sucker punch?
> 
> Last night on the Channel 25 news in Boston there was a story about a bunch of punks who roam the streets sucker punching and fighting with people and video taping it. These dirt bags are the lowest of low.
> 
> ...


Those lowest of the low are fighting in a maner that they will win. Alerting your oponent before you knock him out is for the inexperienced and good sports. The only defense is to stay aware and half expect the sucker punch. Don't stray from the herd and the lions will choose someone else who did.
Sean


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## FasterthanDeath (Jun 10, 2004)

how about dont stray away from the pack and the Hyenas wont attack you. Alertness is the only way not to get sucker punched. The way you walk and carry yourself is how you prevent yourself from being a victim. If a group of males is walking by you being loud and crazy, if you walk with your head up and looking straight forward you seem not to even care about what they are doing. But if you look down or away as you walk by them it denotes you respecting them and being humble. They will jump on that. But even if you carry yourself well and and even walk by without provoking them in anyway, they can and or will still blindside you. And thats exactly what it is, BLIND side. Hit you where your are not looking.


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## Turbo (Jun 12, 2004)

Dude the idea of a sucker punch is that you dont see it coming....And the only way to defend against something you cant see coming is to not be in its path....situational awareness....Turbo


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## WildCater (Jun 12, 2004)

The onley self defence for the sucker punch, is either seeing it coming, or get hit 1nce then fight. Those punks are jurks, but as a 1st Dan in Shotokan, I know there are tons of people exactley like that. 1 day there going to get whooped, and they will have it on type and then think hay, I got whooped by some dude that holds a black belt. this is because it is hard to tell who is in martial arts or not. And they will get a couple of bones broke. Good luck. And dont get sucker punched.


God Bless,

WildCater- 1st Dan


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