I can speak for being in shape as a big man, which I currently am, and I can speak for being out of shape for a big man, which I was. At 500 pounds, I was in horrible shape, but at 400, I was walking 5 miles three days a week, and riding my bike 4 or 5 miles the rest of the days. I participated in kenpo, powerlifting, kobudo classes, and lived much as I do now at 250 pounds. I am still big, 3x shirt, and even if I get to 220, which is my goal, Ill still wear a 3x shirt. Some people on here know me, and they've seen me move at this size and even considerably larger. I wasnt running any marathons, but a streetfight, which I used to partake of on a weekly basis, was no problem. MJS, you cant generalize a topic like this by saying that a big guy will get wore down. In my previous post, I mentioned that some people dont fight, Im one of them. When I used to drink, alcohol played a large role in both my being so heavy and my excessive amount of street fights, but Ive been sober for 6 years now, so streetfighting is a thing of the past. I know many people like me, and its not about proving anything to anyone. If a violent confrontation is not avoidable, then there is only one option, elimination of the threat. Im not going to drop to the ground, Im not going to start boxing. I am goin to use what ever skills, weapons, tactics, etc... that are necessary to end the threat. Im not concerned about the other guys safety, whether he goes home, whether he has a family, those things dont even enter the picture. Once he or they have committed themselves to choosing me as their victim, whatever happens to them is on them.
In light of some of your other posts, Im not worried about being taken to the ground. The very rare occasions that I have ended up there, have never proven to be difficult to handle for me. Largely because I usually ended up on top, which was advantageous for me when I weighed 300, 400, 450, and Ive been powerlifting since junior high, so I was usually stronger then most of the people that I was fighting.
You're right, nobody knows you, possibly because you dont put your name on anything you post, or your profile. You could be a Dragon Kenpo master, or a true EPAK blackbelt, or something in between. No one knows what you do for a living, except you have stated you used to work in a prison. The one thing that is for sure is that you are a groundgame enthusiast, you seem to know what EPAK is lacking, and you dont tolerate anyones opinion that differs from yours. You may be a terror on the street, but your posts dont support that notion. You come off as having SOME knowledge, but little experience when it comes to street fighting. Like I have already stated, I dont know you, but the way you come off by your posts is as I have stated, in my opinion.
Now, back to the original topic. Take Tank Abbott for instance. He is definetly a terrible UFC fighter, not in great shape, and is a big guy. He has gotten choked out, submitted due to holds, and even got pounded on by some BJJ cat in alot better shape. Tank made his bones, by all accounts, bar fighting, and streetfighting. Where, supposedly he was very successful.... a true thug. Why the variance???? In the octagon there are rules, pads, lots of room, cameras, judges, time limits, and a prize. In the bar or street, there was close quarters, no room to run, lots of bottles, chairs, tables, concrete, and most importantly, NO RULES. Hair pulling, biting, weapons, groin shots with no cups, no pads, steel toes, eye gouges, etc.......all necessary tools in a streetfighters tool box. In the street, if your opponent runs, you have to catch him to hurt him. He could keep running, so , if you arent in shape you may never catch him and the fight is over anyway. Unless, you know him, where he lives, then streetfighters visit them at their house, and the fight resumes there.
All this is just saying, dont generalize overweight people as being at a disadvantage when it comes to streetfighting. Much like not all 160 pound guys are pencil-neck-geeks, not all heavy guys are couch-potatoes.
Yours in Kenpo,
Gary Catherman
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