fighting or self defense

[Shotgun Buddha]

Excellent point! the intangible is the will to survive, to get out alive, and get back to hearth and home. That's always present in every situation on the street, maybe not so much in any kind of sport--even a brutal and effective one.

Survival instincts however are not particularly logical, unless trained to be. When confronted with a survival situation, the body switches to using emotive memory, attempting to ensure its survival by doing what it remembers made it safe before. So in some peoples cases, their will to survive will tell them that the best thing to do is curl up in a little ball, and that will make them safe. Even though logically, thats a good way to get killed.
Surival instincts aren't logical or rational, they just do what they've been taught to do, much like a computer programme.
So unless they've been taught logically, your survival instincts are playing russian roulette when they look for a reaction.

 

[Brother John]

Has the mixed martial arts given people a false sense of what does and doesn't work?

absolutely.


Your Brother
John

 

[Tez3]

To me, this is the jist. Not a question of style vs. style, but of circumstance vs. circumstance.

Peace to all MMA fighters and enthusiasts. I respect you and your art. But the matches are preplanned, presold, and so not spontaneous combustion as is 'street.' To me, the difference is venue, not effectiveness.

Can I just add that 'pre planned' doesn't mean the result is also pre planned! While you know who your opponent is and plan tactics to fight them it doesn't mean they won't surprise you and things go pear shaped! That's part of the fun and I use that word advisedly, a lot of us do MMA (amateur) for fun. Self defense is for something different.

 

[kidswarrior]

Can I just add that 'pre planned' doesn't mean the result is also pre planned! While you know who your opponent is and plan tactics to fight them it doesn't mean they won't surprise you and things go pear shaped! That's part of the fun and I use that word advisedly, a lot of us do MMA (amateur) for fun. Self defense is for something different.

Absolutely!