I have no problem with accepting that type of challenge. Mostly they are looking to stroke their ego and test their skills and aren't exactly looking to get hurt. So you set up some ground rules and spar. Make it something like the rules of a MMA fight where basically anything goes with the exception of eyes, throat, groin, fishhooking and finger breaking (and discourage the actual breaking of bones) and just go for it. People who want to stroke their ego and test their skills by being stupid enough to challenge someone are probably not wanting to get hurt. Noone wants to get hurt, so if they are smart they would accept the rules. If not and they press the issue, walk over to your training bag and pull out a big knife/sword or eskrima and go to work... real fight, no rules.
That is also one of my biggest fears though, in teaching. Where I grew up there was an instructor who was exceptionally fast. A tournament winner and all that sort of thing and one day someone walked into his Dojo and challenged him. "I hear you're fast." "That's what they say..." "I bet you're not faster than a bullet." <bang> He wasn't faster than the bullet.
Fighting against someone who is just interested in proving themselves to someone or to themselves is not going to be someone I am too horribly frightened of. What is the worse that could happen in the (challenge) fight? I could get bruised or bloodied, some bones broken and maybe a lot of bones broken. There is a potential for getting beaten to death, but if you are being challenged in your school your training partners better step in with some weapons. Nah, they are just looking for a brawl. Even if you lose you gain more knowledge about how to fight and what you can take in a fight. Life is short, have some fun!
The type you have to worry about are those that carry weapons and those that catch you when you're alone.
Of course, you can tell that I am one of those guys (Like Kirk and battousai) who would like to test out my skills but I don't go looking to do it. I don't pick fights and even when the opportunity presents itself where I would be justified I'll walk away first. If forced... I start smiling. It used to happen all the time when I was smaller. But I got rid of the glasses (the stupid things kept getting hit when I sparred or when I was forced to fight and they'd cut my face open and I hated that because in sparring they'd stop the bout...) and gained plenty (too much) weight and now noone sees me as the weak geek target that I used to be. I miss those days... they made me train harder.
That is also one of my biggest fears though, in teaching. Where I grew up there was an instructor who was exceptionally fast. A tournament winner and all that sort of thing and one day someone walked into his Dojo and challenged him. "I hear you're fast." "That's what they say..." "I bet you're not faster than a bullet." <bang> He wasn't faster than the bullet.
Fighting against someone who is just interested in proving themselves to someone or to themselves is not going to be someone I am too horribly frightened of. What is the worse that could happen in the (challenge) fight? I could get bruised or bloodied, some bones broken and maybe a lot of bones broken. There is a potential for getting beaten to death, but if you are being challenged in your school your training partners better step in with some weapons. Nah, they are just looking for a brawl. Even if you lose you gain more knowledge about how to fight and what you can take in a fight. Life is short, have some fun!
The type you have to worry about are those that carry weapons and those that catch you when you're alone.
Of course, you can tell that I am one of those guys (Like Kirk and battousai) who would like to test out my skills but I don't go looking to do it. I don't pick fights and even when the opportunity presents itself where I would be justified I'll walk away first. If forced... I start smiling. It used to happen all the time when I was smaller. But I got rid of the glasses (the stupid things kept getting hit when I sparred or when I was forced to fight and they'd cut my face open and I hated that because in sparring they'd stop the bout...) and gained plenty (too much) weight and now noone sees me as the weak geek target that I used to be. I miss those days... they made me train harder.