Cyriacus
Senior Master
Its my Opinion that the only Two Belts of relevance, should be White and Black. White, for when you Begun. Black, for when you have your Foundations.
Beyond that, Belts help keep your Uniform Tidy.
The 'average guy on the street'
- Thread starter ralphmcpherson
- Start date
Beyond that, Belts help keep your Uniform Tidy.
They shouldnt have that rank then...As their teacher, you shouldnt be awarding the rank to someone who would lose to an average Joe. If teachers took more care to ensure their students were at the proper level of skill before promoting them, then i would say that the average Joe would normally lose. however, because this isn't the case, the practitioner, even as a black belt, may have no significant advantage if he did not deserve his rank
Em MacIntosh
3rd Black Belt
People aren't equal. They're born to different parents and experience different events. I think people downplay how much natural ability (size, center of gravity, percentage of "quick-twitch" muscle fibres, retaining clarity under pressure etc.) plays a part
There is no "average guy on the street". Loud, aggressive people may be confident in their abilities and hard as it may be for some to believe, they may be validated in their confidence through experience. These guys want to satisfy their image in front of their peers. They're dependent on their ego's for a sense of identity and if you assault their ego by not recognizing their superiority they might believe they're entitled to some compensation in the form of emasculating and embarrasing you, or perhaps they need to intimidate you to feel strong. Maybe they feel a need to exercise force to "prove" they're serious. These guys don't scare me too much. They're crybabies of various walks of life who want their egos massaged. That doesn't mean they're not a threat, nor does it mean that they can't or won't beat you to death or put you in the hospital.
Predators scare me. A lioness taking down a gazelle isn't a fair fight. Sure there's a risk to the lioness and more often than not the gazelle escapes its fate but they prey on the sick and the weak or the stragglers. They're opportunists. An opportunist doesn't fight, he picks winning battles. He stabs before robbing you to make sure he maintains an advantage. He smashes you after he's done just in case, even if you've cooperated. He makes you deal with the adrenaline dump while your hands are full of groceries. He disables you before you know you're fighting and your chances are an order of magnitude less than they were a second ago.
Now, there are plenty of overlaps and in-betweens: You never really know who's a sadist deep down. There's no reason the loud-mouthed A-hole at the bar won't be the same guy who'll quietly follow you out to the bus stop with a couple friends.
Also, people seem to have a skewed impression that being in broad daylight and/or near a busy sidewalk etc. offers them some significant degree of protection. If anything the person walking home alone at night will be in a more alert state.
The "average guy on the street that might consider hurting you" will most likely be more experienced at hurting people than you will be experienced in not being hurt. You might be trained not to be hurt but experience is harder to come by than training. Learn to deal with the adrenaline dump and make sure your shoes are tied tight.
There is no "average guy on the street". Loud, aggressive people may be confident in their abilities and hard as it may be for some to believe, they may be validated in their confidence through experience. These guys want to satisfy their image in front of their peers. They're dependent on their ego's for a sense of identity and if you assault their ego by not recognizing their superiority they might believe they're entitled to some compensation in the form of emasculating and embarrasing you, or perhaps they need to intimidate you to feel strong. Maybe they feel a need to exercise force to "prove" they're serious. These guys don't scare me too much. They're crybabies of various walks of life who want their egos massaged. That doesn't mean they're not a threat, nor does it mean that they can't or won't beat you to death or put you in the hospital.
Predators scare me. A lioness taking down a gazelle isn't a fair fight. Sure there's a risk to the lioness and more often than not the gazelle escapes its fate but they prey on the sick and the weak or the stragglers. They're opportunists. An opportunist doesn't fight, he picks winning battles. He stabs before robbing you to make sure he maintains an advantage. He smashes you after he's done just in case, even if you've cooperated. He makes you deal with the adrenaline dump while your hands are full of groceries. He disables you before you know you're fighting and your chances are an order of magnitude less than they were a second ago.
Now, there are plenty of overlaps and in-betweens: You never really know who's a sadist deep down. There's no reason the loud-mouthed A-hole at the bar won't be the same guy who'll quietly follow you out to the bus stop with a couple friends.
Also, people seem to have a skewed impression that being in broad daylight and/or near a busy sidewalk etc. offers them some significant degree of protection. If anything the person walking home alone at night will be in a more alert state.
The "average guy on the street that might consider hurting you" will most likely be more experienced at hurting people than you will be experienced in not being hurt. You might be trained not to be hurt but experience is harder to come by than training. Learn to deal with the adrenaline dump and make sure your shoes are tied tight.
Cyriacus
Senior Master
Now now. Requiring everyone to constantly make the distinction is pushing the point.
If the name of the Thread awas "The Average Guy or Girl on the Street", then someone would complain about calling Girls Girls instead of Females or Women, and so on and so forth. You know what the OP is talking about - Focus on the Discussion.
Now, to reply to the end part;
Aggression is a factor, albeit Defensive or Counterfighters can be damn efficient at what they do. Additionally, if You are Aggressive, You can lead anyone to believe that even if They attacked You, that They are now Defending Themselves, hardening their resolve, and intensifying their intent. That said, I favor Aggression. Just not for the purposes of thinking itll make Me mystically overwhelm someone.
Strength is a Factor, to a point. But then, if someone is Fast, they can land a blow which can lead to more Powerful shots.
In Fighting, Technique is irrelevant. Never mind Adrenaline, Anger, and Surprise; The concept of using Techniques is foolhardy. Unless Youre Mistaking Techniques for Basic Movements, such as Punching Straight instead of Haymaking. But then, some People can throw pretty continuous Haymakers, with good recovery time. To rely on Technique, is foolhardy. Body Mechanics resulting from Technique? Sure. Expecting to be Technically correct in both the Movement, Application, Timing, and Targeting with Accuracy is futile.
Strength being listed again is a null point. You can take the biggest, strongest person (So now how if I said Man, Youd have thought, or girl? This is why You dont press the point. It can lead to unnecessary debate which deviates from the topic) in the World, and hit them. Even if it doesnt maim them, it will hurt them. Even if you take someone who can absorb hundreds of Punches and Kicks and Elbows and Knees to the Torso without even flinching, ask them if it hurts. Because They feel it.
A Lot of great points made on this thread. This is why I joined MT. I totally agree with the points made about variations in training effecting outcome. If you train to take a hit you'll be a little more prepared for when you get hit. With that being said Joe Lewis said it best when he said " Everybody has a plan till they get hit." I can tell you first hand that drugs and intoxication makes a huge difference. In Law Enforcement we call Meth-heads Frankensteins, because no matter what you hit em with they keep coming. And you'll never get the same results from a drunk, everyone is different.
As a LEO and a CO I have seen to many times where officers have underestimated both men and women alike. Going simply by the assumption of an "average guy" or "it's just a women" can lead to a bruised ego or worse grim results. The society we live in today gives no pardon for poor judgement or large egos when it comes to self defence. Just pick up a paper or watch the evening news. Granted in my line of work I don't have the option of avoidance. Even when I'm out with the family I still take care. And here is another thought with the "average guy" in mind. Twenty years ago a majority of kids wanted to be Michael Jordan. Now it's name a Gracie. It seems like now everybody trains. The 20some generation and down grew up with it. The 30's and 40's are training with their kids. Since the explosion of Pride fighting, MMA, UFC, "insert Bandwagon name here" everyone trains in something. Even if it is McDojo training it only takes one idiot one time to get in a lucky hit or do a technique wrong and seriously hurt someone.
As a LEO and a CO I have seen to many times where officers have underestimated both men and women alike. Going simply by the assumption of an "average guy" or "it's just a women" can lead to a bruised ego or worse grim results. The society we live in today gives no pardon for poor judgement or large egos when it comes to self defence. Just pick up a paper or watch the evening news. Granted in my line of work I don't have the option of avoidance. Even when I'm out with the family I still take care. And here is another thought with the "average guy" in mind. Twenty years ago a majority of kids wanted to be Michael Jordan. Now it's name a Gracie. It seems like now everybody trains. The 20some generation and down grew up with it. The 30's and 40's are training with their kids. Since the explosion of Pride fighting, MMA, UFC, "insert Bandwagon name here" everyone trains in something. Even if it is McDojo training it only takes one idiot one time to get in a lucky hit or do a technique wrong and seriously hurt someone.
