boxing for self defense

hmm I don't like fighting in the streets. Never have. Shit gets crazy. Only a couple times have I been in fights where I threw punches and the fight was over very quickly. The damage is horrendous now that I've learned to box, so it makes you feel bad because you could almost kill someone. Not to mention the chance that you yourself can get fucked up bad. I broke my bros nose and shut his eye with one punch and his face was all discolored. I did it for a reason (he was disrespectful and unapolagetic about it to our mom and also stole things from me) but even then I didn't feel so great about it afterwards. Now I have this guy givin me shit in football class at FSU and so far I am just saying "whatever" to him but the pressure to "prove" yourself by fighting him is powerful. He is big guy though. It just makes me sad that ppl can find it so easy to want to fight when I have no beef with him. All because my elbow hit him on his arm just a bit when I was running a passing route by him. I think I'm just gonna say "stix and stones" if he has any more smartass comments but it's hard man. I also might offer to him to come to my boxing gym and see what he's about.

It all depends on how much of a dick you are, because to be totally honest with you thats the worst reason to start boxing, to better defend yourself on the streets? What the fuck is that? I will let you know right now that I used to go get into street fights but after the discipline I recieved in the Army and throughout my years of Boxing that fighting is not worth it, furthermore I live in the city and havent been in a fight now on the streets in over 6 years. It's not that bad out there on the streets unless you make it that way. Keep your mouth shut, learn to just ignore shit and walk away your the bigger man for doing it. I agree with you some and also disagree with you. When I learned to box and such I was learning it as I enjoyed it etc. However it was usefull in helping me to defend myself in the streets. Should you learn it just to be able to defend yourself? Hell Yes!! Reason being. If you use your logic of shutting the hell up and walking away that is great and 99% of the time that will work . However there were times when I was in the street and I have seen people turn to walk away and get the hell beat out of them becuase you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time or some person wanted an ass to beat on that day. If you study boxing or kickboxing and you never have to use it in self defense in your lifetime then that is great. However when the opportunity presents itself and you need to get out of a situation and the only way out is to fight then having learned it was well worth it. Sometimes walking off is not always an option. Of course this is not advocating one going into the street with their chest poked out asking for anyone who dares challenge them to step across the imaginary line of personal space that they create. However when someone resorts to violence and you can beat the hell out of them and defend yourself nothing feels better.

These threads bug me to. Should I learn boxing to kick some ass in a street fight? No. I was always taught that it's better to know you're in a fight sooner then the other person. So then you can KO him and be done with it. I don't like people calling me asshole, faggot, etc. for no reason, so I don't just walk away. If you encounter this alot, just confront the guy who said it. He'll probably have nothing to say once you're in his face. If it does come to a fight, the boxing helps. Just make sure that you hit him first and make sure he doesn't get up. Call me violent if you want, but that's usually how it goes with me. Interestingly enough, I've been doing boxing for like 6 years now and haven't gotten into 1 fight since the training began. And only 2 or 3 confrontations. Once I started training, I stopped being a shit magnet.

Straight punches rock in street fights. your dead on with that , most people in a street fight swing wild ,and are alot easier to see comming, a nice stright right hand to the face work`s great ! sometimes :D

Straight punches rock in street fights.

the last time i tried to be the bigger man didnt work out for me this kid wanted me to beat someone else up cause he got into a fight with one of his friends n i told him i'd have no part in it so the the next day a bunch of his friends show up at my school. I walked away they came up behind i got cracked in the face 3 times I stumbled a bit cause i didnt kno what was going on then a bunch of people came down n they peaced. But my Point is that their are people that start shit cause they think their tough but usualy end up gettin floored or shot in the end.

Agreed but answer me this. Why would you be in a fight to begin with? Someone on the street doesnt just walk up to you and say bitch I'm gonna kick your ass, whatever to that extent. You have to have a reason first to want to fight someone. Self defense is always good to know dont get me wrong but people put it out there as I want to learn to box so I can street fight better will this help? I see that and think to myself man this fucker is stupid, my trainer told me if you fight outside of the ring while your training with me your gone, so I never fought, and havent been in one since and as I said I am in the middle of the city on the streets all the time and people dont just want to start fights with me it's not like I'm 15 anymore, understand where I am coming from? I am not saying dont ever get into fights that they will never happen but most often if a person wants to fight 90 percent of the time it's talk, so that 10% of the time it's the real thing so yeah you have to fight, and no I dont recommend turning your back on someon if your about to fight them, what I meant was if someone is giving you shit and by you opening your mouth it's going to put the situation over board and a fight is going to occur because of it then just walk away dont say anything. You would be suprised how quickly how things can get out of control, i havent been in any fights recently, last time out my mate got jumped by 4 men and i had to help his ass. The men thought he was someone else who sold them bad acid, they were laying into and i had to save him. That was out of my control because they were fucking him up badly. The fight before that someone just walked up to me and tried to hit me, you might not think thats normal but it was, i didnt do anythng, i'd never seen the guy before but is was in the wrong place at the wrong time. i've been attacked a lot, it was just like that when i was younger, everyone wanted to be top dog which i totally pathetic but its how it was. I've coached quite a few people, i've always told people some techniques for street fighting but i always say its for self defence and not to be a thug. I think a lot people who go into boxing to be better street fighters learn that its not worth it, they learn their place. Learning to box makes people aware of the danger other people can cause them, that puts most fighter i know off street fighting. I was a little wild as a kid, i did fight a lot. I honestly think the main reason i stopped fighting is because i dont feel the need too, i've fought a lot in the ring, i've learnt to respect other people. Boxing has made me confident in my ability to fight, so i dont feel i need to prove that.

well, ive trained in muay thai and also learned some grappling manuevers cuz the school was teaching some of that shit too, from what ive experienced grappling maneuvers are almost as effective as boxing in a street fight...and in muay thai you'd be better off throwing the elbows and knees like they teach you...just my two cents, oh and yea whoever said fighting is pointless i 100% agree with. If it gets physical u have every right to fight back but if theyre just verbally attacking u, which is how most fights on the street are started, then walking away and being the bigger man is the better thing to do.

I agree to an extent, street fighting is pointless but where i grew up its was something you needed to be good at, its impossible to turn your back on someone and walk away, then you would get a real good beating....... One thing about street fight is that you can seriously hurt someone without much effort, i've been in that situation a few times when i've been attacked, i'd be in prison now if it wasnt for the self defence law. If someone feels unsafe in the street they need to learn self defence. The law(in the UK) states that you can only use reasonable force while defending yourself (which in our courts mean one or two punches) which isnt a lot unless your trained to fight. Agreed but answer me this. Why would you be in a fight to begin with? Someone on the street doesnt just walk up to you and say bitch I'm gonna kick your ass, whatever to that extent. You have to have a reason first to want to fight someone. Self defense is always good to know dont get me wrong but people put it out there as I want to learn to box so I can street fight better will this help? I see that and think to myself man this fucker is stupid, my trainer told me if you fight outside of the ring while your training with me your gone, so I never fought, and havent been in one since and as I said I am in the middle of the city on the streets all the time and people dont just want to start fights with me it's not like I'm 15 anymore, understand where I am coming from? I am not saying dont ever get into fights that they will never happen but most often if a person wants to fight 90 percent of the time it's talk, so that 10% of the time it's the real thing so yeah you have to fight, and no I dont recommend turning your back on someon if your about to fight them, what I meant was if someone is giving you shit and by you opening your mouth it's going to put the situation over board and a fight is going to occur because of it then just walk away dont say anything.

Not to down play the school you went to but, it all depends on where you go I guess. Where I go that seesm to be some of the things they continuously want you to learn...Balance,power. AS far as the kicks, Again it depends on where and who teaches you. I've been always taught to go kick to the lower part of the body because it's less risky like you pointed out. I've personally watched fighters get KO'D because they were set up by the lower kick. I guess it more or less depends on what you feel more comfortable with but, I don't agree about the power thing because between a boxer and a thai fighter we basically have the exact same style of throwing punches. It was a good Muay Thai gym, i just dont think you can have perfect balance when you are kicking, even when its low. I only used low leg kicks but you still leave yourself open and slighty off balance. I'm not saying Thai fighters arent good in street fights, i know they would murder most people with ease, but from my personal experience i think boxing is more effective(i'm sure you will disagree :D ). You also have to consider legal problems with street fighting, if your defending yourself with fists you can pretend your not a trained fighter in court, but if you use kicks its very obvious your a trained fighter. Trained fighters get a rough time with judges, especially when they find out what grade fighter you are(i'd imagine after two years you have a high grade).

I dont agree, i did Muay Thai for a few years and its not the most effective combat sport in the street. I think Thai fighters are too light on their feet and their balance isnt great for the street. I also think kicks dont hurt enough to be effective a street fight, they only cause problems when to the head and thats far to risky in the street, especially when you cant guarantee a good fighting surface. The average Thai fighter doesnt punch as effective as a boxer, from experience the average thai fighter is far less powerful. BUT..... i do like Thai fighters, they are very tough and i love an elbow in a street fight, its very effective and powerful in certain situations. Against your average street opponent you cant beat boxing as self defence, boxers in general have better defensive awareness, balance, footwork, hand speed and power. Not to down play the school you went to or your experience but, it all depends on where you go I guess. Where I go that seems to be some of the things they continuously want you to strive at...Balance,power. AS far as the kicks, Again it depends on where and who teaches you. I've been always taught to go kick to the lower part of the body because it's less risky like you pointed out. I've personally watched fighters get KO'D because they were set up by the lower kick. I guess it more or less depends on what you feel more comfortable with but, I don't agree about the power thing because between a boxer and a thai fighter we basically have the exact same style of throwing punches. Now a days American Thai Fighters have become more efficient than Thai fighters from Thailand because we incorporate more boxing technique.

the problem I have with this thread is people think that street fighting is the way to go do I do this should I do that to be better at it. But the best thing to know how to do is shut the fuck up, walk away, and dont sweat the punks who think they are tough because your the better person for just not doing it. What is gained when you fight nothing? I mean dont get me wrong I have fought before havent in some years now but I never gained anything out of it, worst case senario you have to fight and you dont know how ohh well you got beat up you will be fine, that should teach you not to want to fight. I agree to an extent, street fighting is pointless but where i grew up its was something you needed to be good at, its impossible to turn your back on someone and walk away, then you would get a real good beating....... One thing about street fight is that you can seriously hurt someone without much effort, i've been in that situation a few times when i've been attacked, i'd be in prison now if it wasnt for the self defence law. If someone feels unsafe in the street they need to learn self defence. The law(in the UK) states that you can only use reasonable force while defending yourself (which in our courts mean one or two punches) which isnt a lot unless your trained to fight.

I've been taking Muay Thai classes for 2 years and IMO, it's the best for self defense. Muay Thai and street fighting have 2 things in common "everything goes". Muay Thai they teach you how to throw and set your punches up, knees,elbows,shin etc. Very brutal sport. I dont agree, i did Muay Thai for a few years and its not the most effective combat sport in the street. I think Thai fighters are too light on their feet and their balance isnt great for the street. I also think kicks dont hurt enough to be effective a street fight, they only cause problems when to the head and thats far to risky in the street, especially when you cant guarantee a good fighting surface. The average Thai fighter doesnt punch as effective as a boxer, from experience the average thai fighter is far less powerful. BUT..... i do like Thai fighters, they are very tough and i love an elbow in a street fight, its very effective and powerful in certain situations. Against your average street opponent you cant beat boxing as self defence, boxers in general have better defensive awareness, balance, footwork, hand speed and power.

I've been taking Muay Thai classes for 2 years and IMO, it's the best for self defense. Muay Thai and street fighting have 2 things in common "everything goes". Muay Thai they teach you how to throw and set your punches up, knees,elbows,shin etc. Very brutal sport. the problem I have with this thread is people think that street fighting is the way to go do I do this should I do that to be better at it. But the best thing to know how to do is shut the fuck up, walk away, and dont sweat the punks who think they are tough because your the better person for just not doing it. What is gained when you fight nothing? I mean dont get me wrong I have fought before havent in some years now but I never gained anything out of it, worst case senario you have to fight and you dont know how ohh well you got beat up you will be fine, that should teach you not to want to fight.

I've been taking Muay Thai classes for 2 years and IMO, it's the best for self defense. Muay Thai and street fighting have 2 things in common "everything goes". Muay Thai they teach you how to throw and set your punches up, knees,elbows,shin etc. Very brutal sport.

is boxing a self defense art,and if it is,how well does it apply to the streets?? J.D. DALTON AKA BOXER2500 Its the perfect self defence for your average street fight opponent.

it seems like to me if boxing becomes second nature you would not need time to think every thing would just come naturally, besides even though ive only been boxing for 2 months and started boxing because i figured it would be a great defense for the street??? It all depends on how much of a dick you are, because to be totally honest with you thats the worst reason to start boxing, to better defend yourself on the streets? What the fuck is that? I will let you know right now that I used to go get into street fights but after the discipline I recieved in the Army and throughout my years of Boxing that fighting is not worth it, furthermore I live in the city and havent been in a fight now on the streets in over 6 years. It's not that bad out there on the streets unless you make it that way. Keep your mouth shut, learn to just ignore shit and walk away your the bigger man for doing it.

it seems like to me if boxing becomes second nature you would not need time to think every thing would just come naturally, besides even though ive only been boxing for 2 months and started boxing because i figured it would be a great defense for the street???

Don't however, expect to be able to lay back & actually BOX in a street fight. No time to think....Better just let your hands go. That pretty much says it all. It can help in a street fight if you have a little time to think but I have seen some supposedly good boxers get thier ass handed to them in the street.

Well.... Once the shit has become second nature.....you'll be able to punch much better with both hands, & from a variety of angles. You should have more confidence, & be conditioned (mentally & physically) to absorb punishment. Don't, however, expect to be able to lay back & actually BOX in a street fight. No time to think....Better just let your hands go.