My old martial arts teacher felt the same way about kicks. His adage was that "the sidewalk is undefeated." Essentially, if you get knocked off a kick and hit the floor, you're going to get hurt. And ending up on the ground in a street fight isn't really ever where you want to be. You can't take off and run from the ground, you can't protect yourself from other targets. The second you hit pavement, your situation is potentially life-threatening. You keep a strong foundation whenever possible, hit fast, hit hard and look for the exit.
Baph0met~ As an avid BJJ practitioner, I approve the hell out of this message. It's an effective art, but it's insurance, like you said. I'm working from the bottom up myself. I'm already really into BJJ and wrestling, so then I'll move to Muay Thai and finally boxing.
Agree 100%. By learning it, you're basically covering a lot of worst case scenarios. Also, one thing to keep in mind is that BJJ for sport is different from BJJ for MMA which is different from BJJ for self-defense. Self-defense is all about survival. That can cover incapacitating the other guy, stalling until help arrives, or just buying yourself a bit of time until you find a window to run, and get the hell out of dodge.
After 15 years of different Martial Arts being used in various situations, I can tell you from experience Nick knows EXACTLY what he is talking about. Very smart videos by a very intelligent fighter. The only thing I would ad is that a person will have to adapt their fighting style to the situation slightly. By that I don't mean, one second you are going from a pure striker to flying through the air like a bad martial arts movie. I am referring to keeping an open mind. Although he has covered some of this is other videos, you made need to change your style just a bit for close quarters fighting, group fighting, 1 vs 1, size of the opponent, etc. Although I fight for survival, not just for protection. There are different techniques, taught by all kinds of sensei's or teachers, but I firmly believe in removing a threat completely! I was instructed NEVER to fight unless someone doesn't give you the choice. At that point, you put their fucking ass in the hospital, PERIOD! Make sure they NEVER want anything to do with you ever again. Individuals that are relentless and looking for trouble, have that coming. You have the right to protect your life.
man if you have 15 years of experience then you need to workout it will make a you a alpha man because having a big body is intidimating and also knows how to fight men near around you will be scared
Although I would tend to agree, I think the way he described not using wrestling is inaccurate. Although I would NEVER go to the ground, unless there are legitimately only two people (myself being one of them), I have often tied people up in a sort of muay thai clinch and control them to keep their friends or whatever it may be away from myself. This works good in 2v4, 3v5, etc.. situations.
Great as always Nick - too many people I've seen think martial arts training will translate seamlessly in to a street fight. I feel that under the stress of a street altercation, you have a better chance of staying alive by keeping it simple.
i love BJJ and i ve been training for 5 years and Nick is right ; in a street fight you dont want to go to the ground...but if you do , use bjj to gain position , stand up and run
I admire BJJ alot and will learn it if i can find a good BJJ instructor in my area. It is an awesome martial art to learn But meanwhile i will stick with my muay thai training till i m good at it before moving to BJJ.
MetalThunderForce. I agree with you I love BJJ as well. learn BJJ to gain position control distance control and getting up from the ground. those are very crucial technics during street fights. Do not go for submissions if you are up against multiple opponents. if you have to use submissions, do not use chokes. instead fast joint break and get up. POSITION-BEFORE SUBMISSION!!!
one more thing. you can't always avoid going to a ground. If it is a multiple attacker situation. and they all rush you at the same time. you will be on the ground whether you like it or not. and good BJJ skill could save you.
evan lee i disagree, you wont really know if you are up against multiple attackers, or it depends. Bjj is an amazing self defense martial art for over extentions and when in a pummeling situation when on the ground. Its not just wrestling, its an actual combat system with all stages of fighting.
This is very sound advice. Especially when you addressed trying to use high kicks in the streets. I tell my students all the time that kicks work great in the dojo or the ring. But there are so many things in the streets that are different. From the surface your on, number of attackers, foot wear you will have on and distances. I enjoy your videos. They go to further prove that no one system or style is the ultimate best. They all have their own merits.
The mistake this "self defense" guy here makes is assuming that you can control how the fight happens. Most of the time unless you are fighting against a guy who wants to box or strike with you. A grappling situation is going to take place. Why? Because unless hes an experienced striker; hes going to have issues judging distance and entering in and out. So sooner or later a clash happens. And that is why most street fights end up on the ground. So unless you learn how to prevent grappling(which takes grappling knowledge) or if you are a good grappler. You are most likely going to end up in that situation regardless if you wanted to or not. Not all the time; but most of the time. Hence why in military you will see grappling training.
Your number one priority during the fight is ending the fight either with an opportunity to run or eliminating the threat. You should be moving away(circling or going backwards) from your opponent and counter striking when necessary. The movement keeps you from a grappling situation. But always look for a way to run or find help.
Idealy maybe..but when the rubber hits the road clinches just happen naturally... unless you ko the guy within the first few moments..no guarantee of that.
Dizzy Dank, you don't circle and move backwards. That's a good way to run out of room or hit a curb. Even still unless you are an experienced striker. The entry and exit mentality won't be there. You'll most likely clash once punches thrown(unless you are skilled in distancing) and then a clinch situation ends up happening. It's best to be prepared to handle a situation that occurs often naturally. Everyone knows how to hit somebody not everyone knows how to successfully deal with a grappling situation.
Jujutsuheiho 1. Most people have no idea of how striking actually works. 2. I never said training grappling wasn't important. 3. Circling and out maneuvering your opponent sets up counter strikes. Do you know what a drop step is? And in my experience if you want to avoid the clinch you need to step up your footwork. If they can't catch you they can't grab you. With that being said, sometimes it is unavoidable and you need to be prepared to clinch up but footwork definitely helps especially if there's multiple attackers. -Muay Thai student.
Love it!!! Finally. I have been thinking this for years but almost nobody teaches this! In a real street fight you don't want to hit the ground. Stay open handed in defense and take out the legs as fast as possible, preferably with a knee strike. Plus, from a legal perspective, the open hand is what people will say they saw which looks like you are the victim not the aggressor. I'm also thinking, if there is space, let the guy chase you around swinging wildly and wearing himself out and then strike the legs. Most bad guys aren't in very good shape and get winded quickly. Also, I have no desire to dance around fighting a guy. I just want to incapacitate him as fast as possible, whatever that takes.
I must say your videos are the best videos on youtube on self defense that I've seen. I often watch a video of a fancy technique that is supposed to work and in my opinion the person instructing has no understanding whatsoever of a violent situation. I watch your videos and the complete opposite is true, it is evident that you nick have a very solid understanding of violence and self defense. I've been doing Krav Maga at a non-traditional gym for quite some time with a lot of focus on understanding the dynamic of violence, agression and 'fighting spirit'. Coming from a gym where we, contrary to most krav-gyms, palm strike and actually use about 30 techniques in total - I feel completely at home with your videos. I feel that many videos miss key elements of the fight wether it is the risk of additional opponents, psychology of the fight, stress or legal implications. You have it all covered however so keep up the good work! I agree with your advice in this video as well - all of it is actually really basic for someone with an understanding of what a violent situation is like yet there are a hundreds of videos on youtube on how to take down a "larger opponent" with your ki-energy and a roundhouse kick.
Nice bro..its really great to know info about skills that can help you out in real life situation..i myself is an gold medalist of martial art but as i work in jail..lots of riots n fight ive been thru i can say ur really right skills in ring n street are very much deffernt...hope u do other vid..thanks
Self-defense is not that simple. A fight is a very complex phenomenon. There is a universe of factors that determine who wins a fight, tecniques are just one part of it. The "best" and the "worst" self-defense moves you can use depend entirely on the characteristics of the scenario your encountering.
Totally agree, Nick. What i have found in street fights is if you dont end them fast you run the risk of outside help for the person you are fighting. This to me, that is dangerous. End it fast, whatever your personal means are and be done...Face(uppper strike) torso(low strike) and then the "kill shot" for lack of a better word. Upper strike and then a lower distracts the person while you move in for the next strike. Brain cant think about two things at once like that..Pain compliance in a street fight one on one works but other than that you could have the guy wrapped up like a pretzel and ole buddy may jump in. Also, you never know the skill level of the person you are fighting.
Disagree with no:2 , if you can grab a drunk guy and slam him to the floor quick and good, he ain't gonna get up too quick and then you are free to work on his mates.
As a former TKD instructor, I agree that high kicks (to head) shouldn`t be used if you`re not trained for them but I can kick faster to the head than most can punch and would not hesitate to use the technique if I saw an opening. Also, you can keep your distance while striking and this is effective against ground fighters who just want to ground & pound. There are many techniques but I would never rule out a head kick if your flexibility allows you too do it safely and you are trained for fast high kicks. The other thing is when you are up against the multiple attackers like 2 or 3 on one scenario which seems to be more and more common today. You can try and punch them out one by one but that means you`ll be throwing 3 times more punches and will be much more fatigued which is something you can afford. Also, when you`re punching one, you can be sure there are the others that are trying to get at you too. A nice fast kick to the head (which doesn`t have to be very hard) will bring down almost anyone. Once one of them is down, you have less attackers to deal with and it also acts as a warning and deterent to the others who might want to try their luck. The other benefit of head kicks is that most won`t expect it to the head. Most street fighters are not flexable and most do low kicks. They also expect this from people they attack. A very effective move is to look at the body as you send your leg for the kick to the head. This distraction is like a feint and makes the attacker believe that it`s a body kick and they often brace themselves for it or try to block it. I have used this in competition against trained fights and it works but you feint has to be real. Also, if they buy your feint to the body, they often will try to block it if you close the gap just slightly before sending it out. When they do that they reach down and their face comes forward right into your kick which adds to the impact. The head kick can also be combined with a front kick feint before followed in the same motion with the roundhouse kick to the head sort of like tracing out a question mark in the trajectory. - ? - but all in one movement. There is a pivot on the ball of the foot that takes place at the moment you change direction and move up to the head, leaning back slightly.
I would also kick for the head. As someone from a soccer bacground that plays and practices kicking/juggling soccer balls and medicine balls in Jeans with ankle weights. I would simply pretend the attackers head is a ball and let instinct/reflex take it from there.
That could work. Be aware of the surface you`re kicking from, make sure you have good traction. But also very important, if you don`t have the flexibility, the leg you`re standing will be pulled out from under you if you kick higher than your flexibility allows sending you right on your butt.
+Tae Ken Do In my experience dealing with TKD guys, those head kicks tend to not be as effective against someone maintaining a high guard, such as a guy who thinks he's gonna box it out with the TKD guy. I've seen TKD get caught be other martial artists and the TKD guy was kinda screwed. When they do land, though, someone's getting wrecked.
Head kicks are rarely expected and very low kicks, i.e. to the knee are hard to block. But if you want to see high kicks in action against worthy opponents, check out a few MMA fights and you'll see just how effective they are. You can battle it out pound for pound, blow for blow against someone but one nicely placed kick to the head which doesn't even have to be strong and the fights over.
May it be just my opinion but: 1st. I would agree. Unless one is a really good Tae kwon do fighter, I believe he can use high kicks effectively and take some level of risk. 2nd. True, unless one is a really good grapler and obstacles are surely 1 vs 1 (nobody else around), then grapler could use his skills as advantage. 3rd. same thing as with grappling (2nd one). if you are really alone with only your opponent around and you can choke him or break his arm - do it. anyway, in general, good points.
It sounds like #2 and #3 are highly dependent on whether there are multiple possible adversaries. A 'club' scenario or working as a doorman, I agree. If it's a one on one situation, or if *you* have friends available to help, I could see using wrestling or submission hold on a lone attacker. Context and variables need to be considered, but these are generally good 'rules' to follow.
John Smith, lol, you reminded me of a very simple story. One night while driving in my van I heard a loud thud on the side doors. Long story short, it was my neighborhood nemesis throwing a rock at my van. I stopped, he approached a willing combatant. Finally it was "Go Time" And then, my 4 Friends jumped out of the back. The Fear in his eyes told me, Not Tonight. I already had an enormous psychological advantage. The day did come when we fought, after about 2 grueling minutes he hit me with an over hand right that sent me to my knees. When I felt his hand slam down on my shoulder I thought I was Fucked, But he yanked me to me feet and walked away. A week later we were pals.
The guy brings up a good point over and over in this video. Most people assume a "fight" take place in 1 vs. 1 situation. The reality is that during most drunken fights, someone always has a wingman, buddy, or friend willing to join in the fracas. Most self defense videos (or seminars) ignore this fact.
If I gotta defend myself, I'm a toe to toe guy with low hard kicks to the soft part of the knee & the shin always watching out if he's brought company or for those looking for trouble for the kicks of it. Usually the one that doesn't know how to fight, knows they are losing, try desperate measures like trying to weak wrestle or swing widly with hay makers & I let them tire themselves out, dodging as much as I can then finish them off when the chance arises. I agree with you wholeheartedly on this Nick & thank you for sharing, peace!!
the absolute best self defense when street fighting is to learn to not fight and walk away with nobody getting hurt, having been in prison for the better of 10 years i can tell you this, your footing is vital and never offer your back to someone who wants to hurt you, never get on the floor willingly, only fight when you have the advantage. preferably with your back to a wall in an enclosed area. one man can fight 10 people if you can manage it all one on one cause your in some kind of corridor but its not the amount of skill you or i possess its your ability to recognize a situation developing before its physical and maneuvering your way out of it peacefully
Nice honest perspective. After years of traditional and MMA style training I've all but given up anything that isn't simple practical and effective for any terrain or physical ability.
I agree with 2/3rd's of this. High kicks: Can end a fight easy, but you're screwed if you slip. Takedowns: Only safe when you can remain standing throughout the technique(i.e. Judo). Grappling: Very important in a street fight, but not looked for. Jiu-Jitsu in a street fight is to get back to your feet by sweep or submission. Punching: Knuckles are better for digging into soft surfaces and palms are better for hard ones. What do you think, *****?
***** What technique would that be? For Greco, I can think of suplex, seoi nage, hip toss.. These are not your go to attacks for multiple people. Osoto gari is easy to set up, foot sweeps work well with the Thai clinch and uchi mata is 2 tons of force if the opportunity is right. Suplex all day for 1 on 1 though.
***** I prefer Judo throws, but they're less effective without a gi. That being said, if someone's wearing/wielding a weapon, why not use it against them?
***** You should work on translating the grips, not that I'm an expert. Uchi mata: Over/under De ashi barai: "Sloth" grip/under Drop Seoi: Arm drag positioning etc
Some real good points here, especially trying to grapple and go to ground and submit, I've seen this too many times in bars/clubs. Young lads seen UFC/Pride once too many times and think thats how you defend and its absolutely true that your open to attack, your in an uncontrolled environment and it only takes a sneaky kick or punch when your on the ground or going to ground and your in serious trouble! Thanks Nick appreciate you keeping this honest as always, and not promoting violent reaction. Much love brother.
I believe these are very good points to be aware of,, you never know who is going come to their friend's aid,, be aware of your environment (space, people watching, anything that can be used as a weapon) - street survival isn't about looking like Jackie Chan, it's being the one who gets to walk away.. Most inexperienced fighters will exude their energy in the first few seconds, if I have room, I make them have hard time landing anything.. And Nick is correct, if they in the beginning are full of energy, wrestling isn't the best strategy, however, when they are tired a good well balanced choke hold can end it quickly. #1 thing, know your environment to be able to assess better what strategy will work best for you in that particular situation, and always keep focused. We NEVER look for a street fight to happen, but with trained strategy we are always prepared for it when it does. Thank you for the great tips Nick.
This was something I had been slowly coming around to: that high kicks are for movies, or competitions where you aren't wearing jeans ! A wise Japanese martial artist felt the same way about grappling. He said he teaches arm locks and chokes, but felt it's useless against 2 attackers on the street, and so he teaches punches and kicks as well. You're so right, open hand can be devastating , and is safer for you. Great advice
I just discovered your videos. Great stuff. Very common sense information that a lot of people don't teach. Nice work. Keep putting it out there to balance the macho bs that others want folks to know. Thanks
Hey Nick, I've been watching a lot of your videos lately. I think they are great and I thank you very much for putting these up. I find you to be a very smart man. With that being said I just have a question for this video. You said that Grappling is not a good idea in a fight and I totally understand why you would say that it's completely logical. Now my question to you is what do you do if you are fighting your opponent but the stand up isn't going your way? What would you recommend for that?
totally agree I have seen and been involved in incidents where people have wasted time with these type of moves.. he is spot on .. I've practiced aikido / jujitsu for 23 yes. worked as a prison officer for 10. in group attacks body movement and strikes . are the only thing that works .all self defense should be viewed as if there is more than one attacker even if you can't see them. good solid atemi. .don't trade blows be accurate and get out of there. this is great advice from this guy.
Nick, thanks for the vid, and info. Just wanted to share a comment you can probably relate to. When I was a young traditional martial artist, I hated open hand techniques. I always wanted to use my boxing, my fist. Older belts told me just wait the more training and real life situations you're in the more open handed you'll become. You'll be even more comfortable with open hand strikes, grabs, and controlling the opposition. Your vid and commentary is right on. Oss
great video! As an analogy for your last point, an instructor once told me "punching to the skull is like hammering a nail in with a small animal, it probably won't work, and a lot of small bones are going to get broken"
All that makes sense. I talked to a former bouncer once and asked him about going to the ground; he told me staying upright made you just as vulnerable to being attacked by other persons and that you should therefore take the risk.What do you think?
7Flafleur He's probably a wrestling apologist who probably saw that as a threat to what he trains for. You should ask him more specific why does it make you equally as vulnerable because the fact is it doesn't as Nick pointed out his friends can easily kick your head in as your busy wrestling with him.
7Flafleur My dad was a bouncer for 10+ years in different clubs around the UK, he said you would be surprised how often when things kick off bouncers run away or hide in the toilets. A lot of bouncers are just there for show, I personally wouldn't take that advice.
Me personally I avoid going to the ground if at all possible. From my personal experience I had a guy about 3 times my size try attacking me. He picked me up slammed the crap out of me. I managed to get his back and actually almost choked him to death at the same time he had a group of thugs behind him trying to attack my best friend. My friend who's a major wrestler and brawler style started one hitter quitter 4 people took a fifth to the ground and knee dudes face bloody. All this frighting over someone accusing my friend and I for stealing $20. My point is if my friend wasn't there I would of gotten the shit kicked out of me cause I was choking dude but was heavy I was pinned between the ground and him and couldn't get out after he passed out.
+7Flafleur IN my humble opinion, it all depends on where the fight take you. You could be standing one second, and then two guys rush you and BAM!....you're on the ground. Best thing in my experience and aging wisdom is not put yourself in that type situation. Yes, I know, easier said than done.
Sound advise. Always better to stay upright and get out. Especially if you have prior injuries(cervical spine surgery) that will put you at risk of possible paralysis if engaged in grappling.
Nick, it's possible to use punches in a street fight without breaking the hands? I asked my muay thai master about it and he said that it is possible, all depends the way you hit, someones face. He fought in the streets and he said that. What do you think about it?
+Shadowmaker My humble opinion, it all depends on the person. I have hit many guys in the face without ever breaking my hands. However, my buddy....years and years ago, broke one of his almost every time he got into a fight. I guess it all depends on your bone structure.
@Nick Drossos hey nick! nice video again! but i've got a question about your no-takedown-rule: if you are able to execute a throw fast and without loosing balance, is it also a bad thing? i mean, yes, it requires lots of experience to do this, but WHEN your skills are good enough....? and what do you think about shielding? because in clinch, you can also move the attacker between you and other agressors.... I'm looking forward for an answer from you and I wish you a nice weekend! sorry for my bad english skills ;)
Hi no if you have judo or grappling training and have the execution to pull it off and find the opportunity go for it. Just be careful you don't get tangle up with him and make it in a wresting fight on the ground.
Something I heard a long time ago is to hit hard things with soft things and soft things with hard things. So that means open palm style attacks for the head and other boney areas to apply high energy transfer with little impact to you and fist/elbow/knee to stomach and possibly chest to cause hard high impact with no injury to you. This is also good way to avoid accidentally punching an elbow or top half of the skull when people tuck in. This is not 100% rule because elbows work great when you are in really close quarters but generally good idea. Anyone that has spent more time on the concrete than the mats will say this is video is great advice.
I really enjoy your videos Nick, they are full of good information. I too have been kicked in the head while grappling on the ground by the persons friend and have sprained my had from hitting someone in the head. I now try to go with the concept of "Hard" weapons against soft targets and "soft" weapons against hard targets.
While I am inclined to agree with the majority of what he said, I believe that depending on your level of experience high kicks (mostly to the mid torso) are completely viable - also depending on the situation. Being a 3rd dan in tkd and was state level wrestler as well as being well versed in old crav and a little club bjj I can say from from experience that if there are multiple guys then what this man said is right imo. Ive only been in 2 non sanctioned fights and the one on one was won by a swift side kick to the liver area, the other was with 2 men was a bit more difficult - grappling was out of the question. Was one with mostly open hand and mid torso kicks . They ran away.... be aware most of the time you wont win by ko, they usually run. That being said its always a good idea to run rather than fight to live another day but dont turn your back...... goodluck and stay safe
What is faster and harder to see coming? A kick or a punch? If the enemy did happen to grab your punch what is the chances that he pulls you over onto your ass straight away? Compare that to the ease of catching a kick to midsection and then unbalancing you to fall. But hey, don'y let me stop you kicking high,TKD fan... it gives us realists a good laugh!
Whats faster and harder to see coming? Well for me, having a quick, powerful, accurate kick in your arsenal will give you a large advantage. I have yet to have a kick caught and have had blocked kicks do enough damage to end or put down a fight. Im not advocating for the stuff you see on tv with TKD - thats not the real, traditional tkd. You can block or catch my fot all you like but when you have 2000+ foot lbs of force coming straight at you there will be broken bones and ruptured organs. But thats just my opinion, im not going to tell you what to do - stay humble bud
Too busy to reply fully right now but things to occur to me, such as: do you kick harder than UFC fighters? Pro Thaiboxers? They get their kicks caught all the time.Your power only appears at the focus point... if you get rushed the shot is blocked before you get full power. Now I grant you a fast and hard kick to the guts can finish a fight but it is risk without perfect balance... kicks to the head are best left for 1 on 1 fights by legendary hard men like Terry O'Neill. Kicking to the head is just crazy. Against someone freaking out on you you get one chance to kick him back... if you fail to hold him back he will be on you and no more TKD kicking, just knees, as the range is closed. Then he grabs you and it is all over. Krav is OKish but not the best. Do you see bouncers use high kicks? No.
thanks for the reply in spite of your lack of time, i enjoy discussing such things. Anyways, you can't say bouncers do or dont use certain techniques bc they have a a different environment. I will say that my kicks are almost* on par with professionals or at least was 2 years ago when i went to nationals. There are many ways to put space in a fight. However i have only seen rare cases in kickboxing and mma where fulls have been caught. I will revise my earlier statement and say that a standoffish fight would incline kicks more, however if it is your training style and that is your strong suit - it well worth having in your pocket
Mike Granato My pleasure, Mike. Well bouncers do have a different environment to some people, some of the time, and different "rules", but really, in the street or in bar or club, wanting to end the confrontation with the minimum of time, effort, pain, injury and legal and illegal consequences, is exactly the some for everyone rational. I dunno what Thai boxing you have been watching but I have watched quite a few of the best and the average and they both catch kicks to the ribs frequently. Don't get me wrong, middle level and higher kicks do have their place, can be used with great success and in some cases, such as defending against a cutting or stabbing weapon, I recommend them. It just that, in agreement with 99.99% of veteran authorities on selfdefence, they are not recommended generallly since they are risky. The probability of ending up on you ass, where he will kick you and you don't get up again, maybe EVER... goes up up up if you kick at waist height or higher. The really good [like yourself] might get away with it... but why take the risk? Plenty of guys have been winning fights only to throw it all away and get stomped when their "finisher" high kick gets grabbed or they simply slip or trip and over they they go to the concrete. Real selfdefence experts do not high kick. They can... but they don't. As for a "standoffish" fight.. what is that? A real fight? If he is not closing to punch or grab it is not a real fight. Just walk away. If he tries to kick just counter and/or close to throw him off balance and finish him. My [deeply researched] two cents.
You are very informative and I agree about punching open handed because I did bust my knuckle on my right hand two times. As far as grappling I'm a grappler I love it but I did have a experiment with that and taking it to the ground at the wrong time can be bad for you
General rule of thumb: attack soft targets with a hard fist, attack hard targets with open hands. Punching works well against the stomach, floating ribs, kidney, etc, but as Nick states you're gonna break a knuckle or two with a full-force punch to the skull or a joint. Palming someone in the face or parrying a fist/elbow will work in your favour however.
Sound advice. I'll add, if you're trained to strike with your knuckles, then punching to the head makes sense because of the possibility of stun/knock-out. If you watch street fight videos you can see many end with a knock-out. The only way that happens (without going to the ground and choking out your attacker) is a strike to the head, so punching to the head increases your chances of ending the fight. Training for this includes knuckle pushups (on cement) and makiwara, not bag training. Kicking to the groin is a great technique, but it's not as easy as it looks.
As far as grappling/ground fighting and self defense. I think it depends on the situation. You have to know which situations grappling or ground fighting will be useful. Against more than one attacker you should avoid deliberately taking the fight to the ground. But the attack could end up on the ground anyway. Here you need to use grappling reversals to get back to your feet. If dealing with a stronger attacker and it's a clear one on one situation then grappling and ground fighting can be useful because by keeping the fight in grappling range you reduce a stronger attacker's striking power while working for a submission. Again it all comes down to applying the right skills for the situation.
Apart from the fact I do not agree (I think it all depends on your skills and on the situation), I'd like to point out your opponent in a street fight will probably try to wrestle and punch, and if he smashes you to the ground, you'd better be a good grappler. However we would recommend Nick Drossos not to try to "high kick" in a street fight indeed, considering how he does it. "... and try to pull a kick this high..." LOL dude, you kicked a hip. So yeah, to avoid isolated middle kicks, that's obvious. But if you can do it, there's nothing more effective than a good high kick on the temple or the jaw. Not everyone can do it though. There is only one "worst self defense move" : the move you do without skill.
he's not saying you shouldn't do high kicks because they involve a lot of skill. he's saying don't do them because there's more of a chance of getting taken down or falling when kicking and the ground isn't a place you want to be.
Did Nick say you do not need grappling skill? No, he did not. He is saying that these strategies, high kicks, grappling, should not be your first go to defenses or attacks rather. How can you not agree with that when everything he suggested is much faster and safer. I have one of the best high, powerful and fastest kicks around, I can break four hanging boards with a side kick, yet in the street I would not kick higher than the groin.
Sebastian, you need to realize Nick is speaking in Very General terms, the most basic of situations. If you want to get into specifics, the possibilities are Endless. Lets use Me as an example. First of all I am The most bad ass person,..... In The Kitchen. But "I" would never throw a kick at anyone in a street fight where I am not guaranteed a similar sized opponent because I'm 5 foot 5. I would Over Commit. I'm willing to bet I could throw a kick at you and I would come up short by about 8 inches, lol.
Finally someone who has a lot of knowledge! In mantis kung fu you never ever do high kicks.The most kicks are going to the groin, the knees or the legs....
You hit the nail right on the head, so so True! We have always told our students Not to strike with your fist. Use the palm strike, so much stronger. We also gave the Tyson example. Well Done
I agree with the lowkicks, open hand strikes, wrestling (because of energy) completely, the grappling thing is entirely situational. If I'm in the middle of no where (clear vision of wide open space) with no one else around then I would grapple, if I was in a club or somewhere where another assailant could come from nowhere then I would not. If you drill grappling then you should know how fast you can get an untrained opponent in to a compromising situation. My logic behind this is anyone can land a lucky punch and knock you out, you hit your head and the floor the wrong way and that's your life gone. If you're in a situation where you're 99% sure it's one on one why not grapple to be safe and remove that risk? Most people know how to through a punch a lot less know how to grapple.
Very true about the open hand or palm strikes vs punching , I do boxing but would use palm strikes at the head as wouldn't want a broken hand outcome , plus open hand you could put all your body weight behind it... good vid!
I certainly agree you do not want to go to the ground as you are dead right a second or third person will attack you when your helpless on the ground with assailant one. Also agree no closed fist striking to the hard bones of the head. As bouncer I saw both these mistakes made repeatedly. Your video is right on!
I saw another guy arguing for closed hand punching so I guess it depends.I like the open hand fighting better for striking at the head area but like you said maybe closed hand punching to the body and lower areas. love these videos ,i have learned so much.
momentum I admit my instincts lead me toward closed hand punching in a street fight but I still believe the open hand allows for better movement and overall technique but your point is well taken.
thing about open palm is, it does 0 damage....like unless you hit the hose, or the jaw, it just doesn't hurt. a punch hurts fukn anywhere. i really think if you actually condition your knuckles, and know how to punch, its not breaking, as long as you hit their face and not the top of the skull. some martial arts teach hand conditioning, and its a pretty wise thing to do.
Nizz 0matic Yea if you punch to the soft part of the face closed hands are probably okay.In a street fight though it can be chaotic and I would rather have by hands open for potential grappling situations and besides you can always close your hand when you have an accurate straight punch lined up.
Excellent concepts.also try to avoid walking into or engaging an attacker head on.if possible move to the side of them or better retreat.if they respond you'll find they open up and break their attacking stance or posture.
Just want to say like always, love the vid. I practiced in boxing, Japanese, Chinesse, even military martial arts, but primarily...I'm street. I remember getting into a fight with a black belt and me catching that leg. I learned from my leg getting caught in a fight trying to kick. Your vids are alway educational in inspiring. Don't ever stop. Thanks for helping me improve my skill set.
I counted 4 moves... but whatever. Still a great video, especially with the high kicks tip. I've actually witnessed a Tae Kwon Do guy who got into a confrontation and who was dominating the entire time throw a high kick to finish the other guy off. When he did, the other guy grabbed his foot in a panic and ended up taking his assailant down, and the first guy's head hit the concrete. I didn't know either guy very well, but it ended pretty bad for the guy who threw the high kick. Anyways, great video. Breath of fresh air from all of the theoretical "Step 1, Step 2, Step 3" nonsense you usually see on RUclips. Keep doing what you're doing.
Nice. Although it would be more accurate to say that these are 3 of the best moves...to avoid. ;~) The one I see a lot on videos is where guys lose their cool and just start swinging wildly with lots of crazy wild adrenaline fueled strikes, most of which miss. So my 4th one or 3rd one if you put grappling and trying submissions into one category would be "Losing your cool and swinging wildly". Keep up the good work Nick.
I agree with the headkick comments to a degree. To me, it's situational. You definitely don't want to open up with a head kick, but with proper set up, I believe a high kick can be effective to a degree if utilized properly.
Thank you very much, I had no idea that a full force punch on someone's face could actually make handicap for a time. thnx for the knowledge, I will try to practice with open hands now!
My minor and humble opinion...Mr. Drossos, I don't think you're trying to establish which is better, ground or standing...instead I believe that you're making a point about Situational Awareness, and understanding that what works well against a single opponent might just open up a whole new can of trouble against multiple opponents. When it hits the fan, style, form, where and how you trained, none of that matters. It's whatever you have to do, in that moment, to not become a victim. On a personal note, I really like your channel, and thank you for some excellent information.
For MMA, I think I have found the perfect trifecta to train in, tell me what you think. Muay Thai - Kicks and strikes Judo - Standing takedowns BJJ - Ground work
I totally agree with you. And I'm talking from real fight experience. I am a black belt in tea kwon do and I thought why not give my opponent on the street a kick above the belt(that's why we're taught to do in teakwondo) and my opponent grabbed my leg and took me down and beat me up. Another fight mistake I made in another fight was to try to wrestle with my opponent on the ground, I was winning the fight but right then my opponent's friend comes in and kicks me in the head and they both take turns beating the crap out of me after that. After learning from these mistakes I have learnt to never kick above the belt area in a real street fight. the lower the kick the better and never ever try to wrestle with your opponent. Always stay on your feet
You should have practiced more. I have done Tkd and I kicked people above my head hight without once getting caught or falling over once I was decent enough. In a street fight.
I can't disagree with any of that, but the point should be made that most people, where you have more fight skill than them, will try to grapple and it's a lot easier, once grappling has begun to maintain it, than it is to break it, because they're going to grip you with their arms and legs looking to isolate a weak member at the first opportunity. If they isolate some part of you with their arms or legs, it'll take powerful action to get out. Generally grappling starts at the fingers but moves swiftly to multiple limb strength isolation. So it should be said that almost every fight will at some point be rendered to a grappling match and that keen effort to regain mobility swift is then top priority in any fight that might risk chaos. Point being, exactly what you're trying to avoid in the fight is exactly where it's most likely to end up. So, where grappling is the best thing you have to defeat what your opponent is doing to you, looking to judo throw or otherwise bash your opponents grip off you, you are at a disadvantage to have it in your mind to avoid grappling, as it will swiftly become what you're doing, to no conscious effort of your own. Then you'd have been best to sprawl, but fighting striking and missed the palm strike or punch you intended because your opponent was on you with a grip charging in his grappling game shot past your guard. You're better off to recognize a moment before it becomes a grappling match, that it's definitely going there and respond appropriately, which you probably won't do, if you're practicing with a mind to AVOID certain fight styles. Instead you should train to be as effective in every fight style you practice, and be looking to use everything you know at the appropriate moment when it becomes your greatest applicable weapon in the fight situation you recognize you're caught in the midst.
You also ignore the value of the straight kick to blocking approach, which is key to establishing in your opponents mind an impassable barrier for which they suffer debilitating pain upon entry. The straight kick, on dry and clean pavement, is highly effective to the mid section and is devastating to the chin if you have such balance and bend and can be used as a means of first attack if your attacker is approaching from outside of striking range. If your opponent is at a dead stop just outside of striking range and they start at you, even if they're as fast as you, you can get your kick up swift enough to stop them with the kick force you build by squat lifts. That's easily the most devastating weapon which has the additional advantage of guaranteeing a nice closing distance from your target, that they will surely be back outside of striking distance to see if they're dumb enough to try to spring in on you again. The only way to go wrong with it is to get your foot grabbed, which is generally avoidable by a bunch of measures, starting off with a certainty to boot hard, to knock your charging opponent with a jostle hard enough to halt their attempt to grip your foot. Have an immediate power hand cross prepared to lob and an intention to step down hard hopping over top of your caught foot with all your weight and jumping in on top of your like sized opponent to knock balance. It's also possible to kick up at fingers or a knee first in swinging your front kick, that you batter your opponents hand out of use for grappling your foot as a pretext to the front kick. So the 1 move would be an attack on 4 fronts that you're swinging up a kick at a forward hand or near the forward knee possibly following through with that hit if it's looking quality, but otherwise putting the bulk of your force into an outward stomping motion straight front in to your aggressive opponent as they burst into striking range. Also you're attacking by finishing with a stomp through their attempt to isolate your up leg, if they stand their ground and you're attacking with a power hand cross punch which should put you directly into position for a muay thai clinch which can be used to batter and throw. So, where your objective in any sane fight should be to debilitate the perpetrator(s), and where your easiest means to debilitate their attacks is to establish a distance outside of the range of their weapons, and where they're limited to merely their own body as a weapon in the fight, to ignore the first weapon that should be used, which is your longest possible reach, the kick and ignore that your opponent has this weapon too, is not the smartest fight game I've ever heard expressed. Beyond that, high kicks to the face are right in a fight if your opponent is giving you that opportunity, like they've had no respect for your ability to kick high fast and they are dwelling in the area that makes your well balanced kicks easy, then definitely kicking them in the face is going to knock them out a lot faster than pummeling them with your bare knuckles. It's also going to be a lot less damaging to your body to kick with shod foot in defending yourself than if you break your knuckles trying to swing knock out blows to a dome piece. So, really it's not all 1 way and none of the other. You fight what's best given the opportunities you're seeing. Maybe you're up against somebody else who has a strong kicking component to their fight game and both parties are doing their best to stay at that distance where your opponent can swing a kick, but can't swing it in time to hit you before you move. That's where the kick match stale mates and without somebody making the stupid mistake of trying to get inside of kicking range, neither side can advance. That's what happens when you have equally skilled opponents square off, is the first to make the mistake of trying to get inside, is the 1 that looses.
Grappling does not give you the option to run away. Running away is always the best option for "self" defense. Of course if you are protecting a loved one you can't just run. But having the option to run is more valuable than having ground control. If a helper, police, security arrives you can get out of that situation as soon as possible and not let it turn into a hostage situation.
danielvincentkelley Advice from a mixed martial artist and Student instructor in a college level self defense course, I was always taught that in a self defense situation that it is best to stay on your feet and if the fight does get taken to the ground, instead of trying to wrestle or do some crazy BJJ techniques on your opponent, it is best to learn escapes from these grappling arts so that you can escape, get up, and now you have advantage over your opponent and are not as open to unexpected strikes from their friends or what have you. This makes the most sense to me but, to each their own, regardless I hope no one ever has to use the techniques they learn in the real world.
I've mounted people on their shoulders. My knees on their shoulders. Pinned. I can do that to anybody that's the least bit smaller than me, easily, regardless of what kind of shape they're in. If they're my size or bigger, I'd have to wear them down a bit first, frustrate their fight game, while scoring some key damage. I understand what you're saying, escape is a better option in my opinion, than what I see thrown down in the cage today, but there are competent grapplers that can put you in a position where you can't escape and they have an opportunity to make your body dysfunctional for how bad they bust your shoulder or your foot, or knee, or elbow, make you totally incapable of fighting them. Depending on how strong they are and how feckless you are, they can make that happen in a split second. So, where you're tasked to fight people under unknown circumstances, you never know if you're going to be in a real world fight with some body a lot bigger than you, or smaller than you, which though it's usually avoidable, sometimes smaller people are insistent on fighting you. They might be hot head Napoleon complex tough guys or they might be an idiot girlfriend jumping in a knife fight her boyfriend started. Whatever the reason you might be fighting bigger or smaller or grapplers or strikers or whoever you do benefit yourself, if you're the better fighter, to evade your opponent and to cost him dearly on his every approach. But there comes times in some fights where you're not controlling your doings, you're being controlled by some force and then it's a good idea to know what to do about it, because if all you know are escapes, but you get caught in a mount or a rear naked choke or an arm bar, especially by somebody who has plenty of time strengthening grip, and you don't know what to do about any of it, then you're wrecked. It's not something that most people endure, that people who are so skilled at fighting want to fight them. People would rather just carry a gun than get beat up like that half a dozen times. So, I guess that's what most people do, if they're at some considerable risk, is they'll arm against whatever are the likely risks. I've been targeted for vicious hostility compelled to defend myself unarmed against men with weapons, often times in gangs of attackers. So, I had to get good at everything, evasion is definitely key. But there were times when I'd be under an attacker who tackled me, but I caught him in a head lock. He'd have me pinned, but I'd trust the headlock to choke his fight gone and hold it just long enough to be up before his friend with the knife could get there, be elbowing the guy in the face right then and EVADING the new attacker. But if I hadn't caught that tackle in a head lock and taxed it for what it was worth, to be able to end with an elbow to his face, then the situation could have gotten a lot worse than it did. My first response in that situation was evasion proceeding immediately upon a guised threat of knife assault, which though turned into a gang knife attack. But the first moment the threat was issued, I was evading. I only fought when I became trapped and under fisticuffs attack in the hallway behind the locked front door, then the knife goon was in approach, I got the door open and dragged the guy who was attacking me onto the front porch and that's when the tackle happened. I tried to judo drag him and throw him, but he turned my throw into a tackle. So rather than fly off the porch, he tackled me into the next door and as we fell through that door I got him tight in a head lock and choked the fight out of him with torque on the tight head lock the first moment I hit the floor, I was wrenching with my whole body arch to snap his neck. He lived, and in pulling back trying to get out of the headlock he pulled me up to my feet where I elbowed him in the face and stepped out just as his friend was coming around the corner on to the porch with the knife, I descended the whole stairs in 2 leaps and those punks didn't bother to follow me to the street right there in front of the house where I got out my camera and began to tape the ongoings, had a little conversation with those pyschopaths about their being scum bags and then I left, walked away. There's some obituaries I should put in google alerts so I'll get a heads up to celebrate.
***** Boyscout? As if being a boyscout precludes any possibility that a person knows how to fight. Ridiculous. Beyond that, I was never in the boyscouts. In my youth I was in the Air Force Auxilliary.
Being a martial artist for 20 years your advice is spot on. I’ve seen mma guys shoot a guys’ leg only to be hit with a beer bottle of his friends’. I teach my students to stay on their feet no matter what. Good job.
Wow, Nick....I've experienced the Black Karate Federation teachings, being the same thing your speaking of now. Logically sound, Sir! I can see why those who branch out of being stale (stuck in tradition so-to-speak) seem to have interesting opposition. Keep up the good work. Those knife (vid's) you've done is real talk too!!!! Peace
Well done. I agree with all four of your points. I grew up in Chicago. No high kicks in the winter or rainy season. Ground fighting? You will get stomped to death. That's on the good side of town. In a cop bar 😀. So when I was taught my Uncle gave me those same rules. My little 5'8" narrow ass laughs at most of the stuff I see many moons later but props given. Very real. Good video 👍
the guy is spot on ,being a doorman, the worst thing that can happen is you hit the ground ,or in a street fight,there is always normally more than one person ,and the other guy will be more than happy to drive his boot in your head,,the guy is living in the real world happy he made this video with some real truths
Yeah, hi kicks are a major no. Wrestling is a big energy sapper unless you know BJJ but its just so risky with possible multiple attackers on the street, submissions are risky to. Thanks for this Nick! Open hand is possibly the best option, simple = survival.
Good video and some sound advice. I disagree with the wrestling thing as most fights end up with a few punches thrown then grabbing and on the floor. You may not instigate the grabbing or takedown but you have to be able to control it when it happens. If you don't get good at wrestling and clinching you may lose control of the fight very quickly.
Nick, great vid. Just that I would personally disagree on a few things. And I am judging from experience, not just what I learned either. I have been in confrontations where solid clinch and groundwork would have been a lot better than the "street stuff" I used back then. eg eye poking which did not work, believe it or not, on a mentally deranged guy who tried to fekken BITE !!! Good solid choke or T shirt choke would have taken that one outta comission ten times better. There were no "friends" involved at that time, so no mass attack, for which no single martial art or even fighting system could ever fully prepare you anyways. Fact is, it all depends on the situation. Also not every grappling and MMA oriented gym is a pure sports facility. People I trained with back in the day, who also worked the doors, mostly had a Muay Thai background, simply for brutal elbows and knees to end mass fights with raw force.
I appreciate your strategies. I personally consider prolonged proximity to the bad guy as very dangerous. I also consider intense focus on bad guys hands as essential.
you can hit with the closed fist if your knuckles are conditioned. everything below the forehead is good to hit. but yea, it's a personal choice, but you can hit with both the knuckles and the open palm, open palm is better if you don't know how to hit with your knuckles or they aren't conditioned.
Great Videos nick. I had good success with the front kick 1 time, and maybe this is body type dependent but felt it was a good option for me in the following situation I was in. I wish there were more videos on how to defuse situations verbally, because you look like you are really good at it. Anyway I dont consider myself skilled at anything martial arts related, at best im a weak and unathletic beginner, took kuk sool for a couple years when i was a child but really never used it in any of the few fights i was in during my lifetime, anyway I was in a 3rd world country about 10 years ago in a pool bar with some friends, and some local pool hustler kept bugging to play a money game with him, and after 5 or so times telling him NO we exchanged words from across the table (me sitting with my friends in my seat) so he started towards me after we had words and I jumped up from my seat but he had a pool stick in his hand, and while i cannot say for sure he was going to hit me with it, he was approaching in an agro manner so I had to assume the worst i think. Anyway to keep my distance from the stick i font kicked him (while leaning my head back) and to my amazement all those stupid front/push kicks I practiced as a kid (the only kick i could have used with the layout of that bar) I planted it into his chest and he fell right on his ass. I'm a long legged skinny guy so the only kick i can actually throw well is the front kick, and maybe i would not have if he didn't have the pool stick in his hand. Anyway one thing is for sure, despite me having no recent training to analyze defense situations, something i hadnt done for 20 years worked perfectly.. I did take jui jitsu for 2 months as an adult (an awsome thing to learn, even just for a couple months to get the basics) because this guy got up off the ground and came at me again, witch i then did a primitive double let takedown and mount. Anyway I guess my point is that I cannot believe this stuff actually helped me because Im in such bad physical condition and practice nothing at all. Personally, i wish i had the personality and verbal skills so that i could have avoided it all together, because i feel its a skill i never learned very well and i'll stand up for myself in kind of an antagonizing manner, and get into verbal stuff when I could probably end up being friendly with the guy if I just had the social skills to defuse the situation, and that skill looks like something your very good at.
Ultimately, fighting is about awareness. The hit you don't see coming is the one that puts your lights out. Yeah, being flashy like Jackie Chan doesn't work but we all know that. I got into a lot of fights in jr high. I know it's not the same as getting drunk, but leg kicks have helped me a lot in those days. I was taken down by a guy who outweighed me by 40 pounds in 8th grade. It was hard to get him off of me and thankfully nobody stepped in but my only option was to pull guard and lock in a guillotine choke until he was out. And no, I had no training in grappling just saw it in a Japanese pro wrestling match haha
Disagree strongly with the whole ground thing.... I myself am quite strong on the ground,once I start spinning around and around while kicking, I can't be stopped so easily. If I'm grabbed,I use the force of their pull and my kick to pull myself up, launch my arm at the same time and drive it into their torso. (If I used elbow or aimed at solar plexus/face,they could die,so no.) There's that,and if they try stomp, clamp your legs by swinging them over your head, use their leg to pull your head up and break it at the same time... etc... the possibilities become endless. Then again... I'm a counter-style fighter, so I am quite prepared to take hits while doing these.
You don't have to go to the ground with grappling, you can just slam them and follow up with head kicks. If you're good in the clinch you can stop them from striking you effectively. And street fights are always circumstantial, friends who are willing to jump in aren't always present. Plus a clinch is a good way to pull them into a headbutt to the nose if they're wearing a thick coat that you can manipulate without it ripping. And if you condition your knuckles enough that won't happen, while I don't doubt the power of the palm strike as Bas Rutten used it very effectively it's not instinctual for some fighters because their style doesn't involve palm strikes so it's awkward for them to use it.
Most of his advice is based on potential multiple attackers . I agree on the high kick advice. Very dangerous when those go wrong. But on his advice in general, If one is not trained and/or experienced in combat, and faces more then one opponent . Just swallow your pride and run. Beside the movies, a untrained (or even trained ) person does not win from multiple attackers. Second the 'Wrestling'. Depends what he means with that. I have seen guys trained in Judo, wrestling, jui juitsu, etc,etc taking down the best fistfighters. and smack them on the floor, or break their limbs. In the end i think it all depends on skill. If one can not learn fighting from the internet. some good tricks yes.But fighting, if one does is not confident, better try to defuse the aggression, run, or if you are really cornered, strike first and then fight as dirty as you can.
Agree 100% with everything you said. I have been in bar fights in my past and the last place I wanted to be was on the ground. high/fancy kicks only work in movies. Striking open handed.....if it goes to court, which it probably will now-a-days, the guy has to say that you slapped him....not punched him....makes him look like a pussy. Thanks for the realistic vid
real talk what I don't get about most traditional arts is when they are training you they never tell you in a street fight just because you fight fair doesn't mean your opponent will he will use weapons bite,poke at the eyes or kick you in the nuts teach students on how to defend against this in a real fight
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My old martial arts teacher felt the same way about kicks. His adage was that "the sidewalk is undefeated." Essentially, if you get knocked off a kick and hit the floor, you're going to get hurt. And ending up on the ground in a street fight isn't really ever where you want to be. You can't take off and run from the ground, you can't protect yourself from other targets. The second you hit pavement, your situation is potentially life-threatening. You keep a strong foundation whenever possible, hit fast, hit hard and look for the exit.
Jeff Roitero you can if you’re the one on top. If you practice high kicks you have to be a damn good wrestler
Bjj is sorta like insurance, you don't want to go to the ground in a street fight, but if you do then you'll be able to have the upperhand
This is one of the most intelligent comments I've ever read on youtube
+Todd Behnke top three, at least.
Baph0met~ As an avid BJJ practitioner, I approve the hell out of this message. It's an effective art, but it's insurance, like you said. I'm working from the bottom up myself. I'm already really into BJJ and wrestling, so then I'll move to Muay Thai and finally boxing.
Rolling Kneebar Did my time in BJJ, got the basis of it, now i'm moving onto either Boxing or Muay Thai (:
Agree 100%. By learning it, you're basically covering a lot of worst case scenarios. Also, one thing to keep in mind is that BJJ for sport is different from BJJ for MMA which is different from BJJ for self-defense. Self-defense is all about survival. That can cover incapacitating the other guy, stalling until help arrives, or just buying yourself a bit of time until you find a window to run, and get the hell out of dodge.
After 15 years of different Martial Arts being used in various situations, I can tell you from experience Nick knows EXACTLY what he is talking about. Very smart videos by a very intelligent fighter. The only thing I would ad is that a person will have to adapt their fighting style to the situation slightly. By that I don't mean, one second you are going from a pure striker to flying through the air like a bad martial arts movie. I am referring to keeping an open mind. Although he has covered some of this is other videos, you made need to change your style just a bit for close quarters fighting, group fighting, 1 vs 1, size of the opponent, etc. Although I fight for survival, not just for protection. There are different techniques, taught by all kinds of sensei's or teachers, but I firmly believe in removing a threat completely! I was instructed NEVER to fight unless someone doesn't give you the choice. At that point, you put their fucking ass in the hospital, PERIOD! Make sure they NEVER want anything to do with you ever again. Individuals that are relentless and looking for trouble, have that coming. You have the right to protect your life.
I agree most fighters abandon technique in the heat of the fight and throw sloppy punches and kicks wasting energy ending up with injuries
man if you have 15 years of experience
then you need to workout
it will make a you a alpha man
because having a big body is intidimating and also knows how to fight
men near around you will be scared
We both know you don't have legit 15 years of experience.
kamikaziu Wtf are you talking about kid? And you know this how??
Although I would tend to agree, I think the way he described not using wrestling is inaccurate. Although I would NEVER go to the ground, unless there are legitimately only two people (myself being one of them), I have often tied people up in a sort of muay thai clinch and control them to keep their friends or whatever it may be away from myself. This works good in 2v4, 3v5, etc.. situations.
Great as always Nick - too many people I've seen think martial arts training will translate seamlessly in to a street fight. I feel that under the stress of a street altercation, you have a better chance of staying alive by keeping it simple.
i love BJJ and i ve been training for 5 years and Nick is right ; in a street fight you dont want to go to the ground...but if you do , use bjj to gain position , stand up and run
I admire BJJ alot and will learn it if i can find a good BJJ instructor in my area. It is an awesome martial art to learn But meanwhile i will stick with my muay thai training till i m good at it before moving to BJJ.
MetalThunderForce. I agree with you I love BJJ as well. learn BJJ to gain position control distance control and getting up from the ground. those are very crucial technics during street fights. Do not go for submissions if you are up against multiple opponents. if you have to use submissions, do not use chokes. instead fast joint break and get up. POSITION-BEFORE SUBMISSION!!!
one more thing. you can't always avoid going to a ground. If it is a multiple attacker situation. and they all rush you at the same time. you will be on the ground whether you like it or not. and good BJJ skill could save you.
evan lee i disagree, you wont really know if you are up against multiple attackers, or it depends. Bjj is an amazing self defense martial art for over extentions and when in a pummeling situation when on the ground. Its not just wrestling, its an actual combat system with all stages of fighting.
Benjamin Driscoll yes MMA would serve you best in every fist fight situation
This is very sound advice. Especially when you addressed trying to use high kicks in the streets. I tell my students all the time that kicks work great in the dojo or the ring. But there are so many things in the streets that are different. From the surface your on, number of attackers, foot wear you will have on and distances. I enjoy your videos. They go to further prove that no one system or style is the ultimate best. They all have their own merits.
Great tips! Really digging your videos man! Keep up the great work!
My pleasure bro. You too man!
The mistake this "self defense" guy here makes is assuming that you can control how the fight happens. Most of the time unless you are fighting against a guy who wants to box or strike with you. A grappling situation is going to take place. Why? Because unless hes an experienced striker; hes going to have issues judging distance and entering in and out. So sooner or later a clash happens. And that is why most street fights end up on the ground. So unless you learn how to prevent grappling(which takes grappling knowledge) or if you are a good grappler. You are most likely going to end up in that situation regardless if you wanted to or not. Not all the time; but most of the time. Hence why in military you will see grappling training.
Even professional strikers end up in the clinch range..it happens in boxing, kick boxing, full contact stick fighting and historical fencing..
Your number one priority during the fight is ending the fight either with an opportunity to run or eliminating the threat. You should be moving away(circling or going backwards) from your opponent and counter striking when necessary. The movement keeps you from a grappling situation. But always look for a way to run or find help.
Idealy maybe..but when the rubber hits the road clinches just happen naturally... unless you ko the guy within the first few moments..no guarantee of that.
Dizzy Dank, you don't circle and move backwards. That's a good way to run out of room or hit a curb. Even still unless you are an experienced striker. The entry and exit mentality won't be there. You'll most likely clash once punches thrown(unless you are skilled in distancing) and then a clinch situation ends up happening. It's best to be prepared to handle a situation that occurs often naturally. Everyone knows how to hit somebody not everyone knows how to successfully deal with a grappling situation.
Jujutsuheiho
1. Most people have no idea of how striking actually works.
2. I never said training grappling wasn't important.
3. Circling and out maneuvering your opponent sets up counter strikes. Do you know what a drop step is?
And in my experience if you want to avoid the clinch you need to step up your footwork. If they can't catch you they can't grab you. With that being said, sometimes it is unavoidable and you need to be prepared to clinch up but footwork definitely helps especially if there's multiple attackers.
-Muay Thai student.
Excellent comments about the drawbacks of grappling in a streetfight! Very real world practical.
Love it!!! Finally. I have been thinking this for years but almost nobody teaches this! In a real street fight you don't want to hit the ground. Stay open handed in defense and take out the legs as fast as possible, preferably with a knee strike. Plus, from a legal perspective, the open hand is what people will say they saw which looks like you are the victim not the aggressor. I'm also thinking, if there is space, let the guy chase you around swinging wildly and wearing himself out and then strike the legs. Most bad guys aren't in very good shape and get winded quickly. Also, I have no desire to dance around fighting a guy. I just want to incapacitate him as fast as possible, whatever that takes.
I must say your videos are the best videos on youtube on self defense that I've seen. I often watch a video of a fancy technique that is supposed to work and in my opinion the person instructing has no understanding whatsoever of a violent situation. I watch your videos and the complete opposite is true, it is evident that you nick have a very solid understanding of violence and self defense. I've been doing Krav Maga at a non-traditional gym for quite some time with a lot of focus on understanding the dynamic of violence, agression and 'fighting spirit'. Coming from a gym where we, contrary to most krav-gyms, palm strike and actually use about 30 techniques in total - I feel completely at home with your videos. I feel that many videos miss key elements of the fight wether it is the risk of additional opponents, psychology of the fight, stress or legal implications. You have it all covered however so keep up the good work!
I agree with your advice in this video as well - all of it is actually really basic for someone with an understanding of what a violent situation is like yet there are a hundreds of videos on youtube on how to take down a "larger opponent" with your ki-energy and a roundhouse kick.
For the most part I couldn't agree more, thanks for sharing.
Yeah, Nick is pretty good at this stuff.
Nice bro..its really great to know info about skills that can help you out in real life situation..i myself is an gold medalist of martial art but as i work in jail..lots of riots n fight ive been thru i can say ur really right skills in ring n street are very much deffernt...hope u do other vid..thanks
Every week I post new videos, thanks for watching!
Self-defense is not that simple. A fight is a very complex phenomenon. There is a universe of factors that determine who wins a fight, tecniques are just one part of it. The "best" and the "worst" self-defense moves you can use depend entirely on the characteristics of the scenario your encountering.
Totally agree, Nick.
What i have found in street fights is if you dont end them fast you run the risk of outside help for the person you are fighting. This to me, that is dangerous. End it fast, whatever your personal means are and be done...Face(uppper strike) torso(low strike) and then the "kill shot" for lack of a better word. Upper strike and then a lower distracts the person while you move in for the next strike. Brain cant think about two things at once like that..Pain compliance in a street fight one on one works but other than that you could have the guy wrapped up like a pretzel and ole buddy may jump in. Also, you never know the skill level of the person you are fighting.
*****
Actually its Courtney lol
Im female, I know its hard to tell by my YT name. Just wanted to clarify.
*****
LOL, Its ok. You also
Disagree with no:2 , if you can grab a drunk guy and slam him to the floor quick and good, he ain't gonna get up too quick and then you are free to work on his mates.
1madaboutguitar True and 9\10th of the times your friends will take care of your opponents mates
1madaboutguitar Also, I was in wrestling. If I'm gonna take a guy down, he's gonna get slammed, really fucking hard.
ToddIngram1000 Exactly. You could kill someone in a street situation.
1madaboutguitar I'm cool with that
ToddIngram1000 You badass Ha Ha
As a former TKD instructor, I agree that high kicks (to head) shouldn`t be used if you`re not trained for them but I can kick faster to the head than most can punch and would not hesitate to use the technique if I saw an opening. Also, you can keep your distance while striking and this is effective against ground fighters who just want to ground & pound. There are many techniques but I would never rule out a head kick if your flexibility allows you too do it safely and you are trained for fast high kicks.
The other thing is when you are up against the multiple attackers like 2 or 3 on one scenario which seems to be more and more common today. You can try and punch them out one by one but that means you`ll be throwing 3 times more punches and will be much more fatigued which is something you can afford. Also, when you`re punching one, you can be sure there are the others that are trying to get at you too. A nice fast kick to the head (which doesn`t have to be very hard) will bring down almost anyone. Once one of them is down, you have less attackers to deal with and it also acts as a warning and deterent to the others who might want to try their luck.
The other benefit of head kicks is that most won`t expect it to the head. Most street fighters are not flexable and most do low kicks. They also expect this from people they attack. A very effective move is to look at the body as you send your leg for the kick to the head. This distraction is like a feint and makes the attacker believe that it`s a body kick and they often brace themselves for it or try to block it. I have used this in competition against trained fights and it works but you feint has to be real. Also, if they buy your feint to the body, they often will try to block it if you close the gap just slightly before sending it out. When they do that they reach down and their face comes forward right into your kick which adds to the impact.
The head kick can also be combined with a front kick feint before followed in the same motion with the roundhouse kick to the head sort of like tracing out a question mark in the trajectory. - ? - but all in one movement. There is a pivot on the ball of the foot that takes place at the moment you change direction and move up to the head, leaning back slightly.
I would also kick for the head. As someone from a soccer bacground that plays and practices kicking/juggling soccer balls and medicine balls in Jeans with ankle weights. I would simply pretend the attackers head is a ball and let instinct/reflex take it from there.
That could work. Be aware of the surface you`re kicking from, make sure you have good traction. But also very important, if you don`t have the flexibility, the leg you`re standing will be pulled out from under you if you kick higher than your flexibility allows sending you right on your butt.
+Tae Ken Do In my experience dealing with TKD guys, those head kicks tend to not be as effective against someone maintaining a high guard, such as a guy who thinks he's gonna box it out with the TKD guy. I've seen TKD get caught be other martial artists and the TKD guy was kinda screwed. When they do land, though, someone's getting wrecked.
Head kicks are rarely expected and very low kicks, i.e. to the knee are hard to block. But if you want to see high kicks in action against worthy opponents, check out a few MMA fights and you'll see just how effective they are. You can battle it out pound for pound, blow for blow against someone but one nicely placed kick to the head which doesn't even have to be strong and the fights over.
So much for High Guarding block..loll
hey Nick , when are you releasing a dvd ?? I would love to buy it man !!
May it be just my opinion but:
1st. I would agree. Unless one is a really good Tae kwon do fighter, I believe he can use high kicks effectively and take some level of risk.
2nd. True, unless one is a really good grapler and obstacles are surely 1 vs 1 (nobody else around), then grapler could use his skills as advantage.
3rd. same thing as with grappling (2nd one). if you are really alone with only your opponent around and you can choke him or break his arm - do it.
anyway, in general, good points.
It sounds like #2 and #3 are highly dependent on whether there are multiple possible adversaries. A 'club' scenario or working as a doorman, I agree. If it's a one on one situation, or if *you* have friends available to help, I could see using wrestling or submission hold on a lone attacker. Context and variables need to be considered, but these are generally good 'rules' to follow.
John Smith, lol, you reminded me of a very simple story. One night while driving in my van I heard a loud thud on the side doors. Long story short, it was my neighborhood nemesis throwing a rock at my van. I stopped, he approached a willing combatant. Finally it was "Go Time" And then, my 4 Friends jumped out of the back. The Fear in his eyes told me, Not Tonight. I already had an enormous psychological advantage. The day did come when we fought, after about 2 grueling minutes he hit me with an over hand right that sent me to my knees. When I felt his hand slam down on my shoulder I thought I was Fucked, But he yanked me to me feet and walked away. A week later we were pals.
The guy brings up a good point over and over in this video. Most people assume a "fight" take place in 1 vs. 1 situation. The reality is that during most drunken fights, someone always has a wingman, buddy, or friend willing to join in the fracas. Most self defense videos (or seminars) ignore this fact.
If I gotta defend myself, I'm a toe to toe guy with low hard kicks to the soft part of the knee & the shin always watching out if he's brought company or for those looking for trouble for the kicks of it. Usually the one that doesn't know how to fight, knows they are losing, try desperate measures like trying to weak wrestle or swing widly with hay makers & I let them tire themselves out, dodging as much as I can then finish them off when the chance arises. I agree with you wholeheartedly on this Nick & thank you for sharing, peace!!
all of this makes sense...
Thanks for the video man. I share them with all of my friends
the absolute best self defense when street fighting is to learn to not fight and walk away with nobody getting hurt, having been in prison for the better of 10 years i can tell you this, your footing is vital and never offer your back to someone who wants to hurt you, never get on the floor willingly, only fight when you have the advantage. preferably with your back to a wall in an enclosed area. one man can fight 10 people if you can manage it all one on one cause your in some kind of corridor but its not the amount of skill you or i possess its your ability to recognize a situation developing before its physical and maneuvering your way out of it peacefully
finally someone gets it
Nice honest perspective. After years of traditional and MMA style training I've all but given up anything that isn't simple practical and effective for any terrain or physical ability.
i like your videos. It's great to see practical, real life examples.
I agree with 2/3rd's of this.
High kicks: Can end a fight easy, but you're screwed if you slip.
Takedowns: Only safe when you can remain standing throughout the technique(i.e. Judo).
Grappling: Very important in a street fight, but not looked for. Jiu-Jitsu in a street fight is to get back to your feet by sweep or submission.
Punching: Knuckles are better for digging into soft surfaces and palms are better for hard ones.
What do you think, *****?
***** What technique would that be? For Greco, I can think of suplex, seoi nage, hip toss.. These are not your go to attacks for multiple people.
Osoto gari is easy to set up, foot sweeps work well with the Thai clinch and uchi mata is 2 tons of force if the opportunity is right. Suplex all day for 1 on 1 though.
Ah. I misinterpreted what you meant by "upper body throws". My grappling coach has us training Greco lately, so I thought that's what you meant.
***** I prefer Judo throws, but they're less effective without a gi. That being said, if someone's wearing/wielding a weapon, why not use it against them?
***** You should work on translating the grips, not that I'm an expert.
Uchi mata: Over/under
De ashi barai: "Sloth" grip/under
Drop Seoi: Arm drag positioning
etc
Some real good points here, especially trying to grapple and go to ground and submit, I've seen this too many times in bars/clubs. Young lads seen UFC/Pride once too many times and think thats how you defend and its absolutely true that your open to attack, your in an uncontrolled environment and it only takes a sneaky kick or punch when your on the ground or going to ground and your in serious trouble! Thanks Nick appreciate you keeping this honest as always, and not promoting violent reaction. Much love brother.
Great video very accurate. I teach my students many of the same things. The advice against the ground fighting is very spot on.
I believe these are very good points to be aware of,, you never know who is going come to their friend's aid,, be aware of your environment (space, people watching, anything that can be used as a weapon) - street survival isn't about looking like Jackie Chan, it's being the one who gets to walk away.. Most inexperienced fighters will exude their energy in the first few seconds, if I have room, I make them have hard time landing anything.. And Nick is correct, if they in the beginning are full of energy, wrestling isn't the best strategy, however, when they are tired a good well balanced choke hold can end it quickly. #1 thing, know your environment to be able to assess better what strategy will work best for you in that particular situation, and always keep focused. We NEVER look for a street fight to happen, but with trained strategy we are always prepared for it when it does. Thank you for the great tips Nick.
This was something I had been slowly coming around to: that high kicks are for movies, or competitions where you aren't wearing jeans ! A wise Japanese martial artist felt the same way about grappling. He said he teaches arm locks and chokes, but felt it's useless against 2 attackers on the street, and so he teaches punches and kicks as well. You're so right, open hand can be devastating , and is safer for you. Great advice
I just discovered your videos. Great stuff. Very common sense information that a lot of people don't teach. Nice work. Keep putting it out there to balance the macho bs that others want folks to know. Thanks
Hey Nick, I've been watching a lot of your videos lately. I think they are great and I thank you very much for putting these up. I find you to be a very smart man. With that being said I just have a question for this video. You said that Grappling is not a good idea in a fight and I totally understand why you would say that it's completely logical. Now my question to you is what do you do if you are fighting your opponent but the stand up isn't going your way? What would you recommend for that?
Great advice regarding the open palm offense, busting nuckles is the worst thing that can happen in a fight.
totally agree
I have seen and been involved in incidents where people have wasted time with these type of moves.. he is spot on .. I've practiced aikido / jujitsu for 23 yes. worked as a prison officer for 10. in group attacks body movement and strikes . are the only thing that works .all self defense should be viewed as if there is more than one attacker even if you can't see them. good solid atemi. .don't trade blows be accurate and get out of there. this is great advice from this guy.
Thanks Ian
Nick, thanks for the vid, and info. Just wanted to share a comment you can probably relate to. When I was a young traditional martial artist, I hated open hand techniques. I always wanted to use my boxing, my fist. Older belts told me just wait the more training and real life situations you're in the more open handed you'll become. You'll be even more comfortable with open hand strikes, grabs, and controlling the opposition. Your vid and commentary is right on. Oss
great video! As an analogy for your last point, an instructor once told me "punching to the skull is like hammering a nail in with a small animal, it probably won't work, and a lot of small bones are going to get broken"
All that makes sense. I talked to a former bouncer once and asked him about going to the ground; he told me staying upright made you just as vulnerable to being attacked by other persons and that you should therefore take the risk.What do you think?
7Flafleur He's probably a wrestling apologist who probably saw that as a threat to what he trains for. You should ask him more specific why does it make you equally as vulnerable because the fact is it doesn't as Nick pointed out his friends can easily kick your head in as your busy wrestling with him.
Macht Sinn!
7Flafleur My dad was a bouncer for 10+ years in different clubs around the UK, he said you would be surprised how often when things kick off bouncers run away or hide in the toilets.
A lot of bouncers are just there for show, I personally wouldn't take that advice.
Me personally I avoid going to the ground if at all possible. From my personal experience I had a guy about 3 times my size try attacking me. He picked me up slammed the crap out of me. I managed to get his back and actually almost choked him to death at the same time he had a group of thugs behind him trying to attack my best friend. My friend who's a major wrestler and brawler style started one hitter quitter 4 people took a fifth to the ground and knee dudes face bloody. All this frighting over someone accusing my friend and I for stealing $20. My point is if my friend wasn't there I would of gotten the shit kicked out of me cause I was choking dude but was heavy I was pinned between the ground and him and couldn't get out after he passed out.
+7Flafleur IN my humble opinion, it all depends on where the fight take you. You could be standing one second, and then two guys rush you and BAM!....you're on the ground.
Best thing in my experience and aging wisdom is not put yourself in that type situation. Yes, I know, easier said than done.
Sound advise. Always better to stay upright and get out. Especially if you have prior injuries(cervical spine surgery) that will put you at risk of possible paralysis if engaged in grappling.
Great stuff, with very limited fighting background I can still tell this makes complete sense considering what can happen in real life vs a movie
Nick, it's possible to use punches in a street fight without breaking
the hands? I asked my muay thai master about it and he said that it is
possible, all depends the way you hit,
someones face. He fought in the streets and he said that.
What do you think about it?
+Shadowmaker My humble opinion, it all depends on the person. I have hit many guys in the face without ever breaking my hands. However, my buddy....years and years ago, broke one of his almost every time he got into a fight. I guess it all depends on your bone structure.
@Nick Drossos hey nick! nice video again! but i've got a question about your no-takedown-rule: if you are able to execute a throw fast and without loosing balance, is it also a bad thing? i mean, yes, it requires lots of experience to do this, but WHEN your skills are good enough....? and what do you think about shielding? because in clinch, you can also move the attacker between you and other agressors....
I'm looking forward for an answer from you and I wish you a nice weekend!
sorry for my bad english skills ;)
Hi no if you have judo or grappling training and have the execution to pull it off and find the opportunity go for it. Just be careful you don't get tangle up with him and make it in a wresting fight on the ground.
Nick Drossos thank you for the answer! good evening!
Something I heard a long time ago is to hit hard things with soft things and soft things with hard things. So that means open palm style attacks for the head and other boney areas to apply high energy transfer with little impact to you and fist/elbow/knee to stomach and possibly chest to cause hard high impact with no injury to you. This is also good way to avoid accidentally punching an elbow or top half of the skull when people tuck in. This is not 100% rule because elbows work great when you are in really close quarters but generally good idea.
Anyone that has spent more time on the concrete than the mats will say this is video is great advice.
Nick i wanted to know do you personally always use open hand in fights?
I really enjoy your videos Nick, they are full of good information. I too have been kicked in the head while grappling on the ground by the persons friend and have sprained my had from hitting someone in the head. I now try to go with the concept of "Hard" weapons against soft targets and "soft" weapons against hard targets.
While I am inclined to agree with the majority of what he said, I believe that depending on your level of experience high kicks (mostly to the mid torso) are completely viable - also depending on the situation. Being a 3rd dan in tkd and was state level wrestler as well as being well versed in old crav and a little club bjj I can say from from experience that if there are multiple guys then what this man said is right imo. Ive only been in 2 non sanctioned fights and the one on one was won by a swift side kick to the liver area, the other was with 2 men was a bit more difficult - grappling was out of the question. Was one with mostly open hand and mid torso kicks . They ran away.... be aware most of the time you wont win by ko, they usually run. That being said its always a good idea to run rather than fight to live another day but dont turn your back...... goodluck and stay safe
What is faster and harder to see coming? A kick or a punch?
If the enemy did happen to grab your punch what is the chances that he pulls you over onto your ass straight away? Compare that to the ease of catching a kick to midsection and then unbalancing you to fall. But hey, don'y let me stop you kicking high,TKD fan... it gives us realists a good laugh!
Whats faster and harder to see coming? Well for me, having a quick, powerful, accurate kick in your arsenal will give you a large advantage. I have yet to have a kick caught and have had blocked kicks do enough damage to end or put down a fight. Im not advocating for the stuff you see on tv with TKD - thats not the real, traditional tkd. You can block or catch my fot all you like but when you have 2000+ foot lbs of force coming straight at you there will be broken bones and ruptured organs. But thats just my opinion, im not going to tell you what to do - stay humble bud
Too busy to reply fully right now but things to occur to me, such as: do you kick harder than UFC fighters? Pro Thaiboxers? They get their kicks caught all the time.Your power only appears at the focus point... if you get rushed the shot is blocked before you get full power.
Now I grant you a fast and hard kick to the guts can finish a fight but it is risk without perfect balance... kicks to the head are best left for 1 on 1 fights by legendary hard men like Terry O'Neill. Kicking to the head is just crazy.
Against someone freaking out on you you get one chance to kick him back... if you fail to hold him back he will be on you and no more TKD kicking, just knees, as the range is closed. Then he grabs you and it is all over.
Krav is OKish but not the best.
Do you see bouncers use high kicks? No.
thanks for the reply in spite of your lack of time, i enjoy discussing such things. Anyways, you can't say bouncers do or dont use certain techniques bc they have a a different environment. I will say that my kicks are almost* on par with professionals or at least was 2 years ago when i went to nationals. There are many ways to put space in a fight. However i have only seen rare cases in kickboxing and mma where fulls have been caught. I will revise my earlier statement and say that a standoffish fight would incline kicks more, however if it is your training style and that is your strong suit - it well worth having in your pocket
Mike Granato My pleasure, Mike.
Well bouncers do have a different environment to some people, some of the time, and different "rules", but really, in the street or in bar or club, wanting to end the confrontation with the minimum of time, effort, pain, injury and legal and illegal consequences, is exactly the some for everyone rational.
I dunno what Thai boxing you have been watching but I have watched quite a few of the best and the average and they both catch kicks to the ribs frequently.
Don't get me wrong, middle level and higher kicks do have their place, can be used with great success and in some cases, such as defending against a cutting or stabbing weapon, I recommend them. It just that, in agreement with 99.99% of veteran authorities on selfdefence, they are not recommended generallly since they are risky. The probability of ending up on you ass, where he will kick you and you don't get up again, maybe EVER... goes up up up if you kick at waist height or higher. The really good [like yourself] might get away with it... but why take the risk? Plenty of guys have been winning fights only to throw it all away and get stomped when their "finisher" high kick gets grabbed or they simply slip or trip and over they they go to the concrete.
Real selfdefence experts do not high kick. They can... but they don't.
As for a "standoffish" fight.. what is that? A real fight? If he is not closing to punch or grab it is not a real fight. Just walk away. If he tries to kick just counter and/or close to throw him off balance and finish him.
My [deeply researched] two cents.
You are very informative and I agree about punching open handed because I did bust my knuckle on my right hand two times. As far as grappling I'm a grappler I love it but I did have a experiment with that and taking it to the ground at the wrong time can be bad for you
Great stuff man. Keep it up.
General rule of thumb: attack soft targets with a hard fist, attack hard targets with open hands. Punching works well against the stomach, floating ribs, kidney, etc, but as Nick states you're gonna break a knuckle or two with a full-force punch to the skull or a joint. Palming someone in the face or parrying a fist/elbow will work in your favour however.
Having a lot of real life experience with street fights, I concur with professor Nick!
Nice job bro keep doing it, after watching this video i noticed that my way of fighting wasn't that good i used to kick with my less the upper body.
Sound advice. I'll add, if you're trained to strike with your knuckles, then punching to the head makes sense because of the possibility of stun/knock-out. If you watch street fight videos you can see many end with a knock-out. The only way that happens (without going to the ground and choking out your attacker) is a strike to the head, so punching to the head increases your chances of ending the fight. Training for this includes knuckle pushups (on cement) and makiwara, not bag training. Kicking to the groin is a great technique, but it's not as easy as it looks.
As far as grappling/ground fighting and self defense. I think it depends on the situation.
You have to know which situations grappling or ground fighting will be useful. Against more than one attacker you should avoid deliberately taking the fight to the ground. But the attack could end up on the ground anyway. Here you need to use grappling reversals to get back to your feet.
If dealing with a stronger attacker and it's a clear one on one situation then grappling and ground fighting can be useful because by keeping the fight in grappling range you reduce a stronger attacker's striking power while working for a submission.
Again it all comes down to applying the right skills for the situation.
fantastic Video. I only teach front kicks, and maybe a side kick, but to only the ones that are advanced.
Apart from the fact I do not agree (I think it all depends on your skills and on the situation), I'd like to point out your opponent in a street fight will probably try to wrestle and punch, and if he smashes you to the ground, you'd better be a good grappler. However we would recommend Nick Drossos not to try to "high kick" in a street fight indeed, considering how he does it.
"... and try to pull a kick this high..." LOL dude, you kicked a hip. So yeah, to avoid isolated middle kicks, that's obvious. But if you can do it, there's nothing more effective than a good high kick on the temple or the jaw. Not everyone can do it though. There is only one "worst self defense move" : the move you do without skill.
he's not saying you shouldn't do high kicks because they involve a lot of skill. he's saying don't do them because there's more of a chance of getting taken down or falling when kicking and the ground isn't a place you want to be.
Did Nick say you do not need grappling skill? No, he did not. He is saying that these strategies, high kicks, grappling, should not be your first go to defenses or attacks rather. How can you not agree with that when everything he suggested is much faster and safer. I have one of the best high, powerful and fastest kicks around, I can break four hanging boards with a side kick, yet in the street I would not kick higher than the groin.
Sebastian, you need to realize Nick is speaking in Very General terms, the most basic of situations. If you want to get into specifics, the possibilities are Endless. Lets use Me as an example. First of all I am The most bad ass person,..... In The Kitchen. But "I" would never throw a kick at anyone in a street fight where I am not guaranteed a similar sized opponent because I'm 5 foot 5. I would Over Commit. I'm willing to bet I could throw a kick at you and I would come up short by about 8 inches, lol.
Finally someone who has a lot of knowledge! In mantis kung fu you never ever do high kicks.The most kicks are going to the groin, the knees or the legs....
You hit the nail right on the head, so so True! We have always told our students Not to strike with your fist. Use the palm strike, so much stronger. We also gave the Tyson example. Well Done
I look your videos since many years I saw how you gettin older I grew up with you. Thx Nick you are a awsome guy.
Great video Nick.
I agree with the lowkicks, open hand strikes, wrestling (because of energy) completely, the grappling thing is entirely situational. If I'm in the middle of no where (clear vision of wide open space) with no one else around then I would grapple, if I was in a club or somewhere where another assailant could come from nowhere then I would not. If you drill grappling then you should know how fast you can get an untrained opponent in to a compromising situation. My logic behind this is anyone can land a lucky punch and knock you out, you hit your head and the floor the wrong way and that's your life gone. If you're in a situation where you're 99% sure it's one on one why not grapple to be safe and remove that risk? Most people know how to through a punch a lot less know how to grapple.
Very true about the open hand or palm strikes vs punching , I do boxing but would use palm strikes at the head as wouldn't want a broken hand outcome , plus open hand you could put all your body weight behind it... good vid!
this actually makes sense. thanks for the video!
I certainly agree you do not want to go to the ground as you are dead right a second or third person will attack you when your helpless on the ground with assailant one. Also agree no closed fist striking to the hard bones of the head. As bouncer I saw both these mistakes made repeatedly. Your video is right on!
I saw another guy arguing for closed hand punching so I guess it depends.I like the open hand fighting better for striking at the head area but like you said maybe closed hand punching to the body and lower areas. love these videos ,i have learned so much.
David Holcomb when have you used open hand in the street as opposed to closed? be honest? ever?
momentum I admit my instincts lead me toward closed hand punching in a street fight but I still believe the open hand allows for better movement and overall technique but your point is well taken.
thing about open palm is, it does 0 damage....like unless you hit the hose, or the jaw, it just doesn't hurt. a punch hurts fukn anywhere. i really think if you actually condition your knuckles, and know how to punch, its not breaking, as long as you hit their face and not the top of the skull. some martial arts teach hand conditioning, and its a pretty wise thing to do.
Nizz 0matic Yea if you punch to the soft part of the face closed hands are probably okay.In a street fight though it can be chaotic and I would rather have by hands open for potential grappling situations and besides you can always close your hand when you have an accurate straight punch lined up.
Excellent concepts.also try to avoid walking into or engaging an attacker head on.if possible move to the side of them or better retreat.if they respond you'll find they open up and break their attacking stance or posture.
Great video. You have a new subscriber.
Nick, Thanks for the important lesson.
Just want to say like always, love the vid. I practiced in boxing, Japanese, Chinesse, even military martial arts, but primarily...I'm street. I remember getting into a fight with a black belt and me catching that leg. I learned from my leg getting caught in a fight trying to kick. Your vids are alway educational in inspiring. Don't ever stop. Thanks for helping me improve my skill set.
Always
I counted 4 moves... but whatever. Still a great video, especially with the high kicks tip. I've actually witnessed a Tae Kwon Do guy who got into a confrontation and who was dominating the entire time throw a high kick to finish the other guy off. When he did, the other guy grabbed his foot in a panic and ended up taking his assailant down, and the first guy's head hit the concrete. I didn't know either guy very well, but it ended pretty bad for the guy who threw the high kick.
Anyways, great video. Breath of fresh air from all of the theoretical "Step 1, Step 2, Step 3" nonsense you usually see on RUclips. Keep doing what you're doing.
Nice. Although it would be more accurate to say that these are 3 of the best moves...to avoid. ;~) The one I see a lot on videos is where guys lose their cool and just start swinging wildly with lots of crazy wild adrenaline fueled strikes, most of which miss. So my 4th one or 3rd one if you put grappling and trying submissions into one category would be "Losing your cool and swinging wildly". Keep up the good work Nick.
I agree with the headkick comments to a degree. To me, it's situational. You definitely don't want to open up with a head kick, but with proper set up, I believe a high kick can be effective to a degree if utilized properly.
Thank you very much, I had no idea that a full force punch on someone's face could actually make handicap for a time. thnx for the knowledge, I will try to practice with open hands now!
Very great advice! I would not do any of those either. Especially bringing the fight to the ground, very bad idea.
My minor and humble opinion...Mr. Drossos, I don't think you're trying to establish which is better, ground or standing...instead I believe that you're making a point about Situational Awareness, and understanding that what works well against a single opponent might just open up a whole new can of trouble against multiple opponents. When it hits the fan, style, form, where and how you trained, none of that matters. It's whatever you have to do, in that moment, to not become a victim. On a personal note, I really like your channel, and thank you for some excellent information.
For MMA, I think I have found the perfect trifecta to train in, tell me what you think.
Muay Thai - Kicks and strikes
Judo - Standing takedowns
BJJ - Ground work
lolipoppification Well, I reinvented the wheel eh? How genius of me. lol
***** Well I don't think weapons are allowed in the MMA, but for the streets that would be good.
I totally agree with you. And I'm talking from real fight experience. I am a black belt in tea kwon do and I thought why not give my opponent on the street a kick above the belt(that's why we're taught to do in teakwondo) and my opponent grabbed my leg and took me down and beat me up.
Another fight mistake I made in another fight was to try to wrestle with my opponent on the ground, I was winning the fight but right then my opponent's friend comes in and kicks me in the head and they both take turns beating the crap out of me after that. After learning from these mistakes I have learnt to never kick above the belt area in a real street fight. the lower the kick the better and never ever try to wrestle with your opponent. Always stay on your feet
You should have practiced more. I have done Tkd and I kicked people above my head hight without once getting caught or falling over once I was decent enough. In a street fight.
GoingMLMPro_Ian
hey tough guy, dont brag about kicking little girls on the street
+Carlito Brigante lolz
I can't disagree with any of that, but the point should be made that most people, where you have more fight skill than them, will try to grapple and it's a lot easier, once grappling has begun to maintain it, than it is to break it, because they're going to grip you with their arms and legs looking to isolate a weak member at the first opportunity. If they isolate some part of you with their arms or legs, it'll take powerful action to get out. Generally grappling starts at the fingers but moves swiftly to multiple limb strength isolation. So it should be said that almost every fight will at some point be rendered to a grappling match and that keen effort to regain mobility swift is then top priority in any fight that might risk chaos. Point being, exactly what you're trying to avoid in the fight is exactly where it's most likely to end up. So, where grappling is the best thing you have to defeat what your opponent is doing to you, looking to judo throw or otherwise bash your opponents grip off you, you are at a disadvantage to have it in your mind to avoid grappling, as it will swiftly become what you're doing, to no conscious effort of your own. Then you'd have been best to sprawl, but fighting striking and missed the palm strike or punch you intended because your opponent was on you with a grip charging in his grappling game shot past your guard. You're better off to recognize a moment before it becomes a grappling match, that it's definitely going there and respond appropriately, which you probably won't do, if you're practicing with a mind to AVOID certain fight styles. Instead you should train to be as effective in every fight style you practice, and be looking to use everything you know at the appropriate moment when it becomes your greatest applicable weapon in the fight situation you recognize you're caught in the midst.
You also ignore the value of the straight kick to blocking approach, which is key to establishing in your opponents mind an impassable barrier for which they suffer debilitating pain upon entry. The straight kick, on dry and clean pavement, is highly effective to the mid section and is devastating to the chin if you have such balance and bend and can be used as a means of first attack if your attacker is approaching from outside of striking range. If your opponent is at a dead stop just outside of striking range and they start at you, even if they're as fast as you, you can get your kick up swift enough to stop them with the kick force you build by squat lifts. That's easily the most devastating weapon which has the additional advantage of guaranteeing a nice closing distance from your target, that they will surely be back outside of striking distance to see if they're dumb enough to try to spring in on you again. The only way to go wrong with it is to get your foot grabbed, which is generally avoidable by a bunch of measures, starting off with a certainty to boot hard, to knock your charging opponent with a jostle hard enough to halt their attempt to grip your foot. Have an immediate power hand cross prepared to lob and an intention to step down hard hopping over top of your caught foot with all your weight and jumping in on top of your like sized opponent to knock balance. It's also possible to kick up at fingers or a knee first in swinging your front kick, that you batter your opponents hand out of use for grappling your foot as a pretext to the front kick. So the 1 move would be an attack on 4 fronts that you're swinging up a kick at a forward hand or near the forward knee possibly following through with that hit if it's looking quality, but otherwise putting the bulk of your force into an outward stomping motion straight front in to your aggressive opponent as they burst into striking range. Also you're attacking by finishing with a stomp through their attempt to isolate your up leg, if they stand their ground and you're attacking with a power hand cross punch which should put you directly into position for a muay thai clinch which can be used to batter and throw. So, where your objective in any sane fight should be to debilitate the perpetrator(s), and where your easiest means to debilitate their attacks is to establish a distance outside of the range of their weapons, and where they're limited to merely their own body as a weapon in the fight, to ignore the first weapon that should be used, which is your longest possible reach, the kick and ignore that your opponent has this weapon too, is not the smartest fight game I've ever heard expressed. Beyond that, high kicks to the face are right in a fight if your opponent is giving you that opportunity, like they've had no respect for your ability to kick high fast and they are dwelling in the area that makes your well balanced kicks easy, then definitely kicking them in the face is going to knock them out a lot faster than pummeling them with your bare knuckles. It's also going to be a lot less damaging to your body to kick with shod foot in defending yourself than if you break your knuckles trying to swing knock out blows to a dome piece. So, really it's not all 1 way and none of the other. You fight what's best given the opportunities you're seeing. Maybe you're up against somebody else who has a strong kicking component to their fight game and both parties are doing their best to stay at that distance where your opponent can swing a kick, but can't swing it in time to hit you before you move. That's where the kick match stale mates and without somebody making the stupid mistake of trying to get inside of kicking range, neither side can advance. That's what happens when you have equally skilled opponents square off, is the first to make the mistake of trying to get inside, is the 1 that looses.
Grappling does not give you the option to run away. Running away is always the best option for "self" defense. Of course if you are protecting a loved one you can't just run. But having the option to run is more valuable than having ground control. If a helper, police, security arrives you can get out of that situation as soon as possible and not let it turn into a hostage situation.
danielvincentkelley Advice from a mixed martial artist and Student instructor in a college level self defense course, I was always taught that in a self defense situation that it is best to stay on your feet and if the fight does get taken to the ground, instead of trying to wrestle or do some crazy BJJ techniques on your opponent, it is best to learn escapes from these grappling arts so that you can escape, get up, and now you have advantage over your opponent and are not as open to unexpected strikes from their friends or what have you. This makes the most sense to me but, to each their own, regardless I hope no one ever has to use the techniques they learn in the real world.
I've mounted people on their shoulders. My knees on their shoulders. Pinned. I can do that to anybody that's the least bit smaller than me, easily, regardless of what kind of shape they're in. If they're my size or bigger, I'd have to wear them down a bit first, frustrate their fight game, while scoring some key damage. I understand what you're saying, escape is a better option in my opinion, than what I see thrown down in the cage today, but there are competent grapplers that can put you in a position where you can't escape and they have an opportunity to make your body dysfunctional for how bad they bust your shoulder or your foot, or knee, or elbow, make you totally incapable of fighting them. Depending on how strong they are and how feckless you are, they can make that happen in a split second. So, where you're tasked to fight people under unknown circumstances, you never know if you're going to be in a real world fight with some body a lot bigger than you, or smaller than you, which though it's usually avoidable, sometimes smaller people are insistent on fighting you. They might be hot head Napoleon complex tough guys or they might be an idiot girlfriend jumping in a knife fight her boyfriend started. Whatever the reason you might be fighting bigger or smaller or grapplers or strikers or whoever you do benefit yourself, if you're the better fighter, to evade your opponent and to cost him dearly on his every approach. But there comes times in some fights where you're not controlling your doings, you're being controlled by some force and then it's a good idea to know what to do about it, because if all you know are escapes, but you get caught in a mount or a rear naked choke or an arm bar, especially by somebody who has plenty of time strengthening grip, and you don't know what to do about any of it, then you're wrecked. It's not something that most people endure, that people who are so skilled at fighting want to fight them. People would rather just carry a gun than get beat up like that half a dozen times. So, I guess that's what most people do, if they're at some considerable risk, is they'll arm against whatever are the likely risks. I've been targeted for vicious hostility compelled to defend myself unarmed against men with weapons, often times in gangs of attackers. So, I had to get good at everything, evasion is definitely key. But there were times when I'd be under an attacker who tackled me, but I caught him in a head lock. He'd have me pinned, but I'd trust the headlock to choke his fight gone and hold it just long enough to be up before his friend with the knife could get there, be elbowing the guy in the face right then and EVADING the new attacker. But if I hadn't caught that tackle in a head lock and taxed it for what it was worth, to be able to end with an elbow to his face, then the situation could have gotten a lot worse than it did. My first response in that situation was evasion proceeding immediately upon a guised threat of knife assault, which though turned into a gang knife attack. But the first moment the threat was issued, I was evading. I only fought when I became trapped and under fisticuffs attack in the hallway behind the locked front door, then the knife goon was in approach, I got the door open and dragged the guy who was attacking me onto the front porch and that's when the tackle happened. I tried to judo drag him and throw him, but he turned my throw into a tackle. So rather than fly off the porch, he tackled me into the next door and as we fell through that door I got him tight in a head lock and choked the fight out of him with torque on the tight head lock the first moment I hit the floor, I was wrenching with my whole body arch to snap his neck. He lived, and in pulling back trying to get out of the headlock he pulled me up to my feet where I elbowed him in the face and stepped out just as his friend was coming around the corner on to the porch with the knife, I descended the whole stairs in 2 leaps and those punks didn't bother to follow me to the street right there in front of the house where I got out my camera and began to tape the ongoings, had a little conversation with those pyschopaths about their being scum bags and then I left, walked away. There's some obituaries I should put in google alerts so I'll get a heads up to celebrate.
***** Boyscout? As if being a boyscout precludes any possibility that a person knows how to fight. Ridiculous. Beyond that, I was never in the boyscouts. In my youth I was in the Air Force Auxilliary.
Being a martial artist for 20 years your advice is spot on. I’ve seen mma guys shoot a guys’ leg only to be hit with a beer bottle of his friends’. I teach my students to stay on their feet no matter what. Good job.
Wow, Nick....I've experienced the Black Karate Federation teachings, being the same thing your speaking of now. Logically sound, Sir! I can see why those who branch out of being stale (stuck in tradition so-to-speak) seem to have interesting opposition. Keep up the good work. Those knife (vid's) you've done is real talk too!!!! Peace
Φυσικά και μας άρεσε το βιντεο ρε Έλληνάρα μας!!! :) .. Συνεχισε την καλή δουλειά φίλε μου!!!
Well done. I agree with all four of your points. I grew up in Chicago. No high kicks in the winter or rainy season. Ground fighting? You will get stomped to death. That's on the good side of town. In a cop bar 😀. So when I was taught my Uncle gave me those same rules. My little 5'8" narrow ass laughs at most of the stuff I see many moons later but props given. Very real. Good video 👍
the guy is spot on ,being a doorman, the worst thing that can happen is you hit the ground ,or in a street fight,there is always normally more than one person ,and the other guy will be more than happy to drive his boot in your head,,the guy is living in the real world happy he made this video with some real truths
Yeah, hi kicks are a major no. Wrestling is a big energy sapper unless you know BJJ but its just so risky with possible multiple attackers on the street, submissions are risky to. Thanks for this Nick! Open hand is possibly the best option, simple = survival.
Good video and some sound advice. I disagree with the wrestling thing as most fights end up with a few punches thrown then grabbing and on the floor. You may not instigate the grabbing or takedown but you have to be able to control it when it happens. If you don't get good at wrestling and clinching you may lose control of the fight very quickly.
Nick, great vid. Just that I would personally disagree on a few things. And I am judging from experience, not just what I learned either. I have been in confrontations where solid clinch and groundwork would have been a lot better than the "street stuff" I used back then. eg eye poking which did not work, believe it or not, on a mentally deranged guy who tried to fekken BITE !!! Good solid choke or T shirt choke would have taken that one outta comission ten times better. There were no "friends" involved at that time, so no mass attack, for which no single martial art or even fighting system could ever fully prepare you anyways. Fact is, it all depends on the situation. Also not every grappling and MMA oriented gym is a pure sports facility. People I trained with back in the day, who also worked the doors, mostly had a Muay Thai background, simply for brutal elbows and knees to end mass fights with raw force.
thank you man for this idea.
I like open hand and elbows to the face and neck... Damn good advice though (as usual). BTW the beard and the gray look goo on yah!
Thanks for keeping it real.
I appreciate your strategies. I personally consider prolonged proximity to the bad guy as very dangerous. I also consider intense focus on bad guys hands as essential.
you can hit with the closed fist if your knuckles are conditioned. everything below the forehead is good to hit. but yea, it's a personal choice, but you can hit with both the knuckles and the open palm, open palm is better if you don't know how to hit with your knuckles or they aren't conditioned.
Great Videos nick. I had good success with the front kick 1 time, and maybe this is body type dependent but felt it was a good option for me in the following situation I was in.
I wish there were more videos on how to defuse situations verbally, because you look like you are really good at it.
Anyway I dont consider myself skilled at anything martial arts related, at best im a weak and unathletic beginner, took kuk sool for a couple years when i was a child but really never used it in any of the few fights i was in during my lifetime, anyway I was in a 3rd world country about 10 years ago in a pool bar with some friends, and some local pool hustler kept bugging to play a money game with him, and after 5 or so times telling him NO we exchanged words from across the table (me sitting with my friends in my seat) so he started towards me after we had words and I jumped up from my seat but he had a pool stick in his hand, and while i cannot say for sure he was going to hit me with it, he was approaching in an agro manner so I had to assume the worst i think.
Anyway to keep my distance from the stick i font kicked him (while leaning my head back) and to my amazement all those stupid front/push kicks I practiced as a kid (the only kick i could have used with the layout of that bar) I planted it into his chest and he fell right on his ass. I'm a long legged skinny guy so the only kick i can actually throw well is the front kick, and maybe i would not have if he didn't have the pool stick in his hand. Anyway one thing is for sure, despite me having no recent training to analyze defense situations, something i hadnt done for 20 years worked perfectly.. I did take jui jitsu for 2 months as an adult (an awsome thing to learn, even just for a couple months to get the basics) because this guy got up off the ground and came at me again, witch i then did a primitive double let takedown and mount. Anyway I guess my point is that I cannot believe this stuff actually helped me because Im in such bad physical condition and practice nothing at all. Personally, i wish i had the personality and verbal skills so that i could have avoided it all together, because i feel its a skill i never learned very well and i'll stand up for myself in kind of an antagonizing manner, and get into verbal stuff when I could probably end up being friendly with the guy if I just had the social skills to defuse the situation, and that skill looks like something your very good at.
Ultimately, fighting is about awareness. The hit you don't see coming is the one that puts your lights out.
Yeah, being flashy like Jackie Chan doesn't work but we all know that. I got into a lot of fights in jr high. I know it's not the same as getting drunk, but leg kicks have helped me a lot in those days. I was taken down by a guy who outweighed me by 40 pounds in 8th grade. It was hard to get him off of me and thankfully nobody stepped in but my only option was to pull guard and lock in a guillotine choke until he was out. And no, I had no training in grappling just saw it in a Japanese pro wrestling match haha
Disagree strongly with the whole ground thing.... I myself am quite strong on the ground,once I start spinning around and around while kicking, I can't be stopped so easily. If I'm grabbed,I use the force of their pull and my kick to pull myself up, launch my arm at the same time and drive it into their torso. (If I used elbow or aimed at solar plexus/face,they could die,so no.) There's that,and if they try stomp, clamp your legs by swinging them over your head, use their leg to pull your head up and break it at the same time... etc... the possibilities become endless. Then again... I'm a counter-style fighter, so I am quite prepared to take hits while doing these.
Another good one
You don't have to go to the ground with grappling, you can just slam them and follow up with head kicks. If you're good in the clinch you can stop them from striking you effectively. And street fights are always circumstantial, friends who are willing to jump in aren't always present. Plus a clinch is a good way to pull them into a headbutt to the nose if they're wearing a thick coat that you can manipulate without it ripping. And if you condition your knuckles enough that won't happen, while I don't doubt the power of the palm strike as Bas Rutten used it very effectively it's not instinctual for some fighters because their style doesn't involve palm strikes so it's awkward for them to use it.
Most of his advice is based on potential multiple attackers . I agree on the high kick advice. Very dangerous when those go wrong.
But on his advice in general, If one is not trained and/or experienced in combat, and faces more then one opponent . Just swallow your pride and run. Beside the movies, a untrained (or even trained ) person does not win from multiple attackers. Second the 'Wrestling'. Depends what he means with that. I have seen guys trained in Judo, wrestling, jui juitsu, etc,etc taking down the best fistfighters. and smack them on the floor, or break their limbs.
In the end i think it all depends on skill. If one can not learn fighting from the internet. some good tricks yes.But fighting, if one does is not confident, better try to defuse the aggression, run, or if you are really cornered, strike first and then fight as dirty as you can.
Low kicks to the knees can be sinister. ;)
Agree 100% with everything you said. I have been in bar fights in my past and the last place I wanted to be was on the ground.
high/fancy kicks only work in movies.
Striking open handed.....if it goes to court, which it probably will now-a-days, the guy has to say that you slapped him....not punched him....makes him look like a pussy.
Thanks for the realistic vid
*****
I was...many years ago.....until I realized that there is always someone bigger, stronger and tougher..
real talk what I don't get about most traditional arts is when they are training you they never tell you in a street fight just because you fight fair doesn't mean your opponent will he will use weapons bite,poke at the eyes or kick you in the nuts teach students on how to defend against this in a real fight
MechanicalMartialArtist also makes you look like a pussy during the fight hahahaha