How is street fighting any different than Sports fighting?

A street fighter isn’t someone who has trained to fight. But, he is a person who has been in a number of fights and learns from each one. A street fighter has no rules to follow. When a street confrontation happens you have to worry about being jumped even if the fight started out one on one. You have to worry about the cement, tree’s, cars, glass on the ground, or any other items that may be used to injure you on the street. And in the streets its usually never one on one.
A streetfight is NEVER fair and usually over in moments. It’s brutal and sometimes can end in death depending on the situation. A street fighter isn’t worried about the law and going to jail when his life was on the line. Unlike many peace loving type of people (including some martial artists), a street fighter is prepared to fight at the drop of a dime because in the environment he lives in things happen very quicky and aggressively and he cannot afford to be “CAUGHT SLIPPIN”.

The method a street fighter uses to spar is “Slap Boxing.” It’s fun, but you’re also learning to work your skills out against a non compliant partner who is Slap Boxing you back. Take downs are included in slap boxing and sometimes grappling takes place on a basic street level. All in all he gets to learn how to move and react to FIGHTING. He tests out his skills in very real street fights…not organized hood fights but “hey neega, you just bumped into me and didn’t say excuse me” now they’re fighting in the middle of the streets stopping traffic.
In a bigger picture a street fighter has alot more to deal with than a sports fighter. And as i’ve mentioned, a street fight only lasts a minute or two tops. So the streetfighter is conditioned for quick spurts only.

The one MAJOR difference between a sports fighter and a street fighter is the sports fighters TRAINS TO FIGHT virtually every day and is conditioned to a higher level comapred to TMA. A Sports fighters game plan is refined and improved and has more of an arsonal than a street fighter does. Mainly because he TRAINS on a consistant level.

The only difference between a ring fight and a street fight is the obvious. Sports fighters wear cups, gloves, mouth guards, fight on matts, have more rules than a street fighter to follow, fight in rounds and conserve their energy so they fight at a slower pace, and we can’t forget the referee’s. Street fighers fight in the exact opposite manner. REGARDLESS, this does not negate the fact that both the street and the sports fighters ARE FIGHTERS. It’s just to what extent IMHO.

The Street side of me is heavily attracted to MMA fights because it is the closest thing you can get to raw out and out fighting. One side does it out of necessity and the other does it out of choice. One is disciplined one is not. One is more conditioned and the other is not. One is professionally trained and the other is not. It’s a HUGE difference between the two in regards to level and quality of fighting, but a street fighter isn’t called such for no reason either. Both are fighters.

But it’s also my opinion that a street fighter has an advantage out in the streets because of certain elements that MMA doesn’t experience. Like being jumped, or dealing with weapons, and stuff like that. But if you want to compare to two…Sports fighters are superior due to their training. But if you get a good street fighter off the streets and train him to be a sports fighter i believe HE will bring something to the ring more-so than someone who is a sports fighter but never had a street fight in his life before becoming a sports fighter. But, this is just my opinion.

Still, any kind of fighting is far better than those passive arse pushies who allow people to bully them, to assualt them and let it go unanswered, you know…those christian peoples. They always turn their cheek and offer up the other side of their face for us to smack! JK LOL.

But yeah! :smiley:

Sports fighting is for people who make good life decisions
And
Street fighting is for people who make bad life decisions

Sports fighters test their skills against competent skilled opponents
And
Street fighters fight the poorly trained, often impaired, and unaware they face a trained fighter

Sports fighter can legally find willing opponents in sanctioned events every couple of months
And
Street fighters who habitually engage in felonious assaults end up in jail.

Sports’ fighting is for people who make good life decisions
And
Street fighting is for people who make bad life decisions

Sports fighters test their skills against competent skilled opponents
And
Street fighters fight the poorly trained, often impaired, and unaware they face a trained fighter

Sports fighter can legally find willing opponents in sanctioned events every couple of months
And
Street fighters who habitually engage in felonious assaults end up in jail.

don’t hate. LOL…

[QUOTE=SanHeChuan;1058130]Sports fighting is for people who make good life decisions
And
Street fighting is for people who make bad life decisions

Sports fighters test their skills against competent skilled opponents
And
[I]Street fighters fight the poorly trained, often impaired, and unaware they face a trained fighter[/I].[/QUOTE]

um..that sounds like the right decision to me…

um..that sounds like the right decision to me…

lmao…

[QUOTE=TenTigers;1058133]um..that sounds like the right decision to me…[/QUOTE]

Sure if you don’t want to challenge yourselves and stagnate your development. :wink:

Sports fighters challenge themselves in safe, and controlled environment.
And
Street fighters can find themselves in a situation where their skills are not enough and die.

Sports fighting is an opportunity to regularly test your skills and seek self improvement.
And
Street fighting is an opportunity to put douche bags in their place by being a bigger douche bag.

Sports fighters are athletes.
And
Street fighters are criminals.

if you are a sportfighter attacked in the street, and defend yourself, guess what? You are now officially streetfighting.
I don’t think that automatically gives you douchebag cred.
Likewise, if you practice for self-defense, or for any other purpose, say, love of the art, whatever, and defend yourself,
again, no db cred.
Nobody’s arguing that training for sport-with contact and going outside the small fishbowl does not make for a more skilled fighter.
BTW-if you’re a douchebag, and a sportfighter…you’re still a douchebag.

Seems like lots of sport fighters also have street fighting backgrounds:

Probably why a majority of sport fighters got into it in the first place.

Yes street fighters who LOVE to fight eventually go into some kind of professional training. those who compete in sports fighting usually do better than the others in my opinion.

if you are a sportfighter attacked in the street, and defend yourself, guess what? You are now officially streetfighting.
I don’t think that automatically gives you douchebag cred.
Likewise, if you practice for self-defense, or for any other purpose, say, love of the art, whatever, and defend yourself,agin, no db cred.

hahahah “stay away from the streets man or your credibility as a sports fighters will be smudged man…bad for business.”

[QUOTE=TenTigers;1058139]if you are a sportfighter attacked in the street, and defend yourself, guess what? You are now officially streetfighting.
I don’t think that automatically gives you douchebag cred.
[/QUOTE]

How often do you get randomly attacked?

If it only happens a few times in your entire life it’s not a good or reliable training method.

If it happens every couple of months you make poor life decisions which in turn makes you a douche bag.

How often do you get randomly attacked?

If it only happens a few times in your entire life it’s not a good or reliable training method.

If it happens every couple of months you make poor life decisions which in turn makes you a douche bag.

ahhhhh the sound of spirituality! :smiley:

Would you encourage a student of yours to go out and fight people on the streets as a method of testing their skills?

Would you encourage a student of yours to go out and fight people on the streets as a method of testing their skills?

There’s nothing wrong with the street being a place to teach you to fight. Sports fighting is for who? Thugs? well…LOL…but seriously sports fighting is for athletes. Look at the average MMA guy compared to the average martial art guy. the MMA guy is far more physically conditioned than the average martial art guy.

to answer your question…my students learn martial arts because they know that they want to have better fighting skills to deal with people who can fight already. they’re not trying to MMA fighters but they want to be able to effectively protect their family and loved ones. And when you’re from the inner city fighting is a very very common thing. Inner city kids have to deal with alot of threats in the streets. So although i would prefer my students to safely test their skills at MMA or UFC levels, and this is where i’m gearing my students towards (sports fighting) the simple fact is that my students still have to protect themselves outside of the ring.

I don’t tell my students “hey, go out and beat someone up tonite or don’t come back”…no. But i do tell my students "if some dude walks up on you and you know you’re gonna have to fight this guy no matter what, then do you best and bring the fight to him. and if you lose the fight make him regret ever fighting you"

What i DO tell my students is protect yourself, your family, and if you have to our elderly folk or little children. all else isn’t your business. (few exceptions though like a guy beating on his woman in public.)

In another thread, almost universally people remarked that in reality they had had harder fights in the ring than on the street.

There’s just that element of risk…

In another thread, almost universally people remarked that in reality they had had harder fights in the ring than on the street.

There’s just that element of risk…

well that and the fact that you’re not in a rush to get the fight over as a street guy would be.

it’s funny, but I’ve actually had teachers who while understanding the moral issues, admitted that going out and testing your Gung-Fu was the best way.
But, I agree that the sportfighting that is available to us now is the best course of action.
I guess I was lucky. My Tang Soo Do instructor trained PKA fighters,and we had a few pro fighters in our school, so I was able to get regular beatings. But I also took jobs in security and at bars for the non-sport training.
in retrospect, working security for the Tower of Power concert promoted by the black student’s union might not have been the wisest of choices…

The missing link in MA training for many is pain. In itself, its an important lesson, and an efficient teacher.

Once you get past that milestone, the chaos abates a bit and you can really work technique.

[QUOTE=hskwarrior;1058152]There’s nothing wrong with the street being a place to teach you to fight. Sports fighting is for who? Thugs? well…LOL…but seriously sports fighting is for athletes. Look at the average MMA guy compared to the average martial art guy. the MMA guy is far more physically conditioned than the average martial art guy.

to answer your question…my students learn martial arts because they know that they want to have better fighting skills to deal with people who can fight already. they’re not trying to MMA fighters but they want to be able to effectively protect their family and loved ones. And when you’re from the inner city fighting is a very very common thing. Inner city kids have to deal with alot of threats in the streets. So although i would prefer my students to safely test their skills at MMA or UFC levels, and this is where i’m gearing my students towards (sports fighting) the simple fact is that my students still have to protect themselves outside of the ring.

I don’t tell my students “hey, go out and beat someone up tonite or don’t come back”…no. But i do tell my students "if some dude walks up on you and you know you’re gonna have to fight this guy no matter what, then do you best and bring the fight to him. and if you lose the fight make him regret ever fighting you"

What i DO tell my students is protect yourself, your family, and if you have to our elderly folk or little children. all else isn’t your business. (few exceptions though like a guy beating on his woman in public.)[/QUOTE]

Good post.

I would only point out that if there’s some guy beating his wife or gf in public, if you do choose to intervene, watch out. Chances are the woman will turn on you and back up her man.

Good post.

I would only point out that if there’s some guy beating his wife or gf in public, if you do choose to intervene, watch out. Chances are the woman will turn on you and back up her man.

true very true.