The Three Second Fight

By Sifu Stefan Fischer

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of street fights don’t end up on the ground but are decided within the first two seconds. Before I explain why, I’ll highlight, from personal experience, good reasons for avoiding the ground in a real street fight.

During my time as a bouncer in Germany, I frequently worked on special assignments. Club owners who were changing their clientèle or who experienced severe problems with minority groups, such as hooligans, pimps, certain ethnic groups or underworld figures, which the current door team had been unable to resolve, would hire my team to ‘clean up’ the club. We would move in, replace the regular team for a couple of months, and restore order.

The first few weeks of a new assignment, especially in cities where we were unknown, usually brought frequent physical confrontations with some of the more unwelcome ‘guests’. The majority of these people, most of whom had a violent history, would appear in groups. To end up on the ground in a fight with them would have proved extremely dangerous.

Not only would they have happily kicked our heads in without giving it a second thought, but the bystanders, who wouldn’t normally have dared to attack, knew that the odds were very much against us fighting back effectively, so would also have joined in. As a result, I endeavored to ensure I stayed off the ground during a fight while working these assignments. My overall success rate was good, with a fight ending up on the ground only five or six times during that period.

But back to street fights. To understand why most of them don’t end up on the ground, we have to analyze the different kinds of confrontations. We’ll start with the situation that is most unlikely to be encountered on the street, but interestingly, is the one that most martial artists spend much of their training time preparing for. This type of confrontation is what Geoff Thompson calls the ‘match fight’.

A match fight, where both parties agree to the confrontation, is often considered the most honorable of fights. The opponents have adequate time to shape up and, in many cases, even know each other. Match fights have much in common with full contact fights like UFC, IFL or other MMA bouts. The exceptions being that during competitions, opponents are assured that no other people will become involved, that neither wears solid shoes or carries weapons, that the floor is free of obstacles, that a set of rules, though very limited, applies, and that a referee will oversee the fight and ensure that nobody performs a step dance on the head of someone they’ve just knocked unconscious.

This kind of confrontation often ends up on the ground. The match fight as a street scenario, however, is largely a thing of the past. It is quite uncommon these days for opponents to walk out of a bar and fight, then shake hands and walk back into the for a drink together. Also, winning match fights on a regular basis takes a considerable amount of training, effort and dedicated preparation. The average street thug is rarely willing to take these measures and so does not consider the match fight a viable option.

Another type of confrontation is the so-called ambush or surprise knockout. An ambush occurs when the victim is unfamiliar with the immediate environment, is ‘switched off’ and not paying attention, or is unable to read the signs of impending trouble. Unfortunately, the first thing most people notice about an ambush is their opponent’s fist on their chin. Actually, an ambush can be easily avoided if you know the rules of awareness and violence prevention.

The most common, and arguably the most dangerous, of street confrontations is the ritual fight. ‘Fight’ is not really the correct expression, however, because in most cases the victim is not given a chance to fight back. This is the kind of confrontation that the majority of martial artists are ill prepared for.

The ritual fighter is commonly an experienced street fighter who uses deception and dialog to access the victim’s personal space. They then unleash a devastating physical attack on their unaware victim.

Many readers may have seen or even experienced such an unsolicited assault. It often starts with a cursory glance or an intended bump. The victim is then hostilely asked why they bumped into the attacker and the fight proceeds from there. While the method of deception and intimidation varies from thug to thug, the common ground they all share is that their attacks do not start with an announcement or at long range, as taught during sparring practice in martial arts schools around the world.

I witnessed an incident in Germany many years ago that illustrates how someone who is a tournament champion is not necessarily good on the street. The scenario unfolded in a Cologne pub after an argument erupted between a well-known, heavy weight, German kick boxing champion and a football hooligan. The hooligan had no martial arts experience and was only about half the size of the kick boxer. The bigger fellow suggested they ‘step outside’ to resolve the problem. The hooligan agreed and made a half-turn as if preparing to walk out. At the same time, however, he took a solid glass ashtray from the counter and slammed it into the kick boxer’s face for an instant knockout. The scars of this incident are still visible, yet if these men had fought in a ring, with rules and a referee, the hooligan would not have lasted one round.

Distraction and deception is an important part of a ritual fighter’s knockout pattern. The attacker might ask the victim a question just before initiating the attack or they might try to assure the victim that they don’t want to fight. They might offer to shake hands or even turn and walk away. If they feel the victim is not confident or is an easy target, they might try further intimidation or humiliation.

Many people who instigate ritual fights suffer low self-esteem, which they try to raise by knocking people out. For this reason, many ritual fighters are repeat offenders who often have a refined attack plan. This type of senseless violence has no reason. The victim just has to be unaware or in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On a lighter note, a fellow I knew quite well in Germany knocked out around 25 people, always using the same approach and a single head butt. He stopped his approach, however, after one of his ‘victims’ tried to do the same and it ended in a double knockout when their foreheads collided!

Although the ritual fighter relies heavily on the element of deception, martial artists do not have to be unprepared for this kind of attack.

The Special Forces’ use of these Wing Chun-based strategies and techniques in dealing with highly dangerous criminals, murders and terrorists, has provided an efficient and realistic avenue for further testing and improving these strategies for its usability under pressure.

The basic steps are summarised as follows:

1. Awareness. Get to know your opponent’s rituals. Learn to spot potential troublemakers and avoid them.
2. Know your own physical and mental reactions — adrenaline rush, for instance. Learn fear management.
3. Control the situation, without your opponent’s knowledge, through your position and footwork.
4. Master deescalating techniques and violence prevention.
5. As the last resort, use the knockout.

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By Sifu Stefan Fischer Contrary to popular belief, the majority of street fights don’t end up on the ground but are decided within the first two seconds. Before I explain why, I’ll highlight, from personal experience, good reasons for avoiding the ground in a real street fight. During my time as a bouncer in Germany, I frequently worked on special assignments. Club owners who were changing their clientèle or who experienced severe problems with minority groups, such as hooligans, pimps, certain ethnic groups or underworld figures, which the current door team had been unable to resolve, would hire my team to ‘clean up’ the club. We would move in, replace the regular team for a couple of months, and restore order. The first few weeks of a new assignment, especially in cities where we were unknown, usually brought frequent physical confrontations with some of the more unwelcome ‘guests’. The majority of these people, most of whom had a violent history, would appear in groups. To end up on the ground in a fight with them would have proved extremely dangerous. Not only would they have happily kicked our heads in without giving it a second thought, but the bystanders, who wouldn’t normally have dared to attack, knew that the odds were very much against us fighting back effectively, so would also have joined in. As a result, I endeavored to ensure I stayed off the ground during a fight while working these assignments. My overall success rate was good, with a fight ending up on the ground only five or six times during that period. But back to street fights. To understand why most of them don’t end up on the ground, we have to analyze the different kinds of confrontations. We’ll start with the situation that is most unlikely to be encountered on the street, but interestingly, is the one that most martial artists spend much of their training time preparing for. This type of confrontation is what Geoff Thompson calls the ‘match fight’. A match fight, where both parties agree to the confrontation, is often considered the most honorable of fights. The opponents have adequate time to shape up and, in many cases, even know each other. Match fights have much in common with full contact fights like UFC, IFL or other MMA bouts. The exceptions being that during competitions, opponents are assured that no other people will become involved, that neither wears solid shoes or carries weapons, that the floor is free of obstacles, that a set of rules, though very limited, applies, and that a referee will oversee the fight and ensure that nobody performs a step dance on the head of someone they’ve just knocked unconscious. This kind of confrontation often ends up on the ground. The match fight as a street scenario, however, is largely a thing of the past. It is quite uncommon these days for opponents to walk out of a bar and fight, then shake hands and walk back into the for a drink together. Also, winning match fights on a regular basis takes a considerable amount of training, effort and dedicated preparation. The average street thug is rarely willing to take these measures and so does not consider the match fight a viable option. Another type of confrontation is the so-called ambush or surprise knockout. An ambush occurs when the victim is unfamiliar with the immediate environment, is ‘switched off’ and not paying attention, or is unable to read the signs of impending trouble. Unfortunately, the first thing most people notice about an ambush is their opponent’s fist on their chin. Actually, an ambush can be easily avoided if you know the rules of awareness and violence prevention. The most common, and arguably the most dangerous, of street confrontations is the ritual fight. ‘Fight’ is not really the correct expression, however, because in most cases the victim is not given a chance to fight back. This is the kind of confrontation that the majority of martial artists are ill prepared for. The ritual fighter is commonly an experienced street fighter who uses deception and dialog to access the victim’s personal space. They then unleash a devastating physical attack on their unaware victim. Many readers may have seen or even experienced such an unsolicited assault. It often starts with a cursory glance or an intended bump. The victim is then hostilely asked why they bumped into the attacker and the fight proceeds from there. While the method of deception and intimidation varies from thug to thug, the common ground they all share is that their attacks do not start with an announcement or at long range, as taught during sparring practice in martial arts schools around the world. I witnessed an incident in Germany many years ago that illustrates how someone who is a tournament champion is not necessarily good on the street. The scenario unfolded in a Cologne pub after an argument erupted between a well-known, heavy weight, German kick boxing champion and a football hooligan. The hooligan had no martial arts experience and was only about half the size of the kick boxer. The bigger fellow suggested they ‘step outside’ to resolve the problem. The hooligan agreed and made a half-turn as if preparing to walk out. At the same time, however, he took a solid glass ashtray from the counter and slammed it into the kick boxer’s face for an instant knockout. The scars of this incident are still visible, yet if these men had fought in a ring, with rules and a referee, the hooligan would not have lasted one round. Distraction and deception is an important part of a ritual fighter’s knockout pattern. The attacker might ask the victim a question just before initiating the attack or they might try to assure the victim that they don’t want to fight. They might offer to shake hands or even turn and walk away. If they feel the victim is not confident or is an easy target, they might try further intimidation or humiliation. Many people who instigate ritual fights suffer low self-esteem, which they try to raise by knocking people out. For this reason, many ritual fighters are repeat offenders who often have a refined attack plan. This type of senseless violence has no reason. The victim just has to be unaware or in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a lighter note, a fellow I knew quite well in Germany knocked out around 25 people, always using the same approach and a single head butt. He stopped his approach, however, after one of his ‘victims’ tried to do the same and it ended in a double knockout when their foreheads collided! Although the ritual fighter relies heavily on the element of deception, martial artists do not have to be unprepared for this kind of attack. The Special Forces’ use of these Wing Chun-based strategies and techniques in dealing with highly dangerous criminals, murders and terrorists, has provided an efficient and realistic avenue for further testing and improving these strategies for its usability under pressure. The basic steps are summarised as follows: 1. Awareness. Get to know your opponent’s rituals. Learn to spot potential troublemakers and avoid them. 2. Know your own physical and mental reactions — adrenaline rush, for instance. Learn fear management. 3. Control the situation, without your opponent’s knowledge, through your position and footwork. 4. Master deescalating techniques and violence prevention. 5. As the last resort, use the knockout.