From: sworking@leland.Stanford.EDU (Scott Workinger)
Subject: Re: 2 questions.  Please read.
Keywords: stretching, sparring
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 92 21:24:59 GMT

In article <1992Apr10.193127.601@ll.mit.edu>, cynthia@ll.mit.edu (Cynthia Eldridge) writes:
|> 
|> In article <1299@hydra.bucknell.edu>, cammarta@bucknell.edu (aaron cammarata `93) writes:
|> |> 
|> |> 	 A couple of quick questions I'd like some opinions on:
|> |> 1)
|> |> 	In the unfortunate event that you're attacked, say on the street somewhere, and you're not stretched out, as you would be before and during training, how do you deal with it?  Obviously, kicks aren't going to be as high,
|> |> and the danger of a sprain or tear is much higher.  How do you cope?  Any special ideas out there?
|> 
|> 
|> Don't forget the effect of adrenaline.  It tends to make you
|> more flexible pretty quickly.  

Most important:  Take no prisoners.  I'm serious.  You're not in your
school with your friends all around you.  Don't hang back.  Once the
intention of your attackers is clear, escalate massively until you control
the situation.  Do not exclude any techniques because they're not nice
or not sporting (or not fatal).  This strategy won't make you any friends
but it just might keep you alive.  You might even be able to preserve
your good looks.  (Another part of a winning attitude is being able to
kick a-- after they've just ruined your good looks.)  The only people who 
can afford to do less, so outclass their opponents that they make them look 
like children.  Note also that history is replete with examples of 'masters' 
who were crippled or killed by people they thought were outclassed.

Another piece of advice:  Many modern systems don't provide good 
training for close fighting.  (I could mention a few but I don't want
to start any arguments.)  If you are practicing one of these (you be the
judge), you might consider supplementing your training with some infighting 
techniques. Don't count on being able to dance out of reach and do some fancy 
kicking. You may be too close to deliver even a straight arm punch.  As two 
examples of martial arts which do well with infighting I would recommend 
Praying Mantis and Wing Chun to your attention.  (Working out on a Wing Chun
dummy is a GREAT way to build up your striking power.  I know a Wing Chun 
master who can break the striking posts off a Wing Chun dummy as if they
were matchsticks, one right after another in less time than it takes to
read this.)

More about developing a winning attitude:  When you are doing your forms, 
imagine fighting people that are trying to hurt you and visualize where 
every strike is going.  If you`re serious about real world application of 
the martial arts then you need to realize that THE MARTIAL ARTS ARE NOT A 
SPORT.  When real martial artists fight, people get hurt.  They don't get 
up and enter the next tournament.

A last piece of advice:  the best way to win a fight is to not be where
it happens.  If you're trying to prove something, then you deserve
getting the living daylights kicked out of you every now and then, so go
ahead, go hang out in biker bars or wherever and act obnoxious.  Otherwise, 
you might as well act well mannered and associate with other well mannered
people.  Real martial artists have a sixth sense for trouble.  The wise
ones avoid it.