What Type of Fighter Are You?

[J]

I make cute puppy dog faces at the person to get him off balance while my husband sucker punches him from behind and takes him out.

[The Romulan Republic]

I would run and evade as long as possible. If cornered and forced to fight, I would fight dirty.

[Samuel]

Merely one among countless millions.

Remember when fighting that objects in the environment exist and that improvised weaponry is better than your bare hands. That is what I'd use.

[Broomstick]

Assuming I couldn't talk my way out of a fight, or run without having to fight, my chosen tactic would be to hit first once or twice and then run. Probably in mid sentence, once I'd decided that I wouldn't be able to avoid fighting, so "come I don't want any trou *bang* *runs*".

As much as I agree with this in principle, it's really fucking hard determining when you've done 'enough' damage to turn your back, more so when adrenaline runs high.

Nonsense. When they fall over and hit the ground screaming you've done enough damage.

More to the point, I have, unfortunately, been in serious, real fights. My strategy is always the same: hit them as hard as I can and run like hell. It worked all but one time, when my assailant first clubbed me from behind several times, and then some of said assailant's cohorts prevented me from running away. That sucked, but honestly I don't really remember much about it and the concussion sort of did a number on my memory around that particular event although Mingo's wife was a witness and remembers more about the details than I do.

I'm not a particularly large or strong person, and in fact people probably aren't expecting me to fight. Regardless, a sudden, no-holds-barred burst of violence, even from a small female, can be sufficient to buy enough time to flee. Key concept here is no holds barred - when it comes to self-defense I can be completely and utterly ruthless. You have to hurt the Bad Guy and hurt that person as much as you can as quickly as you can. Then, when they go down, you run like hell.

If you can deploy or find a weapon, fine, but even an unarmed human being can be quite dangerous.

Oh, and I fight dirty. Very very dirty. None of this "honorable" bullshit. If we've gotten to the point where we have physical violence I'm fighting to WIN.

[Schuyler Colfax]

Plan A: Run.
Plan B (If he can catch up to me): Kick him in the junk and run.
Plan C (If I can't do A or B for whatever reason): Fetal position.
Plan D (If for some reason I'm fighting a girl): Cop a feel and then get into the fetal position or do A or B if possible.

And yes I am in fact proud of that plan.

[Mayabird]

In the event that my Run Fu is weak and fails me, I would like to think that I'd fight cheap and dirty to make up for the no doubt substantial size difference between me and my assailant(s).

[The Duchess of Zeon]

If I was seriously threatened in a life or death situation (which most threats would be for me), I'd throw myself at the person with all of the force and intensity I could, instantaneously, and then start pummeling until one of us was dead or I was dragged away. Mind you this has actually happened once before (I was obviously given a chance to safely stop), so I know this is what I'd actually do. Of course, I'm high strung and a bit of a paranoiac to the point of having difficulty going to sleep at night and waking up at the slightest noise, like Amy flushing the toilet. So I certainly don't believe I'm anything but bizarre and atypical.

Still, since I would assume that anyone threatening me intends to rather grusomely murder me--and aspect of what I am, after all--I really don't see myself as having any other choice in such circumstances. Best to make sure it just never happens in the first place, by avoiding going outside at night, never walking in shady areas, and looking as intimidating as possible in public, which I tend to cultivate with a crisp stride, long black coats with upturned collars, and bland, serious, focused facial expressions, and so on, and generally looking like you know the area intimately (which I do--Arik and I were talking about how we both first scout out places when we arrive in them), and then at the same time avoiding every giving offence, and being very polite when you do interact with people.

Sometimes I use misdirection, like the time I answered a street bum who was following me to my car after I'd gone to the bank trying to talk to me, in German. It confused him for a moment until he then got quite angry and screamed at me about how I was making a fool of him for thinking I lived in America and didn't speak English. But I'd only needed a couple of seconds to get in the car, slam the door, start the ignition, and go in forward straight over the concrete park block defining the parking space, since he was standing behind the car. That shook up the car a bit, but no harm, no foul. I might do the same thing on foot to gain a few seconds in which to grab a rock or something like that.

[Masami von Weizegger]

Like, if I had to fight and I couldn't just run really fast or stall or slip a couple of bucks my potential killer's way?

Punch the face, punch the face, punch the face. Ignore everything thrown at you as best you can and punch as hard and as frequently as possible, aiming for a spot around a foot behind the guy's skull. Just like my mother taught me.

Fighting blows though, so as soon as there's an opening to run like hell, I'm taking it. If it's a "protect someone you care about" deal, wait until the person I'm supposedly protecting is gone, then run when there's an opening.

[phred]

I usually manage to walk away. If that doesnt work a knee up under the ribcage and running like hell usually does.

If it gets farther than that I say grab a limb and start trying to break something

[Guardsman Bass]

When it happens (which, thankfully, has been almost never - usually I just get away), my style is to basically use my weight and leg strength to try to trip or otherwise knock them to the ground somehow, then pin them (I'm a fatass, but pretty stocky even taking that away). Once you've pinned them, you can cheapshot them or whatever it takes.

[Sarevok]

One on one fights happen outside of movies where you don't get pummeled to death by bricks and cricket bats in a shady construction site after you "won" ?

[Cyborg Stan]

If it came down to physical confrontation? Lesee... well, not counting what I can improvise in this instance, since that would strongly depend on where I am... and the fact that if I'm in this situation in the first place, it's not in my favor.

In this case, I'd probably try to go berserk and do stuff like finger jabs to the eyes, palm strikes to various places, knee or elbow strikes and whatnot. I could also try biting off chunks as well. Otherwise, I'm not that sure what would happen. Luckily, I've never been in this situation.

[Formless]

One on one fights happen outside of movies where you don't get pummeled to death by bricks and cricket bats in a shady construction site after you "won" ?

That would highlight the importance of running away after you "win."

[Dark Flame]

As far as "honor" fights go, all I know is wrestling. My goal is to get on the ground, however possible. That's just where I'm comfortable. I'm not a puncher, or a martial artist, all I know how to do and feel comfortable doing is grappling.

In a fight for keeps, distance is the key. Long objects would come in real handy if they're around. Seeing as I don't value my ability to run away very quickly, I'd rather injure them and render them unable to move faster than a limp before I haul ass. If it takes grappling to do that, then that's my only option.

[NomAnor15]

First choice: run away

Assuming that's impossible: get something to hit/stab/damage them with. A stick, a knife, a rock, whatever.

If that fails (i. e. I am unarmed and can't run away): kick 'em in the balls, try to gouge their eyes, go for nose or throat blows. Basically anything that will be exceptionally painful or incapacitating, but keep my distance. Up close things go south pretty quickly.

Realistically though, none of these would be good for me. I'm not a particularly large or strong person, and my tolerance for pain is frighteningly low. I feel most at home in armed combat, given my seven years of fencing lessons.

[Dendrobius]

My Nike-do is reasonable for a non-track guy, 100m in low 12 seconds - so the plan is run like buggery and if he catches up or stays with me, at least we'll both be so tired the damage done in the subsequent fight will be inconsequential. It's worked before.

Took the train home one evening, got off at my local station. Some shady looking character follows me off. I usually jog the 800m or so back home anyway, so as per the usual I started jogging. This is around 8PM. That guy also starts jogging behind me, and I thought, "this ain't right", and piss bolted as fast as I could. The road that leads back home has a straight stretch of about 500m with a nice hill at the end of it, I got up on top of that as fast as I could and turned around to see if he was still pursuing. He wasn't. He had his hands on his knees looking like he'd blown, about 200m behind me. The temptation to turn around and beat the everloving crap out of him was strong, but discretion is the better part of valour so I made myself scarce.

In a fight my main problem is that I wear glasses, and I'm seriously shortsighted. If I lose my glasses, I'm going to have to go with Schuyler Colfax's Plan C or D...

[Lord Revan]

walk/run away, but if that's not an option disable the guy fast as possible and then run/walk away.

[Knife]

I replied with jest. But for shits and giggles, lets consider it for real.

Risk assessment, mine and others around me. Why am I fighting and what to I gain?

Benefit assessment, what do I gain and what do I lose?

All holds barred? I go at the fucker with the whole tool kit. Snap punch to the nose, kick to the knee, palm to the throat. TAke you pick. Technique means little in these discussions but I'm a firm believer if you have to go that far, go for broke.

[mingo]

After 9 years of karate, (which left me FAR from being any kind of expert) what I learned about myself is this: I get the best results from getting in close and crowding my opponent, I'm short and staying further out only insures that I get hit and I can't hit him. Second, hit very hard in very vulnerable places. Third, "straight up fisticuffs" is for a boxing ring, if you're fighting to save your ass, go as hard and as rough as you can go rught from the start.

[Knife]

After 9 years of karate, (which left me FAR from being any kind of expert) what I learned about myself is this: I get the best results from getting in close and crowding my opponent, I'm short and staying further out only insures that I get hit and I can't hit him. Second, hit very hard in very vulnerable places. Third, "straight up fisticuffs" is for a boxing ring, if you're fighting to save your ass, go as hard and as rough as you can go rught from the start.

Marine Corps. rules, in a knife fight, expect to be cut.

[Sidewinder]

When I fight, I fight with the objectives of "make my opponent suffer" (it's usually in response to bullying) and "avoid suffering myself." That means I fight dirty. My idea of a flawless victory involves me running away to lure my opponent towards a Claymore antipersonnel mine, and me with a machine gun in a concealed position, in case my opponent survives the mine. Yes, that's an extremely improbable situation (machine guns and antipersonnel mines are restricted items, very difficult for a civilian to get in the US), but it would fulfill my objectives.

[Dargos]

I haven't been in a fist fight for over 30 years. That being said, I have absolutely no qualms about doing permanent to lethal damage by any means necessary to anyone who attempts to cause me or my family harm.

[Havok]

Hmmm. How did I miss this thread.

Vicious. I break jaws, noses, eye sockets, arms, legs etc. There is no "cheap shot". The one or two times I have been overpowered in a fight, always by multiple opponents, the most being seven, I grabbed the first person I could hold on to and beat them mercilessly. A few fights, I'm not even sure of the extent of damage I caused, which in hind sight, is probably for the best. Honestly though, I would say, about 90% of the fights I have been in have been started by the other party, either in threatening my friends or not cooperating and getting uppity and brave when I was working. The other 10% is a mix of me being drunk and a piece of shit and people that, how do I say this, knew it was going to happen, just not by whom.

I'm not a pre-fight talker. A lot of people talk a lot of shit before a fight and that is fucking dumb. Basically, if I am talking to you and you think we are going to fight, we aren't. What is going to happen is I am going to make you look and feel stupid and you are going to leave and I'm not even going to have to put my Cider down. However, if I am NOT talking then you are going to get hurt. I get very quiet and silent before actual physical violence against someone. Apparently, I talk a whole bunch of amusing shit, WHILE I am beating people, or so I've been told. I don't necessarily remember saying anything.

When I'm working, it is very different. I talk because I have to at least give you a chance to knock your shit off, but If I am already having to talk to you, it is probably too late, unless you shut the fuck up and sit down the second I get over to you and have your attention. Thankfully, that doesn't happen often.

The thing with fighting, is that you HAVE to stay calm, which I know is hard as fuck. Your adrenaline is shooting through the rough and you can feel your heartbeat in you skull. Your toes tingle and you get the shakes. But you HAVE to stay calm and focused. This is even more important after you have been hit. If you lose control then, unless you get lucky or your opponent is a douchebag, you are going to get hurt or possibly even killed. It is nothing to take lightly at all.

That being said, some people are born to fight and be aggressive. I think I happen to be one of those people. I was smart enough not to try to do it for a living though. Although tempted, the risk far out weighs any reward.

As far as weapons go. Don't. A human fist backed with rage and adrenaline does plenty of and enough damage. If you have to use a weapon, it should be your absolute last resort. If someone pulls a knife, EVEN if you have one too, you swallow your pride and you back fucking down. It only takes one cut to kill you. You ABSOLUTELY do the same with a gun. Never pull a gun unless you are planing on killing someone. If someone pulls a gun on you, assume they are planning to do the same. You run or you beg for your fucking life. There is no shame in staying alive. I've lost too many friends to the God of Pride and Being a Badass. It isn't worth it.

Luckily, for most people, fights end up in some sort of wrestling/flaying around on the ground match. Most of the time there are people around to break it up as well, before either of the numbnut participants can hurt themselves.

[haard]

Assuming I couldn't talk my way out of a fight, or run without having to fight, my chosen tactic would be to hit first once or twice and then run. Probably in mid sentence, once I'd decided that I wouldn't be able to avoid fighting, so "come I don't want any trou *bang* *runs*".

As much as I agree with this in principle, it's really fucking hard determining when you've done 'enough' damage to turn your back, more so when adrenaline runs high.

Nonsense. When they fall over and hit the ground screaming you've done enough damage.

Ah, yes. Been there, caused permanent damage. Ten years later, still not sure it was 'worth' it, still not been in another fight outside sparring.

[Zablorg]

I am certainly confident that I cannot fight for shit. I've never actually tried, but my light and tireable physique does not lend itself to any athletic ability.

In fact, when I was 14 I was being, frankly a dick. It could be argued that I had what was coming to me, which I acknowledge. This is not the point.I was punched in the face three times. Nothing broken, nothing bloodied. After a bit of resistance from the peanut gallery I staggered off and cried and snuffled for a good fifteen minutes, not because of the pain, which was sharp and very temporary, but the sheer shock of it, because nothing like that had really happened to me before. Being 14, this is terrible.

When I imagine myself fighting, I see myself grabbing the opponents arms, spinning them backwards and slamming their face into the wall repeatedly. I'm not sure how easy or effective this would actually be, even against someone against my size and strength, but it feels very potent.