# Do fights involving martial artists EVER unfold like in the movies? Ever see one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 1, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377 "2005-03-01T02:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377/61 "2005-04-22T14:13:41Z")
My brother did a bit of Krav Magar… and from what he said his instructor did emphasize hitting quick, dirty and by surprise. That if you get into some situation in a crowded place that you just send a knee to the groin then kick the guy on the floor and get out like you haven’t done anything. The few fights I saw were teens rolling around the floor… the only time I ever used the little martial arts I have was when a kid grabbed my shirt jokingly and my reaction was to spin his arm around without thinking. I think martial arts are about muscle memory and being able to react quicker and a bit more effectively. Better than being in “shock” and standing around dazed. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377/62 "2005-04-22T15:18:30Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#): > > …the only time I ever used the little martial arts I have was when a kid grabbed my shirt jokingly… Heh. After I started judo in college, I took a little traditional Japanese jujutsu during summer break, until I found the instructor to be too irresponsible to ensure my safety. One fun thing I learned was a move in respons to an overhand, horror-movie-type stab. Basically you block in case you can’t move out of the way quickly enough, but if you can you turn the block into a slap on the top of the wrist holding the kife. The effect is to cause the assailant to stab himself in the groin. Back at college some guy heard I was taking judo and, as people almost always do, he asked me what I’d do if someone pulled a knife on me. I asked like how, an overhand stab? He said that would be good, so I told him to come at me w/ his imaginary knife. It worked perfectly: he punched himself in the nuts and collapsed to the floor. It was hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377/63 "2005-04-22T18:46:59Z")
> [@js\_africanus](#): > > He said that would be good, so I told him to come at me w/ his imaginary knife. It worked perfectly: he punched himself in the nuts and collapsed to the floor. It was hilarious. Quite funny… I’ll try it out the next time someone pulls out a knife 😃 ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377/64 "2005-04-25T13:47:05Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#): > > Quite funny… I’ll try it out the next time someone pulls out a knife 😃 Unless it’s real, in which case running like hell might be a better idea. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377/65 "2005-04-25T14:06:06Z")
> [@js\_africanus](#): > > Unless it’s real, in which case running like hell might be a better idea. 🙂 A friend of mine says he is quite good in Run-Fu… its hard to catch him… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377/66 "2005-04-25T15:46:02Z")
I was watching an Extreme Martial Arts marathon on Discovery. Now I have to believe a lot of it was BS (like being able to crush a mans skull like a coconut). But one thing I did notice was that during the sparing, no one does the flying spin kicks and other aerial crap. I’ve seen quite a few bar fights using the “drunken” style (usually two fat meatheads shoving and swating at each other.). ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377/67 "2005-04-25T19:10:43Z")
I’ll never forget a lesson I learned in school. Our coach was a big, tough S.O.B. In class one Monday, he said that he’d taken his wife out to dinner in Denver over the weekend. Someone stepped out of an alley with a knife and demanded his wallet and his wife’s purse. “Do you know what I did?” he asked the class. We all cried out our guesses as to ways he had beaten the punk up. He said, “I gave him the wallet and purse. He had a _knife_! It wasn’t worth getting stabbed over.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fights-involving-martial-artists-ever-unfold-like-in-the-movies-ever-see-one/292377.md?page=3)