This example is almost like it was copy-pasted from some kind of sucker punch template.
These two are engaging in a dominance display, much like you see in nature documentaries, where the goal of both parties is to make the other side back down and submit to avoid a physical fight.
I can’t hear what they’re saying but after the man on the right replies to some kind of question, he then starts taking a draw from his cigarette to emphasise his conviction that he is not intimidated and will not back down. He is fixated on the other mans face.
The man on the left has a bladed stance, his fists are clenched, and he is maintaining just the right range to reach the full extension of his punches. But his stance mainly appears neutral, ensuring the other man remains unprepared in the pre-fight stage.
When he strikes, it comes from this hands-down, neutral stance. Although the man on the right has one hand up, there is not enought time to react to the first hit, and by the time the second punch comes, he probably has his eyes closed and he’s seeing nothing but flashes of light behind his eyelids. It doesn’t help that he appears intoxicated.
Notice how quickly the man on the left punches and transitions from a neutral stance to a fighting stance – less than a quarter second, which means that intoxicated or not, he never had a chance.
Tips
1. Don’t be a slave to your ego and walk away if you have the option
2. Do not bluff. Do not express or insinuate things you can’t follow through with. Bluffing is a last resort when de-escalation is impossible – strategically it’s at the same level as pleading for mercy.
3. Do not disregard or dismiss threats.
4. Maintain a safe distance and give yourself a reactionary gap
5. Watch their body language
6. If you want have a chance when the fight kicks off, you will need footwork, head movement and punching skills – in other words, go train in something like boxing, Muay Thai or kickboxing.
When a knife is introduced into a fight, no matter how low the level of violence was beforehand, it is now escalated to a lethal situation; a matter of life and death for both parties involved.
The effects of knife wounds vary dramatically – In this video we find out why.
See the article below for information on self defense against knives:
A higher quality version of the video is available on my youtube channel.
After making this video, I found a 1-hour long interview with Viktor. I definitely recommend watching this interview. He offers insights into his thinking during the confrontation, talks about his past experiences with violence and how this lead to his training and MMA career, and they broadly discuss violence what motivates young men to engage in this kid of behaviour.
Aside from weapons such as knives and guns, hard surfaces are the deadliest aspect of getting into fights in the street.
A single punch is unlikely to kill anyone, but the chance of death and serious injury is very high as a result of the fall following the punch and loss of consciousness.
Consider that if you become unconscious for any reason while you are standing, your head will fall from the distance of your own height. In other words, if you are six feet tall, your skull will fall six feet to the concrete. In a fight, you may fall much harder as a result of extra force from a punch or throw.
But somehow, many of us aren’t fearful about it, or don’t even consider hard surfaces as a risk factor at all. In fact, when people are organising fights, they often choose a hard surface over a softer one. A smooth, flat, hard surface ensures that the fighters can properly employ their footwork and don’t slip or trip. The fact that they may have escalated the consequences of the fight to life and death does not occur to them.
Similarly, people punch others in street fights, generally are not trying to kill the other person. It’s often about asserting dominance and protecting their ego; they would use a knife or a gun if they really wanted to ensure that the recipient is dead.
Some of these victims will suffer lifelong injuries and disability. Some fully recover, and some die. In every case, it’s potentially the worst case.
I have myself seen people get knocked out in front of me, hit their head on the ground and start convulsing and snorting. I personally know people who have suffered serious brain injuries as a result of falling after being punched. And I’ve seen multiple cases just locally where people have died the same way.
Throws and slams are equally, if not more deadly. With not a single punch thrown, a person’s skull can be smashed or neck broken if only they are lifted off the ground and dropped on their head.
If you are find all of this difficult to believe or are not quite sold on the seriousness of what I am saying, I want you to sit down and watch the videos below. Especially if you’re a young man who isn’t too concerned about this sort of thing, and you fancy yourself as a bit of fighter.
Hopefully this will be educational and I can maybe change some minds, which could maybe save some lives.
What you’re going ot see is extremely graphic, and I actually hope it makes you sick to your stomach. I really want to drive home the point that hard surfaces will kill you. Some of the victims in these video die, some are disabled, and some recover just fine. But the results are completely random and the worst case could easily have happened to any of them. Typically, when you see someone stiffen up and twist into a strange posture, they have suffered some kind of serious brain injury.
One man manages distance, avoiding risk of the sucker punch, then uses a head kick to knock out the other man who continues to press forward despite warnings.
When an unknown man entered school grounds in this French school, a staff member used an armbar takedown to restrain him.
This clip displays two central issues with armbar takedowns:
Control on ground – When the video begins, the staff member is controlling the arm while ignoring the man’s core, which allows the man to stand up;
Injury – When he does stand up, the armbar takedown is effective but causes injury, slamming the man’s head into the ground, and a pool of blood is forming as the video ends.
Allowed his opponent to close the distance when he had a tool which needs more range.
Range can be managed by movement – he’s completely stationary.
Flat posture, straight back, very likely standing with knees locked straight, does not appear to be in any kind of stance which would prepare him to respond in the split second required to move, defend or attack. His opponent constantly adjusts.
Allowed opponent to grip his wrist. Difficult to swing baton effectively when grappling starts. The grip even from this position may allow opponent to stay off-centre when the baton swing comes.
Furtive glance made by opponent is a huge warning sign. He has already decided to attack at this point and is looking for witnesses, other enemies or allies which may factor in to his decision to go ahead.
Even if he decided to use the baton, it’s a poor weapon. Law enforcement use this as a method of pain compliance, and often need to move to other methods when it fails. Striking the legs is unlikely to instantly shatter kneecaps unless you’re very lucky/unlucky to hit that spot. You’re only starting the fight, not ending it. Swinging to the head would be a different matter.
Compare the above (pain compliance) to the punches thrown to the head (incapacitation).
Baton man seems to think intimidation is enough to keep him safe. The baton is like some kind of force field, everything else can be ignored.
From this position, when would he decide to use it? Once the fighting starts? Too late, too close. When the man fails to step back? This may be considered unjustified assault. Baton man then made a threat to seriously harm, which prompted an aggressive response. He put himself in a situation which is very difficult to win.
A brutal outcome as the victor continues to assault the other boy who is having a seizure as a result of serious brain injury. No regard for the potentially fatal outcome.
Belligerent man attempts to intimidate couple, pushing a female in the process. He seems to regret this a split second later as he reaches to hold and prevent her from falling.
Unfortunately he has already failed miserably to take stock of the situation he is in – alone, drunk, surrounded by bystanders who may not tolerate his behaviour.
Most people tend to overestimate their fighting ability. This man is off the mark further than most when he is surrounded by 5 youths (including the one operating the camera). He initiates the violence (flicks a cigarette at one and pushes another) but takes no appropriate action – allows himself to be surrounded, does not move, does not position himself correctly or attempt to isolate and incapacitate his opponents. He appears to falsely assume these youths will cower and back off.
A disappointingly common scenario – man knocked out, falling to hard surface which carries a high risk or serious injury or fatality. Bystanders are nonchalant and do not render assistance, instead placing the man at more risk (of falling again) by attempting to lift him off the ground.
Victim stepped into striking range without watching opponent, did not appear to understand the risk and how fast the situation can change. This was potentially fatal due to the hard surface.
Victim standing with hands in pockets within striking range. Aggressor does not telegraph, strikes while talking to distract victim. Striking from this range happens so quickly that it is impossible to react in time for the vast majority of people.
A power lifter is knocked out by an amateur MMA fighter, falling on a hard surface which resulted in his death. What begins as nothing more than a contest of egos ends with severe consequences.
Despite the victim’s backpedalling and attempt to prevent his opponents getting behind him, one fades to the rear until he is outside the victim’s vision. The victim loses track of this person, which is when the blind side attack occurs.
Victim does not take situation seriously, does not appear to be fearful and stands in a vulnerable position before getting sucker punched and falling on a hard surface. This goes from verbal argument to assault to robbery to manslaughter within seconds.
Male was obviously extremely aggressive, taking an angled stance as he prepared to strike which the female failed to read. Male then actually attempted a sucker punch which missed and the female still failed to attempt escape, instead raising her fists to defend further punches.
She may have felt that she had a chance in defending herself, but more likely she felt that attempting escape would have the same outcome with the male chasing and beating her.
A skilled grappler may employ this position effectively depending on the situation. However, standing headlocks are commonly used by those who lack grappling skills. This is often not only ineffective, but dangerous as this video demonstrates.
“The fence” is a staple In the martial arts and self defense world. If you look up self defense videos and articles, you are bound to come across it over and over again. And most of them don’t quite get it right or completely misunderstand it.
The name was coined by Geoff Thompson in the 90’s. He was a bouncer and martial arts instructor who had been involved in hundreds of fights over many years. He also aspired to be an author and wrote several books on the subject of self defense, with most of his material centred around what he called the fence.
Geoff never claimed to have invented the concept, but he did put a name to it, and had the ability to articulate things in detail better than others. Since then it had been parroted ad nauseum.
If we look up some videos and articles covering the topic, it usually looks like the exact same palm up, bladed stance that was normally recommended by Geoff. The two main things people tend to talk about is how it’s a way to have your hands in a position ready to defend yourself should the opponent attempt to strike, without looking like you want to fight. Putting your hands up to your face in a traditional fighting stance like a boxer might be interpreted as a challenge. You also look like the aggressor to bystanders who are watching and recording what you do. So, you want to stand in a way that communicates you don’t want to fight. It’s about making a compromise between a stance which allows you to defend yourself and sending body language which doesn’t send the wrong message to escalate the situation.
These two concepts do make up some of the mechanics of this method, but they’re not the the core function. This is the part that people are getting wrong – they’re leaving out the most crucial element.
The first priority is controlling distance. It follows that this is also the main purpose of the fence. The most important factor in being able to sucker punch someone is distance.
You can use the fence even if you don’t have your hands up at all, keeping them at your waist in a neutral posture. As long as you’re keeping track of their position and behaviour and have a plan of action if they get too close, you’re applying the concept.
There are four things you need to establish a fence. All the other things like hand position and stance are details. And details are important’ but if you don’t have these four elements, you don’t have a fence.
1. Create a safe distance.
You might also call this a reactionary gap, which is enough space to respond should they attack. See my previous videos about sucker punches for more on this. Close distance enables surprise attacks.
2. Establish a clear boundary.
This means a boundary which is clear to both yourself and your opponent. If your hands are up just like Geoff always demonstrated, it should be pretty clear to everyone involved that you don’t want anyone within arms reach. You could also take a step back when they take a step forward, or put an object like a table in between yourself and the other person. All of these things communicate the fact that you don’t want them to get within a certain range.
3. Choose a trigger point.
Decide exactly at what point you need to take action. For example, if they step forward and touch your oustretched hand, is this when you will act? Will it be the second time they step forward after you already warned them? Whatever trigger point you decide on, you have to do something before they attack. Not during or after. This is a crucial misunderstanding about the fence – some people think it will allow you to wait for them to attack first. This is completely wrong. You need to act first, before their first attack. Range and stance are there for the worst case scenario where you fail to act first.
4. Plan of action.
Once they have hit that trigger point, what exactly are you going to do? In most cases, Geoff would simply punch the aggressor first. You defeat the sucker punch by using it. But it doesn’t have to be a punch. You might clinch and tie them up until help arrives, take down down to restrain or ground and pound, you might even turn and run if you really think you’re fast enough.
Naming it the fence is itself a metaphor, referring to the fence around a property which might not stop people coming in, but it does let both the trespasser and the land owner know that a trespass has occurred. Once you have that clear boundary, you can choose how to deal with the trespass.
One last point, you don’t maintain the fence after the first strike is thrown. You don’t try to keep that posture. You’re now in a fight. Get your hands up like you’re in a fight, use a fighting stance.
Watch the video at the top of this article for words from Geoff himself.
The problem underpinning all of this, is that if someone is close enough, they can punch you before you have time to react. This is more important than any other variable. As long as they are capable of throwing with enough speed and power (and many are), they can knock you out. You need to take steps to manage the situation before it reaches this point.
The Foundation
If you maintain situational awareness and behave appropriately, you will avoid the vast majority of situations which end in violence in the first place. Negotiate, compromise, de-escalate, avoid, exhaust all options. The rest of this post is about how the sucker punch works, and how we can respond in the moments preceding and at initiation of the punch.
There are two main types of sucker punch:
Observed – victim is watching the attacker
Blind side attack
In a confrontation, do everything you can to avoid a blind side attack, as this leaves you with zero ability to defend yourself. If you take your eyes off someone for even a short moment, they can quickly cover quite a large distance to hit you. If there are multiple people involved, it’s impossible to watch both in front and behind yourself at the same time.
I can’t teach you people skills – rely on your own understanding of human behaviour to identify threats. If you feel that someone wants to punch you, they probably do, and you should act appropriately.
We can’t simply maintain a safe distance at all times with all people. Doing this makes most social interactions extremely awkward. But when your gut tells you that something is wrong, listen to it and be mentally primed for violence.
Some people respond to confrontations with different levels of denial, and this affects reaction time significantly. You need every split second you can get. Sure, act like you aren’t scared of them, be confident or whatever. But don’t try to demonstrate that you are not intimidated by allowing them to close the distance. Don’t convince yourself that they would never hit you, or don’t have the balls to do it. Find a way to maintain a safe distance, because at this range they can hit you before you have time to react.
Once the gap is closed, you MUST act first. At minimum, re-establish a safe distance. Use of force may be appropriate, such as clinching, takedowns, or strikes such as punch, headbutt, elbow. At close range, the first to act gets a free shot. At a safe distance, you will at least have a chance to read their movement and react/counter. Proximity matters more than anything else.
The Fence
“The fence” is a staple In the martial arts and self defense world and often discussed, but poorly understood. When demonstrated it usually looks like a palm up, bladed stance, and is described as a way to have your hands in a position ready to defend yourself should the opponent attempt to strike. It is designed to be non-aggressive in appearance to prevent escalation, and communicate to observers (including phones/CCTV) that you are not the bad guy.
These ideas are all accurate, but they are NOT the main purpose of the fence, which is to maintain awareness of the proximity of your opponent. The core function of the fence is to establish a boundary, so that you can take action if it is breached. The name itself is a metaphor, referring to the fence around a property which might not stop people coming in, but it lets both the trespasser and the land owner know that a breach has occurred and consequences may follow.
In fact, you can use the fence even if you don’t have your hands up at all, keeping them at your waist in a neutral posture. As long as you’re keeping track of their position and behaviour and have a plan of action if they get too close, you’re using the fence.
Pre-emptive Check
The pre-emptive check is where we make physical contact prior to the actual *fight*, to check their movement should they start throwing a punch or someone else. Often, this will look like a C-grip at the elbow or contact with upper arms/shoulders. This is hopefully done in a way which does not escalate the situation, but be warned that some people will increase their aggression when you make any physical contact. Indeed, the stereotypical “fence” stance itself has become fairly well known these days, and some people may interpret it as a challenge regardless of your intentions.
Stages Of The Attack
1. Pre Attack Indicators
There are many lists of specific signs that someone is about to attack you, for example clenched fist, verbal looping, pacing, clenched jaw etc. While many people will exhibit these behaviours immediately before attack, some will exhibit none. You need to take in the totality of the situation you’re in and make a judgement. Trust your gut, be alert and get ready for the punch.
2. Initiation
Initiation is the very beginning of the physical attack, but this is the stage where we cannot discern between an attack and any other innocuous movement such as quickly raising the hand to scratch the head. If you were in the middle of a fight, you’d read this and take action – creating distance, using head movement, tightening guard and so on. If the attack is real, this is the last chance you have to make someone happen. If you are already too close, it won’t matter what you try. This is why we need to act earlier.
3. Discernible Attack
This is the point where we can confidently identify a real attack. For example, what began as a rotation of the shoulders is now a clenched fight travelling toward our face. It’s now far too late.
The problem is, many of us think that we need to wait until this moment, when we can see the actual attack happening before we make a decision and take action. Another unfortunate reality is that people will judge your decisions after the fact, expecting to see an obvious attack. Often, your choice is between suffering the consequences of the physical attack and the consequences of the justice system and/or court of public opinion.
Having said all this: if the first punch doesn’t end the encounter, you’ll still need all the other skills demanded by fighting; e.g. head movement, footwork, strikes, grappling. This takes time and effort in the gym. There is no shortcut here.
If you would like to see this explained in more details with real examples, or you’re not quite sold on the concepts I’ve introduced here, I’ve made 24 minutes of video covering the subject.
Death in custody is a far greater risk for those suffering excited delirium, psychosis and other mental health or drug related issues. First priority is have the patient conveyed to a medical professional for assessment, regardless of any offences committed.
If the patient is obeying directions, be prepared for their demeanour to suddenly change. Keep weapons out of reach, be aware of exits they might suddenly run toward etc.
Avoid verbal aggression where possible. Shouting may increase their fear and physical aggression. They are unlikely to “snap out of it”, submit and defer to authority.
Do not expect a rational response to directions or commands. They don’t act in their own best interest, let alone anyone else’s.
If they try to escape or become violent, have them physically restrained, sedated and treated by medical professionals as soon as possible. Use the minimum force in the minimum time. Although we want the minimum time, don’t rush and use more force than required, relax and breathe. Take care not to cause injury to the patient, yourself and your colleagues. Once restrained, minimise the time between detainment and medical assessment.
“If he can talk, he can breathe” is a myth. The best way to learn how certain positions and pressure can prevent sufficient breathing and blood flow is to participate some type of grappling class and get crushed yourself. After some time you will intuitively know what is safe and what isn’t. In my opinion, any other method of learning this is inferior.
Immediately search them for weapons once restrained. Self-explanatory but don’t forget it.
Don’t get complacent when they appear to be calming down. They may suddenly explode again and swing between rage, fear, submission, attempts to flee within moments.
They are not superhuman, but they are pushing their body beyond safe limits. They don’t appear to reach a point of exhaustion and reduced effort where most people would slow down. This is not only a concern for the safety of the people who are trying to restrain the patient, but for the patient themselves who risks pushing to the point of permanent damage and death. Their strength will only be a surprise if you have never felt someone resist you with 100% effort.
They may suddenly die. They will push through exhaustion, high body temperature, dehydration, physical trauma. Whatever are the physiological and psychological mechanisms that normally cause people to stop, just don’t seem to be there anymore. They are also likely to suffer poorer general health as a result of substance abuse and/or mental health issues. Some people will die if you ask them to run up a flight of stairs – what do you think will happen if they suffer a mental health or drug induced episode and resist arrest?
They remain conscious when they shouldn’t, absorbing physical trauma or tranquilisers/sedatives/anesthetics which would knock out most people. I’ve observed quadruple the normal dose of sedatives administered by paramedics before any effect is noticed. Don’t think that just because they’ve absorbed what you’ve given them and they continue resisting that they haven’t suffered irreparable or lethal damage.
They will not understand that their actions are futile and that they are losing the fight. A patient suffering excited delirium might not submit or understand that resistance is pointless. Even when handcuffed, strapped to a gurney and completely immobilised, they might continue to resist with 100% effort. They have no plan, they are not thinking beyond even the next second. Their actions are not the result of decisions, their words do not convey thoughts in the most extreme cases.
Avoid “pain compliance”. They either won’t notice, or it will only heighten their excited state – the result is pain defiance. Avoid the use of strikes where possible. You need to go hands-on and gain positional control. If a taser is used, get on them ASAP while they are temporarily incapacitated, because they might just get up and it starts all over again. Further hits from the taser will increase likelihood that they die from the accumulation of stress, exhaustion, injuries and medical conditions already present.
Be cautious when applying handcuffs. Even if every part of their body is held down by several people, after they feel the metal and hear the clicks they might suddenly get a death grip on the other side of the handcuffs before you can secure it around the wrist. People don’t normally resist in this way because it won’t help them escape, it will only delay the inevitable and cause injuries to their hand. But your patient isn’t thinking that far ahead.
Be aware of your own emotional state. When you are restraining them, you might feel that their intentions are malicious. They have no intentions, they have no plan. You might feel justified to use pain compliance, or feel that whatever pressure you are applying to their body is fine because they are still physically resisting with gusto and it looks like they can take it. You think the situation demands more force, but they will continue to babble nonsense and feel physically strong until their last breath, and now you’re sitting on a dead man. Control yourself.
If you know how to grapple and control someone on the ground, you have an advantage. Their movements are strong but erratic and uncoordinated. You CAN control them, especially with the help of a team.
The videos below demonstrate a few other mental health related incidents.
The standing headlock is one of the most common positions in street fights. People who are inexperienced in grappling tend to do it instinctively, for better or worse. The results are so-so with some people successfully dragging their opponent to the ground. For others it doesn’t work at all.
It can also be potentially disastrous.
There are limitless examples of “self defence” instructional videos on the internet showing headlock escapes which involve foot stomps, groin strikes, eye gouges, throat grabs and the like, however the most effective and deadly method is the slam or suplex. Any method of throws or slams can kill on a hard surface. Being slammed while holding a headlock is one of the worst ways for it to happen.
On the other hand, those who have extensive training in the position are able to use it safely and effectively. They understand how to apply a throw, how to set up the position, how to transition to something else and when to disengage. Watch the below demonstration for an example of a safe (for both parties) and effective throw:
If you don’t understand the position inside and out, simply do not use it. You might feel like you’re doing something useful, but the risks do far outweigh anything you might pull off with nothing more than luck.
“Street effective” techniques like eye gouges, biting, groin strikes and the like are considered by many self defense experts as some of the most effective techniques in a street fight, almost like a kind of off-switch for bad guys. The following video appears to confirm this:
And a groin kick seems to be effective at ending this fight:
These techniques can be effective. However, they are not the self defence panacea many believe them to be.
Jewellery Store Stabbing
The victim is stabbed repeatedly. He used everything he had to defend himself: punches, kicks and throws, and attempted two eye gouges and two groin strikes.
None were effective -the assailant moved his head away when eye gouges attempted and blocked kicks to groin.
It should also be noted that although the victim was stabbed many times, he was still capable of fighting and managed to escape – neither person was incapacitated, and both were capable of continuing the fight.
Groin kick attempt 1. The offender lifts his knee and blocks the kick.Eye gouge attempt 1. Unclear if defender was able to cause any harm. No apparent effect.Groin kick attempt 2, seems to connect in some way but no effectEye gouge attempt 2. From this shot it looks like a finger may be completely embedded in the eye, though it is impossible to know for certain. No effect.
Any technique can fail or be blocked and countered. Eye gouges and groin strikes are not special in this respect. There is no magic technique.
Yuki Nakai blinded in MMA fight
In 1995, Yuki Nakai entered an MMA knockout tournament. Competitors would have multiple fights and be eliminated with their first loss.
Note the sporting context – his life was not at risk, he could have chosen to stop any time he wished.
His first opponent was Gerard Gordeau. Gerard illegally eye gouged Yuki, which left him permanently blind in his right eye.
Nakai speaks with his corner backstage following his first match.
Yuki continued to fight and won by heel hook in the fourth round. He told no one that he had been blinded. The photo above shows Yuki talking to his corner backstage after the first fight.
His next opponent that night was Craig Pittman, an american wrestler with a 100 pound weight advantage. Yuki won via armbar.
In the third and final bout, Yuki fought BJJ legend Rickson Gracie and lost at 6:22 in the first round via rear naked choke.
Yuki was not taken out of the fight when he was eye gouged. He was still capable of fighting and his will remained unbroken.
He stopped fighting when he was incapacitated with a strangle. He was now physically unable to continue, despite any level of motivation to win.
The distinction between maiming and incapacitation is an important one which we’ll look at later.
Groin strikes traded
The first two strikes in this one are groin kicks thrown by both parties. They both seem to lose confidence in the groin kick and immediately go to punches.
Man uses knee strike to groin of police officer
The man who kneed the police officer in the groin had no plan beyond the groin shot. This is the critical mistake mentioned at the beginning of the video – he probably expected that the cop would go down from the strike. The reality was that he had initiated a physical fight in that moment which he was totally unprepared for.
While the groin strike may have caused pain, the punch he took in return left him incapacitated.
Werdum vs Travis Browne
The following image shows an accidental eye poke during an MMA match. It’s quite obvious that the finger has entered the eye all the way to the first knuckle. However Werdum, the fighter who suffered the eye poke, continued the match as if nothing happened and won by decision. He did say afterwards that his eye was a little sore.
Biting
Two main things to note here:
Biting is possible at any time a grip is established and from any range and position, and it can happen very quickly;
Despite having about one third of his lower lip bitten off, the victim of the bite was willing to continue fighting. It was the biter who stepped back, put his palms up then walked away. Biting does not incapacitate and will at best discourage.
A man is able to continue fighting despite having his ear bitten off, and in fact is dominating the fight when the video ends.
Above, a bite from an inferior position only causes the other man to escalate the level of violence. Biting did not end the fight or cause the person in control of the fight to release him.
Joint breaks and maiming generally
Maiming is permanent damage caused by techniques such as eye gouge, biting, joint break. This might reduce an individual’s capability to some extent or incapacitate them, or it may effectively do little more than cause pain.
Incapacitation or physical restraint may be required to stop an individual who has a high pain threshold and high motivation.
What is commonly known as a “submission” in combat sports is a break in reality. When no one submits and the technique is taken to completion, the end result should be a torn joint or broken bone.
Below are two sport examples where a fighter has refused to tap out and was willing to continue the fight, and two examples in street fights where limbs AND the will to fight were broken.
Strangulation
Strangulation is an effective way to incapacitate, although what to do when they wake up must be considered. By then you should have a dominant position at least.
Conclusion
Nothing is 100% reliable 100% of the time.
Depending on a small set of methods (e.g. bite, eye gouge, groin strike alone) is foolish and not a replacement for hard training. Use a mix of skills, training and systems to prepare for reality.
Maiming does not necessarily end the fight;
Because many people are able to fight on despite severe injury and pain.
In this case, the goal must be incapacitation and/or physical restraint, even if maiming is used to facilitate it.
