Hard Surfaces are the deadliest part of street fighting

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.

Proceed with caution.

• Head kick knockout during confrontation

  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.

• Two vs one sucker punch, fall to hard surface

• Student knocked out with elbow, falls to hard surface

  The victim takes up a decorticate posture, potential severe brain injury or death.

  Another sickening incident where people don’t seem to understand the dangers of hard surfaces.

• School staff use armbar takedown on intruder

  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:

  1. 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;
  2. 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.
• Misdirection before sucker punch and fall on hard surface

• Kid knocked out, face-plants on hard surface while friends try to lift him up

  Do not lift up someone who has just suffered a brain injury. Learn about first aid and the recovery position.

• Spin hook kick knockout in street fight

• School fight with throw on hard surface to knockout

• Possibly the slowest attempt at a sucker punch ever

  Alcohol increases your confidence and reduces your capability.

• Knocked out with slap from chest to chest dominance display

• The reality of fighting on hard surfaces

• One-two sucker punch from bladed stance

  Steps into a longer stance first, then punches from the hip.

• Double leg takedown to drop on hard surface

  Ducks under punch, gets waist/leg and lifts for a slam. Potentially very serious injury.

• Students fight in bathroom, slam causes severe brain injury

• The Sucker Punch – Part One

  

  Click the image to watch on Youtube, or click here to watch the video on Minds.com

  WATCH PART 2 HERE

• Sucker punch x2

• Man blocks steel bar/baton swing and knocks out attacker

• Man pulls knife, gets knocked out by bouncer

• Bouncer knocked out after creating gap, third person produces gun

• Man knocked out with slap after refusing to keep distance

• Double leg takedown on hard surface causes knockout

• Police officer’s head smashed into ground during brawl

  St Kilda police, Melbourne Australia.

• Attempted robbery at gunpoint, robber gets too close

• Man suffering mental health episode attacked by mob

• Intoxicated man refuses to leave front yard, attempts to intimidate by removing shirt. Gets knocked out with elbow.

• Head kick in street fight

• Man headlocks bouncer, gets slammed.

  Another reason not to use the standing headlock.

• Man threatens another with baton, gets knocked out

  The man holding the baton made some errors:

  • 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.

  https://keato.info/an-introduction-to-defense-against-blunt-and-edged-weapons

• Teen boys fight, resulting in knockout and seizure.

  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 pushes woman, is stomped by 3 men

  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.

• Man underestimates danger of provoking 5

  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.

• Bystanders nonchalant as man knocked out, falls to hard surface

  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.

• Bystander intervenes, stands unsafe and is knocked out
• Misreading range and risk of sucker punch
  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.
• Sucker punch – standard elements
  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.
• Double underhooks upper body takedown to high mount
  Police officer takes down belligerent woman with an upper body takedown.
• Cop counters standing headlock with slam
• Body lock slam followed by head stomps
• Slam on hard surface in school bathroom
  A potentially fatal slam. High risk of severe head injury.
• Failed attempt to intimidate, results in sucker punch
• Russian power-lifter killed in street fight with amateur MMA fighter
  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.
• Submissive victim knocked out with sucker punch
• Elbow knocks out man who falls on hard surface
  Pre-attack cues are evident here with the white male taking a bladed stance to add power to his strike and looking away to conceal his intentions.
• Blindsided, head stomped and spat on
  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.
• Failure to read threat, sucker punched and serious harm
  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.
• Woman knocked out by man despite every warning she needed to leave
  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.
• Suplexed from standing headlock
  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.
• Severe slam on hard surface in school fight
  Another demonstration of the danger posed by hard surfaces. Slamming the head this way can easily prive fatal or life changing.
• Man instigates fight, is knocked out and suffers convulsions
• Cop sucker punches man who falls on hard surface