ohnoit'sbad wrote:
Punch them in the teeth, great way to break the impact on your fist when they shatter down their throats. This is what I did at school when the bullies attacked me, I was known as the dentist and lots of bullies had to wear gum shields and braces for years. I don't go looking for fights but because I'm 6'5" all the bullies want to challenge me to impress their little bitch friends who are too scared to help the bully even when it's me VS the bully and 5 of his little bitches.
Yes. Similar. I'm 6-4 but was skinny and well known in high school so a few times guys wanted to fight me even though the dispute itself didn't fully warrant it.
The first time I was unprepared and tried a quick leg move, grabbing at the guy's left leg at about knee level and lifting him off the ground. I was a wrestler in junior high. I got him on the ground but he clubbed me in the back a few times before I reversed and got in some blows of my own. Then the physical education teacher broke us apart. That one was probably a draw. Naturally my friends were telling me that I won and his friends the opposite. I never felt great about it. I always expected us to fight again but it didn't happen. I can't describe how awkward it is when you've been in a fight with someone. After that every time you see him, whether at reunions or anyplace, the greeting may seem sincere but you know damn well that fight is all he is thinking about and the same with you.
My advice is to avoid. I never thought of running away but looking back I had a clever mind and could have said something to diffuse the matter while making him sound inferior no matter what he came up with. Of course, I guess it could have provoked him even more.
The second time was a year or so later in a pickup basketball game. That guy was the neighborhood jackass but he seldom participated in sports. When he did, there was always trouble. So I wasn't particularly surprised when he said, "I've been waiting for this. Let's go."
That time I realized I had to get rid of tame predictable tactics and simply act like a maniac. Energy I'd never displayed before. That goes along with a post earlier in the thread. We were flailing away when suddenly we came together alongside the basketball support pole. That briefly prevented him from moving back. So weird how all the mental images are so clear. His jaw was smack in front of me with his head down, after narrowly avoiding the pole. So I instinctively threw a left uppercut. I'm lefty. That punch -- to my shock -- ended the fight. He grabbed his mouth, which was bleeding badly. He sat down in the gravel beside the court and then said he had to go home. Everyone was mostly silent. During the fight my friends were going nuts. The guy walked home and I found out he needed dental work. After I told my parents they were concerned the father might come to our house with confrontations and demand to reimburse, but it never happened.
Again, it was so awkward with that guy until high school ended, and one subsequent chance meeting at a local store years later. I'm glad he hasn't attended the reunions so I haven't seen him in nearly 40 years.
Granted it's a short sample but based on my experience if you are stuck in a fight aim for the teeth. Especially at that age. Everyone prioritizes their nice smile, often courtesy of metallic assistance years earlier.
I'm happy my sample ended there. Maybe 15 years ago there was one brief scuffle at the Imperial Palace Sportsbook when some guy cut in front of me in line to make a sports wager at post time, causing me to get shut out. We ended up grabbing each other's arm amidst lots of shouting but it ended there. He was a drunk but that wasn't obvious to me until he turned around and we started to argue. He was so plastered I'm not even sure he realized he cut in front of me.