How to avoid being sucker punched and slammed. That is the topic of today’s fight lesson.
In today’s fight lesson we have a fight between 2 guys that starts off with a typical monkey dance, moves into a sucker punch, and ends with a slam to a knockout.
First watch the video then I’ll explain what went wrong and what the loser could have done to avoid being sucker punched and slammed.
Monkey Dance to the Sucker Punch
Every fight has a pre-fight, in this case it was what we call a monkey dance. 2 people trash talking until finally one launches a sucker punch.
The key of course is to have enough control of your ego, emotions, and logic to not wind up dancing with the other guy in the first place. Instead you want to use proper tactics to defuse the situation and/or prepare for the inevitable fight.
Not to mention the actions that you take during the pre-fight are the strongest factors when the legal system is determining if you used self-defense (no criminal charges) or if you were involved in mutual combat (criminal charges and possible civil lawsuit for damages.)
Avoid Being Sucker Punched
Let’s assume good intentions on your part. You aren’t looking for a fight. You can of course hit the other person first but it looks less like self-defense if you do that.
Not to mention most people just really probably won’t hit first. Their minds are too wrapped up in deciding if it is a good idea to hit first, if they can possibly avoid the fight, etc. Folks who have seen a lot of monkey dances such as law enforcement and bouncers are more likely to choose to hit first.
If that isn’t you then you had better learn how to avoid being sucker punched… and in this case slammed and knocked out.
Look at this image. Does it look like the guy in red (me) has enough space and time to react if a sudden sucker punch is thrown?
The answer is highly unlikely, even for a skilled fighter.
Now let’s contrast that with this image.
In this image I have way more space and time to see the sucker punch coming. Virtually everyone will wind up before they thow and in this case they will also have to take a large lunging step. Stay at least this far away if not further and you will have plenty of time to see a sucker punch coming, intercept it, and… well… you know, kick their butt.
Pre-Contact Cues
Prior to the sucker punch being thrown there are pre-contact cues that you will see if you know what to look for.
The person about to throw will often do the following right before they attack:
- Stop talking
- Blade their body at a 45° angle (usually with their dominant arm back)
- There will often be some nervous movements early on with a slowing stillness right before the punch comes
- They will usually do a look or lean away which is the wind up to the punch
- And of course you will see the body / shoulder of the punching arm move first but by that time it is too late unless you have kept your distance or already have your hands up
The moral of the story… keep a reactionary gap of space and don’t participate in the monkey dance ritual. Instead stay calm, use deescalation tactics, or just walk away.
If they attacker still is going to attack you will see it coming and won’t wind up unconscious feeling like shit because you knew you could take him but got KO’d before you were ready.
Avoiding the Slam
If you did everything correctly you probably wouldn’t get grabbed from behind and slammed. But hey, crap happens. So if you get grabbed from behind underneath your arms… especially by a larger, stronger, and even more especially by an experienced wrestler, do these things ASAP:
- Drop your body low – you will be harder to pick up
- Push your butt out away, but don’t lose your balance
- Headbutt on your way down – you might get a lucky shot in
- Grab a finger at the same time and start prying it open… really forcefully!
- Elbow the body, then the chin, then spin into them
- Congratulations, now you get to be a martial artist
Finish the fight as per your training.
Final Thoughts
I always remind people that sparring is not a real fight. There can be aspects of sparring that look like a real fight but in the end… it ain’t.
When training realistic martial arts a good chunk of your time should be devoted to the pre-fight and how to enter into the contact phase of the fight. And also how to defuse the fight from the pre-fight.
Until next time,
Brian
