Real Street Fighting Moves

When I was about 21 years old, I was going home on the public service bus after an evening of working from 4:00 p.m. to midnight as a room service waiter in New Orleans, Louisiana which I did during the evening as a way to put myself through the university where I studied during the day.

Anyway, I was seated on the bus going home one late night when these two young guys in their 20’s were walking down the aisle of the bus asking everybody for spare change. Most people would either give them a few coins or simply say that they didn’t have anything.

On the bus was a gentleman, maybe in his early 60’s who worked at the same hotel that I did as the doorman. He was a gruff serious type of person who liked to be left along and mind his own business.

He was sitting alone with his umbrella propped up on the floor with his two hands resting on top the handle like the way one would rest his hands atop of a walking cane. The two guys asking for spare change finally made it down to where this particular gentleman was seated.

“Hey, dude, you got any spare change?”
“Get out of my face, I ain’t got no money to give to you!”
“Hey, old man, you running a lot of head. You want to step off of this bus and deal with us?”
“Okay, let’s go,” the gentleman quickly retorted.

This got the attention of everyone on the bus including the bus driver. All three of them, the two young guys and the older gentleman walked to the front and got off the bus. The bus driver paused and didn’t drive off.

The two young guys got off, and before they could say anything or react–”Pow!”–the gentleman whacked the first guy across the head with the handle-side of his umbrella. Then quickly–”Pow!”–he hit the other guy also across the head with the umbrella. The two young guys were both stunned as the gentleman aggressively and relentlessly continued to attack with his umbrella.

One of the two guys started to run off, and the gentleman then again whacked the other one remaining, this time breaking the umbrella handle over his head. Then both of them started running while the umbrella-clad warrior chased after them like a pit bull on crack.

The bus driver drove up a bit, and the two young guys ran and caught up to the front door of the bus, banging and pleading for the bus driver to let them in as the gentleman with the umbrella was catching up with them.

The entire bus was in an uproar with laughter, including the bus driver who took pity on the two youths and let them back on the bus to safety.

This altercation may have turned out very differently for our umbrella-armed warrior had he not instinctively or consciously understood the 3 most important reasons to strike first.

The 3 Most Important Reasons To Strike First:

Reason #1 For Striking First – Striking First Puts Momentum On Your Side - Our umbrella warrior knew this, so as soon as they all set foot on the ground, there was no need for talk or negotiations, he went into action striking first, creating momentum and putting his multiple opponents in a defensive mode which is really the purpose of any offensive that you execute.

Reason #2 For Striking First – You Get To Choose How And Where To Strike - It’s your choice now. Do you want to strike to tickle him, or to stop him? Just as one picture is worth a thousand words, one good first-strike is worth a thousands second and third strikes that are not as effective.

Reason #3 For Striking First – It Is Almost Impossible To Recover From A First Strike If You Keep On Striking - If your preemptive strike is well-placed in a vulnerable and vital area of the body, that is, the eyes, the throat, the groin and if you continue striking, there is little or no come-back to a good offense which, as it is said in martial arts circles, your best defense.

If you must, and when all attempts at diplomatic negotiations have failed…Strike first! Strike fast. Strike hard– and where it hurts–and keep on striking until the fight is over–or until you have put somebody to sleep.

I welcome your comment and feedback.

Respectively,

Charles Prosper aka “The Street Fighting Sifu”