Fights are fights, sports are sports

Hello Everyone

I want to talk about the difference between sport fighting and fighting. The cynics will likely say something along the lines of "one is real, one is a game." Ummm yeah, but there is a little more to that I think. That is the obvious truth, but a very superficial analysis. Let's take boxing. I want to start out by saying that I love and respect the art of boxing. I believe that boxing teaches a lot of good things, like footwork, crisp punching and endurance. The fact of the matter is, in a LOT of situations, competent boxing skills are enough to get you out of most physical confrontations. But remember that there is an important mindset that you need to adopt and deploy when you are in a real fight.

In a real fight, time is of the essence, you don't have all day to fight someone. Most fights are over in about 10 seconds anyhow. That equates to the length of a good hockey fight. Now as much as I can appreciate boxing, it does teach some habits that can get you really hurt in a real fight.

The first is that a one of one fight will STAY a one on one fight. While people possibly being attacked by a secondary assailant is nothing new, it seems to be more common these days. And what is more, people seem LESS likely to help if the situation becomes overwhelming.

The second thing is the punches. Boxers can punch for a long time, with their hands properly wrapped. In boxing the main target is the head. So in a real fight, boxers tend to head-hunt, to the detriment of their hands, and the use thereof. Even though a competent boxer can maybe target the jaw or the chin more effectively than others, the bone on bone contact can still injure a boxer's hands.

The next concern is defense. Boxers employ excellent footwork, and spacial awareness, in a ring. In between 2 cars, or in a melee, they may lack the ability to defend as effectively. Also, boxers are very good at bobbing and weaving. Good for a waist up sport like boxing. Bad when someone can clinch and knee you in the face, or maybe kick or go for a wrestling style takedown. Boxers often block or parry with their gloves. Now this is a dangerous habit to develop. For all of you Old School MMA fans, think of the first Tito Ortiz/Chuck Liddell fight. Tito was using good motion just like his boxing training conditioned him to do. He was covering his ears with gloves that are much smaller than the boxing gloves he trained in. Result? He caught a punch behind the ear, that put him down and out. This is just one example of how an excellent sport practice can be very dangerous in a real fight. Remember folks, fights are fights, sports are sports.