I'm barely over 5 foot, studied English Lit and my favourite thing to do is browse cathedral gift shops and Catholic church salvage for unusual home decor. Not only do I not know how to fight, I can barely sew a straight line with needle and thread when I'm embroidering.

I'd be dead before the first punch got me horizontal.

I'm 6ft 3 and about 16 stone, boxed when I was younger and, yeah, know how to fight if I need to and have had plenty of fights in my life.

Best advice I'd give anyone is learn how to deescalate situations, and after that, how to just run away.

Doesn't matter how tough you are, 2 scenarios can play out, 1. Someone else is tougher; 2. You do a level of damage you never intended and completely fuck up your life.

No shame in running away from some arsehole who's set their sight on fighting someone.

Ive trained boxing/kickboxing and still train Jiu-jitsu. I know how to fight and spar regularly.

I've never been in a street fight and never want to be. Anything can happen and while being trained is potentially beneficial, avoided it if possible is the best option.

Finger up the arse. Contest over.

No but the amount of beer bellied out of shape lads who reckon they could take on multiple opponents simultaneously once they've had their fill of porter (often with the white stuff) is staggering

Raise the right arm slightly above shoulder height, shout "Hitler kick" and follow through with a swift left foot to the balls. You're sorted

As a girl, I think I would fight better than a lot but probably not enough to fight off a man, I hope I’d cause enough of a ruckus to make him give him or get someone else’s attention

I'm highly trained to run away very fast from confrontation.

Im 6" 2 and 90kg. Fairly strong in the gym etc.

But I wouldn't do well against anyone trained to fight. My best option is probably to grab them and try to throw them away from me or on the ground to give me a chance to run.

I feel like I'd be ok vs your average junkie.

"First, you got to shriek like a woman and keep sobbing till he turns away in disgust". "That's when it's time to kick some back". "And then when he's lying out on the ground, kick him in the ribs, step on his neck, and run like hell".

Boxed competitively for 4 years decent level and trained mma recreationally, but I have never swung a punch outside of a ring/training. Had plenty of opportunities with certain gobshites asking for it but what is the point.

The best thing experience gives you is the confidence that you know you can handle yourself if things escalate. But honestly , The strongest defence in any street situation is to deescalate it get out of it, dont let your ego control you into making silly decisions. Lifes too short

I know where you target. But that's not quite what you mean.

I was a teenager in the 80s. It was unavoidable, unfortunately. I would consider myself a pacifist, and would do anything to avoid a physical altercation. But, there has been times where I've been beaten to within an inch of my life. And, I am sad to say, intandem there have been times I've dished it out. It's strange, the beatings I've received I'm over, years now. But the shame of the ones I've given, will haunt me until the day I die.

I was bullied when I was a wee fella so my mum sent me to boxing and kick boxing. I haven’t done either in years but I reckon, in a tough spot, I’d probably take my pants and underpants off.

No one’s gonna want to fight a guy with no undertrou.

I can neither run or fight. 

Really depends on the situation. Back 20 years ago I fought several amateur Muay Thai and MMA fights, so I think I know how to fight, but in a random encounter there are so many variables. How many people, what is surrounding environment, is it just hand to hand or so you have to worry about a knife or whatever. Regardless, sure, I think I could at least make them a bit less confident in their decision to start shit, but all it takes is one piece of bad luck, you trip over a curb or panic for a second too long, and you end up in a bad position

You might know how to fight and think you would fight in that situation but you have fight or flight  and ya never know which will kick in. You might think you'd do class but freeze up in that moment. Unless you fought before.

I boxed as a teen and trained in Muay Thai as an adult combined maybe 15y. I’m 18 stone and fully aware of the damage I can cause. That’s exactly why I would try to avoid a fight with anyone outside the club, someone could get seriously hurt and it’s not worth ruining my future over it.

I’m not muscular built by any stretch but have hit things with sticks for 18 years.

The person that underestimates a drummers strength and power is naive.

“I fear not the man that has practiced 1000 kicks once but the man who has practiced 1 kick a thousand times”

No. Only trained fighters know how to fight.

If you make an attempt to just ,as fast as humanly possible, go straight to ball ripping it usually ends sharpish…

I've been in one fight in my adult life. I won comprehensively. But it taught me that I am not a fighter and I do not want to get into another one. The cardio load of it alone frightened me. I spent 20 minutes after it catching my breath.

Mine was self defense sort of but I was blessed that the fella was as untrained as I.

unsheathes shillelagh

teleports behind him

Pssht, nuthin’ personnel, lad

Im in my late 30’s, ive been training boxing for 15-20 years. Ive competed in and won tournaments and still train 3-4 times a week.

I am terrified of fighting. I always have been. I guess that’s why I became so obsessed. I am not a violent person. I have nerdy interests and wear glasses. I enjoy drinking so am often exposed to rowdy people and my heart rate goes up and I get nervous even when my brain is saying there is nothing to be worried about.

I think if a person is willing to attack you that should always be taken very seriously as it is absolutely not normal behavior (outside of a drunk night club thing, maybe). If they will attack you they are likely to stab you, hit you with bottle, have a friend jump in to help etc.

The last time I was in an actual fight was five years ago. I was out after a gig in the 02 and these two coked up lads in their early 20’s came up to me and my fiends and started a fight out of nowhere. I got the antagonist on the ground, realized he was a kid and when I stared to get up his mate booted me in the side of the head. I had concussion and despite what you have seen in the movies it didn’t just walk it off. It affected my mood and cognition for about a month.

Always do what you can to avoid any of this. If you were not born in a tough environment / violent home you will never be a “tough guy” and it is absolutely not something to aspire to. Train for health, challenge and self confidence but don’t be that wanker itching for someone to start something. You will regret it.

I was a small child in primary school. I was easy pickings for older years as the older years used to beat the shit out of 1st - 4th class students. I didn't like the shite being kicked out of me every day of school, so I joined a boxing club in 5th class. Learned to box, I wasn't the worst boxer either as I went on to win a few medals. I never won an All Ireland but still.

Got into a rake of fights in the first few weeks of secondary school. This was deliberate on my part to make sure that I'd be left alone throughout secondary school. It worked. I grew up working on farms and worked construction from the age of 14, so I've always been very physically strong and, of course, the boxing. A lot of fighting is experience, too. The more fights you're in, the better you get.

In the West of Ireland in the 2000s, there were a lot of town vs. town fights. It sounds stupid, I know. But people from different towns would meet up and fight each other. So, by the age of 15, I had been in more fights than I could count. Around 3rd year, our coaches in boxing told us we'd be expelled from the club if we were caught participating in any fighting, so I stopped letting myself get into fights.

If I were in a fight today, I'd be sound. I wouldn't be a bit worried.

So yes, I can fight. However, I will always say don't learn a martial art with the intention of using the skill outside the ring. You are a trained fighter at that point and you have fuck all legal standing if you get into a fight and you're fighting someone who had no training. I also know a few very good boxers who've been almost beaten to death by going fighting one person, and suddenly, 6 or 7 lads are on top of them.

Everyone should know how to fight. But you should only fight if you have to, if you can walk away, walk away. It's very easy to hit someone too hard or for them to hit their heads or something, and you'll throw your life down the drain.

You can't win all and you won't loose all, either way I carry 2 lighters, one for each hand and start swinging.

No, but I have a weird reflex that means I usually don't have to.

I've been jumped a couple of times. When that happens, for some reason I become really calm. I've been told I look bored. That unsettles people coming at me. I look like I'm really good at fighting and this is going to be really easy for me to handle.

I'm 6'3, about 95kg got an old school black belt at 19, spent my twenties doing MMA. But I'm in my forties now, no I can't fight. Can I ruin someone's life and mine by introducing their skull to concrete, yes but no, I deffo can't fight anymore.

If I have to, yeah I'll fight whoever makes the first move and claim self-defense.

If I'm walking alone at night, and some stranger walks past or tries to talk to me, I have the mean looking Clint Eastwood squint on my face, trying to make me look like the thug and scare him. I say with me eyes squinted and teeth grinded "Are you looking to get into some shit?". Me trying to act tough to mask & cover my own walking alone at night.

I’m not saying it’s right all the time, but sometimes attack is the best form of defence. I’ve had two instances of dickheads trying to start fights in pubs. Both times they backed down when I got a hand on their neck and just crowd out their space so they have little to no room to actually swing. Again, I’m not saying it’s always right, I’m no expert but in the moment it seemed the best course of action.

yes, I know how to fight. I remember everything I was taught when I in the military. I've been showing my wife all the dirty moves I was taught. everything is a weapon if you know how to use it.

Was "attacked" by a guy once who had back up with him outside a nightclub when I was 25. I had quite a few kg on him and he was younger so was surprised he fancied it. He threw a punch which I blocked and calmly told him he'd need to throw the next one a lot faster. Himself and his buddy didn't fancy it. Didn't even have to hit him.

I did BJJ for a couple of years in my late 20s early 30s. I found the wear and tear on my body brutal.

My child started BJJ at 7, she's now ten. About 6 months ago I said come on show me what you've been learning. Firstly I was shocked by her strength, I was easily taken to the ground and choked by a child. I wasn't letting her either.

It was humbling. So I definitely can't fight.

On a more serious note, you can tell the guys and girls that are well trained in the comments - they all talk about desecration. It's the way to go.

Street fights are never a fair fight, if you don't bail there'll be a price to pay

Yes, but the best way to win a street fight is to not be in one.

Yes, I can fight - but I’d be very careful about it. Dublin is full of professional fighters and even though I train myself, it won’t go well for me if I try and fight them.

There are some absolute units in the city that just “training” won’t help against - you’d have be in the UFC to take them down.

if they want to fight, they'll attack you without warning. Was in a pub once in Swords, and without warning I was on the ground. I put my hands over my head, and my friends were able to get the attackers to go elsewhere. Am 6 foot 6".

The pub CCTV was useless to the point of not being able to ID the attacker.

I think a lot of people overestimate themselves.

I think some women vastly underestimate the strength differential.

I think most blokes think they can probably throw a decent punch, but they can’t.

I boxed for a few years and then stopped for about 5. Decided to hit a punching bag for some cardio one day and couldn’t believe how slow my punches had gotten.

Me vs me of 5 years previous, I wouldn’t have been able to land a single shot. But in my head I assumed I still probably had a good punch since I was 16 odd stone and had a few years of boxing, but no.

Like so many others have said, absolutely anything to avoid it is the best course of action. Being in my 30’s now also makes me more aware that you could kill someone defending yourself too, one nasty bang to the head on the edge of a path and it could be manslaughter.

A little bit. If the other person wasn't that trained either I'd be fairly confident I'd come out of it relatively unscathed but if they really knew what they were doin I'd be fucked.

Answering this is like answering" how long is a piece of rope" . Way to many variables to just say yes I can protect myself if someone attacks.

Like how many people are attacking me?

Are they my height?

My weight?

Do they have training?what level of training? What's the training in?

Do they have weapons?

Are they on something which stops them feeling pain or fear?

Will they give me some sort of indication before turning to physical violence or are they going to sucker punch me to start things off?

Etc etc

I train 5 days a week in an MMA gym, 6ft4 and 105kg and a 70kg 18 year old regularly lumps me around.

People think they have to know how to fight to protect themselves. There's no rules or honour out there if you're trying to take care of yourself.

Knowing a martial art is all well and good but a punch you don't see coming can still kill you. Don't try and follow Queensbury rules if someone attacks you. If you're not able to run away (and you should try do that has hard as you possibly can), then if they're close enough you jam a finger or thumb as far into their eye as you can. You're fighting for your life; there's no disqualifications.

I’m nearly 6.3 and 220lbs. Some boxing and jiu-jitsu training. I’d do everything possible to de-escalate or run. Unless you need to help someone else, it’s just not worth it with unknown variables. Unseen associates, weapons etc.

I will fight to run away

I know how to fight and I have friends who know how to fight. None of us would actually want to fight someone outside of the ring, that's just scumbaggery. But I have unfortunately met some people who can fight and would do such a thing. Dangerous bastards and something wrong with them. 99% of the wankers you might meet that go looking for a fight can't fight but might best the average person from sheer viciousness. That minority that can fight and want to fight random people in public are something to worry about.

No / Badly.

Never underestimate the importance of a stiff snapping jab..over and over and over again ..many world titles won with a good jab

This question was asked to a boxing instructor at the end of a boxing session we were doing with the club and his answer is probably the best bit of advice re life and death fight iv ever heard. He said he would be confident enough to fight his way out of most situations but lives by the mantra of go for the ball's first

I'd probably just start biting and hope for the best. If you cant beat 'em eat 'em

I'm not trained and have no disillusions about me losing a fight to anyone who has some decent amount of training. However, I am 95kg with mostly muscle, and have sparred a few times and know I can take a few thumps which is enough for me to get whoever I care about out of the situation. If they're not trained I fancy my chances of rag dolling them quite highly tbf.

I’ve played Street Fighter & Mortal Kombat & seen all the UFC fights & King of the Streets, pretty sure I could handle my shit….👀

Absolutely.

Yes, I’m 6’1, 95kg and have a history of kickboxing and just general street and school fights from secondary school. So I think I’d put up a good fight against the average person. At my peak in kickboxing I came second in the all Ireland national, and was a brown belt about to advance to black belt (I had to stop because I developed really bad glandular fever which took me out for a year)

THAT BEING SAID, I haven’t been in a fight, in or out of the ring, in probably 15 years. I’m not exactly in good shape (not overweight, but incredibly unfit) and I think I’d likely gas out very early on. My stamina is absolutely terrible now, I haven’t stretched consistently in just about as long, and I highly doubt I’d be able to kick anything above waist height.

I’m still physically strong, so if I had to I’d likely be able to submit somebody. I’ve never trained in grappling or jiujutsu but I’ve watched a lot of training footage in the event I’d have to apply it somehow.

I did karate but packed it in 17 years ago on a red belt but I would be rusty since it was so long ago unless the skills I learnt came back to me but I'm not that fit young lad anymore.

I’ve grew up in few scraps usually come out on top did fighting as a sport in teens I feel very comfortable if I was attacked one on one but in today’s climate I’d avoid as much as possible it’s too dangerous and on the street there’s no rules best keep ego in check n avoid conflict unless you have no choice and if you must make sure you hurt em to point it’s not worth it if ya lose oh well aslong as you live and get a lot hits in they’d remember that’s all that matters but again avoid it if you can ,running away and coming back with more people is always a option

I used to box and do karate currently but I am in the army and we were still told the best thing to do is run away. If you can't run away the next advice was basically go rabbid

Yes, work on a building site and you soon learn. Best to just walk so it doesn't escalate, took a while to grow up in my case I would have fought the devil himself and I must have a guardian angel that I haven't killed someone, nothing to be proud of or boast about, just an angry nasty vicious person. Guys I grew up with were either murdered or doing time. Honestly don't know how I made it

Amateur boxer with a so so record. Run as fast as you can.

I'm the youngest, growing up I had 3 (now 2 due to the grim reaper) older brothers and have 2 older sisters, who were all very protective of me, so nobody gave me grief growing up, but I never brought trouble to myself anyway, so I was never in a fight at any point in life.

Being the youngest, I'm also the tallest and managed to have been given the strongest build out of all of my siblings, and frequently got, and still occasionally get comments like "you're a big lad, I wouldn't be giving you any trouble" that perception has possibly helped deter attackers.

I'm a lover not a fighter and the pen is mightier than the sword, so if someone decided to attack me, I would probably get battered like a fish.

I'm over 6ft and haven't been in a fight since I was 13 (30+ years ago). I'm not a fighter but if I was cornered with no way out I'd go as dirty as possible, aim for the balls, eyes, and if possible, the knees. Basically anything that will provide a window to get the fuck out of the situation.

Ive going on 15 years of striking experience with a lash of fights, purple belt in bjj, one thing i will say is people over estimate their ability to fight a lot, especially people who trained when they were younger, people dont realise how easy it is to gas out when the adrenaline is going, most fights are over quickly and thats partially due to both parties being out of shape, another thing i noticed is a lot of people who train bjj over estimate their ability to fight in real life situations, it definitely helps to train and obviously being fit is a huge factor but if your mainly playing a bottom half guard game in the gi and your shit at wrestling or maintaining top pressure your gonna have a hard time fighting anybody who knows how to fight. I myself got found out when i joined an mma gym and realised i was fairly good in the gi but when i got taken down and there was strikes involved and no gi grips to initiate sweeps or whatever its a whole different ball game. I literally dont do gi bjj anymore as i think its a waste of time if youre training to fight some one who can fight. probably ok if youre a bouncer or whatever and u wanna control someone on the floor with grips but if its a street fight and me and a guy are in t shirts duking it out and we end up on the floor i dont wanna be powerless if i cant get a thick collar grip,

Haha, great question. First thought is no. Not nowadays when all the young lads are fit and able. But I can say one thing. My ex wife could pretty much level most guys without a drop of thought. I think emotions can make or break you in a fight.

I know how to defend myself, but I hate fighting, I ain't scared to fight, I can give and take an ass whooping but i never start fights because I have boundaries and i realize some people are crazy and don't have a line.

You could start fighting someone and they pull a knife on you or in my case when i was younger, get ganged up on by 4 or 5 people when they person that start on my starts getting their ass kicked

I did martial arts when I was too young to take it very seriously.

Based on that, kind of?

At the same time though, I'd say adrenaline and instincts would also play quite a part.

No, but I have a bottle of Liquid Ass I would happily spray in an attacker's face.

I'll probably die.

A friend of mine always used to say the best way to stop a fight from happening with someone is to "drop your trousers and start pulling yourself off making animal noises"

I'm 6ft and likely have above average upper body strength due to being involved in canoeing/rowing etc. I have no training but I reckon I could hold my own for a while anyway.

A good run is better than a bad stand.

I train martial arts. Been at it for over a decade now. I’m a small woman (5 ft 2). Yes, I know how to fight. I also know that the odds are stacked against me in terms of strength. So while I know how to fight, I am under no illusions that I can definitely beat any man that tries to overpower me. But I’d definitely give him a challenge and I’d probably not be worth the effort. 🤣

Average random person on the street ill hold my own . Anybody around 16 or older with a bit of training probably gonna kick me up and down the road.

I have a black belt in karate, purple in bjj and went 3-1-1 in amateur mma, I THINK (as in I am not sure) I can fight. I hope so

If someone makes me fight for my life I'm using teeth

Everyone backed into a corner has the ability to. Its just deep down inside you. If someone was attacking your mother/father/gf/bf you aren't going to sit and cry. You will find that inner rage that will fight for what you love.

No, I do not know how to fight.

I'd be confident that I'd win any street fight I'd get into. That would most likely be my downfall too.

But as others have stated, de-escalate the situation if at all possible and next option would be to leg it.

Absolutely anyone, and I mean anyone has the potential to do serious damage to another person whether they intend to or not. It's just not worth the risk so I'd avoid at all costs.

I grew up in Limerick city, during the feuds. You get an eye for trouble and thick skin.

I am afraid of this ever seriously happening because I feel like there’s a viciousness inside me that scares me, I feel like in that situation I might be genuinely so enraged that I could seriously hurt an attacker.

The few times I have been in a fight I have realized I can handle myself, I have never initiated by myself, it’s taken my own restraint not to have things escalate. In those situations I kind of don’t care whether I live or die, which scares me. I have a family and people I love that I need to be here for.

So yes I can fight, but I’d rather give people warmth and kindness.

I've been attacked and beaten. I learned how to fight, bjj saved my life on 2 occasions. I have a big mouth and it gets me in trouble. It was needed

I've been attacked a couple of times in real life and a childhood background in TKD meant I didn't panic and blocked most of the blows while backing up. Even drunk and being hit by someone I wasn't particularly keen hit someone back cos I'm very aware you could just knock half their teeth out or they could fall backwards crack their head. I've no interest in ending up in court trying to explain how I didn't use excessive force. In my experience if someone isn't able to get some proper digs in quickly they'll just give up.

I’m a 6ft 3 guy used to play Gaelic .. I’d probably to far weaker than I was but it’s fight smart and run. Use anything around you as a weapon.. don’t be clever and don’t go down

I've done a few different self-defense courses over the years, so I like to think I'd at least be able to defend myself, but in the heat of the moment I would probably just curl up into a ball and scream for help

Doing a few boxing lessons would help.  - know how to keep your balance by using correct footwork - if someone lines up to punch you, be ready to sidestep to the outside of their jab hand. when they miss you, they will be off-balance with their head defenceless

I would avoid fighting though, as I am not naturally strong or imposing 

Yes. My best advice is de escalate and if you get into a fight and your close to each other bite the fuk outta them

Everyone overestimates their capacity to fight. Myself included.

If you really had not choice. Hand wave like you are de escalating , with left ,turn the turn back smash a hard right hand punch to solar plexus then run. It’s the great leveller for height as well as easily acquired target versus head if they are significantly taller

6', 120kg. Black belt, I should be OK.

Rugby MMA and BJJ background. Like other able and trained folks here, 1 on 1, I am very confident but if I even got into a fight in the office I am not certain I would avoid tripping over an office chair and injure myself. 1 vs 2 etc the odds change and you never know if a knife, a buddy or other hazard are going to do damage.

Always avoid the conflict, if you are very confident in these comments, you shouldn't be. The scrap is the last resort.

Slightly off point but very effective, I have used it numerous times. It’s called a fence technique by Geoff Thompson, I read his book “watch my back” years ago. I used AI to break it down:

Geoff Thompson’s “Fence” technique is a personal-safety and self-defence concept designed to manage confrontation before it turns physical.

What it is

The Fence is a non-aggressive interview stance that: • Creates a protective barrier between you and a potential attacker • Allows you to de-escalate verbally • Keeps you ready to strike or defend instantly if violence erupts

It’s widely taught in reality-based self-defence and door-security training.

⸻

How the Fence looks • Hands up, palms open, around chest/face height (looks like calming or explaining, not fighting) • Elbows slightly bent, not locked • One foot slightly back, body bladed (not square) • Chin down, eyes up • Distance managed (roughly arm’s length)

It often appears as:

“Hey mate, I don’t want any trouble…”

⸻

Why it works • Socially acceptable – doesn’t escalate the situation • Protects the head from sudden punches • Pre-loads your reaction (hands are already up) • Controls space and discourages encroachment • Allows pre-emptive action if necessary

Most street attacks start with verbal aggression and boundary testing — the Fence lives in that moment.

⸻

Key principles 1. Hands up early – before you feel threatened 2. Talk while watching – read body language, hands, feet 3. Maintain distance – step back if they step in 4. Act decisively if the line is crossed (don’t freeze)

⸻

Common follow-ups from the Fence • Pre-emptive strike (if unavoidable) • Clinch entry • Push-off and disengage • Exit and escape

⸻

Important note

The Fence is not a fighting stance — it’s a violence-prevention tool that keeps you legally, tactically, and socially safer.

I’m 179cm 90 kilos and I have been going gym for a good couple of years, was always scared to fight when I was younger and the only thing in my advantage is my size 🤣

Punch in throat, kick in balls is universal love language

As a petite woman with no fighting experience my thought process has been a heel to balls and leg it. I feel like even if you are big, strong and can fight. There’s a likelihood someone could be carrying a knife or other weapon so unless you’ve got combat training it might not make a difference

I know how to fight, I've trained in many different martial arts, BUT I feel like if I was in a real situation I'd probably fall apart. And I have a real fear of overdoing the fighting and causing permanent damage

Adrenaline is a strange thing and can be unpredictable in someone's system.

Based on perusing this sub over the last few months I’d say almost no one here can fight

I don't but I'm insane and scrappy and would give it my best shot.

I think to a certain degree yes.

I was attacked in Dublin 2 years ago, head was stuck in my phone booking a taxi ( sober ) and he came up behind me and cracked me in the side of the head, knocked me clean out .

I'm 33 now, did kick boxing for about 8 years in my teenage years, haven't done any combat sports in over 15 years but reckon I'd still handle myself if I saw it coming, I think the fight or flight would save me, I'm actually in much better shape now, much stronger but it's definitely a different skill set.

When someone comes at you like this you don't stand a chance no matter who you are .

Muay Thai low kick is pretty insane for knocking someone on their arse. Then run away

it’s rarely ever 1 v 1 to many big men in numbers ,so even if you can fight your at a disadvantage

If I need to

I have done some training over the years in various disciplines .I have also unfortunately been in some fights "on the street".

One thing I can tell you without fail is that it's never a good idea to fight outside of a gym, fighting in any sense is only a (barely) good idea under strict rules based conditions.

I know a guy that lives and breeds BJJ, brown belt, really competent. In a BJJ comp I would comfortably suggest he would wrap most people I know into knots if pressed, however one time we were out in a group and In a bar fight he was smashed in the face with a bottle by some random scumbag and had his head danced on when he was on the floor. BJJ was non existent on that day.

I guess what I'm trying to convey is that no matter how much you think you can fight, it's never a good idea to enter a fight without rules.

I am a very slow runner, so running away is not really an option for me, but nor have I been in a fight for thirty years (48M). I was a scrapper in school and never backed down; rarely lost a fight, but mostly avoided them by not backing down to bullies. I moved schools, a lot, due to family circumstances; I learned to identify the bullies; I would stand up to them on our first encounter and was rarely bothered again.

As an adult I have employed my, to date,, successful de-escalation skills to avoid physical confrontation. Sometimes this involves stepping back, but it depends on the situation; I still don't like to back down to bullies, but I will swallow my pride if I think that's the most effective way to de-escalate. I've rarely had to show aggression to achieve a peaceful outcome, but it has happened. Usually its effective enough to absorb someone's aggressive behaviour, calmly and confidently with open body language and an intent to not allow any punches to be thrown. Each situation is different. I have successfully avoided violence by trusting my instinct about how to control the situation, for three decades, but I don't take it for granted, as there are some very unpredictable people out there. Damn near 100% of people are sound though, if you give them the best chance to be. That's my experience; I'm a pretty good guy who likes to have a laugh, chat and help out, however I can, emotionally or practically; I tend to get that energy back from people; I'm very happy about that.

I'm 5'8", but not small framed; I've got real world strength, but the evidence of that is covered in a layer of jelly. If it came to it, I'd have a punchers chance against an untrained opponent; a couple of drunk guys; maybe three or four scrawny teens not carrying knives, but I really don't want to find out.

I'm a lover, not a fighter! 😁

Be kind, be careful.

I still train to fight at the moment. Fighting on the street and fighting in the gym are not the same rules.

Best defence is to run

Get naked and make noises like you are gonna puke.. Nobody wants to deal with that.

Also.. No I doubt i could fight my way out of a situation. There are too many variables to be sure but chances of a disastrous outcome are very high.

Yep, I'd be grand.

I have a black belt in karate and Japanese jiu jitsu and a purple belt in bjj and train mma so I feel fairly confident I could defend myself if I had to but I will do anything to avoid fighting outside the gym. I LOVE sparring and rolling but fighting is utter nonsense.

My age and general fitness would act against me. My size and strength would be in my favour.

My main advantage would be that I am a sneaky bastard and quite happy to act first when threatened with harm.

Even if your opponents is a bigger, stronger and trained, striking or grappling first with the element of surprise and with maximum violent intent is usually a deciding factor.

But having said that unless my assailant (or myself) is drunk or high, I've never met someone that I could not cajole or intimidate out of threatening me.

Id unleash the beast 

Nope. Was randomly attacked and just accepted the punches while my brain tried to figure out what was happening. Tried to work on that but my brain just detaches itself when ever I get in a stressful situation eg being punched.

Contrary to a lot of peoples comments here,im small enough,5'7, thin with a wee belly these days as im over 40 now, boxed and still train ju jitsu semi regular, been in many street fights as a younger man, and would have been vicious, really hurt people and was really hurt myself.

Id run as far and as fast away from a row now as i could get, looking back i cant believe how fuckin stupid i was. Now in the event that i have no other option or need to defend the family etc, id be capable of going from 0-100 in a second, but any other situation,im gone. Its so insanely dangerous and the trauma you could inflict on a family for life etc for a punch up is life altering,forever.

Yup. And have the scars to prove it. But 100% wish I never had to.

I'm in my late 40s. Up to about 10 years ago, I would have replied yes (I could defend myself) but mainly using weight and size (no floating or stinging like graceful creatures).

But then I saw two lads actually scrapping in Dublin (just at top of O'Connell St!), and they've all this boxing and/or MMA (kicking) stuff going on that i wouldn't know how to defend myself from.

I mean… sorta. Ive been training in martial arts for a little bit. I wouldnt be able to take them down probably but if the attacker saw me and was like “oh yeah, theyll be weak” id probably surprise them.

Seemingly every second person in this thread is 6ft and either has a black belt in a martial art or is a former boxer.

I'm sure the reality is far different

Im a 5ft11, 100kg~ woman who grew up as a middle child so ive been in shuffles with siblings ive not been able to really hit hard. "Weaker man swings first, bigger man walks away", my dad told us when we started going out on nights to town and he was 100% right.

Ive diffused more fights than anything on nights out. Half from my size in the heels I wear, half from descalating the situation with words.

Lad, I trained Judo and Wrestling since I was 5, and stopped at 25. I also trained Muay Thai for couple of years.

To answer the question, I would probably get shit kicked out of me.

Women reading this post be like: 6’1… hmm. 6’2… wow. 6’3… 🤤🤤

Done Krav Maga for nearly 10 years. Biggest part of training was running, not just for cardio but to know you could run at least 5k easily. The other part was to hand over what ever was being asked for wallet, watch etc. and only use what we were being thought as a very last resort.

I train because random physical violence terrifies me , the hope is that I never have to use it. Just leg it

I did Mauy Thai for 2 years so I am fairly confident I do not how to fight. There is almost no situation you can't avoid and as harsh as it sounds if you are in a situation where someone with you pushes into a fight its not worth it just leave their ego will get you killed.

My nickname on my ice hockey team is "big dawg", I'm 6'2 16 Strone and have been lifting weights for most my adult life.

I have never been in a fight and my first instinct would be to run away but if I couldn't do that I think I would just try to grab them with a bear hug and bring them to ground.

Unless they had training and assuming they were of average strenght and size, I don't think they could do much to stop me.

5’10” and you’d see more meat on Good Friday. I’m capable of defending myself if needs be. I will use whatever is to hand and I can outrun most on a sprint. The sprint is the first option if possible. The second is the monkey fist keyring. It will stun or knockout the hardest of the weekend drunks.

Yes and I will do everything in my power not to.

No. But turns out my partner does. That’s how we met. Bunch of kids tried to rob me, she came to the rescue. Long story short, we are now married.

If mcgregor trained for years and years and gassed out after 5 mins... The average person will be bolloxed after 20 seconds.

https://preview.redd.it/e9lu2cpnfqcg1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c19ee896a0e1aa98a3a839031aab6340438dc27

I did my lone worker training all I can remember is armpits, sternum & hands then the breakaway technique (doubt I'll manage that) plus never sit with you back to the door

As a 130lb, 159cm woman who grew up on Buffy and Xena I would say yes.

In reality, probably not but I like to think I have strong legs therefore my kicks have the power of a horse :)

The world is full of lads who think they can fight. They play out their hand-to-hand combat fantasy from xyz movie or video game, and end up with the "Boxers break". This is when someone doesn't know what they are doing, and fractures their  fifth metacarpal.

i got attacked with my bf in tralee. fella walked over and grabbed him by the hoodie, shouting for our money. i punched him in the head a few times then he grabbed my hair, bf gets my hair from his hands and we ran away lol

Nope, I'd die. That's actually what I tell people getting aggro at me, "I'm super weak and can't/won't fight back, if you hit me I'll probably fall down, hit my head and die" and it actually deescalates. 

Not because I've reasoned with them, I think I just come across as odd when I say it and the person realises there trying to fight a weirdo and it's it as cool anymore 

Id be absolutely dead. I should at least practice a debilitating attack and carry pepper spray ..... yes I think I will now.

Yeah but I'd rather not. I'm not in the same shape I was when I was sparring regularly and also I've a hell of a lot more to lose than some random guy on the street so would avoid any confrontation as much as humanly possible.

Sometimes it’s less about knowing how to fight and more about being the kind of person that can flip that emotional switch and become a threat.  The kind of person that can change  when stone cold sober and become quiet and deadly is the kind I would consider a serious threat 

I can! I'm a jiujitsu purple belt, and 6 foot 85kg. So I'm not massive but not small either.

The funny thing about practicing martial arts, is that most of us are nerds and are the nearly the least likely to get into any kind of fight. Just because I can defend myself doesn't mean I ever want to be in a fight, never worth it.

Background. I am 100kg, quite strong with a few long term injury issues, but none that would preclude careful application of violence. Have been in a few melees, know where to hit and why to disable people promptly.

Rule 1. Run away very quickly Rule 2. See rule 1 Rule 3. If there is absolutely, positively no way to de-escalate or follow rule 1 or rule 2, turn the knob to the right and commit biblical levels of violence instantly and without regret, then follow rule 1.

Nope, tall thin guy and any advantage that I might have would be negated by the pussification of my movements. I don't think I can't hold back a punch. I will absolutely hesitate to hold a grip with hands and slacken. Would probably be running but you mentioned no way to run. Weirdly as I am imagining it I think I would be more likely to get stuck in if it was a large animal...but I don't really know why.