Home Real Training Articles What do Sport Fighters and Reality Fighters have in Common?

What do Sport Fighters and Reality Fighters have in Common?

by George Mattson

What do Sport Fighters and Reality Fighters have in Common?

There are a few things that are common things between a sport fighter who is training to face someone that is in a scheduled event, who is of equal weight, size, and experience with a referee and judges, and people in your corner, and the ability to QUIT at ANYTIME you or your corner feels you are losing or unable to continue, and someone training for a real fight for survival who is to face an UNKOWN attacker, of unknown height and weight,  with unknown experience or skill level, or unknown weapons present, and unknown number of attackers, in an unknown location and no designated time to have this fight for their life.

However even though these topics are the same the definitions and meanings will greatly vary.  Take a look at the sports part in normal text and the reality in bold.

1.  Timing – Executing techniques heavily relies on timing and is important because of needing to hit your target when open or being able to make the target available when/if needed.   In the gym the weather is ALWAYS good, and you have time to stretch out and get limber. If your timing is off in the gym you are having a bad day and stop and try again another time.  Your life is not threatened or at risk!

 

Reality Timing: – Executing techniques heavily relies on timing and is important because of needing to hit your target when open or needing to make the target available when/if needed.  You never know the type of weather it could be too cold which effects your muscles, blood flow, body temperature and the clothing your wearing, or it is hot.  If your timing is off in the street fighting for your life you have a VERY small marginal room for error.  The techniques need to be remembered and a survival level of proficiency is needed to stay alive.  Your life IS threatened and at risk, and maybe even the lives of loved ones or others with you.
2.  Speed – Everyone wants to be faster, quicker with their hands and feet – In the gym speed is acquired by drills and repetition, wearing clothing that is made for your training, clothes that stretch and are not binding, bare footed, even footed and calm environments.  You even know in the gym how long your rounds are so you train for it.  Age is factor with speed, usually in a sport fight you are not fighting agasint a large age difference…you may get your once in a while but that is not your norm.

Reality Speed –
Everyone wants to be faster, quicker with their hands and feet – In the street speed is acquired by drills and repetitions, wearing clothing that is as close to your normal clothing as possible, clothes that do not stretch and are binding, different types of footwear, uneven footed and chaotic environments, with a multitude of distractions.  You do not know in the street how long your fight will last.  Age is factor with speed, usually in a real fight you are fighting an UNKNOWN age difference.
3.  Power – Hitting with power is vital to winning a sport fight.  It changes the way your opponent will look at you, and you will RARELY ever break your hand in a sport fight, your hands are taped and padded to some degree.  Everyone wants to hit with the strength of 100 men.  For sport there is a lot of false power, people pull their punches, breath differently, some use more muscle power then, momentum, some use momentum then muscles, and some do both.  You lift weights, do exercises, hit bags, and in a sport fight if you do not get to hit like you want, not a big problem you can always STOP the fight.
Reality Power Hitting with power is vital to winning a real fight.  It changes the way your opponent will look at you and fear you, and you COULD break your hand in real fight, your hands clean from any tape or pads.  Everyone wants to hit with the strength of 100 men.  In a real fight we do not have the leisure to waste a strike, we need to breath differently, we need to use all of the available power when we hit.  We lift weights, do exercises, hit bags, then combine that with the anxiety, fear and the ability to control panic which hastens fatigue in a fight.
4. Coordination – Being able to be in harmony with one is important to being able to go with the flow is vital in a sport fight, and often taught in the gym.  In a sport fight having your body work in connection with everything is important to execute techniques correctly to controlling your opponent and floor space. In the gym this is done in usually bare feet or footwear designed for the mats or sport ring you are in.
Reality Coordination – – Being able to be in harmony with one is important to being able to go with the flow is vital in a real fight, and having your body work in connection with everything is important to execute techniques correctly to controlling your attacker and floor space. In the real fight you are wearing dress shoes, slippers, or footwear that does not support the environment you are in, and may even be a disadvantage.
5. Movement- Being able to move smoothly and without stumbling or hesitation is needed in a sport fight, especially since a sport fight is constantly changing and moving forward, backwards, laterally, and usually in a gym where the space is open, and in most sporting fights once the opponent is on the ground the fight could be stopped and time allotted for one to get up on their feet.
Reality Movement– Being able to move smoothly and without stumbling or hesitation is vital in a real fight, especially since a fight is constantly changing and moving forward, backwards, laterally, and usually in a street the space can be closed and confined, or up and down a stairwell, on the beach sand, on a roof top, in a gravel pit, or hard asphalt where the space is open, in every location imaginable, and in most real fights once the opponent is on the ground the fight will continue, and only be stopped when one id dead, or one shows compassion. 

6. Discipline – The discipline and dedication needed in any type of training is usually the same- staying focused, committed, routine, etc…however in the gym the of training this discipline is controlled, with little to no anxiety, fear, emotional testing so to speak.  You can train 100 people to eye gouge when their live is on the line in training – But the actual execution of a technique that is so incapacitating and deathly may only be executed by a small few if that many. 

7.  Physical Endurance – The physical endurance is a true necessity in a sporting fight both for executing your techniques correctly but also being able to last the distance.  In the gym this is done through drills and repetitions, sparing with others on soft padded surfaces, the weather, space and environment is controlled; even the pace of your attacker is controlled.  You are at a DIFFERENT level of anxiety, and fear and this will ultimately affect your blood flow, breathing and blood circulations.
Reality Physical Endurance – The physical endurance is a true necessity in a fight for your life both for executing your techniques correctly giving you a SMALL marginal room for error but also being able to last the distance, this is greatly different then in a gym where your levels of intensity, anxiety, fear all play a vital factor in your physical and even mental endurance.  In the street this is done through drills and repetitions, sparing with others in a variety of surfaces, weather, space and environment is controlled specific to situation; even the pace of your attacker is controlled specific to situation.  You are at a DIFFERENT level of anxiety, and fear and this will ultimately affect your blood flow, breathing and blood circulations therefore affecting your physical endurance.
8.  Mental Endurance – The mental endurance needed is a strong factor in your sporting fight, being able to separate the emotional elements, knowing what is moral and unmoral is critical, and in a gym the other person you are training with is NOT TYRING to KILL YOU!

Reality Mental Endurance – The mental endurance needed is a strong factor in a fight for your life is paramount, being able to separate the rational decisions from the irrational  decision, emotional disassociation from knowing what is moral and unmoral is critical, and in a street the other person you are fighting with is TYRING to KILL YOU, others or your family!
 

9.  Competition – Most of us have the inner drive to win the sporting event or tournament is in most of us.  The competitive edge the willingness to win over losing.  In a gym this is a controlled emotion because, because you get better each and every time you spar with the SAMRE person.  You self educate when you spar through your mistakes and can do it again tomorrow and be better.
Reality Competition – Most of us have the inner drive to win fight for your life, and the primal instinct to survive is in most of us.  The competitive edge he willingness to kill over be killed.  In a real fight this is an uncontrolled emotion because, because of many other factors you do not get in the gym.  Hearing the other person make statement of threats to you, hearing them cry from the pain you just gave them, hearing their change in breathing, coughing on their own blood or even your blood, feling your pain and knowing that ONLY you can stop it, you try your first plan and if that didn’t work you go to your next one and so on, until they are stopped.  Never repeat your failures in the real fight it only makes your attacker better each time. You have to self educate  by constantly evaluating your surroundings, your level of threats, number of subjects, etc…..when you fight for your life your mistakes are something you MUST WORK THROUGH, because you may not get a second chance tomorrow.

10.  GOAL – To get first place, second place or just plain finish in some sports. In the gym you get to test out your skills and techniques and if it doesn’t work – oh well you can try it again in a minute.

Reality GOAL – To SURVIVE, in life and death there is NO SECOND
CHANCE.  You get one shot at the title so to speak and it better be right!

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