Fighting tips

One thing to remember is that there is no such thing as a fair fight. Someone always has an advantage. He/She could be stronger, faster, bigger, taller... whatever. What I'm gonna do is give you some tips to make sure you don't get yourself knocked out.

#1: What to do if the other guy's taller

This is pretty easy. If he's taller, he very likely has the reach advantage (he can hit you, but you can't reach him). How do you counter-act this? Two ways:

a) Get inside. Wait for him to throw a punch, then step inside and hammer away. I know this works, because I have long spider-arms that don't work too well when they're bunched in close to my body.

b) Use your legs. They're longer than your arms. This is slightly-less than honorable, because you look like a huge pussy when he's throwing punches and you kick him in the shins or the man-bits. I prefer option a; but hey, if you're a big pussy, go for b, and call it a night.

#2: What to do if he's stronger/bigger

Not as easy. He's stronger than you, so stay away from him. Big guys like to get the fight over with quickly, because they're carrying a lot of weight in all that muscle. Keep him moving, and hit him with body shots. Body shots will eventually wear him down faster than hitting him in the face will (no matter how satisfying that is). Get him where he lives, and he'll go down. Also, most dudes who pack on the muscle don't typically train for endurance, so the more he moves, the more tired he gets. When he's fatigued, those punches don't have as much mustard on them, so they hurt less and are less accurate. If he rushes you (this depends on timing), step aside, but drag your foot. He'll trip over it. Then he has to pick himself up off the floor. Also a good technique for fatiguing the tank.

#3: What to do if he's faster

Hope you can take a hit. The majority of the time, speed doesn't equal power. So if the dude is firing off rabbit-punches, suck it up, block the ones you can, and get in close. Speed needs room to work. Crowd him, and if you can catch one of his arms, you can control him. Put an arm-bar on, or ground-and-pound him.

#4: He's a pussy, and has a bunch of friends with him.

Let him start the fight. Once he throws the first punch, stagger back into the crowd. They'll likely push you back where you came from, but now you have more room in which to work. Also, the bouncers will likely have noticed, and have started making their way over to see what the ruckus is about. Once the pussies get involved, if the bouncer is any good, he'll be on your side, because hey, all he knows is that you got jumped by a bunch of guys. He should give you a hand with kicking their asses; the only downside is that you might get kicked out with the wuss-patrol.

Random/Miscellaneous Tips:

-Use your head. Don't stop thinking, just because you're in a fight. If you see that there's something on the ground that can trip him (ie: barstool), try to maneouver around so that he'll trip over it. No sense expending energy trying to knock him down, when an inanimate object will do the job for you. Work smarter, not harder.

-If you can hit him in the solar plexus (right below the sternum), you're almost guaranteed that he'll double over, because you just knocked the wind outta him. While he's staggered and recovering, put your hands behind his head and push down, while at the same time, lifting your knee into his face. If that doesn't put him down for the count... I give up.

-If you get him turned for a second, try to hit him behind the ear. Most of the time, it's like hitting the power button - off go the lights.

-Don't be afraid to hit him with things other than your fists. Open-palm hits are just as effective, as is using the edge of your hand. Slamming your forearm or elbow into his face is a pretty good way of ending a fight in a hurry, and who doesn't like a good ol' fashioned headbutt?

Some people might say that this is fighting dirty. This isn't a duel. There is no honour at stake here. This is just two guys who want to pound the buh-jeezus outta each other. Sparring, boxing, martial arts, arena fights... they all have rules. But when you're walking down the street and some jackass tries to mug you, there are no rules. It's either you or him; which would you prefer?

Gotta go spar now. I'm out!