What is a street fight?

I've heard street fights describe many different types of hand-to-hand combat. A UFC fight is a fight where to combatants sign a contract, five under organized, and uniform rules in front of an athletic commissioner, referee, judges, doctors, and promoters. It's uniform, it's always the same thing with the same rules. I could say the same thing about a Muaythai kickboxing match, a WBC, boxing match, or an NCAA freestyle wrestling tournament, then why is a street fight so hard to explain. What is a street fight?

First let me explain some of the definitions that I have heard, or even seen, then let me give you my definition without a doubt, no variations, it's pragmatic, and it's life or death.

The most common picture that people see in their mind when they hear street fight is two guys arguing about which football team has better in a bar, four or five beers later, they want to take it outside into the parking lot. That's right, to otherwise buddies, are now willing to go outside and potentially murder each other, over who's football team is better. Fights like that, don't usually end in a death, but the potential is there, especially if it's on asphalt or cement, and drunk people don't have the best balance, so falling over and hitting their head on the concrete, could be fatal. But basically they're going outside into the parking lot, usually followed by a couple of their cronies, and they do get out, just like drunk guys love to. I actually think that's the best thing about a drunk guy. I don't think they're good for much, but they are very entertaining, when two of them decide to throw down. Anyway, I digress, now let's get to definition number two.

Probably the second most common perception of what a street fight is a fight for fame or money. It's two guys, usually from a specific neighborhood want to see who is tougher, many times they don't have any animosity towards each other, they just both think they're the toughest, and they wanna prove it in front of their boys. So they plan a time and place, if they're smart, it'll be on the grass and a park, but it's usually not so it's in a parking lot on asphalt. That's another thing that comes to most peoples minds when they hear the word street fight. It's usually not to really hurt each other acutely or fatally, all they wanna do is see who is tougher.

The other thing that a lot of people think of when they hear about being a good streetfighter, or learning, or practicing streetfighting, is for money. Some people think of the fights that usually take place in a warehouse, a park, or a parking lot, and it's actually promoted by someone who is collecting money From spectators, and paying the "street fighters". I think the most famous person who comes to mind when you think of streetfighting for money would be Kimbo Slice. He turned it into a spectator sport with his Mr. T looks and attitude, and Ernie Shavers knock out power. Again these combat athletes don't usually dislike their opponent, it's just somebody who's gonna compete with them so they can both make some money. They're definitely not trying to kill each other or really seriously injured each other for that matter, they just want to get the win and the money. Professional streetfighting, Kimbo slice style is probably the number three most popular perception of what streetfighting is now here is my definition, and only definition of "streetfighting".

First off my definition of true street, fighting never involves money. Never involves competition. Never involves sport. Definitely never involves ego or, I am the tougher one, attitude. My definition of street fight is staying alive and healthy to get home to your family. My one, and only definition of streetfighting is protecting yourself, or your loved ones from an attack. Most of these attacks are going to be away from your house or gym or office, they will be somewhere else, or for lack of a better word, the street. That word might be misleading, I might get jumped in a park, I'm not gonna call it park fighting or park defense, just like if I get attacked in a Walmart parking lot, I'm probably not gonna call it Walmart parking lot defense. When I'm training my students to defend themselves and their familiy outside of our gym, I consider it street defense, and when they get attacked, I consider it a street fight. I take it seriously, Walmart parking attack, retail establishment, and parking lot defense, but I consider what I do street fighting, street, defense, and street protection. It's basically my generic term for self-defense. And I consider it self-defense for the street even us the attack, and the defense happened at a park, parking lot, or even a Shopping Plaza. When I teach my students to defend themselves in the street, the second they start getting attacked, it is a fight, it is a street fight, and the stakes are very high, they involve life or death. I take my streetfighting training very seriously, it's not a game, it's not a sport, it's life or death.