How did i handle it?

[Johannes]

Hi, this is my first post here, but i have been looking around for quite a while...

I am 15 live in Denmark, and i have done about a year of HapKiDo SelfDefence classes, alot of internet searches on the subject and tried to follow a training cyckle...

So, what i am actually coming towards is an event that happened the other day.

I am on my way home from a party, when some of the local "bullies", some idiots at about 17-18 who thing it is fun to be "tough" on the younger kids in the area, come towards me. I just go past the side og them, when suddenly one of them is standing next to, talking to me while i am walking...

It goes something along the lines of, him asking "if i am out for trouble", me responding, "no i am just on my way home"... At this point he tells me, "Well we are", and tries to grab my arm.. His friends have kept walking, so i just quickly push him away, firmly, but not in any way aggressively.. I then keep up walking, going quite fast now, when one of his friends suddenly try's to kick my feet away, i dodge and push him away to... One of the others yell at the two near me, telling them to "leave him alone"...

So, this time, it went without any violence, and i got away unharmed. But i cant stop thinking, what if it was some guys serious about harming me, not just the local idiots.. At one point he was standing next to me, and i seriously thought about just giving him a knee, og and elbow, and just running, but as i think of i later, i think it was probably wuite well i did not do that...

I know it was not a really seriost assault, or anything like that, but i think it pretty much reflekts what i would do in "real" situation, so, what could i have done better? Should i just run as soon as he confronted me? Or should i have tried to harm him, and then run before his friends got serious?

Sorry about eventual spelling mistakes, i am Danish...

Wow,this is quite a post, better stop now :)

[cavallin]

well it depends how macho you are. in my opinion, you did good, and if they looked way more serious, i would definately run. martial arts teach you not to fight. if some guy is just threatening you but not hurting you technically it's not self defense to hit them, so you could get into trouble. but then there is the whole pre-emptive (spell?) strike thing. i think running away is safest for everybody but i'm sure some people will think otherwise.
by the way, welcome!! have you introduced yourself in intros n bios yet? you should :) you'll get an even warmer welcome :)

[Johannes]

by the way, welcome!! have you introduced yourself in intros n bios yet? you should :) you'll get an even warmer welcome :)

Thanks, I will go write an intro in the Bio now :)

[bcbernam777]

you did the right thing, wherever possible run, if you absolutly cant then fight

[Matt_Bernius]

I know it was not a really seriost assault, or anything like that, but i think it pretty much reflekts what i would do in "real" situation, so, what could i have done better? Should i just run as soon as he confronted me? Or should i have tried to harm him, and then run before his friends got serious?You did the right thing. You reacted in a way that was appropriate for the situation and no one, especially you, got hurt. I wouldn't worry about "What ifs" as you will drive yourself crazy. Rather I'd trust in the fact that because you did the right thing that time, you'll do the right thing in the future.

- Matt

[The Kestrel]

You did well, believe me.
I'm way too proud of myself to run, thats why two persons have a knife lession.
My attacker in the torax and me in the groin.

[Jayevan79]

I think you did the right thing. I read it posted somewhere..."He who runs lives to fight another day" or something like that.

[jls1znv9999]

You did good no matter what they attempted. Bullies get theirs in the end trust me i have seen the cycle complete itself many times. I myself have been called names for walking away. Those things fade away. Maintain your true teaching. "Violence is not an answer its just an excuse." If one of them said "leave him alone" obvious you are known to some extent! Good job either way!

[Albert]

What you did was fine, because you did not get hurt. But, if i were you, i probably would have hit the first guy that asked you if you were out for trouble, the last time a guy asked me that, i ended up on the ground as soon as i gave him an answer. What you did was fine, but just be aware, if someone approaches you like that, theres a very good chance they are planning on hurting you already, so dont end up taking the first hit, if you think he's gunna swing at you. just someting to remember.

[Johnno]

Johannes,

Firstly: welcome to MAP.

I also think that you handled the incident very well. They were older than you, (and so presumably bigger than you) and you were outnumbered. The important thing is that you weren't hurt. And you were sensible not to escalate the situation.

Of course it would be different if they had really tried to hurt you. In which case you would have been forced to react to that. I think running would then have been an excellent choice. Nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever. After all, it's not like you would be running from a fair fight!

Even if those *****s deserve a good thumping, your priority is self-defence, not administering justice.

Best wishes.

[Johannes]

Thanks for all the answers! I think i have learned a thing or two by reading up on your answers and suggestions! Just glad i just met the local bullies, and not some serious about doing something :)

[NeonxBurst]

Yeah Johannes you're a sensible guy, sadly when I first started I wasn't that sensible and still today I'm a bit edgy, but you did everything dare I say, PERFECTLY. If I were you I woulda been stupid and knee kicked the one after I knew where his friends were.

[d33pthought]

Grabbing your arm would have been just cause to physically defend yourself, but you have to remember to control your response to match the person's actions. You can't expect to get away with breaking his knee because he pushed you; that's overkill.

You handled yourself pretty well, but you were definitely in danger of a fight if the kid was a little more reckless than you wrote him out to be.