Jumped and mugged last night - Random reflections

Not too much to say on this, but I'm sat up waiting for the police to drop some stuff off to me and I wanted to get some thoughts down on this.

So as the title suggests, I was assaulted by a group of guys on my walk home last night and had my wallet stolen afterwards. I don't want to delve too much into details of blow-by-blows since most of the guys involved were arrested and I assume talking about a potentially ongoing case is a no no. That being said, it got me thinking about training and how I think it helped me.

I'm pretty much fine bar some nice lumps on my forehead and a cut where my glasses got hit into my cheek, but the guys who jumped me apparently did the same to a couple more guys last night before me, and both are in quite a bad condition. One is in hospital with a broken jaw and several missing teeth. So some thoughts:

- I ended up pinned against a fence with the 4 of them laying into me, and I can remember thinking at the time that it felt no different to being pinned against the wall in sparring back when I trained, and I feel like it was a very big contributor in me protecting myself as much as I did. I was also incredibly lucky and that's a bigger factor, but it helped me keep my head and avoid the worst of the damage, particularly once knees started being thrown at me. I covered up well, and was even weaving at a few points to try and mitigate it, and the whole time just being determined not to come off my feet.

- In other positives, I've always wondered how I would fair in a properly violent public confrontation, and I kept very calm. Even managed a textbook side block to take the first punch. But I felt very shocked that I didn't feel, well, more shocked. Other than a brief moment of shaking and crying when the adrenaline wore off, I felt and still feel absolutely fine. I've taken much worst hits in the gym, and I feel like training has provided me with a very useful familiarity with being punched which I feel would be the most shocking part of that experience to an average joe,

- There's a weird survivor's pride thing where rather than feel angry at the people for doing it, I felt mad at myself for not doing more. I threw a couple of incredibly weak, sloppy, slappy overhands and that was it and I feel mad at myself for accepting it as easily as I did. I know in reality its a group beating me up, and I did have a moment I considered kicking one of them in the groin to make space, but I assumed that would have just led to a much worse beating. I know that logically, but there's still some stupid pride thing in feeling I didn't make a 'good account' of myself which is really weird and really frustrating.


So really my unshocking conclusion is that training seems to have helped me in a very big way, but while I always assumed it would be with physical skills and that real fights would scare me due to being a very different beast to sports, its biggest contributor seems to have been mental: The fact I got punched in the face a lot ended up just feeling like any other day. If not for the mugging I don't think I would have even called it in.

It's also interesting to me how much mental help it was given that I haven't trained really at all for over a year now. Its not surprising that stuff remains embedded, but I wouldn't have expected it to be as strongly ingrained still. It has gone to reinforce my belief in the value of hard sparring and of being put under pressure in training.


So that's it really. Not a revelation in any way, and not really any information at all in terms of the events or anything, but as i say I'm sitting around in the very early hours of the morning and I thought getting some stuff written down might help free up my brain a little for when I try and get some sleep.

TL/DR: Getting beaten up in the gym prepares you for being beaten up in real life. Shocker.

 

Glad to hear you’re ok buddy , on the plus side you can now claim to be “street effective”

 

What makes you say that. Personal experience, or what you read?

I had someone confront me with a large knife.

From beginning to end the processes I went through were very professional.

Also I have done jury service a few times and covered robbery to domestic violence.

Each time custodial sentences were handed out and each time the judge praised us for our decisions.

I'm sure there are stories where others have had less success with how they were treated, but it's a rather sweeping statement to say the justice system is a joke.

 

Not bad actually. Was a bit shaken when I phoned the police on the come down but otherwise have been okay. Early days though yet so lets see.

I think they'd decided they were going to beat me up and the mugging was added on after I told them all to "chill" (never used that word before but apparently that's what was in my heart) and a beating wasn't really going anywhere. Hard to say without knowing if they did the same to the other victims.

I know its an 'I'm getting old' cliche, but its gotten a lot worse around that area recently and very very noticeably. Crap kids with no fear, no respect, and no consequences to knock them out of it.

 

Worryingly , it seems to be a national trend , there are a couple of gangs local to me running round like they own the place.

 

Glad to hear your ok Aaron, don't let yourself dwell on it, that's not helpful. Sounds like you did as much as possible in a crappy situation.

 

Glad you are ok! Thanks for sharing a difficult situation.

But I want to address the "you wouldn't have called it in" thing. I am assuming you meant call in a police report? It may have felt like any other day to you, but if they weren't arrested, if you didn't call it in, then they would have attacked another person for sure. And maybe someone less capable of handling the situation. Maybe getting more seriously hurt.

I think it is the responsibility of people attacked to call in situations like that. Even if it is a pain, even if you don't want to. Because if they go on and attack others because you didn't call it in, well that isn't cool. You had a chance to help stop a violent attack on others by reporting it, but didn't. (General you there.) Just my opinion.

So, I think it is good you went ahead and filed a report. You protected others in doing so.

My co-worker was pepper sprayed a few years ago. The woman was caught but my co-worker didn't want to pursue it until I pointed out the same thing to her.