Depending on how that right hand is held you may be sending a mixed signal suggesting that you want to calm things down but you have a hand ready to escalate. That type of mixed message makes talking the guy down a little more difficult. Great post Hannibal.
Ok. Last variation. Your opponent seems to calm down. They apologise for being such an idiot. They extend their hand towards you to shake. Their face has become pale, not flushed red. Thier head is bowed. They seem quite calm and apologetic. What's your next move?
Shake their hand. You will at least be controlling one of his hands now. "Check out my thread on handshake defense": http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=18097
well I'm only 16 so i dont have to deal with druken idots or bikers. But the occsaionaly bully i have to deal with. (a hint for new people DO NOT TELL YOU FREINDS AT SCHOOL YOUR A Ma'ist if they know thats fine but if some one WILL challenge you it happens to me) my path goes as follows #1. Try to defuse the situation "hey man i dont whanan fight you!" "what do you want? money?"( dont be afraid to give him some money if its only like 5 bucks its better than a beat down) #2. If that dosent work try to run no really RUN out of the building out of the mall what ever if you can out run him or are trapped for some odd reson**** #3 find a wepon of some sorts ie: sitck trash can lid (dont laugh it works) if you have a role of quaters or somthing har in your poket grab it in you hand its like brass kuckel #4 jump and shout like bruce lee this will not olny atract attention it might intemiadat your aponet #5 if the dude STILL whant to fight you then thretten him tell him to aim right for the face (or what ever part of the body your best at countering at) so you KNOW were he will attack if you try a high block and he punches you stomach thats not cool now is it?) #6 try to make it a fast fight Knife hand the adams apple, axe kick the head (USE YO HEAL) a front kick to the nuts works all to well.... ****note if your on a date or with small children or some thing remeber this "the hand that protects must be twice as strong becuase if it fails not only does your life end but so does the life of the one your trying to protect" its just food for thought
And finally... Ok as the thread has dried up... I'll give my opinion (which is, technically, worthless as this not only is hypothetical, but is entirely up to the individual to judge). As many will be aware this is fairly typical fight ritual stuff and for the first little bit the majority were, IMHO, text book. Then comes the shove. It gets more complicated. For those who reacted violently I would ask "Why?". Surely if this person was as angry as their face might depict (flushed red), they would have just hit you, not pushed you further away. IMO shoving, although assault, is a all part of posturing. If you weren't intimidated by visual show, then the physical show occurs. It is also an excellent trigger to get you to fight. This brings its own problems. A witness might very easily confuse you as the aggressor. He pushed you, you KO him. Bit of an imbalance in force, no? Again the next step. The brushing of the hair is a sign of uncertainty. If the attack was really on, the talk would stop and he would launch. At this stage the "attacker" had not made any further aggressive move. As Hannibal pointed out, this guy is still a threat, so should not be treated lightly. As some alluded to a switch to aggression yourself may work (pure judgement call!!). This may be enough to cause their adrenaline to work in your favour. The downside is witnesses may view you as the aggressor. The final variation was a bit of a trick. Many things gave it away. First was the face turning pale. This is often the sign of extreme aggression when accompanied with other cues. If a person extends their arm, as if to shake hands, their body can become bladed. A perfect fighting stance. It is also a good distraction technique. They have no interest in shaking your hand, just launching an attack the second you touch their hand. Thoughts??
