They’re Saying Black Belts Can’t Streetfight?

A martial arts buff, in a nearby town (we know him very well) ran amok on two of his fellow townsmen over the weekend, outside a local watering hole. This young man is a 2nd Degree Black Belt I believe, and has about 7 years in the martial arts. Before that he used to be just a streetfighter. I’ve been to the pub in question on a Friday evening, with a mixture of drinkers (now drunk), and newcomers that are starting out for the evening. It is a blend of blue collar, construction worker, and biker type bar. In other words, keep an eye peeled for trouble when you’re visiting there. It has a long history of drunken battles, inside the bar and outside in the summer, it can erupt at the “drop of a hat”. Yup, a dirt and gravel parking lot too.

Daniel had stopped in to shoot pool and have a few drinks when his estranged wife and her boyfriend walked in and ordered. Not too long after that, words were exchanged between the two men over a game of pool. After about an hour, Daniel and his ex-wife departed the bar and were talking outside next to her vehicle. The boyfriend showed up with a six-pack of beer and tried to push Daniel aside and started to get into the vehicle. At this point, our guy grabbed the new boyfriend, and pressed him against the seat and punched almost straight down into the side of his head and face about 4 – 5 unanswered right handed punches. This a “power breaker’s” optimal power range, using the force of gravity, and all the power one can muster, to land devastating power shots. This poor guy got a handful of them. Daniel, attempting to remove him completely from the vehicle, then jerked him up and out by the scruff of his leather jacket, with such force, that it literally tore in two halves (splitting the full back seam) and Daniel ended up with a half leather jacket in his hands. He then proceeded in pulling him by the hair, out of the car, where a couple of well aimed stomps put an end to the guy’s attempts to get away. He was out cold.

Friends of the beaten man poured out of the bar but were paralyzed after witnessing the final stomps that their friend got, plus the wailing of police cars rapidly approaching. Everyone scrambled and got inside, some even took off in their cars as if they had something to hide. Maybe they did?? So where did our boy Daniel go? Nowhere! He just leaned back against the hood of the car that used to be his, and waited for the police to do whatever they would. After several minutes, our beaten up boyfriend appeared to be swelling up in huge knots all over his face and head. He was taken to a local E.R. and then released after observation and treatment.

So, this morning Daniel was arraigned for assault. The beaten man would not press charges against him (a benny of living in a small town). The prosecutor said that it was beneath the dignity of the state of “ABCDEF” to sort out and assign blame, in a bar brawl where both combatants were reported to be drinking at the time of the incident. The boyfriend asked for a restraining order to be put on Daniel, which he was granted. And in 10 minutes or less, it was all over. I talked to Daniel this afternoon and asked him why he thought the guy had dropped the charges? He told me that the prosecutor had spoken to them individually and basically said what he did in court, and that it was very difficult to determine these matters, whether you win or lose the fight. “Sensei”, he said as I told him I had to hang up, “I told that chump that if he didn’t keep his mouth shut, he could expect a replay”. That’s another way of handling matters.

Oh well he’s not my student, and it’s not for me to judge if he was out of line or not. He didn’t inflict any unnecessary damage to the man. It was just a 3 – 4 second flurry and over! That’s a lot of time for a trained fighter to work. I didn’t hear and see everything so he may have been pushed over the edge by this clown, I can’t say in all honesty. I was back near the door watching from the stairs so I could get a better view! Boys will be boys I suppose?