Ummm, slightly different culture over here. I usually get in about three fistfights a year since leaving school. Now I'm nearly 50 I've cut it back to about one a year. My GF say's she really doesn't like angry people but I explain to her I'm never angry and it's more like a strange kind of a hobby. Most are usually outside (or inside) bars. Quite a few are on the side of the road. A number because guys were kicking a football around on the beach that landed near or on me. Just mild stuff. No knife weilding robbers.

1986 in Army basic training. After I nailed him, the drill Sgt got between us. Which was a good thing , because the guy probably would have kicked the shyte out of me.:D

A few years ago. Local shopping mall I saw this wonderfull fellow open hand slap his GF. I was walking up behind him. He hit her I hit him, right in the back of the head and put him to sleep before he was on the floor. His GF jumped up off the floor and came after me. See if I ever play the hero again. I wished her luck and walked away.
Almost got into it with a few Wake forrest students last year but that is another story.

I never hit another person with a fist on purpose.
I've been punched in the face four times by friends- once in grade school when I made the mistake of joining in a bullying of another friend (I deserved it and pulled the other two off him), two by accident while pretend-sparring, and another who was temporarely out of his gourd (at the time I quite related to his mindset and took no offense).
I've been in altercations where I established dominance through pushing, wrestling, punching out car window and grabbbing the punk by the collar, etc.., but thankfully never had to initiate hurt on someone in anger. Most stupidity just isn't worth it.

I've always had a fear of hurting someone hitting them so have always avoided confrontations as much as possible.. even after spending at least half my life in bars everynight from 16 to my 40's I've only really been in 3 fights.. after years of martial arts, I wasn't so much a puncher as I was a kicker. even after practically begging to be left alone I was pushed way too far 2 of the 3 times, one time I started it and later regretted it.. 3 seperate fights, a couple really hard boots to the head and the fight didn't last long.. 3 go to the ER with bloody, busted faces and eyes swollen shut. never had to fight again, no one bothered me much after that.. except my insane father got me in a corner once and by the time I convinced him to leave me alone, he got to visit the ER also. the last time I actually got punched I was sucker punched right in the face while walking into a bar by this ex friend of mine. 6'6 Arkansas country boy.. I stopped, smiled and laughed, told him my mother hits harder than that, turned around and walked off. he just stood there as everyone laughed. it takes a lot to make me strike someone or strike back, but once it gets to that point, my sociopath evil twin takes over. he goes ballistic and something bad usually happens. I get mad, he goes berserk. not a fighter, not a tough guy, not even mean.. but if I'm forced to protect myself or fight back.. one of us is going to the hospital and the other one going to jail.

I have this one particular martial arts move that I've perfected over the years which has stood me in good stead on a few occasions (I really, really do my best to avoid situations where I might have to employ it!), the last being several years ago when my face was gotten into by a much bigger dude than me, who I was convinced was about to open one mongo size can of whoop ass on my person.

Not about to let that happen, I anticipated him and did "the move" which involved pivoting 180 degrees on the ball of my right foot with lightening speed while at the same time (in an amazing feat of timing and control, if I do say so myself) simultaneously extending my left leg, knee bent, bringing me into a slightly crouched posture, followed by a repeat motion with my right leg, then again with my left, moving forward with great spead, repeating this sequence multiple times until I felt it was safe to look back to see if my attacker, by know maybe a block away, was vanquished.

It was gratifying in every instance to see the shocked look on the attacker's face. They never knew what hit them and I walked away unscathed.

I can't say that I recommend this risky move to everyone; it requires a strong ego, no self doubt and common sense.

:D

This guy kept bumping me from the back, smacking into me, I told him to knock it off and he didn't, told me F myself so I hit him a couple times. His friends called the police so they talked to me and the crowd, everyone seemed to be in agreement the guy was a jerk but he wanted to file on me. The cops said they thought they could talk him out of it if I would buy him a new shirt and tie, I said ok, he looks like a Kmart dresser anyway. They came back and said the guy said his shirt and tie were worth a hundred bucks. I gave them the hundred and said, I have another hundred, can I hit him again. No laughs. But no jail.

Hey man, i'm no lefty. Well, left handed yes, but not the other kind of lefty...

Pimp-slapped some fool once.

:D I remember readin' 'bout that.

I've discovered the only a-hole who sometimes needs to be punched (or kicked!) is me. :)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1214726236.jpg

I never did punch people much, but I used to could kick very well.

Almost had to shoot a tresspasser one time. Generally I can avoid situations where people start getting their heads bounced off the sidewalk pretty adroitly. Always seemed best to go the other direction to me if you see trouble.

Yeah. And your story didn't have the Indiana Jones quality that these caring sensitive lefties' stories do.

Gee whiz - we agree on something :) (ref,"the move" I describe in previous post).

I haven't been in a fight since high school. I've had guns pointed at me, knives pulled on me (last one was just a month ago...I still don't know what "set the drunk off"), and encountered numerous *********s over the years, but I've made it this far without throwing a punch. If you're looking for a fight, you can always find one, and there's always someone that can "whup ya", pull a weapon, etc. Even if you "win", these days, you'll likely "lose" too. I find it almost laughable that some of "us", approaching middle age, are still "fighting" :). I'm not a "fighter", and will certainly defend myself if I "HAVE" too, but that is the method of last resort for me.

Be careful who you punch and how hard you punch them...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080628-9999-1n28birdrock.html?imw=Y&lid=mostpopular

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080626-1637-bn26bonsu.html

21 years it has been since my last worthy fight. 7th grade, I was told I lost, but he had a cast on at school the next day.

4th of July party with Willie, Waylon and the boys at Luckenbach, Texas in 1994 was the last time I whacked a man. The guy slapped a woman and tried to pull her off of a crowded shuttle bus so he could get on. I nailed him right in the chops, he dropped and I left. The others waiting for the next bus understood and applauded my reaction.

I would not have done that today. I regret it.

I was trying to break up a fight once.... prolly never do that again.

Thus the user name. Couldn't resist.;)

An amusing story. One night I was driving home in the 911 with my GF and at a traffic light this rough looking dude walled up in front of my car and started yelling abuse at me. Really going off at me. My GF looked at me and I said "well everyone is entitled to their opinon". But then the guy spat on my winsheild so I jumped out of the car and whacked him really hard in the face. He took off with me after him but I caught him and landed about another 20 punches. Then he got loose and tried to run into one of the best resturants in town for defence I guess but I got him in the doorway. At that stage my GF got out of the car (still idling at the traffic lights) and tried to break up the fight but ended up in a fist fight with the guys girlfriend. One of the guys who came out of the resturant said he had called the police so as soon as I heard that key word I stopped hitting the guy but my GF would'nt stop fighting the guys GF. It was total mayhem hee hee. I picked up my GF, who was struggling to carry on the fight and carried her over to the 911 and dropped her in the car then jumped in the drivers seat and took off. By that stage there were crowds of people and cars trying to drive around and smaller sub-fights going on all over the place. Total chaos. I couldn't belive my GF getting so involved as she was a hippy/pacifist/academic type with 3 uni degrees, important Government job etc. Later that evening the police phoned. I thought damn because usually in that sort of shaos no one thinks of getting the car's registration plate number. The cop asked me if I wanted to lay assault charges agaist the guy. Oh my God I couldn't believe my luck. So I said no thanks officer it was just an incident I would like to forget about.