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Message: <blockquote data-quote="takyris" data-source="post: 380973" data-attributes="member: 5171">Actually, I think that "the aggressor loses" is a big fallacy in the arts.  I don't advocate starting fights, but I also advocate the fact that the fight starts well before the first punch is thrown.  If I'm in a situation where I've got a bunch of people around me and I can tell that the leader is psyching himself up by talking trash, that a fight is definitely going to happen, then I am DEFINITELY going to strike first and hard.Because we don't want to start fights, most of our techniques are reactive.  But when we do sparring, we learn a lot of offensive techniques -- some of which will work well in a no-rules environment as well.  I mean, heck, if you and another guy are sizing each other up and you can ease yourself into threat range without him noticing and then side-kick him in the knee or stomach, you have, if not WON the fight, at least taken him down a few notches and hurt his confidence a great deal.At my school, all my techniques start against attacks.  But I'm also taught how to use them offensively if the situation demands it -- although not until higher levels, when it's assumed that I'm not going to use it to beat up bank tellers and stuff.And from brown belt on, we actually have to make short katas that are offensive in nature.  They're called Mass Attacks.  The idea is that you are being attacked by a number of people, or surrounded and threatened by a number of people (4 at first, then 6, 8, and 10 at higher levels) and you have to come up with something realistic to take them out.  You're surrounded, and the kata has to take place within a 4' x 4' square.  You're not allowed to use more than three strikes on any opponent -- the student is learning how to take people out quickly and effectively without a whole bunch of different strikes.Actually, duh -- wanna see a good Four Man Mass Attack?  Jeff Speakman does one in "The Perfect Weapon."  He practices the same art I do, and what he does there is exactly what we were taught to do.  It's the scene where four people surround him and demand his wallet.  It lasts about five seconds total.  I can't remember if he adds flashy stuff because it's a movie (ie spinning head kicks or anything), but regardless, it was pretty cool.-Tacky</blockquote>

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