Drunk guy tried to start a fight

[aich]

Short Version
Some drunk guy tried to pick a fight with me and I stayed humble and walked away. Warned the school and made mistakes by putting myself back in a dangerous situation when I was safely out of it.

Long Version
Just got home from open mat at my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school (From here on referred to as bjj). I had a great time and trained with some great team mates. I said good bye to everyone and walked outside into the parking lot towards my car. I wear glasses and always leave them in my car so I have to squint to make out faces. As Im walking to my car I see two guys standing by a car and I assumed it was somebody from my school leaving so I tried to make out their faces to say peace.

As I got close I noticed they were two unknown faces and one was holding a beer bottle. It was so brief that I didnt have time to think and just continued to walk on. As I walked past them the guy with the bottle started cursing at me in spanish. Something about a cheecha. Then he starts going on saying "you blue belt purple belt striped motherf******! You cant street fight, I know how to street fight you cant do nothing motherf***** etc".

I go to my car which is across from them, probably about 20 feet away and then step inside. I start to think that they might try and pick a fight with my team mates that are still inside. So I make a mistake and step back out and walk past them into the school. I gave them my back and in hindsight made a huge mistake as anything could have happened. I was just worried about my team mates but my safety comes first.

I walk into the school and warn everyone about some drunk guy outside trying to pick a fight. As Im in the school I see the one guy push the other guy in the car and drive off. A friend volunteered to walk with me to the car so I said sure why not. Got in my car and then left.

Im a purple belt in good shape and I also own firearms which I did have in my vehicle. Im a guy and I am not a pu**y. In my mind learning a martial art and being a responsible gun owner is about stuffing your ego and avoiding confrontations. I think I made a HUGE mistake by leaving my glasses in the vehicle. I will never do that again as I was at a disadvantage and I think by me squinting the drunk guy might have seen it as me giving him a hard look which wasnt even the case.

I will also never leave my firearm in my vehicle because I might have needed it then, who knows if that guy tried to break the bottle and slash me with it or even worse be armed himself. And finally I will never turn my back on a threat or put myself back into harms way once I have gotten out of it. I should have gotten in my car retrieved my firearm and then drove off while calling the school and warning them. We all like to say what we would do in these kinds of situations... well Im here to report what I did in this situation and in my mind it was a TOTAL FAILURE. The only thing I am proud of is being able to not be a douche bag arrogant egotistical macho man and try to use my bjj skills on this guy and possibly hurt him or myself. Thanks for reading and hope all of you guys stay safe and out of harms way!

PS: I was about to eat some junk food but after that Im sticking to my Casein protein shake, need to stay in shape lol. Not even safe in front of my bjj school GEEZ!

 

[Hawkeye638]

I disagree with your thinking it was a total failure. The bottom line is that there was no fight and you walked away. How is that not a win? The ramblings of a drunk you don't know and will probably never see again mean absolutely nothing. Much like something you step in while walking down the street. Yeah, it is a minor annoyance but you walk over to the curb, scrap it off you shoe and you move on. Take it as a successful life lesson and move forward.

 

[SCTom]

agree with Hawkeye....drunk goes home without getting beat up or shot, you don't spend the rest of the evening in a police department explaining why you beat up or shot the drunk guy, nobody from you school had to deal with it and you learned something about situational awareness that can't be taught in a classroom. I'd say it was a good night.

 

[wolf_fire]

In no way shape or form can you convince me that your experiences were a total failure. Let me summarize the failures and the wins for you:
Failures:
- couldn't see
- weren't armed
- turned your back
WINS:
- you warned your mates
- you learned important Situational Awareness lessons
- you are ALIVE
- you not only learned these lessons you are now teaching them so they may be carried over to other unsuspecting folk

Sir, you have more wins then you have failures. Another win in my book, is your modesty. It takes a strong and humble person to admit a mistake, especially publicly, but you saw it being in the best interest of those reading. Carry on sir and know you are winner in this man's book.

 

[the dark]

In one sense, all's well that ends well. In another, it is a good and cheap lesson in how even those who are trained and prepared can, in the moment, make decisions that may not be the best. We all have times we are off our game, whether we allow ourselves to slip into condition white or whether we misjudge a situation and act in less than appropriate ways.

When it turns out all right, then rather than self-recriminations, it is useful to incorporate the lesson learned. This sounds like an excellent scenario for practicing visualization and alternative thinking.

 

[BC1]

The only mistake you made was going back inside. Better to call them than put yourself back in harm's way. But I don't think the guy wanted to start a fight. People who want to fight will fight, they won't be backed down and they will persist. He was just a drunk mouth. Better to walk away... and never fully turn your back.

 

[dogshawred]

Ultimately this was a life lesson and you learned from the end result.
~
A smart person learns from their mistakes....a wise person learns from another's mistake.
~
Thanks for sharing and helping others to learn.

 

[Warrior1256]

I disagree with your thinking it was a total failure. The bottom line is that there was no fight and you walked away. How is that not a win? The ramblings of a drunk you don't know and will probably never see again mean absolutely nothing. Much like something you step in while walking down the street. Yeah, it is a minor annoyance but you walk over to the curb, scrap it off you shoe and you move on. Take it as a successful life lesson and move forward.

What he said. You did good.

 

[zeebea]

Turning your back from a fight while not always the best idea, I think from what you described was the correct decision. Getting out of your car after initial contact was a mistake for the simple fact you needed to pass the aggressors again. Could you have driven to the entrance and then gone in to warn your classmates? Back to the back turning, walking away while your back is turned is considered by most a sign of defeat for both parties involved, you felt like you lost (you are smarter than a lot) and BG felt he owned you. If you were to walk away while turned towards the aggressor it is sometimes seen as a sign of agression and challenge and may have gotten tough guy fired up again. That was long, long story short, leaving you car and passing them again was your only possible mistake. As it turns out, it was not and he probably thought you were coming out with a few of your friends to even the playing field and decided he was not so tough after all. I say you did just fine

 

[buckey01]

An old friend of mine had an expression that fits the situation: "you can't argue with success". So enjoy your success and next time do better. Be aware of your surroundings and carry your gun. It really serves no purpose in your car. A person who is confident in his own ability usually finds it easier to avoid a fight.

 

[Burtboomer]

MAN your alive,no-one got hurt and you learned something.The best way to win any altercation is to defuse the situation.nothing beats going home to your family.live and learn