Street Fighting 101: Head Movement

Any type of street fight or other non-sport fight should always follow one rule: end quickly. The longer the street fighting lasts, the greater the chances of injury and/or death.

So from a self defense perspective, any type of technique that we use needs to be quick, decisive, and deliberate.

There’s no time to plan specific movements, structure techniques, or otherwise mess around.

So what’s one method to accomplish this? Mastering head movement.

A “slip” is a quick way to get a powerful hook on an opponent in close range that could end a fight really fast.

It involves very deliberate and fast head movements.

Let’s quickly review the 5 elements of a street fight:

1. There are no rules in a street fight
2. Street fights are always unfair
3. One error can result in serious consequences
4. Weapons can be brought into street fights that otherwise just start with fists
5. The level of violence will escalate as the fight progresses

This list details why constantly avoiding swings is not the best method in a street fight. Because it can lead to a more serious issue; the issue that the attacker might start to involve weapons and because the fight progressively gets more violent.

The slip strategy follows the CWCT principle (Closest weapon to closest target principle). This principle says that when physical danger is unavoidable, launch your closest weapon to the closest target of your opponent. It is direct, quick, and efficient when used as an offensive and defense tool, and reduces the ability of weapon issues if done toward the beginning of the fight. It’s also easier, because it is more accurate (you’re closer to the assailant).

So how does the slip work?

Simply move your head out of the range of the assailants punch to either side, while snapping your alternative shoulder forward. This way, you avoid the hit, and you’re in a direct line to deliver a powerful hook to an assailant’s weak spot. It’s a punch setup that is nearly impossible to block (if you’re quick), and can easily end any type of street fight real quick.

And remember: it is not enough to know what to do. You have to practice, practice, practice!

Since it is hard to picture through text, take a look at these two videos.

The first video shows head movement, the second video shows the slip technique in action.

Both videos are from HowToFightNow, a great website for fighting techniques.