Buzz
School isn't always as safe as it should be. You may feel nervous walking down the hallway when you unexpectedly run into troublemakers looking to start a fight! Naturally, you'd want to win every battle, but keep in mind that no matter how you fight, there's a risk of getting hurt and facing trouble at school. If possible, you should avoid fighting or look for alternative ways to resolve conflicts.
Steps
Winning the Fight
Pay attention to when a fight is about to happen. Usually, you can spot warning signs when someone is about to start a fight. They might throw insults, show aggressive behavior, and move closer to you. These are signs that a fight might be imminent. If you're prepared, you'll have a better chance of winning the fight or at least minimizing the damage.
- If you notice these signs, get ready to defend yourself, such as by taking a defensive stance or calling for help.
Begin in a defensive stance, similar to the posture of someone in prayer. Don’t raise both fists as if you’re ready for battle. Instead, bring your hands together in front of your chest. Lower your elbows and keep them close to your sides, with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your dominant foot slightly ahead. This stance helps you guard important areas of your body.
- For example, you can raise your hands to block a punch to the face.
Your goal is to strike as soon as possible. Even if you don’t want to throw the first punch, it’s important to act quickly. Fights rarely last more than a few seconds, so your chances of winning are higher if you strike early. If someone attacks you, try to dodge their punch and strike back to stop them.
- For example, aim for the opponent’s groin with a kick or a quick elbow strike. Another option is to punch their chin, nose, or forehead.
- Make sure to keep your fist straight, or you risk breaking your wrist with a strong punch.
- Another option is to scratch your opponent’s face, as this often shocks them and slows them down.
Use your knees and elbows against your opponent. You are just defending yourself from an attack, so use everything you can. Elbow the opponent in the stomach if needed, or knee them in the leg or groin. Keep using your knees and elbows to stop their attacks.
- Seize the opportunity if you and your opponent are facing each other sideways. Punch one side of their head. You can also push their head down or slam them to the ground.
Note: When defending yourself in a fight like this, don’t worry about the formal rules of a match. Aim for the carotid arteries on both sides of the neck, pressure points, temples, the area between the eyes, the groin, and the back of the neck. Don’t hesitate to grab hair, bite, or use other underhanded tactics.
Advance towards your opponent as you strike. If you’re striking while retreating, you’re putting yourself in a defensive position. Move forward until your opponent admits defeat or falls to the ground.
Pin your opponent to the ground when possible. If your opponent falls, seize the opportunity to keep them down. Sit on them if they attempt to continue the fight. Hold them on the ground until they surrender, someone intervenes, or they no longer have the strength to keep fighting.
- Stop hitting once the opponent is on the ground. If not, you could cause them serious harm.
Be cautious not to cause severe injury to your opponent. For instance, if you choke someone, be careful not to choke for too long. When blood flow to the brain is reduced, the person will lose consciousness, but brain damage or death can occur within minutes if blood flow stops.
- If your opponent is not breathing after being knocked out, perform CPR (chest compressions) and call emergency services (police and ambulance) immediately.
Stay calm when facing a large group. Understand that your goal is to escape, not necessarily to win. It’s very unlikely you’ll win against a group without help. Don’t let the opponents see that you’re angry. While fighting, turn your anger into energy to fight back against them.
- Don’t hesitate to call for help if needed. While your reputation might suffer, it’s better to lose face than to lose your life.
Run if you get the chance. If your opponent falls and seems unable to get up immediately, quickly leave the scene. Don’t give them time to recover and continue attacking you. Call for help if they seem hurt, but leave the area when you can.
- If you get knocked down, protect yourself as best as you can. Block your opponent’s punches with your hands. If their punches aren’t strong enough and you can defend yourself, try to fight back.
Avoid a fight
Report incidents of bullying. If you or someone you know is being bullied, inform someone you trust, such as a coach, teacher, parent, or counselor. Share what happened so they can help you handle the situation. Some schools even have programs in place to address bullying.
- Bullying refers to when someone is repeatedly humiliated, mocked, or abused by another person. It’s not just a single argument or insult; it’s a continuous campaign against a particular individual.
Walk away to avoid trouble. You could find yourself in serious trouble if you get involved in a fight, even if you aren’t the one who started it. Many schools have strict no-violence policies, and you could be expelled or face worse consequences.
- If they continue following you, turn around to face them but maintain a safe distance. Always keep at least an arm’s length away, as they could attack unexpectedly if you’re too close.
- In some areas, you could even face criminal charges, especially if you're 17 or 18, depending on the legal age of adulthood in your area.
Look your opponent in the eye with confidence. Don’t stare them down or look at the ground. Instead, look at them and show your confidence. If you seem aggressive, they may get more worked up, but if you appear weak, they’ll be more likely to escalate the situation.
Tip: Your confidence and fearlessness will prevent some people from attempting to fight you.
Avoid throwing the first punch. Striking first can often lead to more trouble than simply defending yourself. Once you throw that punch, you won’t know where things will go. You could get seriously injured, such as with broken teeth or a concussion, or you might end up hurting your opponent just as badly. Regardless of the outcome, whether you win or lose, you’ll ultimately face consequences.
- Try to find another way instead of resorting to violence. Leave the situation or seek help.
Attract the attention of those nearby to help stop the fight. Some individuals will only engage in fights when no one is watching, especially if there are no teachers around. Yell as loud as you can to call for help. If someone comes running, you might not need to fight at all.
- Try shouting “Fire,” “Help,” or “Call the police.”
Find alternative solutions
Ask a friend to help you stand up to bullying. You can avoid bullies by staying with friends. It’s less likely the bully will target you when you’re with others because you are stronger in a group.
- Moreover, people walking in a group are less likely to be the target of bullies.
Take a deep breath to calm down in stressful situations. If someone throws rude remarks or tries to provoke you, how you react could escalate into a fight. Getting angry is understandable, but don’t let it turn into violence. Take a few deep breaths and silently count to 10. This will help you calm down so you can think of a better way to handle the situation.
- Try inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Breathe deeply so you can feel the air reach your stomach.
- If necessary, step away for a few minutes to regain composure.
Consider all possible actions you can take. Think about what you can do in the current situation. You always have options in how to respond, so try to come up with a few different scenarios. Consider the consequences of each option.
- For example, if someone calls you a rude name, you could ignore it and walk away, jump into a fight, or respond with similar words. Ignoring them might stop their behavior or not, but you definitely won’t get into trouble. If you engage in a fight, you might face issues and not resolve the problem. Responding with insults might give you temporary satisfaction, but the situation could worsen afterward.
Choose the best course of action after considering your response options. After carefully thinking through the consequences of your actions, select the best scenario. In most cases, the wisest choice is to de-escalate the situation and avoid getting into trouble.
- For example, in the situation above, it might be best to simply ignore the person and walk away if possible.
Speak up calmly and firmly to stop their behavior. If someone is bothering you and refuses to stop, respond with a calm demeanor. Whether it’s pushing, pinching, or mocking you, their goal is to provoke a reaction. If you don’t react emotionally, they will likely lose interest. If necessary, you can reinforce your words with a moderate action.
- For instance, if someone keeps pinching you, calmly and firmly say “Stop it” and if they don’t listen, you can grab their hand, hold it for a second, and repeat your request.
Advice
- Report bullying comments and actions to a teacher or school administration.
- Always protect your face by keeping your dominant hand near it.
- You’re unlikely to defeat an opponent without strength and experience. To protect yourself, engage in basic fitness exercises to build muscle and practice combat skills in a safe environment. You may even consider signing up for self-defense classes.
- If your opponent is about to punch you, try to observe the angle of the punch so you can block and counter it.
Warning
- If your opponent has superior numbers, try to escape immediately. You could sustain serious injuries if you fight a group of people.
- Don’t throw the first punch. Starting a fight will only get you into trouble. Only strike if your opponent attacks first.
- Engaging in a fight increases the risk of severe injury.
- You could be suspended, expelled, or even jailed for fighting at school.
- If your opponent is armed with a weapon, such as a knife, do not attempt to fight them with your bare hands. Run away! You could be killed or severely injured if you try to fight someone with a weapon.
- If your opponent is famous, you might have to deal with their friends afterward.
