A Less Than Pleasent Ride

A Less Than Pleasent Ride

“Get outta my f**kng face!” he shouted.

Get out of your face? You bumped into me… that’s why I’m wearing my pint!

“Sorry… I didn’t see you!” I try to apologise.

“F**king invisible am I? Just a f**king mug not worth noticing, huh?” he scalds as his push knocks me back into the bar. My mind seems to jump at the same time as my heart misses a beat and my lungs forget to breathe.

I didn’t do anything?

“I di… di.. di… d… “ my stuttering is interrupted by his palm slapping into my cheek.

I didn’t…

“You di, di, di.. did what? F**king mug!” He mocks as he palms my face again. I’m trying to get away, almost clambering over the bar. Everything’s muffled… like being underwater at the swimming pool… I can hear the voices around me, but the faces are blurred… in fact the voices are blurred too… it’s like being on a ride at the fair ground.


I don’t like this ride. I want to get off. Someone please tell the man I want to get off!

My body jerks forward as a numb sickening pain creeps up from my groin and spreads up into the pit of my stomach.

The ride just got faster… the faces are even more blurred.

*SMASH*

Something just smashed? Sounded like it happened outside? My head hurts! The rides slowing… I can see the floor!

*THUD*

The ride’s slowing but it’s getting bumpy now. Someone’s taping in the distance and it’s in time with bumps. I wonder if they want the ride to stop as much as I do. Perhaps they’re enjoying it?

As the ride stops I notice that the worlds all on its side.

Funny, don’t remember the walls being like this… kinda carpeted! Wow, there’s a guy walking on the wall… Cool! Addias trainers, I like Addias! His got blood all over his trainers, I bet he's not happy! My mouth is all metallically tasting. There’s something sticky in my eyes. Feeling real tired. Maybe if I curl up a bit tighter I’ll go to sleep quicker?

There’s a bright blur shining in my eyes and everything is loud.

Close the curtains and turn down the racket… I don’t want to get up yet!

“You alright there mate? Can you hear me?”

Please just let me sleep…

“Right on three we’ll get him onto the stretcher. One… Two… Three!”

Wow… The worlds moving again must be on another ride… I prefer this ride, much slower than the other one. Hey, there’s Kevin “Kev, you’ve got to try this mate its great!”

“OK, shut the doors! Try to stop the bleeding!”

There’s loud siren going off in the background.

Could someone shut that noise up… I’m trying to sleep. I’m so tired!

Are you describing an insodent that happened to you?!

No thank god. This is a purely fictional one based very loosely on a few things I've seen. Unfortunately though, although fiction, its nowhere near as brutal as the events that happen all over the world everyday over stupid stituations like a spilt drink.

I've just read that over at Shikon, Gav.
I think you are getting dark in your writing mate. Having said that I still liked it.

The thing is that the way the person in the story reacted probably accounts for about 70% of people. Maybe higher.

As you've probably noticed mate, I've been exploring different styles of writing recently. Most of my articles although usually ranty and soap boxy but usually littered with light hearted puns. I wanted this one to get people in their minds eye to actually pictured how these situations can happen and what you're thought processes are like. And to be honest mate I think the percentage is probably much much higher.

Sorry if it was a bit too dark... the next one is about the true reality of the door and will be a lot lighter!

Nice story mate, accurate and something I've seen plenty of times. It's sad when people who don't want to escalate a misunderstanding get caught in a brawl. It's dangerous when people freeze, or think too much about something when they should be prepared to defend or run. Sometimes you have to tell yourself that things are going to get difficult, and it's time to prepare for it...but when you're not ready for it, and have perhaps had a few pints and are in a congenial mood, your ability to perceive a threat for what it is becomes blurry.

I don't usually hang out in pubs much, but the bars/clubs I do go to have excellent bouncers, bless em!

"Sorry if it was a bit too dark... the next one is about the true reality of the door and will be a lot lighter!"

Oh yeah!

Sounds like a right bundle of joy.

Are you trying to put me off the idea, mate?

Trust me mate... it'll be a lot more light hearted and a lot lot closer to the reality of the door than usually get's written about! Probably will put you off too!

Too late mate.
The course is booked for the end of the month so the wheels are already turning.

Gavin your post reminds me of the film Trainspotting!! To be specific the character Begbie

WF,
...and you're thinking of the scene in the pub after the drug deal right??? Where he is carrying the pints from the bar????

Drop...Smash...kick, kick game over!!!!

Pretty accurate story, Gav. I have actually seen fights in bars start for less - one of my former students got into a fight with an angry drunk because the drunk thought my student had looked at him funny. True story, I was there.

Luckily, my student was victorious. Although we all got kicked out of the club!

Fighting is stupid!

Some people will use anything for a fight. Usually trying to take something out on someone who has no relation what so ever to the problems they've got. Maybe someone broke up with their girlfriend and bumps into you to start a fight to take it out on a complete stranger (i.e. you).

I'd say if you find someone being aggressive to you like that, turning everything you say into an attack on their person, leave right away and don't turn away from them whatever you do. That said, avoiding a fight with someone who really wants one is a hard thing to do.

My main aim of this little story was to drag the reader through the incident by the hair. Shown it to a few people over the weekend and had lot's a great feedback on it, people seem to have picked up how easy violence can errupt. Which is cool, exactly one of my intentions. However if you read it, most of the violence is implied and the character in the story actually detatches himself from the violence. Our brain is a fantastic at protecting us from stress... if you've ever been in a fight and been hit, you'll notice that it doesn't hurt until afterwards. There are various physiological processess happening here which are beyond my tiny little brain... but basically what happens is you kind of withdraw into your self, your brain is a great mate that doesn't want you to experience unpleasentness, so it withdraws in on itself. It kinda slips into an alternate reality, like the guy the article, completely looses the plot. When it really kicks and you're on the receiving end your thought processes go mad... your brain takes a vacation. This why some people get kind of an out of body experience during a punch up. How many people have you spoke to who have been in a car crash who've told you it was like watching themselves in the third person? This is one of the key things I really wanted to get across.

At the seminars and lessons I've taught at I've meet a lot of people who have fantastic tools... great body evasion and a nice solid punch, but whenever I start introducing them to a slightly unpleasent situation, the last thing in the world they are thinking about doing is actually hitting or fighting. Their brains think in the wrong direction... trying to avoid the unpleasentness. They think inward, trying to hide inside themselves.

McSensei, Buzz or someone else who was on the last Combat Arena seminar... how did you find the introduction of the mindset stuff?

Interesting, I wonder if training in a high-level-of-contact environment can help you keep your wits about you?

I think it helps, but it still think it lacks in developing that proper mindset, switching into that animalistic violent frame of mind needed to actually use your stuff for real. To thats the advantage your untrained scumbag off the street has over the trained MA. All they ususlly have is pure violent intent when they move their mind and body it totally commited to the act of violence. The trouble is they don't know how to move their body, but they are usually very accustomed to thinking violently... they are the predators. Trained MA's are usually very well trained at moving their body in violent ways, but not the mind. Which is why on street they usually get eaten up. Alot of people slag off the all these fight clips that are plastered over the net, but I personally think their brilliant for demonstrating the correct energetics of a conflict. If you look past all the wind milling you'll usually see a predator and a side salad. There is absolute pure intention, just not a lot else.

The way we try and train is that any act of violence against us is like dropping a match into a crate of dynamite and we then try to explode out and engulf everything in your path. Most fights are one and lost on someones mindset more than their physical ability.

Seeing as you asked, I've got to say that perception of intent on the part of the student is more important than actual full contact.
Getting hit while under the influence of adrenaline is not a great deal of a problem as for the most part you don't feel it, you-for want of a better phrase-percieve it. It is how your mind deals with that, that is important.
Some peoples natural response is to curl up and try to protect themselves that way, others is to rise up and attack their aggressor. It is the latter mindset that one needs to cultivate to become a successful fighter.

Not sure if this has any relevance as I've been out on the P*** with the wife.

Yay, 7 Years!