The Psychology of Street Fight by Alexei Stoyanov is not just the name of the book, but a whole set of psychological tactics that allow you to defeat your rival during a street brawl. There are quite a few methods of psychological pressure on your opponent, most of which Alexey Stoyanov described in his writings. In our article you will find the most interesting moments from this book - so to speak, a brief summary that will be useful to any person.
What is a street fight?
Looking for the answer to technology that overcomes fear? The Psychology of Street Fight by Alexei Stoyanov will teach you various techniques. Of course, you can buy this book on the Internet or download a free version on some thematic forum, but not everyone has time to read literature. Sometimes you just want to find out the main points from a particular book, and then use them in real life, in case of a critical situation. And the first point that we want to highlight is what a street fight is in the real world, and not in a Hollywood movie.
As a rule, street fighting is cruel and fleeting. There are no rules or judges who can stop the brawl in the event of an aggravation of the situation. In most cases, there is also no place for nobility or sporting behavior. Remember the proverb that doesn’t beat a recumbent? Forget her completely! None of the opponents will take care of your health, and one blow from an adult is often enough to lose consciousness. Thus, the one who first deals the critical blow to the enemy usually becomes the winner.
Is fighting technique important for street fighting?
Unfortunately, the psychology of fighting in the streets is designed in such a way that it is not the battle technique that wins, but the psychological readiness of a person to strike at his opponent. Various barriers can prevent this:
- fear of having to be accountable to the law;
- fear for the life of his opponent in the event of a strong attack;
- doubt that your strike will be victorious.
In addition, do not forget that most "bullies" prefer to attack their victim only in a crowd, as this allows them to be crushed psychologically, and if necessary physically. Few people will be able to remain calm and calm when three healthy men stand against him. However, the technique of street fighting is focused precisely on such situations.
As for the battle technique, often it only gives confidence in one’s own strength. As a rule, in a real fight you will not be able to complete even 1% of the techniques that you learned in a fight club. An accurate blow to the head is what will bring you an unconditional victory. However, do not forget that most of the "gopniks" do not have any equipment. Well, if it so happened that you are a karate master, then this will at least give you confidence in your own abilities, and at the very least it will instill fear in your opponents during a demonstration of your strength.
What does a street fight usually begin with?
If you read the book “The Psychology of Street Fighting” by Stoyanov, then find out that most street fights start with the usual “run over”. It does not matter what words are spoken. The company may ask you to smoke, asks which district you are from or who you are "in life" in general. Your task in this case is to maintain maximum composure, as if you are not talking with a crowd of “gopniks”, but with a gang of youngsters that are too tough for you.
The purpose of any "collision" - self-affirmation in front of the "boys". You should be clearly aware that they are trying not to beat you (nobody needs problems with the law), but to humiliate them. Also, robbery can be a nice addition, but in most cases the victim gives her things herself for security purposes. This behavior is very similar to the instincts of dogs or monkeys. Such animals always seek to "humiliate" a single individual, but only when they are in a pack.
It should be understood that not a single bully wants a fight. No matter what words he uttered at the same time, no matter how much he threatened, he would not attack first without the need. Try during the “collision” to pay attention to the tone of the voice “bully”. They can speak completely inarticulate sentences that are devoid of logic - do not pay attention, such personalities usually do not shine with intelligence. However, their tone is usually their main weapon. If you can remain calm, then they will realize that they ran into the wrong victim.
How to behave during an exacerbation of the situation?
The hitter usually always tries to intimidate his victim with standard expressions in a raised tone. If after this a person demonstrates humility, then the hooligans managed to achieve the main goal - submission. Now you can take the victim’s mobile phone, money, and beat him a little, just to increase his own self-esteem.
However, if the victim shows composure or even a willingness to fight, then the “hitting” is regarded as unsuccessful. After that, other members of the company can connect, because their friend can’t cope, or the person who says it will say something like: “Okay, go away, while I'm kind!” Even if the situation escalates so much that they try to crush you psychologically, not just one, but three people at once, it is important to continue to demonstrate calmness and readiness to enter into a fight at any time.
The book about the psychology of fighting says that very often the enemy himself is afraid of his victim, so this should be used. However, you do not need to go on swearing and screaming, becoming like those against whom you are standing. It is necessary to maintain common sense and talk with the “gopniks” as calmly as possible, as if it were an ordinary situation for you. If you manage to show that you are not afraid of the “hitting people”, then soon the self-preservation instinct will take its toll and the hooligans will retreat.
How to get rid of your fear?
The psychology of street fighting (PUD) is based on the fact that the victim must first of all understand that the “hitting” people are also people who are characterized by their own errors and weaknesses. Like any other person, the “gopnik” is also very afraid of being crippled, trying to avoid problems with the police, and the adrenaline during the brawl is allocated in the same amount as the victim. In addition, among such personalities very rarely there are masters of sports in boxing or another type of hand-to-hand combat. Quite the contrary - such personalities, as a rule, do not know how to fight. Therefore, do not panic, because such a state is exactly what the hooligans are seeking. The victim should be aware that in front of her are ordinary boys from the area, and not the fiends of hell, which cannot be damaged.
In order for the emotions to calm down a little, you need to occupy your brain with something else. Estimate the balance of power, identify your strengths and weaknesses of your rivals, find a good escape route, look for nearby weapons and so on. When you occupy your brain with some kind of work, it will stop thinking that it is in danger and you will be able to show composure. Try to think more with your head and then you can avoid panic inside yourself.
When is it worth rushing into battle?
The format of “Street Fight Psychology” from Levchenko and Stoyanov allows not everyone to read this book, since it is not small enough. However, especially for our readers, we tried to highlight the most important points from it. For example, when exactly is it worth rushing into a battle with hooligans.
This is not worth doing right away, since it is not always possible to understand at a glance how ready the enemy is for the “conversation” to begin with fists. As a rule, the majority of “gopniks” have never even participated in a fight, so frightening such personalities may not be difficult. However, among them may be found a "seasoned" bully who wants to show his physical fitness. In this case, you need to beat it first of all. Although most often the company simply prefers to "pull out", as the criminal elements say.
An unequivocal recipe for a dangerous situation cannot be found in any book, since in most cases everything is strictly individual. Quite a lot depends not only on the psychological preparation of the opponent, but also on his goals, motives, and so on. However, in any case, the crowd of hooligans should demonstrate their calmness, firmness and ability to stand up for themselves. If the company has surrounded you in a dark lane and requires you to call, then the purpose of such a “collision” is to plunder and you should initially prepare for the fact that you will have to beat at any time. Well, if a drunken company just got to the bottom of you, then you can completely dispense with the words or distribute a couple of slaps in the face exclusively for "preventive" purposes.
Is it worth showing nobility in a fight?
It all depends strictly on the situation. If the conflict has crossed the colloquial stage and a fight is about to begin, then it is always better to beat first, and so that one blow will cool the fervor of the rest of the company. As a rule, if a company sees how their “pack leader” falls from one blow, then they will quickly die down and say something like: “That's it, we got it.” In this case, do not be heroic and begin to sort things out with the rest. Just silently turn around and go in the direction you were going.
A completely different option - if after the first blow you were not able to "turn off" your opponent or his friends came to the rescue. In this case, showing nobility will be pointless. Try to correctly assess your strengths and the strengths of opponents. If you are confident that you can deal with them all, then continue to fight. However, it is always necessary to step back a bit, thereby causing the hooligans to pounce on you one at a time, but if you feel that you are being pinched into a corner, it is better to immediately run away.
Remember that in an extreme situation, the score goes literally for seconds. In a fight, you will not have time to think - just act. If doubt begins to arise in you, it is better to hit right away, otherwise doubt will lead to fear, and fear to panic. Even if later it turns out that it was better to do so, and not otherwise, then you will be confident in the next time in your abilities and that the “gopniks” are the same people who fall if they are hit well.
How to intimidate your opponent?
During the fight, you can take advantage of special psychological tricks that will make your rivals fall into bewilderment or even show a sense of fear. In the list below, you will find these tricks and their description.
- Make a terrifying scream. A bear growl or a wolf howl will do. Such actions will seem inadequate for most people, but this is only to your advantage. While the enemy will think about your mental state, he will forget about his defense, after which you will be able to deliver a series of blows. You can also use this technique to get yourself out of a stupor in the event that fear has seized you. In addition, if you really know how to roar loudly and scary, then such an action can greatly scare your enemies.
- Begin to behave abnormally. Hysteria, sputtering, screaming, senseless and chaotic gestures - all this can bring your opponent out of psychological balance and cheer you up. The aggressor will wait for obedience from his victim, but instead will get an eerie idea that they woke the demon inside the person. No one will get involved with a mentally unhealthy person, because he can even kill in a state of passion and get away with it, so most opponents will simply start to run away in this case.
- Swear in a fight. If you want to melt fear into your own aggression, then feel free to use the most aggressive expressions in the fight. Moreover, this should be done very loudly, so that the enemy is seized with real horror. Do you think how many gopniks are ready for such actions from a person who, in theory, was supposed to be their victim. Awaken the real anger in yourself so that your enemies once and for all figure out who they are contacting.
As you can see, the psychological impact on your opponent has a very important role. In a conversation with "cattle" you should behave as adequately and calmly as possible, however, if you still couldn’t avoid a fight, let them fully enjoy what condition they brought you to.
Use of prohibited hits and weapons
Everything is also very individual. If a traumatic gun or knife is in your pocket, and a crowd of inadequate people want to rob you and beat you, then you have every right to use it. The law in this case will be on your side if you do not cross the line of self-defense and start shooting at fleeing people. However, do not show your knife to hooligans in order to scare one of the people. Got a gun - get ready to use it. Otherwise, you will hear the phrase: “Come on, shoot!”, Or something like that. Therefore, the use of weapons should be only in case of emergency, when the rest of the funds remain useless, and your life or health is in serious danger.
As for the forbidden blows (with a foot in the groin, with fingers in the eyes), their use is equivalent to the use of weapons. If you understand that you are about to be clamped into a corner and start beating half to death, then you can use this technique. However, you must understand that after such an action you can leave a person disabled for life, therefore, you need to use it only if otherwise it is in no way.
Video and conclusion
We hope our article helped you understand what the psychology of street fighting is about according to a book from Levchenko and Stoyanov. If this information was not enough for you, we also recommend that you watch a short video in which Alexey Stoyanov himself answers popular questions from subscribers.
As you can see, the psychology of street fighting is, first and foremost, the ability to surpass your rival not in the physical but in the psychological plane. That is, it is important not whether you know how to fight, but how calm and calm you can remain in a life-threatening situation. If you can “crush” your opponent mentally, then fights will most likely even be avoided.