The best thing you can do is ask yourself, "in 10 years am I going to kick myself for giving up?"
Also my experience with thugs are that they don't fight like most anyone else. That's because they have nothing to lose, whether it be pride or anything else. They don't think twice about their actions because at the end of the day they are just another thug. Not being able to beat a thug isn't something to be ashamed of, let alone one that is more athletic and bigger than you. Giving up is the worst feeling in the world, I've done it with too many things in my life and I regret giving up on things more than I regret anything else, don't let one setback stop you.
Your problem is you expect Karate to work like it does in the movies: high block, punch, win. Real fights are brutal and even at the highest level you'll still take some shots. A win in real life is being able to go home after so I'd say you did well. Ask yourself, what would have been the result without the Karate training? You wouldn't have lasted long. Also, even though you never fight fire with fire your BJJ skills are not suited for the street, but had it been a competition on a mat than you could have used that to your advantage.
Thugs don't play by karate rules. You might not realize it, but there is a "style" of sparring in your dojo that you are accustomed to.
I've seen black belts get taken by white belts, not because the black belt isn't any good (the exact opposite), but because the white belt is a loose cannon on the mat throwing kicks and punches with only power and no control. And there is always a learning curve when experienced people join our dojo and have a different style of sparring.
I don't spend my time and money on karate to learn to fight thugs; I have a long list of other reasons why I do it, most of which is simply that it's fun. If your only motivation is to fight thugs, then you obviously shouldn't be training in karate.
I gotta tell you, I'm not buying this question for 2 reasons. Why would a "thug" rob you or whatever it was without a weapon? And if someone punches you real hard without any gloves, just their fists, you are going to go down. You're not going to exchange punches with them.
But sure I'll bite. I think you have the wrong idea about martial arts. It doesn't guarantee you to win against someone on the street. It gives you a better chance. You need to find another reason to train besides defending yourself on the street.
Self defense is also about tactics and strategies. You choose a wrong one. Self-defense is not about exchanging blows. The human body is still a human body. You do not exchange blows in self-defense. Continue training but with better tactics, that is my advice.:)
Many street fighters, thugs e.t.c know how to handle themselves well. Is not advisable to chose inferior strategies and tactics in relation to what is better for you, because they are thugs or street fighters. See it as a very good lesson for future improvement and good luck with your training.:)
P.S Don't fear and don't underestimate your opponents is also a good concept to build on.
I think this is the trap that training for a specific drill gets you into. You got used to training for the sparring method and weren’t as used to fighting against things outside of the rules. I think the best remedy is to cross train in some kind of kickboxing style. Second best is to find someone with kickboxing experience to spar you with kickboxing. The last option would be find someone in your class and train with kickboxing rules. Also remember that you don’t have to master the kickboxing offensives if you feel fine with your current skills. Rather aim to master defensives against kickboxing techniques.
Every second that you dont put him away is time against you, it is allowing him more time to land a telling blow. You should have put him away early and finished the fight with the best tools for the job not try and be macho and just punch up on each other.
If I were you, then I'd think I'd face two choices:
1) Cry about the past and wring my hands over the future, or
2) Train harder
My choice would be #2, I think.
It is in the mind.
Been training knockdown karate for 4 years now, but last month I got into a scuffle with a thug who's athletic and bigger/heavier than me. I thought I could stand toe to toe with him, body punches i just shrugged off, was able to see his punches coming but one I wasn't able to parry and landed smack on my kisser. Got the wind knocked out of me, and seriously, I think a minor concussion, but the thing that makes me depressed these days is that I've been training for 4 years, and he's not! I had a couple of years BJJ, but the fight didn't go to the ground because I wanted to exchange blows with him.
So now, I'm lazy and finding ways not to train anymore. Any words of wisdom just to push myself and be back to training? I don't see any point now to spend money, time, and effort doing kumite and similar workout, what's the point if I can't even fight a thug?
