You've seen 40-50 street fights. How many have you been in? I'm not asking you because I think experience in street fights matters for the purpose of the discussion. I'm asking specifically because such experience doesn't matter when it comes to staying out of harm's way.

The reason you've never been in a street fight is because you don't seek them out and know how to avoid them. This is not a skill any martial art will teach you and if that's what they are teaching you, you're getting ripped off.

I think you're right - learning to avoid bad situations in general is almost always more valuable than acquiring badass fighting skills.

I'll never forget the advice that a Russian ex-military martial arts instructor gave our group of Systema trainees in the late 90s, after a hard day of punching, kicking, bayonet-fighting, etc. Context: someone had asked him a cringey, noob question like, "What's the ultimate, most dangerous technique?"

He thought a minute and said, “To train hard makes one safer in all situations. But no technique is perfect, and of course a gun can kill anyone with just this [gestures with a bayonet]. So the best rule to stay safe is this: Don’t go to bad places with bad people.”

Dude had a big-ass knife scar on his forearm from Chechnya. He knew about bad people and places.

I really don't want to sell the cool factor too short. It's probably the only thing that really motivates a lot of people. Paraphrasing Tim Ferriss, I wouldn't change my brand of razor for a weekend trip to Boise, Idaho, but I'd move Heaven and Earth for a catamaran trip through the Greek Isles.

All this talk about staying safe is just missing the point entirely. You'll probably never face a violent situation that would require you to even run away from it. The cool factor is really all that's left. And the discipline and health and meditation. And these things are really awesome in and of themselves. They'll help you in your life way more than whatever minuscule safety tips you pick up along the way.

The only thing you ever really fight is yourself.

Meditation and fitness are great things to pursue, but. . .

> You'll probably never face a violent situation that would require you to even run away from it.

. . .this simply hasn't been my experience in life. Granted, I chose to work as a bouncer for a while, but I come from a backwoods area of the Southern US with no shortage of alcohol- & poverty-fueled violence.

I'm happy that you've lived in safer places, but realize that your experience isn't universal.

Prior to BJJ I’d been a good deal of street fights, mostly at bars or in high school. Since starting BJJ I have been in zero. Obviously I’m not attributing this completely or directly to BJJ, but the confidence and discipline you acquire in training does go a long way keeping your dingy in your pants and taking the high road in a pissing match.

Ah, but you can't just call any fight a street fight. Any fight is conducted according to unspoken rules. Bar fights and high school fights simply aren't dangerous endeavors, the rules pretty much proscribe it from happening. If you don't understand the social milieu bar fights can be dangerous naturally, but it's not hard to pick up and is certainly not within the realm of martial arts. A street fight absolutely is inherently dangerous, you don't get into a fight with random people you meet out in a place not built for socializing unless you're specifically looking for one.

And you're just making my point for me, that martial arts training increased your confidence, and that made you not a target and gave you an appreciation for how horrible real violence is. The actual contents of the training don't really matter as much as these other things.

I'll second this. I think you also realize how many ways a human body can be broken, even accidentally. Leading cause of death in street fights is a head injury from falling onto pavement.