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Kick to the Face!

October 19, 2009 | Author: Matthew | Filed under: Martial Arts, Recent Events, TV Shows, karate, self defense

Do you remember the video where a man was forced to defend himself on his own porch step? That was a pretty serious self defense situation, and since it was caught on tape we had a chance to watch the man’s mental decision process as he ultimately decided to use physical force to protect himself.

This week a different video was sent to me, and I think you are going to enjoy it.

This clip comes from a TV Show somewhere in Belgium. It is a candid camera program that annoys people in obnoxious ways (standard affair really). One fateful evening the show decided to visit a mall and harass local shoppers. The ‘host’ proceeded to throw a net on a man, taunt him, and then run away. Unfortunately, to bystanders, it looked as if he was either robbing or accosting the local shopper. One bystander in particular didn’t take kindly to that kind of criminal activity.

Check it out -

That kick was huge. I don’t like to glorify violence, but I do appreciate good technique.

From a martial arts perspective, it is clear that the individual in the striped shirt studies a form of Savate, Tae Kwon Do, or other such style. Clearly his training has not been for waste because he hit a moving target right on the money. Of course…that target didn’t see it coming…which brings us to the moral catch-22 of this video.

The Civil Assistance Conundrum

The big, $50 question to come out of this video is: Was that man right in using violence to defuse the situation?

Let’s look at it first from the kicker’s perspective. Somewhere behind him he hears a tussle. When he glances back he sees a shady looking individual sprinting away and another man chasing him angrily. From the context clues he assesses that the man trying to escape is some sort of robber (a scene all too familiar with many people that live in cities) or vandal.  With a grand total of 2-3 seconds to consider his actions, he decides not to let the criminal get away with it. He then proceeds to utilize a non-lethal yet damaging technique to floor the ‘bad guy’.

Part of me applauds him for his quick thinking and desire to help make the world a little more scum-free. It takes courage and conviction to step in and aid your fellow man. Furthermore, his technique selection was probably a good one – if he tried to tackle the guy, he ran the risk of getting stabbed or shot while tussling. If he tried to stand in the bad guy’s way non-violently he would have gotten bowled over or pushed aside.

Unfortunately, as we see in this video, quick acts of effective violence are sometimes misplaced. As it turns out, there was no theft occurring, and the man in the leather jacket was angry and loud because he was annoyed at the childish prank pulled on him. The striped-shirt-kicker made a big leap in judgment assuming that the man trying to escape was both a.) a perpetrator of crime, and b.) the actual bad guy in the situation (he might have been trying to escape a bad situation himself).

Furthermore, the kicker took the law into his own hands and introduced violence into a non-violent situation. In a crowded mall like that, it is very possible to grab the attention of nearby security and alert the authorities to a crime in progress. In most large shopping centers there is both mall security and real law enforcement officials nearby.

Conclusions

It’s amazing how one well-placed kick to the face can really put a modern day issue into perspective. In times past the kicker’s actions would have been unquestionably justified and celebrated, as law enforcement could not possibly have arrived in time. However we live in a legislative, hands-off world where we have to weigh our role as citizens with that of the moral obligation to help others.

Where do you stand on this situation? Would have stepped in to help (and do you think you would have had the quick-response-instinct to do so?)

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 and is filed under Martial Arts, Recent Events, TV Shows, karate, self defense. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

xygoxen
  • PJKRTX
    That was a glorious kick! I'm a female MA student from a ghetto in Los Angeles. I found my way out of bad situations at our local mall a time or two. Martial Arts is an excellent way to protect yourself and your friends. However, using your BRAIN is much more important.
    Can the "actor" not see with his eyes? The guy he attacked with the stupid net is obviously not an upstanding French/Belgian citizen. WTH?
    "Look an obvious thug, complete with leather, let's mess with him so we can take an a**whoopin!"
    As mentioned on this list, if you are in a rough part of town anywhere, don't make aggressive,prolonged eye-contact!
    I'm glad the "actor" guy is OK, but he should be on the Darwinian Award honorable mention list.
  • astrix
    BTW whats up with the stripe shirts? In the video there are a few people wearing them. Are the a Dutch military uniform?
  • astrix
    I have no problem with what the kicker did. The act of the guy throwing the net on someone is battery. So if those shows want to do stupid acts like that they need to pay for it when something like this happens.
  • Kicking the head is not a "non-lethal technique". It is a lethal technique that doesn't always kill, fortunately for everyone in this video.
  • This man's kick to the head was non-lethal - he hit the front of the face with either his heel or flat of his foot. You'll notice I didn't generalize by saying 'kicking to the head is non-lethal', as certainly some kicks could be, especially to the temple or base of the skull. The lethality of this situation was more from the prankster cracking his head on the floor. Very scary.
  • I think the kick was very well timed with perfect accuracy. As regards to telling what type of style he studies by looking at the kick, I would say a form of kung fu. I have seen many kung fu practitioners perform this modifed back roundhouse kick without turning there body round (which is similar to this variation) Savate, Karate, kickboxers and most other strikers twist there body round with the kick. Whatever style though, it certainly was effective.
  • brianwabrain
    One thing to consider about tripping someone: If the person is running at a fast rate of speed and tripped, that energy could get redirected toward the floor (ie a scissor knee). If the "robber" was to hit his head on the floor, more damage could be done then from the kick.
  • Another great post that just pulls you in.
    Sure looked like a prank to the viewer, but not to the kicker
    in the striped shirt.
    Pretty good kick and obviously very effective.
    And he could have/should have just body-checked or tripped
    the runaway dude like several others suggested.
    Hmm, you always keep us thinking, Matt.
  • wimde
    I posted this last week here, giving some additional info:
    http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/10/hidden-camera-g...
    It happened in a city called Charleroi, not that far away from my place. I did some checking and it turns out stripe shirt and Mr. loudmouth (who know each other, they're friends) settled out of court with the production of the TV show. The actor was in the hospital for three days but miraculously didn't have a skull fracture.

    Here's the thing: Charleroi is a ghetto. You don't see it as this was filmed at a shopping mall but it's the worst city in Belgium to live in. Had the actor not thrown a net but just looked at Mr. loudmouth, he would have received the exact same reaction. Guys like that don't need an excuse.
    I worked there as a bouncer and have had my fill of those wannabe "gangstah" assholes. If you think either one of these two acted like a normal civilian, you're wrong. Had the crew not intervened, we would have seen a spectacular stomping instead of just that one kick.

    Wim, who sadly speaks of too much experience with the inhabitants of that city.
  • Great details Wim - sorry I missed your post about this. Your info definitely helps frame this particular situation.
  • wimde
    No worries, glad to be of help. This video is going round the web real fast now. Whatever I might think of stripe-shirt, that's one hell of a kick.

    Wim
  • It is true that society is "a little" different than it used to be. This DOES change the type of actions that might be appropriate in certain civil situations like the one above. But, I think we still have a moral obligation to help eachother and to get involved when help is needed. The technique chosen above was not extreme in its application and did not inflict sever damege to anything but the running man's ego. So, I don't think there was an error in judgement there. But, the only other comment on this I would make is that once he got involved, he has an obligation to see it through. I mean that in a situation like this if you were to only have a second or 2 to guess what is going on and react, then you take on the responsibility of making sure your reactions don't cause more harm. For instance: if the man running had not been the "bad guy" but a "good guy" running for his life from a "robber", then after our hero dropped him he has the responsibility of finding out those facts. And, when he sees he was wrong, it is then his moral responsibility to act to (if neccesary) protect the man he kicked because his actions are what put that man in more (not less) danger. It sounds like the "in for a penny...in for a pound" mentality. But, in truth it is more of the "with the right to act comes the resposibility for your actions" moral ethic.
  • Hey Matt. What a fantastic kick! Was it justified? In a real situation,if the guy actually was a real robber, then yes, it probably was. Maybe a trip would have been better, but if you're going to rob someone then you kind of deserve it, don't you?

    As far a reality/prank TV shows go, they go too far sometimes, don't they and they are insufferably smug and pleased with themselves along with it. In that sense, they deserved what they got. These TV shows think they can do as they please to people,make fools of them, humiliate them and all the while dumbing down the culture in the name of entertainment. I'd like to see more reactions like that and then maybe these dumbass shows will think twice before they decideto play one of their stupid pranks on people.
  • He acted in good faith. Personally, I feel that the spirit and intention behind an act are as important as the act itself, and in this case he was right to stop someone he believed was in the wrong.

    Frankly, all these "make people angry/sad/look stupid and film them" TV programs are a poor excuse for entertainment anyway, and are clearly aimed at stupid people with no imagination. There was one shown here (Japan) this month in which they told a guy his colleagues had been killed. Maybe this will teach them the error of their ways!

    WRT to whether I would do the same, well I'd like to think that if I felt someone else was in danger, or had just been on the receiving end of something dangerous, that I'd try to do something. It all comes down to the situation though - what you can do at that precise moment without risk to yourself, others, or exacerbating the situation.

    Agree that it was a sweet kick though, and perfectly suited to it's purpose!
  • Hey Matt... There you go asking the tough questions... I loved the kick but as you framed your question, not knowing exactly what happened... and having the wisdom of age - I would have tripped the guy and then sorted everything out.

    I'm not saying this guy was wrong. I think the candid camera type of TV show are very irresponsible and are taking their life in their hands by tricking people sometimes.

    As I was reviewing video for a post last year, I was amazed at the Dutch embracement of Muay Thai kicks and their incorporating of high kicks. I saw some of their champions beating the Thai champions with high kicks such as this.

    This guy's kick was easy in one sense because he did not have to worry about a counter attack... it was more like a swinging bag kicks (probably why he was so good at it).

    Having said all of this, I once reacted very badly to a couple of guys making trouble at the bar as they were leaving... I heard a noise and ran out the front door to see the two guys running for their car down the block. I did not know what they did other then they did something wrong and I gave chase and kicked the door of the car into the drivers body.

    I asked them what they did and they told me they broke the light on the way out... I reacted in serious overkill but did not let on... I told them they were 86'd but I had to rethink my reactions at that point.

    I had an old (old to me at the time... he was probably in his mid 40's) parking lot guard tell me after watching this... that one never knows what's going on in another head... he might have had a death in the family, going through a break up or such and by my gratuitous violence - might just set things in motion that I could not stop.

    I agree with your main points in this post... it was a nice kick though. :)
  • Thanks john! You always put some great thoughts and experiences into questions such as this.
  • I would say that, while the guy playing the prank definitely deserved a kick to the face, the guy who kicked him didn't necessarily do the right thing. I think it was reasonable to assume that the guy running away was the bad guy, in that situation, as someone looking to commit a crime in public would likely choose to keep it as short as possible, to reduce the numbers of witnesses and the likelihood of being caught.
  • waldo66
    i believe performance art itself is a cry for help and we think so little of human dignity that such pranks are considered cool . I bet that guy leaves people alone from now on .
  • TikiGreg
    Having studied martial arts myself (albeit ages ago), I've thought about what I'd do in such a situation. In my younger and more whimsical days I don't think I would have thought twice. Given that opportunity, I think I almost would have relished the chance to knock the guy flat on his back.

    These days? I've got a career as a teacher and stuff to think about. I don't think police here would care much for the "But I thought he was a bad guy, officer" line. Not to mention I'm a lot slower and out of practice than I used to be.
  • In answer to your civil assistance question, I believe we should beat up mimes whenever we get a chance. After all, what are they going to do? CALL FOR HELP?
  • Prob would have done the same, but would have taken out the legs.
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