anarcho_blinkenist [none/use name]

“Marxism after Marx”

Ah you mean

Or perhaps you mean

???

“promised territory” hmm where have I heard that before…

right in the headline, where it didn’t say “another vehicle”

seconding BJJ or wrestling as focus (and learning to sprint well), boxing or kickboxing as second if you feel the need. The vast vast majority of civilian fights that can’t be de-escalated are not cinematic circling-and-striking but instead are very sloppy tantrums that immediately go from shoving, to clinching, to the ground. Being able to control someone’s limbs is important, especially if they might have a weapon and there is no de-escalation possible or as you said you can’t access yours if you have one. I also think something like a stun gun or mace would probably be safer option than a knife to end a fight. People, especially under adrenaline, can keep going not even realizing they’ve been stabbed 50 times, and by that point you’ve added a much more ugly variable thrown into the mix (and it’s also harder to grip somebody who is covered in blood)

That said always avoid fights or escape those circumstances if you can, and try to never be alone where fights might happen. And where there are fights, like serious fights with someone trying to do you harm, be as unfair and brutal as you can immediately.

could have been easily de-escalated

“could have” is the point. Sometimes even if it “could have” it isn’t. Better to have something that might not need be used than vice versa. OP also isn’t guaranteed to always be alone in situations that can’t be de-escalated (and plenty of fights happen with prior warning, belligerence etc.). It is always better to be able to contribute than not if your friend is attacked or some other thing happens.

And you bringing up mugging is irrelevant, because nobody would ever say that someone who has you at gunpoint in a mugging should be struggled against, martial arts or not. No serious martial arts instructor would ever recommend or even float that as an option. You always give them your shit. That’s not what self-defense is for, fighting back against armed muggers.

Having a gun can help de-escalate through threat if there’s distance and it hasn’t broken out, but if a fight has already started or the distance can be closed before you can access it or even worse after you’ve drawn it but can’t point and fire it, now you’ve added a lethal variable and turned a fight of-some-kind into an almost certainly lethal scenario. And by that point too if you aren’t trained enough to know how to control someone’s limbs in wrestling for the gun, you’re increasingly possibly fucked.

It is very very good to train martial arts, and very very good to train the ability to run away fast, and always hope you can opt for the latter in most cases.