Originally posted by Ajay Mathew:
...out of the blue took a swing at him...
Well, it might have
seemed that way (and it
might have actually happened that way), but usually these things are not completely "out of the blue."
The fight game is predominantly mental. You need to control your fears and maintain your confidence while trying to break those things in your opponent. The fundamental message is intimidation, and this starts
before things get physical. For some sociopaths, it means "sizing people up," looking for a victim. One thing taught in martial arts is awareness: Picking up on those messages of intimidation while projecting your own confidence. For whatever reason, this particular "chap" was evidentially looking for a fight. Your friend probably did nothing to provoke him,
but by being unaware of the situation, I'm guessing he inadvertently gave a green light to this attacker.
So being aware can prevent most of these situations. But if it does get physical, then the key is to
react decisively. Instead of allowing the attacker to gain any confidence, you need to convince them immediately that they made the wrong choice. End it as quickly as possible.