I was reading about Vagabond today. That situation he walked into was a neighborhood thing. They probably thought he was from another crew and when stuff goes down like that with an outsider, everybody in them neighborhoods comes out swinging. I’ve seen this kind of thing in Southwest Baltimore. You can’t stay and fight or you’ll get overrun. If you just run, chances are you get rundown. So, if you can run flat-out for a short burst, then stop and throw, then break off and sprint, then stop and throw, you aren’t going to win, but you might survive. They’ll break off eventually when they get to an area they aren’t comfortable with.

You aren’t talking so much about blocks but feet, a couple hundred feet. They’ll call you a bitch and try to get you to stop and fight. But at some point, they’ll stop and laugh. They’ll either whoop your ass or make you run, and that will make them feel good—so they got something out of it. You’re talking about a block or a corner. If they do run you down they will all beat on you. In a neighborhood situation, they’ll all come out and swing on you.

It’s a young man’s game. I couldn’t do it now, probably never. If they get you, it will be bad, might get stabbed, definitely get stomped and kicked. It’s at a totally different psychological level than a lot of violence. You are trying to create distance and trying to slow the chase down.

I was on Millington and Saint Benedict’s, where the nuns used to beat my mother for being left-handed, standing with a bunch of guys from that neighborhood. They had somebody from further down Wilkens, from that neighborhood called the Doghouse. I was with aggressors in this particular case. Basically, it’s a game to the neighborhood. They asked him what the fuck he was doing in their neighborhood and told him to get the fuck out. He told them “fuck you” and knew that they were going to come at him, got caught with his pants down. That was the deal. He would zigzag down Christian Street, stop, throw a couple haymakers, slow the rolldown so he could keep goin’. This went on for about a block, and they started calling him a bitch, and he took off down the street.

It comes down to that principal that nobody wants to look like a fool. When you’re talking about a group of young guys like this, you have some that are really fast. It ain’t one-on-one, that’s out the door. You done caused a disturbance in what they think of as their world. If you’re real cocky or confident—slick as hell—you might be able to get a one-on-one, but I wouldn’t count on it. They aren’t looking on you as an individual. Most of your readers will hopefully never have to deal with that garbage.

I’ve heard about people using this, and they called it bump and move. You’re trying to cause hesitation. There is some kind of leader that they are following. If you take a swat at him, you can create even more hesitation. In their mind, they have won, have chased you out of their neighborhood. That’s your ticket, them feeling like they won.

Fighting Smart: Boxing, Agonistics & Survival