Verbal Combat: A Form of Self-Defense?
 

I recently read in a martial arts magazine that an enormous percentage of all physical confrontations (90% or more) begin with a heated verbal exchange. If that is the case, could a violent confrontation be avoided with skillful wordplay?
I’ve been studying the martial arts for a little more than five years now and I’m an advocate of Bruce Lee’s cross training ideas. I have always been on the lookout for new insights into the martial arts. It dawned on me after reading about what causes physical confrontations that there may be areas of combat beyond just those of the mind and body. Combat in the form of language.
I am no stranger to the hip-hop and rap scene. Yet it wasn’t until this summer that I was exposed to the more combative side of hip-hop’s internet underground. My best friend introduced me to his creative outlet: Rapverse.com. I’ve known him for years. He’s been into the hip-hop thing since he was a kid. But I never knew that part of what he did was verbally combat another person.
I have since been wondering. Let’s say someone like one of you was in a verbal confrontation with another person, a less experienced “verbal combatant.” And it seemed that the situation was progressing toward physical violence. Could you, with words, shame a person so utterly that they would lose all desire to physically fight you? Are the verbal combat skills you acquire on Rapverse.com a legitimate form of self-defense? Have you ever been in a confrontation where your verbal skills allowed you to shame a person so completely that they lost their will to turn the situation into one of physical violence?
I just wanted to open this topic up to discussion before I throw out all my other thoughts on the subject; I want to hear what you all have to say first.

Peace,
Dan

You know I think about that sometimes too. In fact, I like to think of life as some sort of role-play, which it kind of is. You make decisions, they effect just about everyone else through small and large differences. Each decision has a different consequence, so you have to have the right words. It also shapes on who you become by learning experiences through mental decisions.

I've embarassed some mofos pretty badly lyrically, but in my experience, that only increases their will to hurt you, not decrease it. Last time I got jumped after a battle, I never thoguht to my self "damn...shoulda disssed him harder"

^^Yeah, I gotta agree with that too. In real life, if you get revenge no single person will admit that they were so wrong and will bow down for mercy. Instead they choose revenge, and it goes on and on.

If you get caught in verbal arguments, you should just do the best thing and try to avoid it.

Hmm... I dont think dissing them more would work at all... From experience, probly the best way to avoid a physical fight, verbally, is with low-key, witty sarcasm...

But yeah I do tend to think about this kinda shit a lot.. Cos ive been practicing Capoeira for a few years... And one of the main ideas is to avoid physical fights..

i think it definitely is...maybe not so much dissing them but by promoting urself good enough they may realise that your not the 'bitch' they thought u were and back off...
if u intimidate them with ur words they'll back off...kinda like a gorilla puffin out his chest knamean?

but if u just clown them infront of ppl its likely they're gonna want to prove themselves....

most of the fights i've been in has been because someone was acting stupid.
in hawaii most people dont go around starting shit...mostly someone says
something stupid..so minus the retardedness equals maybe preventing a fight.

everytime i go i see some local flip out on some tourist... over stupid shit to... but otherwise i see more fights in hawaii than i do in my own town