Current Events > Are humans the only animal that has to learn how to fight?

(+) Yeah! (+)

The trucker fight topic made me wonder.

even puppies know how to bite. But humans can be grown ass and not even know how to throw a punch

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We have the instincts to throw a punch, to stomp and bite and such. Those instincts just die in some people who are lucky enough to avoid strife. Or unlucky, if they end up encountering strife.

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Guide posted...

We have the instincts to throw a punch, to stomp and bite and such. Those instincts just die in some people who are lucky enough to avoid strife.

is punching really an instinct, or do we learn it from media and peers? Is that even how we are supposed to fight?

apparently other than western cultures and some Asian cultures, closed fist punching wasnt a thing in antiquity.

there are written records of a pilgrim getting into a fight with an unarmed Native American. When the pilgrim punched the natives were like WHAT THE FUCK!?

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Humans can punch without learning much the same as a puppy can bite without learning. Now doing it most effectively requires training, even for puppies. The parents still need to teach them to hunt properly if such a thing is required in the wild.

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Weve had tools for too long we are basically useless without a stick, like the go for the eyes/throat/genitals thing is still there but we dont usually want to maim the other person.

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We have the same instincts that all animals do to bite, claw, scratch, and squeeze in a fight.

We also have the brain power to realize there are much more efficient ways to take someone down with technique and training.

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Punching, kicking, biting is all natural, toddlers do it without being taught.

Some people are lucky (or unlucky) enough to never see conflict so the instinct gets buried or atrophies.

Even dogs need to learn to fight. They usually have to learn through experience tho.

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people know how to fight
they learn how to fight well

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TopKekBro posted...

is punching really an instinct, or do we learn it from media and peers? Is that even how we are supposed to fight?

apparently other than western cultures and some Asian cultures, closed fist punching wasnt a thing in antiquity.

there are written records of a pilgrim getting into a fight with an unarmed Native American. When the pilgrim punched the natives were like WHAT THE FUCK!?

Any exceptions would be culturally taught. Babies know to strike without ever being shown; the human hand is also very well designed specifically for punching. There's also some scientific evidence for it:

https://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/2/236

Also,

AmericaTheBrave posted...

Even dogs need to learn to fight. They usually have to learn through experience tho

This skipped my mind, but yes, lots of animals with the basic mechanical instincts still need to learn how to apply them. Cats, dogs, bears, apes, kangaroos, they all have the reflex, but they still learn how to apply it by observation and practice.

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Guide posted...

There's also some scientific evidence for it:

https://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/2/236

thats really cool, thanks

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In case there are people who see this that get turned off by scientific papers: They took the arms from cadavers and wired them up to be able to punch (mechanically, not electronically,) and studied the effects on the limb and the force that was put out. It's good stuff.

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lion king has shown me that even cubs need to taught how to take down a gazelle

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