Self Defense, in Practice

[Syock]

Does anyone here practice what they preach about self defense?  Does anyone study a martial art, or carry a weapon everywhere they go in order to defend their life in the unlikely event it is required?  Maybe you just keep a lawyer or accountant on retainer?  What method of self defense do you think is the most effective, and/or most practical?  

[rahvin]

Most certainly. 

I carry 3 things.  They are always on me with the exception of when I play impact sports, go to the gym, or shower.

I highly recommend guns, they are fantastic.  If you want statistical evidence supporting the merits of carrying a gun, I suggest reading More Guns, Less Crime by John Lott Jr. 

I've also studied a few martial arts, are you looking for advice in picking one?

[dpalme]

I took karate when I was 6 for about a month; I'm 21 now and I don't remember anything except that weird kick thing from Karate Kid. I'd like to get a gun, but I'm broke, so for now I just carry around a nice sized pocket knife.

[Syock]

I've also studied a few martial arts, are you looking for advice in picking one?

Sure.  I took karate when I was a kid.  That was discontinued due to parental issues at the time.  I've noticed most martial arts schools are geared toward sport and fitness, rather than actual self defense.  I've also seen that those that are self defense seem to have government regulations preventing anything like military quality fighting styles.  This has left me questioning their actual usefulness for self defense.  

I took karate when I was 6 for about a month; I'm 21 now and I don't remember anything except that weird kick thing from Karate Kid. I'd like to get a gun, but I'm broke, so for now I just carry around a nice sized pocket knife.

Since carrying a gun is illegal where I currently live, this is my solution for the time being as well. 

I heard front sight advertise on free talk live some time ago, and I signed up on their email list.  Eventually a good deal came by and I got some dirt cheap gun training from a place that supports the liberty movement.  It was $50 for 2 days.  They have one now that is $150 for 4 days, a 30 state CCW, and training manuals.  I am reluctant to put much into it until I move, since I can't carry where I am anyway. 

[Freya]

I did judo as a kid for about 2 years, but I quit after I sustained an injury during my first competition. I was getting the floor wiped at the competition anyway by guys who were bigger and had much more experience. It never felt like I could better protect myself. The one time I actually defended myself (I didn't use judo techniques) against another kid who was bullying me (during the lesson) I was disciplined by the teacher and had one rank stripped for two weeks. I think this was also partially responsible for why I quit.

Carrying guns is illegal everywhere in my country. I might take some training in the future. I've not felt comfortable carrying knives, they are just as dangerous to yourself unless you know how to use them in defense.

I might pick up martial art and gun training in the future.

[Syock]

Carrying guns is illegal everywhere in my country. I might take some training in the future. I've not felt comfortable carrying knives, they are just as dangerous to yourself unless you know how to use them in defense.

I've never seen a need to actually pull out a knife.  Even if someone else has one, I would rather just take control of theirs.  Just having one can act as a deterrent though.  I've only ever used mine for work.  I hope that never changes. 

[rahvin]

You are absolutely correct.  I've found most of them to be useless.  There's three styles that I have a lot of respect for though.  

First is Japanese Seikendo karate (nearly impossible to find in the US).  It's worked in real life for me.  

Second is Krav Maga. Even though they teach civilians the pansy version, I think there's some good stuff there.  

Lastly, and surprisingly, is wrestling.  I absolutely hate sparring with wrestlers, although they aren't very good at multiple v. 1 scenarios.  

The things that I look for are the presence of sparring, focus on gross motor skills instead of fine, and a lack of memorized forms.  If it doesn't meet those criteria, I don't even consider it.  

Something that I do that you may find interesting is boffer (padded weapons) medieval combat.  I'll admit that it's kinda nerdy and you may feel silly at first, but it is full speed, full contact, un-choreographed fighting and it'll beat the flinching or flight reflexes out of you.  

I've done it for a few years and it has some real-world application.  So, if you're interested in carrying any bladed or impact weapons, this will get you good, fast.  And it's cheap.  

You can look for local groups at these websites.  

http://belegarth.com/      More likely if you're on the west coast.  

http://www.dagorhir.com/   More likely if you're on the east coast.  

[rahvin]

Carrying guns is illegal everywhere in my country. I might take some training in the future. I've not felt comfortable carrying knives, they are just as dangerous to yourself unless you know how to use them in defense.

I've never seen a need to actually pull out a knife.  Even if someone else has one, I would rather just take control of theirs.  Just having one can act as a deterrent though.  I've only ever used mine for work.  I hope that never changes. 

I recommend getting a friend and a plastic knife and practicing it.  It's going to be tough...I'm pretty good and I can't do it.




Also, be careful about the training classes that offer a "30 state CCW permit!"   Most CCPs have automatic reciprocity with most states anyways.  So you don't want to pay extra for window dressing. 

[Syock]

Also, be careful about the training classes that offer a "30 state CCW permit!"   Most CCPs have automatic reciprocity with most states anyways.  So you don't want to pay extra for window dressing.  

Yeah, they say it is just three states with the rest being reciprocity.  They also will get your own state, if your state allows it.  

I recommend getting a friend and a plastic knife and practicing it.  It's going to be tough...I'm pretty good and I can't do it.

Unfortunately I found myself in a lot of fights as a kid.  I got pretty good at catching fists.  It has been awhile now though. 

[JustSayNoToStatism]

The things that I look for are the presence of sparring, focus on gross motor skills instead of fine, and a lack of memorized forms. 

This. This. This. Being a master in some "pure" martial arts form takes a lot of time, effort and money, but won't serve you very well when you need to actually defend yourself.

I don't know if you can take lessons in street fighting, without actually getting into fights, which I don't recommend. Short of that, I bet jumping rope, stretching, and strength training would go a long ways.

[derick]

I trained jiu jitsu with judo(guerilla jiu jitsu) under Dave Camarillo. I feel I have a huge advantage over most people but you never know. Just before I quit they started knife training so I learned some basic there too. The problem with knife training is that you cant train "for real" and most knife training is done under the assumption that you have the knife and the other person doesnt. If you use a knife against an unarmed person you may win the fight but you will lose in court. A rule I learned was if an aggressor has a knife and it looks like they know how to use it, RUN! Anyone that claims to be a pro at taking knives away from an aggressor, is a liar. That being said it doesnt hurt to learn some basic knife handling techniques.

I stay away from carrying a hand gun for the simple fact that it requires permission from the state.  

[Freya]

Can civilians get tazers in the US? What about pepper spray and other not-likely-to-be-lethal weapons?

[Syock]

We can get certain tazers and certain pepper spray.  They are somewhat restricted.  It is easier to get bullets than bean bag rounds from what I have heard.  Something about them not wanting people to be able to use these less lethal weapons as compliance tools, while that is exactly what the police do with them.  

So civilians have to go from dead to lethal, with nothing in-between but threats.  Weird isn't it?

[Freya]

We can get certain tazers and certain pepper spray.  They are somewhat restricted.  It is easier to get bullets than bean bag rounds from what I have heard.  Something about them not wanting people to be able to use these less lethal weapons as compliance tools, while that is exactly what the police do with them.  

So civilians have to go from dead to lethal, with nothing in-between but threats.  Weird isn't it?

I do agree that when we label them non-lethal and market them as compliance tools we get bad situations. This is what happens in the police. When you introduce these weapons to people you must be very specific in what they should be used for. Still, I would feel more comfortable carrying a taser then a gun.

[Syock]

The police have been slowly noticing that they are not non-lethal, but just less lethal.  Someone died from pepper spray a week ago or so.  Tazers have killed a lot of people, which is easy if they have heart issues or hit the ground wrong.  

That doesn't stop them from using them for compliance still though.