I'm with you guys on having all the right gear, knowing how to use it & being healthy (mentally & physically)enough to put the gear & the know-how to use. But does anyone ever think about being able to defend yourself & loved ones physically? I mean in an unarmed fight, IMO every man should be able to "handle" himself. This post is not about civil unrest or the shtf. It's more about always being ready (prepared) for what ever life may bring. Hopefully like my various kits & gear, I will never have to use the things I've picked up. And just like my kits & gear, I sleep better knowing that I can protect myself & loved ones if the need ever arises. I think being able to fight is part of survival & preparedness. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Is this the wrong site to post this sort of thing?

When you get my age it's:
308=long range.
12 Gauge mid range.
45 acp short range..

end of test?

In my opinion, a huge part of "self defense" is being aware of your surroundings at all times, and avoiding those situations that will force you into actually defending yourself or your family. Sure, somethings bad things just happen, but many people seem to walk blindly into trouble...

I would have to go with OBG on this. Situational awareness in most routines is going to be the best method of self defense. Channing (MacGyvering for weapons instead of tools, after Jackie Chan's use of non-standard implements in movie melee) is a good example of applying a little street skills type fighting and situational awareness, but really, we've been fighting each other with sticks and stones for a long time. It takes extraordinary skills and training for most unarmed fighters to take on anyone already armed with a modicum of how to use the weapon at hand. A good knife in an average fighter's hand is something to be respected, even by another knife wielder. There's a number of times I can imagine where a good fighting blade would be preferable over a sidearm.

However, the best way of surviving a confrontation is to avoid it in the first place.

I agree. And I think this is the correct site to post it.

Situational awareness probably works well 95-98% of the time.

But walking into a dark building from blinding sunlight, or into a mini-mart that has reflective film on the windows can still put you into a poor or bad situation.

Knowing some self-defense moves always seems better to me than not knowing ANY self-defense moves.

Your legs are longer and stronger than his knife arm. Fold his knee the wrong way and his focus will change dramatically.

Sue

Self-defense is a very big part of being equipped to survive. Although my campus, like many, doesn't allow the possession of firearms on campus, I'm working on getting my concealed carry permit. So I will be able to carry in places where I feel the threat is great enough to justify carrying.

After that I think mace or another less lethal weapon is a good choice. Even (maybe especially) if you are carrying a sidearm, less lethal options should be considered. There are situations which don't call for deadly force, but can't be resolved peacefully.

Finally, if you aren't taking a martial arts, I think one of the best sources for unarmed combat skills is Colonel Rex Applegate's book Kill or Get Killed. Kill or Get Killed is availible online in PDF for free here . It's fairly old (1943), but it was written from his experiance training commandos in World War II. He doesn't teach very many complicated moves (a few of the throws are), just brutally effective, simple techniques for destroying an attacker. Its not a substitute for taking a martial art, but it does show you concepts that can be effective with very little training.

And like a couple people have already said, the base layer of any defense is awareness. I think its also one of the hardest skills to develop. I try very hard to stay aware of my surroundings, but I still find myself losing focus or drifting off into my own thoughts. Its something that has to be constantly practiced.

Avoidance is the best policy. Being aware of where you are and who's around you is good too. Fighting should be last on the list, but when push comes to shove & all else has failed a person should know how to fight. Just like having car or life insurance, knowing how to fight gives you peace of mind. We rarely have to use our insurance but when we do, boy it sure comes in handy. That's how I look at it.

I'd swapp 3 & 4. But other than that, I agree with your list.

Awareness is the biggest part of self-defense. Everyone know's that and repeatedly says it. Its sensible, you can't avoid or respond to an attack you don't know is coming. But how do you acheive awareness? I don't think its enough to say, "Ok, I'm going to start being more aware." Does anyone have any techniques or exercises for becoming more aware? Maybe games you can play by yourself or with friends to notice more and do it with less concious effort?

I have read and watched a lot of true crime stores/dumb criminal stories/bios of criminals, serial killers, police and FBI. After reading a few you start noticing a lot of repetition in the way crimes are committed. Pay attention to repetition because after awhile you could almost write the story yourself. I think it helps to drive home how things happen and makes you think what could have been done differently and at what point. Have your friends do the same and discuss it.

Also take extreme notice of that small voice when it tells you something isn't quite right. In many stories people who almost became victims were later interviewed by police couldn't say what it was that made them bail out. Trust your instincts.

I'd say the best way is to start thinking like a BG would. Watch how other people go through their day. Try and identify the risks they take, how you would attack them if you wanted to.

Sometimes I would think of who would be the easiest one on the platform to push off just as the train is coming by. Or maybe how easy it would be to dump some powdery substance on a pizza while waiting in line at the restaurant, or into someone's drink as I am walking by, without anyone noticing. Watching people walk under objects thinking what might happen if something came loose and it fell on them. In so observing others and their routines, you begin to condition your mind to recognize such hazards yourself. I also mark subjects around me as to who might pose the most likely physical threat based on profiling. It might not be politically correct, but I am not running for any office either. It is all about creating habits out of routine, of changing the way you go through your day. If you go through a war zone, you develop some habits very quickly.

It is easy for us in our insulated little worlds to relax and let our natural talents atrophy. Really, we are built to be functionally aware of our environment, but society erodes our instincts and alters our perceptions so that our skills become dull, our complacency becomes bad habits and ignorance. Pierce the veil once or twice, and I would almost gaurantee you will have a different outlook about your daily routine.

To improve situational awareness, first you have to improve your observation skills.

One idea to practice is to spend an afternoon with a camera. Take a picture of a scene, then turn around and try to recall as much info as possible, and then compare your memory to your picture. Location of objects, people, clothing, height and hair color: as if you're a crime scene witness. (I've heard that most crime scene witnesses aren't observant enough to provide accurate info.)

When you think you've reached a good lvl, the next step is to look at a scene, take a picture, and quickly make at least three risk/threat assessments. When you look at your picture, make as many assessments as possible, and ask yourself if your first three were the most likely or reasonable. For example, is that skater in a good position to try a purse snatch from that women? With a person walking by a tall building, is there an alcove or other location to protect herself from falling bricks/glass? Does that dogwalker have good control of that toothy dog? (In NYC these risks come up often.)

Gaining good situational awareness is a habitual behavior that takes time and practice - it doesn't happen in a day.

Bluecimmers

I forgot to emphasize the last part of situational awareness: choosing the appropriate response to risks/threats. One has to practice both the ability to judge quickly, and reflect on all the possible choices, to improve the ability to judge wisely.

One personal example: I've been accosted twice by strangers making inapproprate sexual comments to me in a bookstore. The first time I chased him out of the store, the second time I reported the person to the manager. The judgements I've made:

1. Never read in a public place: My situational awareness drops to zero (I have no idea how long these wierdos were talking to me before I noticed.)

2. If this ever happens again, prevent them from fleeing, or if unable; be sure to get the GD license plate number, so the police can do something about it.

Bluecimmers

As my instructor taught me a looooooong time ago;

the best block is not to be there.

That's a GREAT idea. I wonder if DD1 would enjoy it as a game?

-Blast

When I see people with headphones stuck in their ears it makes me think they would be easy targets. (not from me!!)

I recall reading stuff written by security experts about some tale-tale signs that they use to pick out the BG's. It seems one of the biggest ones was what they called "swivel-neck." Someone about to do something bad looks all around to see if they will be spotted, look for cops, etc., as if their "neck was on a swivel." Once you know this one little thing, it's amazing how much easier it is to spot something going down.

Also, take note of the hands. The danger is really in the hands of the BG, so if you can see their hands and keep track of them, it will help. Beware someone who has their hands in their pockets or otherwise out of view.

One thing I do is just look around and take note of who is around me, how far away they are, and what they are doing. It's not hard to do a quick "risk assessment" of everyone in your vicinity with just a quick glance. Just doing that one thing alone shows the BG's that you know they are there and makes it less likely they will pick you out as a target. They are looking for folks who have blinders on and don't see them coming.

Hmm, that's quite an opinionated piece. It's unclear if Davis really understands what this program is about. I'm not saying that I am an expert on this new TSA program, but it sounds like what the Israelis have been doing for years at El Al Airlines. It doesn't rely on terrorists fitting some arbitrary profile for further scrutiny--Arab, passport shows travel to places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. Security procedures should be thorough but also flexible enough to catch the Timothy McVeigh's as well as the Mohamed Atta's of the world that want to do harm while on a plane, while avoiding hassling every passenger of Arab descent as a possible terrorist because the "profile" says to watch out for Arab people. And I doubt someone would be kept off a plane solely because of a bad attitude or look under this program. The behavior is just a trigger for further questioning and scrutiny. Beat cops do it. So do you agents at Customs or at border crossings. What's the big deal?

The problem with looking out for the 'swivel necked BG's' is not looking like a 'swivel necker' yourself.

We have a saying in the UK. 'Paranoia will destroya.', but that's always qualified with the 'it doesn't mean the 'B******s aren't still out there to get you'

Its a fine line.

I wouldn't really read to much into what a security expert says anyway. From their point of view a healthy fear of crime helps keep the crime and security industry profitable.

Paranoid tendencies aren't just a personal affliction it is a society one too.

We must always remember that the founder of 'Game theory', John Forbes Nash, the mathematician whose ideas were so beloved of the RAND Corporation was himself a paranoid schizophrenic.


The Prisoners Dilemma is quite enlightning.

Nah. Not that hard, really. And so what if you do look like one? Staying aware of your surroundings and potential threats is hardly paranoia.

So what if he was? And he is not the founder, as far as I know. That distinction should probably be given to John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern, though Nash was surely a major contributor to it.

I like this: "Situation awareness is the perception of elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future." – Micah Endsley

One situation where I almost always see people with their heads in the clouds – yet one where they should be especially alert – is at an ATM. If there was ever fertile ground for a "situation" to develop ... they're either talking on the cell phone, or absent-mindedly digging through their wallet/purse for their ATM card, or doing both. Certainly not mindful of who else is around, either in plain sight or lurking around the corner.

A recipe for trouble.

Dan

Big Al, you da man!

I admit, I've only visited this site a few times. From what I've read so far, you folks are of a different cut of cloth than what I'm use to. Other than Big Al's post, most of what I have read seems to come from fantasy land. (Sorry...I really do not mean any disrespect)
Have you any idea how long it takes even a young, well conditioned, person to become effecient in "fighting" of any style? Years!
Remember this, the first rule of gunfighting is to BRING A GUN! All the Bruce Lee postering in the world won't stop some tuberculated druggie from capping your butt. Same with a blade. Carrying one and knowing how to USE one are two different things.
I certainly agree with many of you regarding situational awareness and avoidance. Good advice there.

People shouldn't forget it takes a time to become a good shooter too. If you're inexperienced, visit the range. If you are planning on carrying a knife, train knife fighting. If you want to defend yourself unarmed, train martial arts...et al.

Having a gun does you no good if you can't hit a worthwhile target.

This applies to everything of course, even things as 'mundane' as driving or starting a camp fire.

even if you couldn't shoot the wall of a barn from the inside, if the guy in front of you has a knife, tazer, stun gun, etc. and you pull out a 9mm, which one of you do you think is gonna back down first?

"...which one of you do you think is gonna back down first?..."


That might depend on the range, plus the training or guts of the BG. If up close, if you don't pull and shoot immediately, the BG might just do what is necessary to take your 9 away from you. And you can guess what happens next...

Agree. Don't ever think that the simple threat of a gun will stop someone. If you pull a gun, you better be ready, willing and able to use. Instantly.

Which martial art do you think is best for defending oneself? I've always wanted to try aikido.

I would suggest that you consider one of the lesser known, but more effective disciplines, Krav Maga. It was developed by the Israelis, having been started in the ghettos of Europe before and during World War II. It is a take no quarter discipline, devoted to "neutralizing" the opponent. Check out the summary at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga.

Bruce Lee had a classic line in one of his movies: "the art of fighting without fighting" where he got the BG onto a small boat and just let out line.

But whatever you use, gun, knife, hand to hand, if you are going to start, you best be ready to finish.

Many years ago, there was a security guard in Waikiki who carried concealed. I do not think he was licensed to do so. When a bunch of young punks came by, he whipped it out. He was not prepared to use it. The took it away from him and beat the bejezuz out of him.

Sometimes having something can give you a false sense of security. I think he should have just called the police. I coined a phrase a number of years ago goes like this: "ego gets in the way of common sense." Sometimes having a weapon or training in the more aggressive martial arts can inflate the ego, thus reducing common sense.

You're a wise man.

Aloha samhain,

I have been called many things in my life. I guess there is a first time for everything. Thanks.