Apparently, my post came across as a personal attack. I did not intend it as such. That stated, I simply disagree with a number of your comments and conclusions.

"The most useful for the street can be learned in about 2 hours. These are the items a civilian is most likely to be able to use. Block. Strike. This is instinctive."

When I taught self-defense classes, we would train over and over on a number of simple, but effective, techniques. The reasoning was that in a high stress situation, with the resulting adrenaline dump, training and muscle memory will hopefully overcome the inherent panic response.

"All the rest is fancy stuff, but you don't really need it to defend yourself, and I think it is a mistake to discount the baton just because you haven't trained in it."

"Stances, what bull. In the street - however you are standing is how you fight, you don't have time to worry about stances. You might have lots of sport "fight" training but your comments show a strong lack of street experience. I'd bet you are a black belt point sparrer, and you probably have picture perfect Kata. Goody for you."

My training and personal experience lead me to a contrary conclusion. Stance is all important. A punch thrown without proper body mechanics involves nothing more than the muscles of the arm. A proper punch involves the entire body mass.

I have fought sport. My street experience is more than some, less than others. I will leave the posting of street experience to the mall ninjas and children. I'm not posting as a means of ego masturbation.

I have never fought point, but I am friends with some very good point fighters, who are well aware of the limitations of point sparring. My belt is worn to hold up my pants, and yes, today it is black. Tomorrow it might be brown. I never did Kata, as I never studied the traditional Japanese arts. However, my forms in the other arts always left something to be desired.


"You assume that the aggressor has much more skill than he most likely does. Look at the statistics. Most bad guys are not trained, and are not that skilled."

Once again, I disagree. Underestimating your opponent, in the ring or in the alley, can get you killed. I would also suggest you talk to any corrections officer about what the inmates are practising in the exercise yard.

I did previously concede that any weapon would be an improvement over empty hand techniques. However, I still believe my initial advice was valid: Don't carry a weapon until you have reached a level of proficiency. I have witnessed more than a few occasions were individuals have pulled a knife and literally had it taken a way from them in seconds. That can be some bad juju.

M