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Imminent Threat Survival

Ninjakid

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If some guy is spraying with an AK-47, there's not a lot of safety.
and you're right, the bathroom is not a good place to be in this case. All the shooter has to do and walk in and then, fish in a barrel.

2)the stall doors could be used as a shield or ram

You might as well hold paper in front of you. An AK bullet will go through those doors like butter.

1) The toilet seats could be removed and used as a weapon

While you're messing around with the toilet seats, shooter comes in, bang bang, your dead.

3)Your belts could be tied together to make a trip.

Maybe he falls and gets an owie. Best you can hope for is he knocks himself out. But thats a SLIM CHANCE, and I don't think you want to leave your life to chance.

The fact is in all these scenarios, the shooter still has a weapon and he's intent on killing you all.

So if you want to survive this case, you need to take out the threat.

The best way to ensure your survival in this case is directly attack the shooter.

Wait on the side, once he comes in, go right for his gun. Both hands, grab a hold of it. The gun is what is most likely going to kill you.

Grab the gun as if you were going to use it for yourself. Get your arm under his trigger arm, so it's like you're to take the gun for your own use.

Now that you've got him by surprise, do your worst. Head butt him right in the mouth, break his knee, bite him right in the jugular, make him release that gun no matter what.

If he's coming at you, the only thing to do is attack.

 
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Jake

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the bathroom is not a good place to be in this case
Disagree.. Unless you think there's multiple attackers..like 3 or more. With one it's probably one of the best places to be.

The attacker must enter the room and you know he's coming - 0 element of surprise

His speed of entry is reduced as he must open the door himself.

He enters what's called a "fatal funnel" and isn't surprising anyone. The defenders of the bathroom have the advantage whether they are armed or not. You know where he is, he doesn't know where you are.

I guess the layout plays apart in it but thinking in terms of a room with one entrance it gives you a good shot at overwhelming the attacker.
 

Ninjakid

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Disagree.. Unless you think there's multiple attackers..like 3 or more. With one it's probably one of the best places to be.

The attacker must enter the room and you know he's coming - 0 element of surprise

His speed of entry is reduced as he must open the door himself.

He enters what's called a "fatal funnel" and isn't surprising anyone. The defenders of the bathroom have the advantage whether they are armed or not. You know where he is, he doesn't know where you are.

I guess the layout plays apart in it but thinking in terms of a room with one entrance it gives you a good shot at overwhelming the attacker.

For the average person who wants to survive, you know where the best place to be is when you're under attack? Not where the attack is happening.

Hiding in the bathroom, you've basically guaranteed a confrontation with the attacker. And just about any self-defence expert will advise you that it's a bad idea to try and confront an armed attacks. Sometimes it's necessary, but usually it's a bad idea.

And no, you don't know where he is. You can only assume. But if he's got his eye on the door, HE knows where YOU are.

While you're waiting for the attacker to do the obvious, he might be grabbing one of the hundreds of liquor bottles in the club and making himself a molotov cocktail.

Still want to be trapped in a bathroom with only one entrance/exit?
 

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For the average person who wants to survive, you know where the best place to be is when you're under attack? Not where the attack is happening.

Hiding in the bathroom, you've basically guaranteed a confrontation with the attacker. And just about any self-defence expert will advise you that it's a bad idea to try and confront an armed attacks. Sometimes it's necessary, but usually it's a bad idea.

And no, you don't know where he is. You can only assume. But if he's got his eye on the door, HE knows where YOU are.

While you're waiting for the attacker to do the obvious, he might be grabbing one of the hundreds of liquor bottles in the club and making himself a molotov cocktail.

Still want to be trapped in a bathroom with only one entrance/exit?

I think we can all agree that hiding in the bathroom is not the best initial choice.

However, there are other rooms where one can be trapped, such as most college classrooms or hotel rooms I have been in. Any room with one way in one way out.

I would think that sitting and waiting to die would not be the only choice in that scenario. No the odds are not good in fighting back but they are 100% against you to sit and wait. Maybe a counter attack has a 5% chance of working out, maybe not.
 
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Supa

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However, there are other rooms where one can be trapped, such as most college classrooms I have been in. Any room with one way in one way out.

It's not really common in Germany, but I remember one time after a school mass shooting occured, as a kid in school I wondered, how we (the students) should react if we were trapped in our classroom while someone with a gun is running down the school halls..

I thought a clever way would be to put all desks in front of the door, placing them between the wall and the door.

I remember we did that on april 1 to fool our teacher, and it was impossible to enter that classroom from outside.

The #1 most basic thing you can do for your loved ones is convince them to increase their awareness. Part of the psychological trick of carrying pepper spray, a taser or a personal alarm in hand, or a gun on your hip... is the device itself increases your vigilance. It's NOT enough (@Red) to have a Kubaton in your desk drawer. If it is on your keys, and when you are walking to your car if you make a habit of putting it in hand, the reminder creates awareness. Awareness increases observation and orientation.

Yes. Every guy on here should go and ask a female friend, girlfriend, sister, etc. what it's like to walk home alone in the dark as a woman. Put yourself in the shoes of that woman you're asking. Most people usually don't take the time to put themselves in the shoes of others, but let's do it for a second.

Somehow there are men out there, who actually seem to believe it's absolutely ok to sexually harass a woman who's on her own or in a group of other women.

Most men don't even know this, since that type of men that does that type of shit usually doesn't do it when another guy's with that woman.

Just ask a woman you know how often it happens that she hears some bullshit from guys out of a passing car, some horn honking, name calling or actually groping, and I'm pretty sure her answer will shock you.

Now imagine you're a woman walking down an empty road after leaving the bus and a guy leaves it right behind you and heads into the same direction you're going. Now, you don't know if that guy's just minding his own business and on his way home lost in thoughts, or if he means trouble. Usually most man are a potential threat to an average woman (= not experienced in martial arts, etc.) So no matter if that guy behind you is actually lost in his thoughts, listening to his favorite song, growing up with men cat calling you since you're 14 or 15 will make you careful.

While a lot of people are not informed about the importance of being aware and able to defend yourself, you are. You who read through this thread, and the OODA Loop one, you are informed about it. So please don't take it for granted that everyone knows what you know, because you probably didn't know it either before reading it.

That being said, go buy the women and girls in your life a pepper-spray, a taser, an alarm or whatever legal weapon/thing they can use to defend themselves. Not only will it make them more aware of their surroundings, it will also increase their likelihood of escaping a dangerous situation.

Just some more food for thought..

I recently read a statistic that stated that 66% of rape victims know their assailant.

Now think about it, only a fraction of rape victims actually go to the police and report it, so expect the real number to be bigger, since most assaults that are reported to the police are probably those done by strangers.

Your loved ones may have an increased awareness in the cliché situations like in an empty street at night or in the parking lot, but what about situations that involve people they know?

You probably don't have your pepper-spray with you when you're on your way to the toilet at your uncle's house on his birthday, right? You're not really thinking anything bad may happen, since hey.. you know those people, right?

But keep that statistic in your mind.

That statistic also states, that approximately 48% of victims are raped by a friend or acquaintance; 30% by a stranger; 16% by an intimate; 2% by another relative; and in 4% of cases the relationship is unknown.

Aswell as, that about four out of ten sexual assaults take place at the victim’s own home. Two in ten take place in the home of a friend, neighbor or relative. One in ten take place outside, away from home. And about one in 12 take place in a parking garage.
More than half of all rape/sexual assault incidents were reported by victims to have occurred within one mile of their home or at their home.

Don't let your awareness down just because your within known faces. That friend of your uncle is looking creepy at you? Don't ignore it with the excuse that he's probably just a bit drunk. The guy you know for 2 days who's so kind and fun to be around tries to seperate you from the group on your way home? Don't let your false feeling of trust get in the way of awareness.

A girl that I used to be very close to admitted a few months ago, that she was raped by a guy she knew for a while.

He was the kinda creepy guy, the one who would get angry if she doesn't reply or who got rejected by her but still tried it every damn time to change her mind.

She told me, that he was with her in her flat once and they just chilled. He wanted more, but she didn't, so he grabbed her and.. You get the picture. There wasn't really much she could do. She tried to fight him, scratching and biting, but she had no chance.

Just trust me on this, you don't want to have this happening to a loved one or to any person.

Help those people who are not aware, to increase their awareness. Help them to learn how to protect themselves. Buy them things that increase their chances of escaping a dangerous situation. Don't do it for you, do it for them. You may feel like your world's up side down after you hear that a person you love got raped, now imagine how the person herself must feel.

And I think, as entrepreneurs we have even greater possibilities to prevent this shit from happening, by creating products that help to prevent it from happening, by either helping them to defend themselves or increasing awareness.
 
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luniac

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We should all have guns.
 
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luniac

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That's only applicable for the US.. It won't help you in other countries with stricter gun laws.

Not applicable in the US either, no guns allowed in NYC where i live.
 

Equilibrium

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I always have two very legal weapons on me.
One is a skull key a VERY handy little tool that makes a hell of a kubotan, and a length of 550 (pounds of force required to break) paracord.
Both have passed through airplane security with no issues, and both can be used in self defense.
 
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Ninjakid

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I can kill a person with my bare hands, I have no need for carrying a weapon.
 
G

Guest34764

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Remember kiddos.

Gun free zones are a safe haven for criminals.They don't look at the sign and say "huh,better put my gun away.I'm entering a gun free zone!"

Nope,they think to themselves "Great now no one will fight against me.I'll have complete control in the situation knowing I have a gun."

If one of those dancers had a weapon and was trained much of this event could have been avoided.Always be cautious around gun-free zones.

EDIT:Small pistol changed to weapon because apparently I don't know my own state's laws.
 
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Supa

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Remember kiddos.

Gun free zones are a safe haven for criminals.They don't look at the sign and say "huh,better put my gun away.I'm entering a gun free zone!"

Nope,they think to themselves "Great now no one will fight against me.I'll have complete control in the situation knowing I have a gun."

If one of those dancers had even a small pistol and was trained much of this event could have been avoided.Always be cautious around gun-free zones.

I didn't even know that something like a gun-free zone exists to be honest. Growing up in a country where most people do not own a gun, guns were never really a problem. But I can also understand why people want to own guns, in areas where guns are allowed.
 
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Guest34764

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didn't even know that something like a gun-free zone exists, to be honest. Growing up in a country where most people do not own a gun, guns were never really a problem. But I can also understand why people want to own guns, in areas where guns are allowed.

Every state is different with gun laws.With Florida, it's pretty weird because in most cases you can't carry a gun but you can carry other weapons like knives,teargas,pepper spray etc.In their case at Orlando it would have been best to carry a knife or something to that effect, however, I'm not sure they were allowed too.
 

GSF

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Quoting this from a marine corps weapon instructor on how you can survive an active shooter- https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-survive-a-shooting-massacre-or-terrorist-attack-in-a-city

"A better example comes from the recent attack aboard a train between France and Belgium. There, a terrorist opened fire on a train wounding a few of the passengers. Onboard the train were National Guard Specialist Alek Skarlatos, a recent Afghanistan veteran, Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, along with a civilian friend Anthony Sadler. They earned international praise for stopping nothing less than a full on terrorist gunman in the middle of what amounted to a holiday vacation.

“My friend Alek (Skarlatos) yells, 'Get him,' so my friend Spencer (Stone) immediately gets up to charge the guy, followed by Alek, then myself," Anthony Sadler said in an interview with CNN.

Stone received injuries during the fight between the Moroccan born gunman, armed with an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, several clips of ammunition and a knife. The Americans wrestled him to the ground after he opened fire. In the end, he was hog tied and, though one of the heroes received superficial injuries, no one, not even the shooter, was killed. No better example currently exists for the argument that active defense is necessary in ending the threat posed by an active shooter or terrorist.

While both of these events center around veterans who placed themselves in harm's way while in civilian roles, what they did isn't something that requires one to be a military person to do. In these specific cases, it was just people who believed they could control the situation, who knew how to react to danger, and who were, at least instinctively aware that the collective's survival was most ensured by the group fighting back."

"Freeze is a common response to panic educing situations. For many, it will be the default response. There is a saying, made most famous by the United States Navy SEALs, but common throughout the United States armed forces: "One doesn't rise to the occasion, but falls back to their training." This means that if a person is not trained, or have not prepared themselves to recognize and respond to a stressful situation, they will likely fail in that situation."

"students are encouraged to use "weapons of opportunity" or "improvised weapons" in their own defense. "Weapon of opportunity" is a term used from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program and other self-defense programs, which basically means any common place item which can be used a weapon. The Marines train to fight, in the last resort, with sticks, rocks, and anything else which may be available to them. For a classroom or office setting, this translates to books, staplers, tape depressors, and even chairs being used as throwing objects or even blunt force items. It is also advised to keep on hand pepper spray and a very good improvised weapon is also the fire extinguisher. The cloud is both stunning and disorienting, and the canister itself is an extremely blunt object which can be both deadly and easily used as a club. The fact that any good classroom or office should have fire extinguishers available anyway, makes this one of the best self-defense tools for this question.'

Another good read http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/11/30/what-to-do-in-an-active-shooter-situation/
 

GSF

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Most people have a crazy switch. Most never want to reach it. I have trained my older kids how to access it, as it can be the difference between life and death in certain circumstances.

[The following is an excerpt from SEAL SURVIVAL GUIDE: A Navy SEAL's Secrets to Surviving Any Disaster, written by Former Navy SEAL and preeminent American survivalist Cade Courtley.]

"Violence of action means the unrestricted use of speed, strength, surprise, and aggression to achieve total dominance against your enemy. I'm repeating this to drive home the concept that any fighting technique is useless unless you first totally commit to violence of action. Don't be afraid to hit first, and when you do, hit hard. Remember, you are fighting because this is the best and only option. Pull the trigger -- because you are in a battle for your life! Your instincts, assessment, and situational awareness have told you that you are in mortal danger. You don't know the other person's intentions fully, and you never can. What you can do is survive -- it is your right to not be killed or harmed by another person. As with most things survival-related, fighting has its own set of priorities that need to be addressed at lightning speed."
 
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GMSI7D

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Can we talk strategy without politics or religion?

Given the events in France, Orlando, and elsewhere...

And @Vigilante podcast about the OODA loop....

If you were at a public event and were trapped with no escape what would be some strategies for survival?

I was thinking about the people in the restroom, trapped in a room with no escape. They had to know this guy would be coming. Is there time to organize a counter offensive? He thinks he has total control by fear. You and your peeps in the bathroom have the advantage of numbers and element of surprise.

You have been drinking and now running on full adrenaline, sweating and scared.

Thinking about resources available and the imminent threat, some ideas came to mind.

1) The toilet seats could be removed and used as a weapon

2)the stall doors could be used as a shield or ram

3)Your belts could be tied together to make a trip.

You know where he will enter and you have a good idea about his posture. You know if he enters and controls the room you most likely will not survive.

Any other situational ideas are welcome.

Are there any legal, strategic weapons that one could carry into a bar or concert?

Again, I don't want to devolve into rights, gun control, politics, or religion. Please keep responses to strategy and strategic information.


ahahah.

YOU american guys are very lucky

because you can defend yourselves against riffraff on the street.

In France, people can't defend themselves with weapons , people have not the same freedom than you have.

for example: if we want to buy a ridiculous airgun to play in our garden , this is a nightmare in France.

So my point is that this is not you american people who have a problem .

people who have problems are people with limited possibilities to defend themselves.
 
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LibertyForMe

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One possibility would be to escape through a drop ceiling. If they were trapped in the bathroom but it had a drop ceiling, they might have been able to stand on the stall dividers and climb into the ceiling. It wouldn't work on some ceilings, but sometimes the edge of the drop ceiling meets the edge of the wall, so you could crawl along the top of the wall.
 

Red

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While it's easy to postulate on things that people should or shouldn't do in scenarios like Orlando, we tend to forget: people panic. And people who don't immediately panic are standing there trying to wrap their heads around what just happened/is happening. "Was that gunfire? Or fireworks? What the hell is going on? Surely, that can't be gunfire, can it?"

I grew up with a dad who had a Class 3 gun dealers license (FFL), I'm more comfortable around guns than most people I know (once I've cleared it myself). I have friends who are terrified of guns, either due to a bad experience where they were a victim or the unfamiliarity of something potentially deadly & that also makes complete sense. Most people don't default to assessing a situation & the best possible action to take, they default to scared/hide/run. Which is understandable because it's human nature. The whole point of tactical training/special forces training/self-defense training is to override instinct (fear) & simply carry out a plan of action you've practiced (and can do on auto-pilot) that has been determined to be effective.

I don't have the answer to solving this problem. I tend to think the root lies in mental illness more than anything. But I also feel like we're seeing the physical world repercussions being played out to what I see online: people's inability to co-exist with others who have a single differing belief. Open hostility to those that are perceived to be different (and therefore inferior/inhuman) in any way. The absolute lack of ability (refusal) to empathize with anyone on the other side of a screen or even, say, in a different car. Entitlement. If the online interactions I see on a daily basis are indicative of anything going on in the real world, these things are going to keep happening. I hope I'm alert, aware & packing when they do.

Edit: for clarity
 
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MJ DeMarco

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students are encouraged to use "weapons of opportunity" or "improvised weapons" in their own defense.

Definitely a good exercise to look around your environment once in awhile and identify such "weapons of opportunity" -- as I'm sitting in my office right now there are so many things that could be used to maliciously hurt someone...

a) Pencils
b) My chair
c) My computer monitor
d) A 5lb dumbell sitting on the floor
e) A stone drink coaster
f) A plate
g) A fork

In any situation, there's usually several things that can be turned into a weapon.

The problem is in these situations we don't know we're in mortal danger until its too late. Unless these poor folks actually saw this guy killing people, they probably thought it was going to be OK. We tend to look at the rosy side of the picture, at least until its put in front of our face. And once it gets to our perceptual stage, it could be too late. :(
 

Andy Black

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A decent striking weapon is your mobile phone.

You likely have one on you at all times.

They look completely innocuous in our hands, so you could be up close to someone without them seeing it as a weapon.

A hammer strike holding one is very effective... Try it on your shoulder or arm. Down on the nose would hurt. Down on the collar bone too.

Even your wallet can be used like that.

A rolled up magazine can be used to strike down with too. (An old Karate instructor showed us that one and wiped the smile off my face.)

Don't punch, hammer strike.
 

Red

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Relevant: just heard a single gunshot outside while I'm sitting in my home office.

LMFAO

I'm in a eastern suburb of Phoenix with Rez on one side & desert on the other, so it's not that uncommon...


A rolled up magazine can be used to strike down with too. (An old Karate instructor showed us that one and wiped the smile off my face.)

Don't punch, hammer strike.

Sounds like you have a presentation topic for 2017? ;)
 
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Andy Black

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Sounds like you have a presentation topic for 2017? ;)

Ha. It was a good lesson.

A rolled up magazine looks so silly.

"What you gonna do? Hit me on the head with that?"

I didn't imagine him using the little bit jutting out from below his fist.

He struck my upper arm in a sideways hammer strike, gently I might add.

Try it.


That's part of why a mobile phone in one hand and your wallet on the other, with arms out disarmingly, works so well. It just so doesn't look intimidating.

Put your thumb on top of the phone/wallet when you strike down/sideways. Hit with the corner.



Dunno about against someone with a gun though.
 

Get Right

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Most public bathrooms have closers on them (usually at the top). You can wrap your belt around them and they won't budge. Most have solid core doors, so it's going to take time to shoot/break through. Take that time to rip down the ceiling tile grids (stiff aluminum with sharp points). Get in jousting position(s). Rip some cat5 wires out of the ceiling for strangling. Have others throw burning toilet paper rolls at the attacker.

If you have time look in the ceiling for escape routes. If there is a hall or other room next to the bathroom, consider breaking through the wall. The studs are 16" on center usually. Find the center between the studs with a good heel kick. Then bust out enough drywall to squeeze through.

Disclaimer: These are just things I would do, thankfully I haven't had to utilize them.
 

MJ DeMarco

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consider breaking through the wall.

This is excellent advice.

Our brains see a wall and we think we're trapped with no escape. But really, what is that wall? A piece of flimsy drywall that anyone can break thru with a swift kick, or even a punch. And as soon as you get a hole in it, you can rip it off very easily.

This is important as well in case of fire. A WALL DOES NOT MEAN YOU'RE TRAPPED -- unless it's brick or concrete! Find the studs, and hit between!
 
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When I worked at a U.S. government facility, I volunteered for a 4-hour course on active-shooter survival. We learned that you have three options: escape, hide, or attack. In the Pulse bathroom, night-club-goers were really limited. They couldn't escape, and they couldn't hide (at least not for long). When you look at it this way, attacking would've been their smartest move.

At work, that survival course ended with active-shooter simulations. One-by-one, each participant was shoved (individually) into a big, unfamiliar room, filled with places to hide or potentially escape. We had to react accordingly when we spotted the "shooter." I attacked. The guy was just a few feet away, and in a real shooter situation, I'm pretty sure that running or hiding would've gotten me "killed." By attacking, I at least stood a chance at survival. It was a really good experience.

Where I worked, they didn't allow firearms, so instead, I kept pepper-spray (the big kind, meant for bear-attacks) in my desk. Now that I work from home, I have a loaded revolver within arm's reach. I'm 99.9% sure I'll never need it, but it's nice to know it's there.
 

MJ DeMarco

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Thread changed to Notable... could save some lives here.
 

Runum

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Thread changed to Notable... could save some lives here.

Thanks MJ. That was my original intent and the thoughts behind the posts have been very helpful.

Thanks to all of the contributors.
 
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Andy Black

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Just tried it. I think I killed the nerves in my arm.
Lol. Disclaimer: I am not responsible for killed nerves.



I was on YouTube last night trying to find a decent video of self defence using your mobile phone.

There's a handful of videos but they seem overly complicated for the average Joe (aka someone like me).



I avoid fights. That's always the best thing.

But this thread is having the intended affect of making me think what I'd do to protect myself and my family.



Things I've taken away from martial arts / self defence classes:


1) Keep your hands up

Squaring up to someone with your arms down at your side is just dumb.

Have your hands up placating them while you try and talk your way out of it.

You might talk your way out of it.

You look less intimidating, which might be enough for them to think they've won and walk away.

You look less intimidating, which will have their guard down.

Your don't have to raise your hands to block/absorb punchs... they're already up.


2) "Cover up"

This is the first thing I've taught my kids (and one is only 4).

Absorb the initial onslaught.

The first few seconds they start swinging at you are vital.

You will be shocked.

Adrenaline will pump through you.

You just have to survive, long enough to get away, or to fight back.

Forget fancy blocking.

Forget fancy counter-attacks.

That stuff is for people who train at this all the time. Even then, maybe their advice is still the same...

You just need to survive that initial onslaught.

Typically people throw big hay-makers. They want to finish it quick. The longer it goes on, the more confidence they lose.



To cover up, have your hands touching the sides of your head, protecting your temples.

If your hands aren't touching your head, then when they get hit you just end up punching yourself.

Keep your chin down. "Look through your eyebrows."

Keep your eyes open and on them.



Think Muhammad Ali in "rope a dope"... against George Foreman.

Duck, bob, absorb, back away, move around them.

Make them miss.

Absorb... on your arms... on your shoulders.

Don't turn your back.

Try not to go to ground. There could be more of them. It's hard to run away when you're on the ground.


If you survive the first few seconds then you can start thinking.

You'll also get them thinking... "Why's he not down?"



3) Something I'm going to practice:

Get your phone out as early as possible and to your ear, as if you're trying to talk or call someone to come to your rescue.

That looks normal, and won't make them think you've just armed yourself.

It also looks "weak", especially if your other hand is out trying to placate them. I'd probably turn my body slightly.

Your arms are now up.

One hand is at your temple already "covering up".

Your other arm is keeping them at bay, whilst looking weak (since you're doing it so you can call for help on your phone).

You have armed yourself with a good, and disguised, striking weapon.

Your striking weapon is in a good striking position.


If they grab your shirt or arm, then just strike down on their arm with your phone and numb it.


Cover up when they start swinging.

Strike back with your phone.

Hammer strikes, down, or sideways, or planes in between.


I'm no self defence expert, but this is what I'm going to practice till it's as instinctive as I can make it.

I'll ask my Kung Fu instructor for some simple techniques week. He spent a good while on bodyguard duties so has lots of practical moves too.

I'll add to this thread. Ha... maybe I'll even do a video.


EDIT: As of today, I'm even swapping my wallet and phone so my phone will now be in my right pocket (I'm right handed).
 
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