self defense for preachers

[kyokushin_coe]

there has been a string of robberies, and violence agianst preachers in my city.

these idiots are walking right up in churches and starting fights, and robbing the whole church at gun point.

i was thinking about starting a self defense class for preachers , and also helping churches organize a security force from within the chuech.

any comments would be helpful, as well as criticism

[Triddle]

Are these christian preachers (priests)? if so... arent they supposed to be pacifists... or something? im probably wrong, i dont know much about religion, but, if it doesnt go against the religion to teach them self defence, and their being targeted... i suppose it could be a good idea, takes a fair bit of training to become proficient though, and if their at gun point, as you said, well... they arent likely to walk away if they try anything. Also, are they being targeted because of their beleifs... or do churchs carry valuables? if its the second case, perhaps they could just try moving them to a safehouse for a while or something, i dunno, dont understand christianity very well, but if it isnt necessary for them to carry valuables for some ritual or something, they could try that.

Anyway, good luck with it, and i hope these people leave the poor preachers alone.

[Drithen]

that would be a good idea but have it for the entire church not just the preachers. I actually study karate in a church as well as a dojo and I know many other churches that offer other kinds of martial arts including karate and BJJ

[JusticeZero]

I'd suggest some form of standup grappling art - like Judo, Shuai Chiao, or the more combative forms of Aikido (Yoshinkai or something I think is the one I hear of most as being faster to be effective) because standup grappling arts tend to have the most effective options for control with minimal harm.

I would also advise trying to get hold of police officers and finding out what precautions you can take to lessen your danger - an ounce of prevention is actually worth a pound of cure in my opinion in this regard. You want to learn what behaviors criminals watch for and how they go about chosing their targets, so that you won't look like a victim.

Cell phones are useful. Something to contact police. If something happens, be friendly, treat it like a business transaction. Do NOT allow yourself to be moved to a second crime scene! Assume that if you are brought to a second crime scene that you will die instantly upon being put in the car/whatever and respond appropriately. Memorize what they look like. If you have to fight back, try to make sure you do VISIBLE, DISTINCTIVE damage that you can describe to the police. It's harder to find a "white male wearing a blue windbreaker that might have been taken off by now" than it is to find a "white male wearing a blue windbreaker, bleeding from the right cheek from a scratch with keys". Don't let yourself look like a victim. Before walking across open spaces, glance around to be sure it's clear. Don't walk through groups of suspicious people. Get your keys out before walking across parking lots.

[cole]

I'm not sure preachers would want to be fighting, perhaps offereing self defense to the congregation would be more effective. And when faced with guns, attempting to disarm an assailant is usually not the best way to survive unless you know this person will use the gun. As stated judo and aikido are effective, but the pressure points I have learned over the years in Taekwondo are very effective as well.

[Sam]

id talk to the preachers and see how they teake it personally... they may not wish to... i dont think there is anything in the bible [if they're christian] taht says you cnat defend yourself.

[y2_sub]

I'd suggest some form of standup grappling art - like Judo, Shuai Chiao, or the more combative forms of Aikido (Yoshinkai or something I think is the one I hear of most as being faster to be effective) because standup grappling arts tend to have the most effective options for control with minimal harm.

I would go with that as well .

Also aikido contains a lot of defenses against weapons , and standup grappling arts in general are easier to master .

Man.. that sounds like old shaolin , teaching martial arts in church , however , you must inform them that weapons are not a joke .

[Sam]

yeah u slip up, and u can easily loose a lot more than you balance.....

[kchenault]

Contact the Guardian Angels. They may be able to help with the problem. Here's the link:http://www.guardianangels.org/

If someone wants to come to my church and teach for free, I am more than willing to host. Contact me. I go to church in Lawrence, KS. Yes, we do have churches in this liberal bastion of the midwest.

[glockmeister]

People are now out robbing Priests and going right into churches in broad daylight? What is this world coming to??