layers of self protection. How many do you have?

[Whitefeather]

I train because I enjoy karate, I enjoy honing my skills, and I enjoy progressing. How was that for seriously crazy deep and complex?

-The Most Honerable Earl of Kirkland

[goshinman]

Interesting responses. Notice that I said only if the situation has gone well past the point of a stare down or just words. I am quite formidible in unarmed combat but I would actually rather use pepper spray to end a violent encounter then my hands and feet. The pepper spray is like a TKO. The opponent is likely to be incapacitated enough for the fight to stop and for me to make my escape. If some of you would rather use force by knocking someone out with kicks and punches or by choking someone out, be my guest. As one poster said earlier, to each his own. Just trying to give you some options.

[Medici]

So like... a gun, a knife, a fist?

[glockmeister]

Yeah I guess some people don't need them. Hey maybe if police officers would just become very proficient martial artists, they wouldn't need them either.

[elbows_and_knees]

We as martial artists spend a lifetime training to be prepared to protect ourselves should the need arise. Belive it or not, most martial artists will probably never use their skills in a real altercation. I mean lets face it, once you graduate from high school, most responsible adults won't end up in a fight unless they work in a high risk occupation such as law enforcement, bouncing, and other high risk vocations. I myself have only had two altercations since I graduated high school in 1997. One involved hand to hand and the other involved use of o.c. spray to resolve the conflict.

I have since learned many things about self defense and offense. One lesson form my jujitsu instructor was called the barriers of personal protection. The barriers are basically intended for use in an actual conflict so they don't include fight avoidence advice and stuff like that. The barriers are basically three personal protection devices that you can deploy before having to resort to hand to hand combat. The first being o.c., mace, or pepper spray. Then a knife, and then a blount force object such as a kubotan or flashlight. And then finally, hand to hand combat.

The theory goes as such. Let's say that a conflict has gone well past the point of argument or a stare down and is getting ready to get physical. The three personal protection devices serve as barriers or obsticals that your opponent has to overcome before they can get to you. He comes toward you, you warn him off in a stern voice and then hit him with your pepper spray. A good quality spray should give you about 10-15 ft. of distance to reach out and touch your opponent. The burning and stinging he is experiencing should give you enough time to bail out, but if for some crazy reason he isn't deterred, you can deploy your kubotan or flashlight to use as a blount force object and apply leverage techniques with them. If you are using a flashlight I recommend the Surefire e2d with the scalloped edges. That little beauty can really change someones attitude very quickly. And in a worst case scenario you can deploy your knife if it gets really crazy.

Of corse you have the freedom to deploy any one of these devices in any order that the situation calls for. For example if I were getting jumped by 3 guy's I would probably go for the knife first. Ideally the only scenario in which hand to hand would come into play would be if I were ambushed or caught off guard somehow, or if by some crazy turn of events I was disarmed of all three PPD's. Alrighty, feel free to discuss and critique as you all wish.

this train of thought is asking for jail time. If someone rolls up on you and they are unarmed, you can get away with mace, but any other object is asking for trouble, legally, as the force may not justify the means. that said, i always have a tactical flashlight and freeze + p spray on me. I usually carry my folder, but have never had to pull it. When I am at my second job (bouncer) I usually have the spray, the light, cuffs and my baton. On occasion I'll have my folder.

The baton is more of a deterrent than anything. When you have a big muscular guy carrying a metal stick, people tend not to get rowdy.

[elbows_and_knees]

I dont know. I probably wouldn't do any of the stuff you said. If by talking the problem can't be resolved, I would simply just try to walk away. If the guy INSISTS on going physical, I would simply warn him and advise him to let things be and not fight. If he decides to attack...I would go for a quick blow to the nose. Once people see blood they usually freak out and stop what they're doing. Then carry on with the situation from there.

I wouldn't walk around with pepper spray everywhere I go or a knife. In the state of Maryland, it's illegal to carry a blade more than 3 inches long. If you were to get into a fight and they're unarmed and you use your blade on them, chances are that you'll get more of a punishment.

So in my case, I would resolve the problem as adults. If things get frisky I would walk away. If the person decided to take it to a physical level i'd give a warning. If warning fails, a quick effective blow that would hopefully make him stop. Then carry the situation from there on out depending on the circumstances.

A Male Carrying mace and knife everyday seems rather ridiculous in my opinion. Unless you work in an area that has a reputation of robberys, gangs, etc.

But to each there own.

-Ray

the problem there is that strikes are not always so easily landed. If he's provoking a fight, he's expecting you to swing anyway. He will be ready to evade. If you miss, now you are in a fight anyway.

By warining a person, you are giving them further notice that you are preparing to retaliate, making them even more ready. In my experience, warning never works anyway, unless you are physically intimidating in some way.

I really don't know a lot of men who freak out at the sight of blood...

As for your last comment, i carry my freeze spray at all times - what's ridiculous about it? many of the men I know carry their blade on them at all times. I have mine often, but it's a little longer than 3 inches, so to be legally safe, I don't always carry it.

[Medici]

We as martial artists spend a lifetime training to be prepared to protect ourselves should the need arise. Belive it or not, most martial artists will probably never use their skills in a real altercation. I mean lets face it, once you graduate from high school, most responsible adults won't end up in a fight unless they work in a high risk occupation such as law enforcement, bouncing, and other high risk vocations. I myself have only had two altercations since I graduated high school in 1997. One involved hand to hand and the other involved use of o.c. spray to resolve the conflict.

I have since learned many things about self defense and offense. One lesson form my jujitsu instructor was called the barriers of personal protection. The barriers are basically intended for use in an actual conflict so they don't include fight avoidence advice and stuff like that. The barriers are basically three personal protection devices that you can deploy before having to resort to hand to hand combat. The first being o.c., mace, or pepper spray. Then a knife, and then a blount force object such as a kubotan or flashlight. And then finally, hand to hand combat.

The theory goes as such. Let's say that a conflict has gone well past the point of argument or a stare down and is getting ready to get physical. The three personal protection devices serve as barriers or obsticals that your opponent has to overcome before they can get to you. He comes toward you, you warn him off in a stern voice and then hit him with your pepper spray. A good quality spray should give you about 10-15 ft. of distance to reach out and touch your opponent. The burning and stinging he is experiencing should give you enough time to bail out, but if for some crazy reason he isn't deterred, you can deploy your kubotan or flashlight to use as a blount force object and apply leverage techniques with them. If you are using a flashlight I recommend the Surefire e2d with the scalloped edges. That little beauty can really change someones attitude very quickly. And in a worst case scenario you can deploy your knife if it gets really crazy.

Of corse you have the freedom to deploy any one of these devices in any order that the situation calls for. For example if I were getting jumped by 3 guy's I would probably go for the knife first. Ideally the only scenario in which hand to hand would come into play would be if I were ambushed or caught off guard somehow, or if by some crazy turn of events I was disarmed of all three PPD's. Alrighty, feel free to discuss and critique as you all wish.

this train of thought is asking for jail time. If someone rolls up on you and they are unarmed, you can get away with mace, but any other object is asking for trouble, legally, as the force may not justify the means. that said, i always have a tactical flashlight and freeze + p spray on me. I usually carry my folder, but have never had to pull it. When I am at my second job (bouncer) I usually have the spray, the light, cuffs and my baton. On occasion I'll have my folder.

The baton is more of a deterrent than anything. When you have a big muscular guy carrying a metal stick, people tend not to get rowdy.

this is all true, unless (depending on your location) your attacker is, say, twice your size. if a guy who is 150 shoots a 250lb muscular guy in his house, hes pretty safe.

[Yasutsune Makoto]

This directly applies to the theory of escalation. You pll a knife, he pulls a knife, winner goes to jail. I think that if a fight is going to go physical you want to keep it as low on the escalation scale as possible. That, I think, is one of the cores of martial arts training. Quickly and effectively neutralize the threat.

Weapons=escalation, escalation=bad.

BUT! If he pulls a knife, and you have to fight, I suggest not thinking twice about using your own weapon IF you feel you have no choice. But remember the most powerful weapons a martial artist has are mind and the weapons that you train (striking,throws, whatever)

[elbows_and_knees]

We as martial artists spend a lifetime training to be prepared to protect ourselves should the need arise. Belive it or not, most martial artists will probably never use their skills in a real altercation. I mean lets face it, once you graduate from high school, most responsible adults won't end up in a fight unless they work in a high risk occupation such as law enforcement, bouncing, and other high risk vocations. I myself have only had two altercations since I graduated high school in 1997. One involved hand to hand and the other involved use of o.c. spray to resolve the conflict.

I have since learned many things about self defense and offense. One lesson form my jujitsu instructor was called the barriers of personal protection. The barriers are basically intended for use in an actual conflict so they don't include fight avoidence advice and stuff like that. The barriers are basically three personal protection devices that you can deploy before having to resort to hand to hand combat. The first being o.c., mace, or pepper spray. Then a knife, and then a blount force object such as a kubotan or flashlight. And then finally, hand to hand combat.

The theory goes as such. Let's say that a conflict has gone well past the point of argument or a stare down and is getting ready to get physical. The three personal protection devices serve as barriers or obsticals that your opponent has to overcome before they can get to you. He comes toward you, you warn him off in a stern voice and then hit him with your pepper spray. A good quality spray should give you about 10-15 ft. of distance to reach out and touch your opponent. The burning and stinging he is experiencing should give you enough time to bail out, but if for some crazy reason he isn't deterred, you can deploy your kubotan or flashlight to use as a blount force object and apply leverage techniques with them. If you are using a flashlight I recommend the Surefire e2d with the scalloped edges. That little beauty can really change someones attitude very quickly. And in a worst case scenario you can deploy your knife if it gets really crazy.

Of corse you have the freedom to deploy any one of these devices in any order that the situation calls for. For example if I were getting jumped by 3 guy's I would probably go for the knife first. Ideally the only scenario in which hand to hand would come into play would be if I were ambushed or caught off guard somehow, or if by some crazy turn of events I was disarmed of all three PPD's. Alrighty, feel free to discuss and critique as you all wish.

this train of thought is asking for jail time. If someone rolls up on you and they are unarmed, you can get away with mace, but any other object is asking for trouble, legally, as the force may not justify the means. that said, i always have a tactical flashlight and freeze + p spray on me. I usually carry my folder, but have never had to pull it. When I am at my second job (bouncer) I usually have the spray, the light, cuffs and my baton. On occasion I'll have my folder.

The baton is more of a deterrent than anything. When you have a big muscular guy carrying a metal stick, people tend not to get rowdy.

this is all true, unless (depending on your location) your attacker is, say, twice your size. if a guy who is 150 shoots a 250lb muscular guy in his house, hes pretty safe.

I'm not talking about in the house - I'm talking about on the street. I actually just had a preliminary hearing the other day about a stabbing that happened in my club. another bouncer and I had to escort a guy out, and the man stabbed the other bouncer in the leg. We are bigger than him, so his defense was that he did it in self defense, but it won't stand up. he's going to jail, most likely.

[niel0092]

How badly was the other bouncer hurt?