Defensive weapons

[umgong]

Besides the unarmed techniques, how many of you have learned to use things that you have on your person to defend yourself?

How many of you feel comfortable using those weapons in a real situation?

What are some of those weapons?

In the 70's one of the favorite weapons of some people was straight razors...many good martial artists that I knew said they would not go up against a straight razor. I ended fighting a guy that caught me by surprise...I almost lost the use of my left thumb with one swing of his hand.
Even after being an experienced fighter, I paused because of the sudden shock and loss of blood spraying.

[JerryLove]

I carry weapons under most circumstances, and I have trained to use them (I think it would be foolish not to trin to use a carried weapon). The most obvious examples would be the handgun and the folding knives.

I am as comfortable using them as I think a sane person can be employing deadly force.

http://www.clearsilat.com

[Chris McKinley]

Ditto what Jerry said. I hold a Double X Marksman's rating on a 9mm pistol and I practice daily with blades and sticks. I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of taking another person's life, but sometimes it has to be done. Getting comfortable with it is what the shrinks call having a sociopathic dissociative disorder.

[Dark Knight]

I train in Knife, and I carry. I have no problem with the idea of shooting someone. In todays world the bad guys carry guns, I want to be as prepared.

[Jeff Liboiron]

i've started practicing using my jacket and my belt :) it's pretty cool :)

The object is not to hurt someone else, but to stop them from hurting you

[Demi @ CSPT]

Here is how I see it.

As far as Self Preservation goes we are simply looking for the truth of the matter!!! Generally there are no "street fights" per se. There are "assaults". When we are in a situation where we may be assaulted we must rapidly "counter assault" our attacker, not "fight" with him! There are 1000 ways to do anything - one best way, one worst way and 998 ways in between. I don't care about the worst way or the 998 other ways, just the best way. When it comes to "self preservation" I am interested in the best way to take a person out of commission and end the violence. It's not about fighting!!! A fight is when two people square off and mutually agree to exchange blows. It's really not about becoming a world class boxer or wrestler or kick boxer. These people train for years so they can "duke it out" with each other. There are a lot of big, tough, mean people in the world who want to grab you by the ears and bite your nose off. You can't afford to "square off" against this kind of person. You have to know your best options and you must have a delivery systems to execute those options. So our goal is to become "Counter Assault Specialists". We can fight in all the ranges (kicking-punching-trapping/clinch-grappling), and with sticks, knives, OC Spray and firearms. We also learn to flow in and out of all these ranges.

Our goal is to make it less and less of a fight and more of a surgery!!! We train to brutally counter assault our attacker in an extremely vicious manner which is both structural and methodical.


We are not talking about self defense here. Self defense is a limited response to a limited threat. Self Preservation is the ability to counter an assault anywhere, anytime, with anything, against anyone, under any circumstances.

Demi Barbito

www.DemiBarbito.com (http://www.DemiBarbito.com)

Demi Barbito
The C.S.P.T.
"A Lethal Force Institute"

[shaolinboxer]

Nice advertisement.

[umgong]

Demi,
You truly understand "mastering" a combative art.
If I may add that when you can, then you make sure that you are not there whenever something starts to go down. (The art of fighting without fighting.)
I did not truly understand this concept of being able to take your assailant apart in a real fight until the time that these three young adults decided to try to disect me with bowie knives. (I was working on a park as security and had to tell these kids to stop or get off the park because they were pulling other kids off a tree and making them cry by punching them in the stomach. ) Turned out the three young men were the brothers of these kids that was bullying the other kids and they didn't like me doing my job.

I stepped into contact zone because I saw the biggest guy with his hand in the front pocket of his bib overalls and immediately trapped his hand (thought it was a gun)..his brother on my blind side cold cocked me, but I didn't even feel the punch...I also immediately reacted with a snap kick to his groin. (laid him on the floor in a fetal position with the one kick) The other brother pulled a knife while I kept the brother in front of me trapped with one hand and I began to alternately punch him and counter the other brother, then nailed him with a biu jee, then a kick to the throat.
I then methodically worked the front guy over until he went down.
Sad to say, the brothers yelled for me to call the ambulance to treat them. After I disarmed them, then I called the police and the ambulance.
Weird, they said that I didn't fight fair and I caught them when they weren't ready.

I am glad that you understand there is a difference in a real fight where someone wants to maim, hospitalize, or kill you in anyway possible and a fight where the fight is "fair".
I hope that some more of you in the combative arts and really the true essence of gung fu art (at least the main truth of a martial art) is that type of mastery and understanding of what you are training to eventually do. :D :D