I like this guy's videos; they seem to contain a lot of practical, applicable information. He also spends a fair bit talking about how little people can defend against big people.
I can tell you the exact moment I fell in lust with my now-husband. It was 3a, and I was sitting on my kitchen island with a Monster can that was at least 1/2 vodka, and I watched him demonstrate how stupid it is to believe that a pistol automatically means you'll win a fight. By slapping a Nerf pistol out of my recreational marksman friend's hand, ducking inside his reach and then elbowing him in the throat in under 15s. And then he showed me how to do it. It's actually very easy to make someone drop a gun. Edit: Smack the inside of their wrist and punch them. If nothing else you'll knock the gun away from your body, and you'll surprise the average person because you're the nutcase who punched a guy with a gun.
I am a not-very-big female who does a lot of running alone at night and solo traveling. This thread is relevant to my interests. *camps out*
I did some practicing like that with a friend and a paintball rifle. He didn't believe that I could knock the barrel offline and counter before he could pull the trigger. I loaded and cocked the paintball gun and had him hold me at gunpoint about a foot away. i told him to shoot as soon as he saw me move. My fist was in front of his face before the ball hit the wall behind me. Pistol retention in close quarters:
My husband's #1 tip for beginners: - Buy a knife. - Learn how to hold the knife. - Pretend you know how to use it. Feel threatened? Reach for it. You don't even need to draw it. I've watched him make a jackass threatening him in a bar back off just by sticking his hand in his pocket with the knife. (It helps that he has the best Don't Fuck With Me Stare I've ever seen) Keeping said knife in your back pocket is also a handy way to make people suddenly decide to stop leering at your butt.
I keep a $13 one-hand knife clipped in my pocket along with a pen and mechanical pencil. I use it for things that might damage it (like deburring metal parts) so I don't hurt my Leatherman.
is there anything y'all can recommend for those of us who aren't comfortable with having knives around, for....reasons? like, I would like something to protect myself with, but I. can't have knives around. unless they're blunt kitchen knives.
For at home, keeping a small aluminum bat around is great. Remember that K=1/2 mv^2, so velocity is more important than mass. I find an aluminum tee-ball bat to be just about right, and shouldn't require much strength. Or really any stick-shaped object with the right length, mass, and durability will suffice. If you want to practice swinging it, find a tree or telephone pole that won't mind, and watch some videos about SCA striking technique.
Monkey Fists are great. It's a weighted ball of cord that looks like a keychain and can break the bones of a hand or skull if you whack it. I knew a chick who kept a metal spike the size of a pencil in her purse/on her keys. Not sharp enough to hurt someone if they just reached in but sufficient to cause a good puncture wound when applied with punching force. I really wish I knew where she got it. We have a bat in the front closet, but it's an old, old school wooden one.
Walking around with things that are designed / intended as weapons can get you in trouble even if they aren't illegal. I might recommend a sturdy walking stick or cane which can double as a melee weapon. I do not recommend a sword-cane however; that can only get you in trouble. Being a small female will probably get you more leeway in what you can get away with carrying for self defense. I've heard of men getting in trouble for defending themselves with "tactical pens" and kubatons because in the judge's opinion they "must have been looking for a fight".
Used to teach a self-defence class. And I'll start by saying that I am a big dude, 6'6", 300lbs. Its all about leverage. Number one thing to do is get distance. It gives you room to move as necessary, even if you cant get away away. Second is to be cognizant of your surroundings - don't pull the horror movie move where you run into an orchard. The idea is to be in clear view of your attacker with as much room as possible. Physical defence is secondary. You don't need to carry around anything fancy (although Aviari called it with the monkey fists). Everyone has some keys on them and keys are the worst thing to have thrown at you ever. Best defence move ever is throw keys, attacker raises hand, you close in behind the keys, grab around the wrist right under the palm, at the carpal tunnel, dig your thumb in and yank down. Attacker falls down, you book it the heck out of there and find a public place. The ladies in the class used to practice on me, and let me tell you - I'm down in a second, banged my back at best, head at worst, my hand (primary hand too) is numb because of the nerve pinch. Worst case scenario is you lose your keys - those are relatively easily replaceable. My ex-wife used to go jogging and carried mace with her too. Theres a reason law enforcement uses mace. SUPER effective in a situation where you might not have keys on you. (I can't remember the non-US legality on mace though, to be honest, but a baggie of chili powder works just as well in the eyes.)
Some states allow capsaicin sprays, others don't. From what I've heard it has little to no effect on drugged up people (depending on the drug and dose of course), and you can build up a tolerance for it. I'd rather not rely on it.
Yeah, its a crapper to get out of your eyes. Your aim has to be a little better than with mace though. Not to be a downer, but the point of some drugs is to not feel anything. And yeah, you can build up a tolerance, but I go by what I can control (last I heard, it takes something like 100 applications to be fully desensitised - I've been sprayed once and I will never do it again. (I was sprayed as a volunteer - I feel that is important to mention). The idea with this is never to 'win the fight' its to not lose the race.
Most knife limits are blade length, afaik, and that's generally "under 3in" which is most pocket knives. In the US, if it's shorter than a credit card, you're fine. Spoiler That's mine. It's a Kershaw Shuffle, <$20. It's about 2in of blade and fits neatly between my boobs when I clip it to the gore of my bra and is completely invisible under a normal shirt. I've never used it for more than cutting zip ties and tape at work but it's still nice to have when walking through Creepy Ass Parking Lots after work. But yeah, best bet is to learn one simple disabling move really well, use it, and run like hell.
Knife laws can and do vary city to city just so you're aware. But yeah, they tend to go by total edge length, so a double edged blade can only be half as long as a single edged.
The other two things I will mention is that - I dont know what you ladies have in them, but purses hurt like you wouldnt believe - make sure you can get out the strap quickly if need be though, and kicking a male attacker in the groin is almost always a terrible self defence move (its just about the easiest thing to block ever, by just simply twisting the hips or lifting a knee. I always suggested to my students to avoid carrying an actual 'weapon', as assault laws are generally less lenient when the court can prove you were carrying even a legal weapon (this proves intent, justly or no). Obviously a suggestion though, and if you are going to carry a knife, make sure you know how to use it - how to hold it, how to swing to keep your body safe. Knife fights are not about stabbing someone, they are about making long painful cuts on extremities. If you are stabbing someone...well, you are probably our hypothetical attacker.
Being barely 5'1 and disabled to the point of being not good at running more than a very short distance at a stretch, I absolutely rely on my hefty wood and solid silver wolf's head cane. I pad the head with foam when I practice swinging it at solid targets, but I think IRL the sharp ears and muzzle would at the very least leave a nasty bruise. I've had to get good at changing my grip on it, too. You have no idea how often I use to drop it :p For backup, I have my little penknife and gothy spiked wristband, which makes a very comfortable and sharp set of knuckledusters :)
(I should note that it's illegal in the uk to own any weapon that's legit a weapon - I think you even need licenses for shitty katana swords and hunting knifes, and mace is illegal too - you have to use like a shitty spraypaint thing. Even my little penknife is borderline, but I'd rather be fined for being caught carrying something like that than dead or worse for not.)
My mom once told me that if you ever got into a fight and pulled a knife on someone who didn't have a weapon, you better be ready to literally kill them, because the sentence for assault with a deadly weapon is almost the same as for second degree murder, even if it was in self-defense (go big or go home i guess). And I wouldn't advise getting into a knife fight with someone who also had a knife/other weapon, unless you want to get seriously hurt or killed (unless you're my dad, who once got stabbed then proceeded to take the knife from the other guy and beat the shit out of him). Using them as intimidation is great, but just remember that you can get in assloads of trouble if you actually harm another person with a weapon. WITH THAT SAID, my favorite improvised weapon is one of those huge flathead screwdrivers, like 18 inches long and probably 1.5 lbs. You can break bones with that thing. It's great to keep right next to your driver's seat in your car! Actually, screwdrivers in general are great improv weapons. The handle gives them a good grip, and they're too slick for someone to grab the rod of it and pull it away. Plus, they're great for stabbing AND blunt force, if they're bigger. The only downside is that if someone gets a good grip on them, they aren't too hard to lever away from the wielder. So, if there's strict weapons laws where you live, consider a screwdriver as an alternative. OH ALSO: mace alternative= wasp spray. Especially good to keep in your car/backpack, but get the kind that shoots 15-20ft and foams. More accurate than mace, a bigger range, AND it sticks to the person. I'll admit that it looks pretty weird carrying a can of wasp spray everywhere, but if subtlety doesn't matter, it's great stuff.
