Nice, really nice, that’s the mindset to have. Thanks.
I agree and good post. By the actions of many of our current politicians, they have forgotten what the Constitution means.
Unbelievable. You work for a “academic arena” that does not believe that self-defense is a human right. Its better our employees die from violence that ever protect themselves. Our employees may die, but, we support whatever it takes to curb those filthy weapons. Christ.
Carry the 2.5 inch knife, starting today. I am not John Wick, but, I can cause a lot of damage with that blade length in close.
You are correct, Tasers and pepper spray have a bad track record on drugged out attackers and extremely violent individuals, however, (pulling a number out of my ass) I would say they are good for around 75% of the population. They are better than nothing and will at least make a attacker pause, possibly giving you time to escape.
I don’t really know what that means. Blunt weapon can be anything from Kali sticks to bottles. Does your academic arena have any sports programs? Do you have office softball teams? or tennis clubs? Are you allow to carry a sports bag with a tennis racket or softball bat? Both can be used to beat the shit out of someone, but, their biggest value is having something to create distance from your attacker. Buy a cheap bag, glove and bat, carry them around and people will not give you a second look. They will usually pass through security check points.
As a radical resort: I sometimes teach CQB classes in other countries. I cannot carry weapons internationally except on military flights. I don’t like traveling without any weapons. I went to the drugstore and bought a cheap knee brace, then I bought a really heavy, well made wooden
cane. Before leaving, I put the knee brace on, outside my pants where everyone can see it, pick up my cane and walk “leaning” on it. I have went through about 4 Mid-East countries and several European ones with no problems. The cane is a good weapon, it creates distance and is heavy enough to break bones.
It’s sad isn’t it, how institutions ignore the Constitution, especially the 2A.
Lets hope other readers step in with their thoughts.
Thought for the day:
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”—Benjamin Franklin
Yesterday’s work and skills:
Heavy and speed bag, Kali drills and Krav Maga class. Finisher was brute force bag carry’s.
Question of the day
What is your preferred non lethal weapon?
I’d be interested in thoughts on something like this, that I have been looking at getting:
It is easy to carry it on you, I’ve felt one in person and it is heavy duty enough to reasonable damage and not just break into millions of pieces if used in anger. It is also pretty discrete.
The con is that someone may use it to choke you - you are essentially wearing your own garrotte, and you have to pretend to be a hippy.
It’s not as good as a bat for bashing someone with, but it is pretty portable, and pretty hefty (much more so than it seems in the photo), and I feel that copping a smack from it would have a decent deterrent effect on casual attackers - enough again to create a little distance and get away.
Non-lethal is a fuzzy term, but I’d pit my stream light flashlight on the top of my “non lethal” weapon list. Reasons detailed up-thread.
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For non-lethal weapons the dual purpose idea is great. I do not know how to attach a link but I would recommend checking out Mean Gene’s leather. He makes a coin purse that coincidentally looks like a leather sap. It holds about $10.00 in quarters. I am only a customer, not affiliated with the company, they are well made.
I have been looking at canes lately. It is a weapon I can take anywhere. I have a bad foot from a fall so limping isn’t an issue. It would always be in my hand or leaning against the chair I’m using so I wouldn’t fumble around for it. It adds a certain helpless appearance so people would be caught off guard. Especially, when I run away like Forest Gump after creating some distance.
Not that it’s practical or something I’d actually do, but carrying a bullwhip would be pretty cool. Imagine the look of shock on someone’s face when you start swinging that around like Indiana Jones.
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Agreed. I am actually a PhD student (which means I get paid to TA / teach courses and work on my research), which would make you think they’d care even more about our safety, especially given the fact that (despite our university’s private police force) students get mugged multiple times per week on the outskirts of the campus (this is not an exaggeration; I have the emails to prove it). But many professors, students, and even the administration claim that the presence of weapons on campus threatens the free exchange of ideas. This is nonsense for a number of fairly obvious reasons, and I actually know several students (and one professor) who choose to carry concealed on campus despite the laws. I live in the suburbs and commute, so I usually have my CCW with me most of the time, but it’s too large of a risk for me to carry it on campus (especially since in this corrupt city you have a high chance of being prosecuted even in a legitimate self-defense situation).
Understood. I’ve been carrying a 2.25" Spyderco Dragonfly with a serrated edge and a decent point when I’m in the city. I’ll start carrying that pepper spray again.
Agreed, and much of it goes back to the same problem: most people are so insulated from and terrified by the thought of violence that they think they can control it simply by removing the rights of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves.
That’s my favorite knife. Great ergonomics for something so small. Good choice!
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As an aside, I want to thank everyone who has participated in this thread. I’ve learned so much from all of you, especially about understanding self-defense first and foremost as a mindset and state of awareness that you carry with you before a catastrophe occurs rather than merely your particular violent response when someone has their hands around your throat.
Short and small success story to relate. My wife and I recently went to Cabela’s to purchase my birthday gift (Benchmade Bugout), and we took our 10 month old with us. I have had numerous conversations with my wife about situational awareness, and we’ve developed contingency plans for different scenarios. While I was at the knife counter, my son was in his stroller to my left, and my wife was standing behind him. I noticed an adult father (50’s) and son (30’s) duo about 5 yards away, and the son was staring at my little boy with a look I can only describe as “off” (no smiling, too much sustained focus). The man saw me look at him and quickly avoided my gaze, but then a minute later I saw him staring at my son again. At that point, my wife said aloud, “I need to take him to the bathroom to change his diaper.” I turned my back to the guy, touched her arm and calmly but firmly said, “no: behind me,” a cue which she immediately understood based on our previous discussions. At that point, she walked behind the stroller (which was facing the guy), squatted down as if to get something and used that time to surreptitiously look in the direction I indicated. She replied to me, “mhmm,” then said aloud, “oh I can just change him here,” turned the stroller so that its back was toward that creeper, and changed him right there next to me while I paid for the knife. At that point, we waited until we saw a big group of people leaving and mingled with them as we exited the building.
Regardless of whether that guy was a pedophile or not, it was awesome to find that (1) I’m attentive enough to pick up on something being off, (2) my wife and I had good communication in the moment (she didn’t yell out, “why the heck not?!!!,” for example), and (3) we put our exit plan into action without needing to rehash or think about it.
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Thanks for the encouragement! And yeah, I’ve got big hands (I’m 6’5"), but I still feel like the Dragonfly is surprisingly comfortable and easy to retain.
Last thing (sorry for overposting), but this guy is pretty cool, @idaho. Craig Douglas was an undercover narcotics officer for years, and he has a number of practical martial arts courses that he teaches around the country based on his experience of extreme close range fighting. He actually developed a knife called the Clinch Pick, which is a reverse edged, 5.5" (total length) knife worn on the front of the belt tip-up at a 45 degree angle to the belt. The purpose is to have a weapon for close encounters that creates distance (as you’ve helpfully advocated on multiple occasions). For those who have the time, here’s an interesting video on it. It’s another option I’ve considered for city carry given the fact that its got around a 2.5" blade (or 2 5/8" on certain variants).
You can also get that dragonfly with the Emerson Opener so it will open as you pull it out of your pocket. I have it on my Spyderco Delica and love it.
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I’ll have to check that out. I took the clip off of my Dragonfly to make it a coin pocket knife, which is a big part of why I love it. The ergonomics of the grip give you a LOT of knife for the carry package, which is why I think it’s a great choice if you’re somehow foolishly limited to a 2.5" blade. My main carry blade is a Spyderco Endura. I had a cut-off zip tie on the hole that functioned as an automatic opener, but it was cheap and I didn’t like it on my blade. Something purpose-built might suit me better.
I love Spyderco blades. They really put a lot of thought into the design and put out a great product for what they ask in return. Plus they are really light if you go with the less expensive nylon frames.
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Now that is the statement of the day. When in Iraq, I used to help with the Marine Martial Arts Program with the MSG unit. Let’s see," Marines no rubber knives, it will threaten the free change of ideas."
Very well said, brother, summed everything up in one sentence. I can see why you are a PhD candidate.
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No , thank you for posting, we all learn together and we all bring different backgrounds to this thread. I have learned a lot from this thread.
Very well done, you had a prearranged plan with your wife and both of you worked as a team. You are a rare couple these days.
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Thanks for posting. I am familiar with Mr. Douglas but have never taken a course from him. I have heard nothing but good things about his instruction.
Get one, then watch a few Kali YouTube’s and pick up about 2 simple moves, it will work well. Occasionally, I beat a heavy bag with mine. What’s really nice, is you can take it anywhere. ( Well, I hope so, you never know about NYC or LA).