A loaded question that as been debated many times on the combat form. The best defense against muggings or street attacks is situational awareness. Know where you are in any urban environment. Be alert, look for danger signs such as closed allies, groups of people standing on a street corner, ect. Since you have already one trip for prior experience, use that as a guide for the next. There are several sources of information you can use to plan for your trip The U.S.State Department website will usually give a general overview of the countries you are visiting.
You have some fundamentals in your background for martial arts. Krav Maga is a good close range fighting system if, and this is big if, you have an instructor that has not “watered down” the art for commercial gain. Very hard to find.
IMHO, after years in the martial arts, there is no “best style”. If pressed an answer, i would advise this: have a good set of fundamentals in striking and a good set of fundamentals in grappling and ground fighting. Learn the basics of both, advance techniques usually go out the window in a violent street fight.
I have experience in armed combat operations and armed LEO SWAT work, which, is a different world from street fights. Unless totally ambushed through stupidity most tactical operations are well planned (most of the time ) and involve superior manpower and weapons. Street attacks are like being caught in a hailstorm with no shelter.
Again, use your skills for awareness, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
Hmmm I’ll see what I can do… I hypothesise a one on one instructor giving lessons would be the most beneficial. It isn’t to say getting mugged is particuarly likely considering I always tend to be hyperaware of my soundings, especially when out by myself #autism… but it’s always a good idea to know tactics regarding how to fight, use the environment to my advantage etc
I still practice striking regularly (on heavy bag without gloves), keeps the hands tough, keeps my punching power up there
Thanks for the advice mate, I was just about to pay for one of the more commercialised classes before reading you’re message.
Is grappling really a requirement if there are multiple foes? I’d think you’d want to stay on you’re feet, say I take one guy down, his friend breaks a bottle over the back of my head, or stabs me whilst I’m on the ground etc
Those are good questions, and I’ve never been exposed to OC myself. But it’s a great option between harsh language and a gun. As we were talking about defense against dogs at one point, a preferable alternative to having to shoot or stab an aggressive dog. Against people, less likely to result in a civil or criminal charges than a punch.
Depends on how close you are to them, to be honest. You can blind someone with the hydraulic needle effect if you’re within the minimum safe distance. If you’re in a riot squad - I did embassy support in a FAST team (way less badass than it sounds) another important thing is to know the legal circumstances around nonlethal equipment. A rubber bullet or a beanbag can kill someone if you’re too close, and it’ll be your fault. Somewhere around 3 feet or in, though, with OC - yeah, spray particles can damage soft tissue, particularly the eyes.
You’d likely have made a mistake somewhere along the way that led to you even being in a physical confrontation with multiple assailants. Even if you got mugged, situational awareness could have put you in a better position to run. Knowing about grappling definitely involves knowing when not to use it. I think Karate is great, as are all martial arts, and you should continue to use it. But if you get surrounded by guys in a street fight, you’re fucked. Your job is to avoid that situation.
Depends, my cousin (who was mugged overseas) was mugged by the individuals he thought were his friends… They got him drunk at a bar one night (they’d been friendly for a while now) took him out, beat him up and stole his phone, wallet, passport etc… it was a huge mess
I’d like to know not “how do I incapacitate multiple foes” but “In a corner, how do I quickly catch my assailants off guard, leave the vicinity unscathed”
So, situational awareness is many things, but it is most definitely not getting drunk in a bar overseas by foreigners you don’t really know without an actual close friend with you. It seems like this is a story meant to refute my point about making a mistake, but that’s an example that’s probably riddled with mistakes.
Otherwise, I’m really not a badass and don’t know much hand-to-hand combat besides good old boxing. @idaho can likely help you more in this scenario, but I think you’re missing the point, which is that the best way to get out of that situation is to not get into it in the first place, and since the majority of people go their whole lives without ever being cornered by assailants, it’s not impossible to do.
the Individual in question did make a mistake, however he was slowly coaxed into it… the individuals whom he’d gotten drunk with at said bar if I recall correctly were people he’d been socialising with for a while, thus some semblenance of a bond would’ve been formed
To go from day to day constantly on edge would instill a sense of anxiety within me, I already tend to have my guard up the majority of the time… for the occasions I wish to let loose I feel it’s more than appropriate for me to let loose absent of fearing physical repercussions.
Granted this unfortunately isn’t how it always plays out, some people are just… dicks… whether they steal out of desperation or because it gives them a thrill, there’s no real excuse unless it involves being the only way one can provide for/feed a family.
??? Yes you are, you were in the marines if I recall correctly
I agree with the notion violence is a last resort scenario as the repercussions (legal, physical and otherwise) stemming from both parties in question can be extensive. Yet… in a scenario in which I otherwise have no way out besides defending myself, I’d like to be equipped with the skills regarding
how to handle a situation efficiently when under pressure
tactics in relation to getting out of a violent situation as quickly as possible
Appreciate the thought, but being in the Marines doesn’t make you a badass. We have clerks who just qualify at the range once a year. I was infantry/security forces and I served with some badasses, but never saw anything truly bad enough to find out whether or not I was one, and now that I have a family I don’t care to find out at all. I carry a Glock though, JIC. Anyways, it feels like things are getting derailed a bit so I’m gonna back out again and watch from afar like usual.
unfortunately, the best teacher in this area is experience and to get that confidence, one has to be in and survive stressful encounters. Not something you get everyday. Everyone who trains in containing violence does this through through training plans. A military unit will go through a training building, 100 times to get the timing right. For civilians, my advise is to train as much as possible in basic fundamental moves with training partners. This will give you much needed “close range encounters” and will you to be able to move immediately. Most people that are not trained in any way, will often “freeze” at the first sign of violence. Training in some form of martial arts will help in learning to think in times you are surrounded by chaos. IMHO.
Basic answer is the same as above, but, being able to think and not panic will provided the tactic you need. Imagine walking down a street and a vehicle suddenly starts plowing into the crowd. You see the vehicle and instead of just standing and staring , waiting to get killed, you immediately move, looking for an exit, high wall, anything to get you out of the path. React, there is always time be scared later.
Probably the best advice you could ever hear on self defense, and both require no specialist training or equipment.
In self defense, nothing beats being sober, and strongly mobile.
It is probably the hardest thing though for young people to appreciate, when they feel like their quality of life experience depends on gettin’ a bit wasted while out and about.
step one as mentioned is situational awareness. 9/10 things can be avoided
step two distance - if push comes to shove, keep your distance as much as possible
step three - carry a belt, worst comes to worst, you have a buckle you can swing at an attacker , giving yourself even more distance from them/their weapon
learn grappling 100% as you dont want to be caught on the floor with no defence , but never shoot on someone if you outnumbered it’ll never end well
Certainly not, I’ve gone to parties, concerts, gathering… been sober, stayed sober… and I’ve been to these events incredibly… not… sober. one can certainly have fun without the inclusion of alcohol/drugs
That being said, the induction of inebriation, for me (others may have differing opinions) on special
occasions can make an already great night magical. Some of my best memories stem from being intoxicated, whilst others stem from full sobriety, there is a spectrum… but I fully agree that having a good time certainly doesn’t have to equate to “getting wasted”… if one can’t have fun without alcohol or drugs they need to re-evaluate their priorities… one of my closest friends (just went off to the millitary) literally couldn’t do anything without smoking pot… and not just a little bit either, it was highly irritating.
I’d like to thank you for you’re advice, you’ve been tremendously helpful. I should clarify I don’t wish to re-learn how to defend myself because I wish to inflict harm upon others. I feel as if having the knowledge, means and practice regarding how to defend myself will instil a self of heightened self confidence within me, lessen my generalised level of anxiety at times when out. I will look into one on one private lessons be it Krav Maga, Ju Jiutsu etc as you’ve made it clear there is no “optimal” art to learn, just to acquire experience within a non commercialised setting
Also thankful for this advice, I didn’t think of the idea one could use a belt to keep distance, quickly strike an opponent, get them whilst off guard and run, furthermore I’ll look into grappling. My old friend in America was a wrestler (state level) he taught me a few takedowns but there’s zero chance I’d be able to replicate them today (this was many years ago)
I can still throw a decent punch due to continual practice, however that’s not particularly relevant here, I wish to learn how to quickly get out of a situation, not engage an opponent in a fistfight unless absolutely nessecary, the belt idea/running would be preferable to this… and preferable to that would be walking away or not getting into such a situation to begin with
As antithetical to our egos as it may seem, if you aren’t good with your hands, use your feet and run.
I have 3 older brothers that were in the Navy. They all went through their international barfighter phases, with 2 of them having been stabbed and slashed, and one glassed. Not too seriously, but we’re all pretty damn good at scrapping.
At some point they and all of their ship mates have had to run their asses off. Unless you’re boxed in on all sides there’s no reason you can’t just take a punch and run.
And if you are boxed in on all sides, you’re screwed, so just drop any inhibitions you may have about violence and bring the pain.
Understood! Inhibition can be difficult to drop though, I’d assume it takes training and experience.
If I were boxed and had to resort to violence inhibition would still kick in “don’t kill anyone, don’t induce grave injury” for the fear of legal repercussions
Then again if I was being cornered in by assailants I think the excuse of “I was fearful for my life” would hold up in a court of law
All thee of you’re brothers were in the navy? This means they all went through buds right? That’s insane!
Apologise, I’m not well versed with the different divisions within the millitary, I just knew BUDS was associated with the navy.
I’ve looked at what said training entails and it’s beyond rough. The sheer amount of willpower/dedication and level of physical fitness required to undertake, yet alone complete BUDS is astounding
Yeah. That was my plan for service but it got derailed.
Out of respect for Idaho though, I’d rather not litter up his thread with diversions from its intent, but you can drop a post in my log to bs about this kind of stuff.
I worked for a SEAL master chief who had two brothers. One was a SEAL also, the third was ‘just’ Airborne Infantry in the Army - that one was one of my Airborne instructors. I recognized his name and got to chatting with him as I was waiting for the last of our class to get out of the DFAC at chow (I was an NCO, so you know, responsibilities). When he said ‘that’s my brother’ and then told me the other was a SEAL also, I thought ‘Damn, Thanksgiving must suck at your house’. Managed to catch myself before I said it though.
