self defense advice?

General
#1

after that junkie in a dried blood stained shirt who wanted to take over my cell phone a year ago and another lunatic a couple of days ago I thought about picking up that idea of thinking about self defense options . . .

a thing that has made seeking out some martial arts training unattractive to me are 2 knee surgeries and legs that are good for walking and (if I train in advance) snowboarding without jumping around but I don’t see myself getting into any regular martial arts training group although I will check out options around here for something serious that could make sense . . .

anyway so this would be for a taxi driver funny enough the closest calls while on taxi duty all happened outside the taxi the incident a couple of days ago was . . . (as you like read further below)

any advice in general or experience in particular with regard to chili pepper sprays?

after checking out the market online I came to the conclusion of getting the one pictured no matter what :slight_smile: and I guess I would prefer some additional tiny low pressure liquid or whatever one for very close incar situations . . . also I am considering one of those “tactical” kubaton pens since I am fed up with cheap writing gear anyway and consider flamethrowers of various sizes . . . so yeah especially in case anyone knows of a recommendable small indoor pepper spray or has experience with such things in general please let me know I mean there are hundreds out there and I am looking for a good quality suitable one . . .

oh and here’s the cannon seriously this seems to be a very good product and don’t worry I shall think about responsible use also as for all of this after all I am but also intend to remain the friendly austrian taxi driver :slight_smile:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ViqGkZ4UL.SX342.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Kimber-Pepperblaster-Grey-One-Size/dp/B004MG63X6/ref=pd_bxgy_sg_text_y

(original swiss and in europe name is piexon guardian angel 2)

along the street in the city I stop in front of my customer’s house to let him out and the entrance was a drive through entrance although that was not even obvious except for when I stopped another car came along from the other side and had to stop in that arched entrance thoroughfare . . .

without a second of patience he honked but this was the only space for me to let out the passenger without blocking all traffic on the street so I stayed there and the money transfer took 10 seconds since he had the amount and I just placed it on the dashboard I then got out to open the trunk for the customer to get his bag and probably this guy in the other car had a total waiting time of 40 seconds or a minute at most until I was out of there . . . when I got out of the car after 15 seconds of that minute he already jumped out of the car and screamed “asshole! gonna smash your head in!”

with a frenzy like aggressive look on his face (after I had delayed him for 15 seconds and for obvious and acceptable reason) he seemed to want to charge at me but the drivethrough was so narrow that he could not exit his car completely so I just looked at him for a moment and continued to the trunk to get the passanger’s bag out and after thank you and good bye to the customer I got into the car again and also waved good bye to the crazy one . . .

#2

Hehe you are lucky he couldn’t get out! I was kinda waiting for you to have smashed him with your instrument :slight_smile:

#3

if you have dodgy knees, you could always try judo or grappling :slight_smile:

#4

I wonder if it’s legal to carry a large Katana in your front seat. Maybe a really big plank of wood with a rusty nail in it? Cheapest route is a pillowcase full of soap.

#5

Half a brick in a sock XD

#6

Half a brick in a sock XD

That’s the spirit!

#7

Whoa nellie! BH, we can always rely on you for harrowing stories with your car. Thank goodness for Kyoko’s gift!

I say, screw the sock. A full brick! :stuck_out_tongue:

#8

I’d say a weapon over self defense, I think. Particularly because no matter what you learn, without years of training, you will most likely forget everything in the stress of the moment. In fact, even with years of training, you still only retain 20% of your skills when in a ‘fight for your life’ situation.

I feel that in the moment, your mind shuts off and your animal instincts will fire up. If your natural animal personality is that of a fighter, you will bite, claw and be vicious. If you’re not, you will fly out of there. Either way works if you get out safely.

Actually, it applies to music! Last year in Sapporo, we played at a retirement home. It was my turn to play Jonkara Bushi. I had worked on it for years and felt good about it, but somehow in that moment, my body went into ‘fight or flight’ mode and I just went into warp speed. Waaay too fast to be enjoyable, but adrenaline had kicked in and I was no longer in control.

In summary: In taking steps for your self defense measures, think of the simplest possible way to protect yourself (the spray is a good idea), because anything requiring skilled, conscious actions are gonna be gone when in fight-or-flight mode.

#9

I semi agree with Kyle. Being a person who has experience in life threatening situations. (Military) I have to say that a gun would be the best possible option. Ultimately, however, I would advise a combination of gun training and martial arts. When you think about it though… just as Bruce Lee would have said… it’s about learning as much as you possibly can from different areas of study.

Now, as far as executing actions in that sort of environment. You prepare for that only by practice. It’s called muscle memory for a reason and no matter what you choose to do… you can’t be uncertain in a time of crisis.

I’m opting for the gun because, frankly, more than likely that’s what they’d have in the worst possible situation and I know it would suck to have to kill someone, but sometimes it’s you or them.

#10

TJ: Even then, a gun isn’t a fo’ sho’ solution. I remember after some school shooting years ago, they were testing the idea of arming teachers by having a drill. In the scenario, a volunteered marksman nerd (I mean, a college age kid who scored really high in target practice, hand-eye games 'n such) carry a paintball gun or something. At one point during the class, ‘terrorists’ barged in, to which he was supposed to fire on them like his previous simulations. Well, in the heat of the moment, he only hit one ‘terrorist’, as well as a fellow classmate and then missed. He trained in marksmanship, but not for the pressure.

This reminds me of performing again. :stuck_out_tongue: After my horrid jonkara bushi performance at the retirement home, I was in the same performance situation again (in Florida and then with Nitta san), so I could get comfortable in operating with the pressure.
Likewise, when training in the military or police force, I imagine many of the drills are to condition yourself to be controlled in a high adrenaline environments, just like many stage performances will condition you to be calm on stage.

In summary, training for pressure is just as important, if not more, than training in combat.

But then again, I’m just here to teach shamisen. :stuck_out_tongue:

#11

^ Yeah, I actually didn’t know that there were gun courses out there that didn’t train in a stressful environment. If there are they aren’t good ones. That’s a necessary element to train for. Same with identifying the target as a hostile or friendly.

There’s no certainty in anything. War, a fight, etc etc… mistakes happen. But it is as Gary Player stated “The harder you work the luckier you’ll get.” In this case… the less mistakes made and a higher chance of survival.

#12

That’s a necessary element to train for. Same with identifying the target as a hostile or friendly.

Indeed. Same thing applies in the dating scene too. :wink:

The harder you work the luckier you’ll get.

Man, I realllllly identify with that saying. Not just with physical situations, but in all aspects of life. There is so much truth to that.

#13

you know I would have loved to take this one home after our mandatory 8 month military service I was a good (the best) shot too and while a lot of the other gear we were outfitted with was arguably rather far from cool on any level :slight_smile: I liked that piece easy to carry and clean too and I always smile whenever this cool weapon from little austria does pop up in a hollywood movie there are several I noticed it for the first time in Die Hard :slight_smile:

(STG 77 it is called in austria short for Sturmgewehr 77 which translates to assault rifle that entered service in 1977)

since I can’t get that one I am rather reluctant to pursue getting a gun at this time though (quite a process in itself in austria) also I don’t have the feeling that the average crazy guy around here is carrying a gun otherwise I would definitely want one . . .

(even the few a year night time actual assaults on taxi drivers around here do not usually feature any weapon and did not feature a gun over the past 4 years I know about and I also would not know about any driver who carries one or any other weapon actually at least as for the day drivers I don’t know a lot of night drivers)

anyway and definitely against an unarmed opponent which is at least the most likely situation I would prefer to subdue him without a gun so for now and I hope to be correct I feel like it should be good enough to seek getting familiar with other helpful options for such encounters . . .

and I like all of those suggestions thanks for taking the time to reply on this I appreciate that and stick fighting yeah considering that I have a stick usually in the car too and that would definitely also not overstress my knees too much . . . got an orange judo belt from a lot of years ago but even that would be too much these days for sure . . .

anyway yeah basically I am not sure yet I will continue to look into this topic as that is worth it and I don’t want to be unprepared in a future scenario again thanks also for the cheering me up sort of suggestions . . . :slight_smile:

#14

oh and yeah I am aware of the whole psychological issue and as for friend and foe I think I have read somewhere earlier that the most common mistake for someone not used to getting into fights is to act too late as in taking a threat seriously too late as in thinking too long about is it okay (yet) to act at all or justified to actually act fiercely and doing so soon enough is key I guess yeah and with regard to that at least those incidents somewhat feel like a vaccine in general I feel they are helping in getting my head around quickly to actually doing something in future situations like that I mean even thinking about those incidents afterwards they could have been serious so I mean a perfect stranger saying “asshole gonna smash your head in” the way that guy looked that guy comes at me I intend to act and it is going to be his mistake in case he actually only meant it as a joke or whatever :slight_smile:

#15

Jeez, I’m glad I live in Japan!

#16

John: You never know how the world changes. In 100 years, Japan may become the same. (Hopefully not!.. but lives and cultures certainly aren’t set in stone)

#17

oh well that sounds somewhat strange reading that I think we are on the rather good side actually in austria as for crime rates (currently anyway as Kyle pointed out who knows) also I personally feel rather blessed if that’s the right term after all I am already in my 30s and those two incidents I have mentioned here have so far been the only incidents and even they were only close calls . . .

so anyway though as a taxi driver you encounter more weirdos than you would otherwise for sure . . . and weirdos you may never notice accross the street and who would not approach you might want a taxi ride and have a reason to as perfect strangers sit right next to you in a car too . . . even weirdos are usually harmless though and I think the right talking also has let one or the other one I felt uneasy with exit the cab without incident but one asshole you happen to encounter in your whole life could be enough to cause you a bad day or week or month or even worse and those two incidents most of all helped me to get my head around the fact that (and even around here for that matter) a serious situation could arise out of nowhere anytime . . . so and as a first step towards covering more angles of that issue I did unbox this a couple of minutes ago . . .

http://freecarvers.com/sem/splash1.jpg

http://freecarvers.com/sem/splash2.jpg

http://freecarvers.com/sem/splash3.jpg

:slight_smile:

© 2020 Kyle Abbott