Tips on how to defend against common attacks, how to use everyday objects in self-defense, how to tell realistic defenses from phony defenses, how to develop mental toughness for self-defense, how to select a self-defense system, a self-defense instructor, or a martial arts school.
A very educational video of a real knife fight: It is amazing it was not over much sooner. . . . The video shows how difficult it is to defend oneself without an “arm extender.” It also shows that although the defender was brave, he lacked the common sense to take off his backpack when […]
Read more →This tip continues the topic of edged weapons most often used in street attacks. Today, straight razors and sharpened bicycle spokes. Straight razor: This weapon slashes and is obviously not suitable for stabbing. In skilled hands, a straight razor can disable a knifer because a very light contact with flesh, say a knifer’s forearm, cuts […]
Read more →This tip and the forthcoming one are about general principles of using edged weapons, whether for attack or for self-defense. Unlike blunt weapons, edged weapons require very little force to do great damage. With well-sharpened blades, a touch and press is usually all it takes to leave an unforgettable impression. I write here only about […]
Read more →As you know from the preceding self-defense tip, most flexible weapons are blunt, but the garrote is a flexible weapon that cuts. It is easy to make in either the common version, with piano wire and metal handles, or the nonmagnetic version, with synthetic-fiber line and plastic handles weighted with lead. The following clip from […]
Read more →Now a word about flexible weapons. Most flexible weapons are blunt—I know, there are flexible swords and composite weapons consisting of chain and a blade, but the likelihood of encountering one of those is slim. (Then there are piano-wire garrotes, but that’s a topic for another day.) As with nonflexible blunt weapons, flexible weapons must […]
Read more →In this tip I talk about using blunt weapons for self-defense. I will write about other kinds of weapons at another time. Whenever you strike an assailant in self-defense, your strike cannot merely anger the assailant, or worse, amuse him. If you use a weapon and anger the assailant instead of disabling him, your weapon […]
Read more →When in a confrontation . . . Don’t be an easy target — don’t get into an easy range. Get out of the way of potential assailants. If you see a bunch of thugs, give them a wide berth. If they move toward you anyway, you will have a head start running away or getting […]
Read more →When in a confrontation . . . Don’t warn — it’s stupid, unless you have your gun drawn and trained on the attacker and you are in a good position. Warning involves talking, so besides revealing intentions and capabilities, it slows down the talker’s reaction time. Instead of talking, move and as you do, get […]
Read more →When in a confrontation . . . Don’t just stand there — move! Get off the line of a possible attack, like here: Watch also instruction at 2 min 38 sec (triangle footwork) and at 5 min 22 sec (moving to the outside). Self-defense tip from Thomas Kurz, co-author of Basic Instincts of Self-Defense and […]
Read more →If you viewed the video in my Self-Defense Tip #58 — Tactical Pen vs. an Ordinary Pencil, or “Pay More for Less,” you noticed a peculiar grip I used in the demo. That grip turned an ordinary pencil from a mere bloody annoyance into a decisive lethal weapon. Here you can see this grip applied […]
Read more →A lecture by a law professor and a former defense attorney on why you should not talk to police officers. Here I quote one of the many reasons given by the professor why you should not talk to the police (beginning at 21:10 of the video): “Police make mistakes . . . innocently, inadvertently, unintentionally. […]
Read more →Avoid large gatherings, especially those that occur on a schedule. They are a pickpocket’s place of work and a terrorist’s target. Yes, stay away from crowds, and never mind feel-good declarations like those following the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon: “The 2014 Boston Marathon will be an act of defiance and courage,” “Let’s show […]
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