Self defense

[x65943]

How do you guys do it? Reading some scary reports from my city and picked up some mace after a jogger was attacked this morning

 

[Deleted User]

dont shower. it works.

 

[JuanMena]

THIS ISHOW WE DOIT (sha-la la la la-la la la)
Failed to fetch tweet https://mobile.twitter.com/luis_feer1/status/1290414117061353472

get in the combi

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Also: This is actually me self-defensing myself by doing the autodefension.

 

[AmandaRose]

I would just use my gymnastics skills and do a Double Arabian front layout and flip right over the head of any attacker. Then when I land I would run as fast as I could away .

 

[FAST6191]

My general policy for the UK and US. Were I to find myself in a third world shithole this would be modified somewhat.

Don't go out after 10pm as a general rule, even more so if worse for wear in some way.
Know where I am (including the likely population of the area) such that I can draw a map. Now I often break this one (exploring is fun) but I can always backtrack and I usually have a good idea of direction and distance travelled so can work my way back to somewhere.
Know every escape route (harder in the US -- everywhere has footpaths here and dead ends are rare, US wise the cul de sac model tends to lack a pedestrian footpath. Would hate to do it more than about 10 times in short order but can also quickly get over a 2m fence if I have to).
Know and mitigate every ambush point if I can and scan constantly for the rest, and indicators something is about to happen (a psychologically taxing scenario, https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2015/09/living_in_code_yello.html , and affords you fewer options to ponder life when roaming about).
Be able to have alternate routes and escape/sanctuary points along the way. We can probably skip the never go back the same way you go out but it is something to be aware of.
Be able to read body language, if you can project it yourself even better still (those attacking you can be presumed to know it at an instinctual level).
Likewise group dynamics is a fun one. As a rule don't fight multiple people, however most such groups have a leader (possibly not the one doing the talking) you can take out to win and in the case of ambushes "assault into" is a fairly solid plan (I would rather than 1 big guy in front of me probably not expecting much than the 5 closing behind to seal the deal and that escape route).
I do have a bright light (nobody likes being shined in the eyes or particularly trains for it, likewise insert fingers into eyes and wiggle a bit also messes with the mojo of a lot of people)
I am not the tallest person in every room but rarely the shortest and have a reasonable build to go with it. Also can run very far pretty fast if I have to.
I am also often in the company of a 40+ KG German Shepherd and while he is soft as shit (assuming they are not a rabbit or squirrel) and likely about as inclined to stick around if someone gave him a steak I am told it is an imposing sight to see him running towards you possibly with me in tow
You probably have the "first, do no harm" problem but I don't even if I do have some of the same skills (or at least I can name the bones that get broken and the blood supply that doing that will mess with as well as organs and relevant muscles to damage). Martial arts can help with this one but assuming you even get a real one to begin (see fakers in martial arts) with most of those are about sparring on mats rather than bouncing someone's head off a curb, sink or through a window.
Weapons are OK if you know how to use one (which is to say actively train with it) and local laws allow. It also needs to be with you -- a full auto rifle in your gun safe is worse than the .22 pistol on you.
On weapons probably also want to make sure you can handle the mental burden should you need to use it -- the human body is very squishy with just your fists and fingers, a weapon is almost by definition a force multiplier.
Speaking of mental things I generally recommend flight as a tactic (most of the general population also lack cardio capabilities, but no doubt you are more aware of that than I) but if fighting is in (and you might want to know the limits of flight -- run until you are knackered and in a corner is better than not that) then you are there to hurt them so do it. Back to the body language and psychology thing then an air of "I have nothing to lose, have at it" is a good one to cultivate.
If you have a car make sure your keys are to hand rather than fumbling in your bag
Cars are pretty nice shields so scan surroundings when stopped and leaving one
Cars also make nice battering rams -- dead is dead whether it happens with a pistol or a windscreen.
Dash cams are cheap enough that you can probably do 360 coverage for money worth spending here
I don't know how much car combat protocol we want to get into here (protect the driver is most of that, which is to say try not to expose the driver to fire) but if you can't see the bottom of their wheels you are likely able to get boxed in (your turning circle may vary)
Road rage is usually done by those with poor impulse control so do traffic calming measures (mostly leave a gap in front of you so someone chancing a run up the layby or a last minute turn can save that 30 seconds, and leave room for people to overtake).


I have no problem hurting people, just boring more than anything. However I will happily pay to not have bruised knuckles/broken hand bones (I use my hands to fix things)/bruised elbows or to sit in court (a scenario I am trained for and comfortable with) explaining why someone's knee now bends the full 360 and that they can't even point to me in the room courtesy of now lacking eyes (never mind them not believing me, a possibility for some of the scenarios I found myself in*) it is still a day wasted and likely a nice bill from a lawyer, to say nothing of an interaction with police which I usually take every effort to avoid. Likewise while getting a little bit stabbed, or a little bit shot, is not as bad as a little bit pregnant it is not so very far off. To that end your phone and your wallet is a small price to pay for dodging that one, whether you do a decoy one is up to you.

*recall the earlier part about height and build. The vast majority of scenarios in which anything happened I could flatten them, and sometimes did. Though I suspect I also need not tell you about the wonders of drugs and breaks from rationality a nice addiction can cause.

Edit. And you can tell what I don't do often.
Keep the phone away unless really necessary, and don't use headphones.

 

[rvtr]

Can I have a tl;dr?

 

[FAST6191]

Can I have a tl;dr?

Of my post?

Hurting people is a dangerous activity. Try to get away if you can (know the area, watch what is happening which necessarily means not distracting yourself with phone, music, booze or other such things) but otherwise commit to putting them down such that they don't get back up and be prepared for the consequences (physical and psychological). If you can project that as well (basically mess with me if you want but it will cost you) then you can also head a lot of things off at the pass as it were. Similarly try not to put yourself in a position where you have to defend yourself or that it is more likely than not; don't go out at night, don't go to bad neighbourhoods, try not to go down blind corners/dark alleys... Weapons are nice to things to have, especially if you are a fat short person without any muscle nor ability to run away (you can cure two of those though), in such occasions but you have to have them with you, know how to use them, and be prepared to deal with the consequences. I do like having a torch too -- bright light in someone's eyes can give you a few crucial seconds to either start running or put them down (hands over your eyes means no hands over genitals, stance covering knees or vulnerable parts on your body) and nobody really questions someone having a torch.
Said consequences can be quite grave so it may well end up the cheaper course of action to hand over your phone, wallet and the like -- not all scars heal well, it is surprisingly easy to do damage that takes decades to heal and any interaction with the law is expensive, time consuming and in this case risky. This applies even if you are a special forces grade hardnut that is presently armed to the teeth and armoured just as well.
A lot of this is also not fun at all or cuts into fun you might be able to have. To that end there is also a tradeoff in how much you might value security vs how much you care to have fun or just amble through the world.

 

[rvtr]

How about a tl;dr of the tl;dr?

 

[The Catboy]

Self defense is easy for me! I just never go outside alone ^-^

 

[AmandaRose]

Self defense is easy for me! I just never go outside alone ^-^

But what if the attacker is the person you went outside with?

 

[The Catboy]

But what if the attacker is the person you went outside with?

My Human?

 

[x65943]

Is the opposite of self defense self harm?

 

[FAST6191]

Is the opposite of self defense self harm?

What if said harmful activity makes you appear cool and gains you some friends?

 

[IncredulousP]

Is the opposite of self defense self harm?

No it's esnefed fles

 

[Deleted member 507653]

Writing posts can be a lengthy activity. Try to keep things concise and succinct (use accurate words, try not to repeat ideas you've already said, just because you use more words to describe a concept that doesn't mean it's deeper or more complicated, and such things to keep in mind) but otherwise commit to simplifying ideas or even leaving things out in order to not lose the focus and interest of your reader. If you can keep things looking short and sweet at the start (basically letting the reader know that your ramblings or rather lack of such will be a quick one) then you also gain the benefit of more people bothering to read it at all. Similarly, a large block of text may make it so that people quickly glance over it, be disturbed by how long of a read it is, and then skip over to better shorter things.
Tl;dr's are nice things to have, especially if you feel you are among the population that finds it difficult to express written ideas concisely. If you know how to wield a tl;dr well, then you can avoid the possible outcome of having others skip over your writing entirely. However, be prepared to face the consequences. I like to use tl;dr's to direct the reader to the gist of my writing but if used poorly, it could lead to a further loss of disinterest.
Said consequences can be quite grave. In some instances, your reader may request a tl;dr but if your reply is inadequate, they may even have to go through the trouble of requesting yet another tl;dr of the original tl;dr. This is quite unfortunate as it is a waste of time for both the original writer and the future readers.
In the end, there is a tradeoff between how you choose to express your ideas and how your ideas may be received (or perhaps just ignored). How much do you value your writing style vs how much you care your writing will have an actual impact in the world, albeit a small one.

How about a tl;dr of the tl;dr?

First step is prevention.
If that doesn't work then run if you can, hurt them if you can't (unless u think ur a bitch then go back to just running)

 

[FAST6191]

First step is prevention.
If that doesn't work then run if you can, hurt them if you can't (unless u think ur a bitch then go back to just running)

There is more to it than that. Hurting might be an option right off the bat and you will do better to be able to recognise when that is the case. You can also skip it all and give them your phone and wallet -- assuming you are wandering around with enough to get lunch and a taxi home then a lawyer will charge many times that, as will a day in court in terms of lost wages, and if you are in the US then getting stitched up (fighting is generally noted as unpredictable and dangerous) is also not the cheapest hobby (assuming you will even heal properly to begin with -- modern medicine is wonderful but scars still happen and you might bleed out before you even get there).

Still. Even more condensed option.

Prevention is better than a cure, the best armour is not the be there when the attack is made, weapons on the other hand do want to be under your control (in both senses of the term) when you need them. Fight or flight is two of the options and giving them what they want is often also a good one. If fighting then you are there to hurt them badly so they don't get back up, you will then need to go against your nature* to do that and be sure you can do that too (not everybody can). Can also be useful to project the notion that getting into a fight will end badly for all concerned (never fight someone that has nothing to lose and all that).

*you might be a sociopath or the even lesser spotted no qualms killer and thus able to dodge it. In that case to get this far in life you probably built up a logic process around hurting things so same principle.

 

[rvtr]

How does anyone have enough time to write lengthy walls of text?

 

[FAST6191]

How does anyone have enough time to write lengthy walls of text?

I type fast, don't watch TV and song of my life philosophy

 

[x65943]

I type fast, don't watch TV and song of my life philosophy

blocked in USA ;A;

 

[FAST6191]

blocked in USA ;A;

George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Get A Haircut (and get a real job)
See if you can find the cartoon video.