Options to defend yourself

[Keane]

You definitely did the right think by de-escalating and walking away.

HOWEVER, there is a basic tenant of Lethal Force that everyone here seems to have missed called "Disparity of Force". In a situation where an aggressor attacks you (say if he had fought you in the house), and the defender is at a significant disadvantage, and has reasonable reason to believe his life is in danger, he can pull his firearm.

The basic use of this is in situations where it is Large man vs: Cripple, Woman, tiny man, etc.

 

[BlvdKing]

You definitely did the right think by de-escalating and walking away.

HOWEVER, there is a basic tenant of Lethal Force that everyone here seems to have missed called "Disparity of Force". In a situation where an aggressor attacks you (say if he had fought you in the house), and the defender is at a significant disadvantage, and has reasonable reason to believe his life is in danger, he can pull his firearm.

The basic use of this is in situations where it is Large man vs: Cripple, Woman, tiny man, etc.

The key to escalation is always the reasonable belief that your/somebody's life is in danger but until then use realistic measures to defend yourself and family.

 

[SheepDog223]

If we wear a gun we should all learn the art of defusing and escaping situations when possible. If you have to ask yourself if any specific situation requires the use of deadly force, you probably still have a few more options to run through.

 

[Newcastle]

Your best defense in this situation would have been a cell phone. Call 911 and have him arrested, everyone saw him assault you. If you both fight you're both going to jail; if you both fight and one pulls a weapon you're both going to jail except one gets a felony charge.

Furthermore, how would you feel about putting someone in their grave simply because he said some harsh words in front of your friends and challenged you.

 

[gallogiro]

Furthermore, how would you feel about putting someone in their grave simply because he said some harsh words in front of your friends and challenged you.

Oh totally, which is why I walked away. That guy is not worth, he's a piece of ****. My family means more to me than going to jail because of that guy.

I just wanted to throw the "what if" out there. So far there has been great feedback and ideas. Thanks!

 

[country boy]

I would recommend looking into Krav Maga. I have been learning Krav Maga for almost a year now. It is not a traditional martial art, it focuses on very practical moves and scenarios (i.e. chokes, head locks, and ground fighting, in addition to stand up fighting). If you are serious about self defense I would highly recommend Krav Maga.

Country boy

 

[country boy]

Yeah, Krav Maga is great. I've been taking Krav Maga for about a year now and it is awsome. Like clearconscience said, you learn weapons defenses against guns and knives, as well as sticks. But Krav doesn't just teach you weapons defenses, it also teaches you choke and headlock defenses, as well as ground fighting. If you have the time and money (yes it is more expensive than most traditional martial arts, but it is well worth it). I would highly recomend Krav Maga Self Defense and Fitness in Milwaukie, the instructors there are awsome. They each bring different insights and tricks to learning and using Krav Maga. If anyone is interested, their website is www.kravmagaportland.com

country boy

 

[country boy]

Sorry about the double message, I didn't think my first one was posted.

country boy

 

[gallogiro]

No worries Country boy, thanks for the link.

 

[country boy]

I think there is also a facility in Albany that teaches Krav Maga, but I have no experience with this facilty so I don't know how good (or bad) the instructors and/or facilities are.

country boy

 

[emanon]

I am also very interested in getting some training that covers defensive tools other than firearms - such as OC spray, knives, impact & improvised weapons, etc. I am interested in learning to both defend against these and to use them to defend myself. Classes in "tactical" emergency medicine for if/when we or others do get shot, stabbed, etc would be great. I am in Portland so I prefer to train here but I will travel within Oregon and Washington.

I know that Insights has these kinds of classes: http://www.insightstraining.com/catalog.asp and even they do not seem to have any OC or mini-baton classes lined up. The Insights stuff looks good but I'd love to find more affordable and still high quality alternatives, preferably here in Portland or at least closer. I thought that FAS and/or OFA offered such classes but I can't seem to find any listed on their websites...

It would also be really nice to see training offered that focused in on developing skills for awareness, avoidance, de-escalation and other ways of not having to use our weapons whenever possible. Does anyone know of upcoming classes that cover any of that?

I'd also like to hear from folks who have experience with the "unarmed combatives" seminars like Insights offers and particularly if there are high quality, affordable options in my area that offer training in realistic, effective skills that I can learn and retain quickly. I realize that the longer I train and the better condition I am in, the better off I'll be but surely there must be good training available that doesn't take months or years of expensive classes to learn?

Krav Maga seems very appealing. What does that place run cost-wise? Do they commonly integrate weapons skills into their training?

 

[country boy]

The cost of going to Krav Maga Self Defense and Fitness depends on how often you would like to train. If you are interested, go to kravmagaportland.com, get Mark's e-mail and contact him. As far as weapons, in Level 1 (there are five levels) they don't integrate too many weapons skills, but in level 2 and up they begin integrating more and more. If you are looking to learn to use weapons, I would recommend taking a class specifically for that, Krav Maga focuses mainly on defense.

country boy

 

[emanon]

Thanks for the reply CB. To be clear, my interest is weapons is focused mainly on their defensive applications.

 

[wavo]

Yeah can't say enough good stuff about Krav Maga. I didn't know I had a fellow Kraver on here!
The later levels are very valuable as there is a large chance you could be face-to-face with a weapon on the street. It's also nice to learn the defenses from a police officer who has been involved in real life altercations, so he has a better grasp on what works and what doesn't.

 

[Joe Link]

I can't wait until I have the financial means to join up again!

 

[RVNvet]

Police don't get into fist-fights with a**holes, why should you? Pepper spray is heavily used by LEOs for a good reason: it usually resolves the problem, and you don't get blood all over your uniform/clothes.

Max
(Former LEO)

 

[dario541]

Police don't get into fist-fights with a**holes, why should you? Pepper spray is heavily used by LEOs for a good reason: it usually resolves the problem, and you don't get blood all over your uniform/clothes.

Max
(Former LEO)

I have seen several sizes of pepper spray for sale at Bi-Mart.