Self Defence 2: Life Style Exercise
Self Defence 2: Life Style Exercise
Originally posted by Jan
It was a sunny day and the forest was very peaceful and relaxing. I thought it would be a good idea to take this opportunity to carry out some of the self defence techniques that I had learned. But suddenly, a group of people appeared. The were on the path at about 3 metres distance from me, I could see them clearly through my binoculars even though they were wearing black clothes. I had a weapon in my bag and thought I should use it to scare them away.
I shouted at them so they would hear me - "Go away! I have a weapon in my bag and if you don't leave I will shoot at you!". At first, they didn't stop, and then after a few moments, they shouted back at me: "Shoot at us! We are unarmed!" I had no doubt that they were armed because the way they moved was very suspicious. I shot at them 2 times with my air gun on the level of the ground, even though the distance was very far. Then I hid behind a big tree and aimed at them. Suddenly there was a loud scream and 4 of them fainted to the ground. The others ran away.
There were some blood stains on the ground and I saw that one person had a bloody nose. I felt very scared because of the situation and even though they were injured they didn't stop, but instead they ran away. I was sure that if I hadn't used my weapon I would be hurt now. Even though the air gun didn't kill them or cause a fatal injury, it was very effective in stopping them from continuing their actions and caused them to flee in great panic.
The incident really shook me up and I have kept the experience to myself. I don't know if it was something that I could have avoided, but the situation felt very dangerous and scary. My decisions and actions were not good and I think it's time for me to reflect on this.
The lesson learnt is that even though your weapons are not lethal, you will still be seriously injured or even killed if there are no defences against force used. I am thinking of developing a training program to help those who have no weapons and need to learn unarmed techniques.
Self Defence 2: Life Style Exercise
Posted by Jan
Jan is not a student, but she offers her self defence experiences for sharing in the hope that it will be useful to others. I thank her for this, and I recommend that you download or print out the complete article from the link below as it contains a list of links to other information on this theme .
http://www.theasia2000core.com/Articles/Jan/Life+Style+Exercise.htm
The author, Daniele Bolelli, is a writer and martial arts instructor. He teaches at Black Mountain Martial Arts in San Diego, California. Daniele has written numerous books on philosophy and the martial arts, including On the Warrior's Path (Random House), Not Afraid (Random House), Create Your Own Religion (Tarcher) and his latest book Create Your Own Life (Tarcher). Daniele is also the host of the popular podcast The Art of Manliness Podcast.
In 1999 Daniele was invited by one of his students, an Italian police officer, to a martial arts school in the middle of Milan that not only trains police officers but helps those who have been legally sanctioned to carry weapons for self-defence. This is a very unusual venture. The school's name is the Academy of Arms and these days the armed police officers are only there as an added deterrent, but not a threat.
The academy boasts two hundred and forty-two nationalities training side by side in three special forces-style chambers. The students come from countries as diverse as Albania, Spain, India and Pakistan where they have been banned from carrying weapons due to national laws.
The academy's training was designed to prepare the students for the streets of Italy. The main course is eight months long, plus five months of refresher courses to improve their self-defence skills. There are also a number of private lessons available. I asked Daniele if he would be willing to share some of his ideas about self defence in this article, and he replied as follows:
"I do not believe that it is possible for any modern adult to be truly violent and not be in front of a jury after trial. With the right level of preparation and the right resources, however, many people can avoid trial and end up living full and productive lives. In most cases, victims are not interested in seeking out trouble. They are simply attacked without any forethought. On the other hand, I know a lot of people who come to me after they have been robbed or otherwise victimized, often because they chose not to be prepared when faced with a threat.
Conclusion: If you have no weapons to defend yourself with, you are vulnerable. If you have no skills to protect yourself, you are helpless. You cannot be prepared for both. There is therefore only one right answer: If you have a weapon and the means to use it, use it. If there is no weapon or skills, take up a life of crime or learn how to get a weapon and how to fight. Neither option is good.