Bad day

[Anderoo]

All I'll add is that it's no use being the bravest guy in the graveyard. Fishing gear is just a load of cloth and carbon. And that self defence (in whatever form suits you best) is as much about avoiding situations as defending yourself physically.

[Ken L]

OK. I've been involved in the martial arts for 25 years and have been teaching for 20 of them.

I have blackbelts in Aikido and Ju-Jitsu and have cross trained extensively in Thai, Chinese and Japanese systems.

Most of that training was useless in a fight but it was great fun.

 

A lot of my Ju-Jitsu training was with Birmingham’s doormen and prison staff so I learned a thing or three about reality from their experiences.

A guy who I trained to blackbelt standard works for the forensic science service and had access to some of that CCTV footage that Budgie was talking about. Inevitably given the nature of his work, the footage was the bits that included the run up to someone getting killed either in a fight or as a result of a fight. I never saw the films (thankfully) but his informed conclusions were enlightening, both in terms of the dynamics of conflict and the consequences.

I’ve met and trained with a guy called Geoff Thompson who has some very interesting ideas about the psychology and physiology of conflict in addition to being very capable of dishing out violence.

I, like many people was fascinated by UFC and learned a great deal about what works (and what works so well that it’s banned in the octagon) in a no holds barred fight against people with differing skill sets – the early UFC stuff was far more informative in this respect.

Oh yes, I’ve had the occasional confrontation as well.

 

All of these lead me to completely agree that training in the martial arts will give you a set of tools but a bloke with a set of tools isn’t necessarily a mechanic.

I know blackbelts who couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag outside of the controlled rule bound environment of a dojo and I know some absolute animals that have never had a formal lesson in their lives.

 

What will save your life is:

Awareness of your environment.

Some basic confrontation management skills.

An understanding of your own body and mind - an adrenalin dump feels a lot like fear and this is something that bullies love to exploit.

A lot of judgement so that you know when to respond physically and the appropriate level of that response.

The ability to go from complete gentleman to total animal in a split second.

A bit of training – the technical ability to hit someone really hard and understand how two bodies interact in a fight is very useful and not the sort of thing that you want to start learning while someone jumps on your head.

 

The long and short of it is that you should avoid conflict at any cost, even if that means apologising, agreeing with some idiot or even standing by while your property is taken (easier said than done) because the consequences for you are potentially life changing if you do engage in violence. But, if you really believe that you or yours are going to become victims of a physical conflict, go in hard and fast and first, take the guy down and then break something to make sure that he’s out of the fight for good - One of those films was of a guy getting knocked out and then getting up 2 minutes latter, going back to the guy who’d assaulted him and smashing his skull repeatedly on the edge of a curb until he was dead!

 

As for weapons, the consequences of using a weapon are very serious. Most people who carry then are slightly paranoid young men and they get used with alarming regularity as is proven by the current rate of knife crime. Most of the people doing the stabbing or the coshing carry a weapon “Just in case” but then, they get into an argument and brandish it. Ego’s are inflated by alcohol, drugs or peer pressure and the guy who is having the knife or a cosh waved in front of him doesn’t back down and suddenly, someone is dead and the slightly paranoid guy who was carrying a weapon just in case is suddenly looking at 25 years.

[The Flying Tench]

Interesting stuff - and amazing how many AN bods seem to be trained in martial arts etc! I think I must be fortunate because the nearest thing I have had to aggro when fishing is dogs eating the maggots! So I don't personally feel a need for any protection, but I wondered for those who do - are those spray cans that women use for self defence worth considering?

[Ken L]

are those spray cans that women use for self defence worth considering?

 

They are illegal in the UK (and carry the same sort of legal sanctions as something like a tazer) but they are freely available in Germany.

Certainly a better self defence option than a knife or a cosh because it won't kill someone but not something that the old Bill is going to let you off with following a stop and search.

[wellyphant]

Wellyphant, your better off with the cosh in your pocket then if you see any shady characters approaching you you have easy access to it. No use having it if you've gotta start digging it out of your rucksack lol.

Thanks for that tigger but having paused for thought i have decided i am going to go back to the place i found the weapon and toss it into the lake from whence it came..As it has been suggested previously that a bankstick would be a better idea i have dug out my old solid umbrella spike and placed it in my rod bag.This way i can have it laying on the ground next to me while i'm fishing and am totally within the law "aren't i "???..It's legal,quite heavy and could even be used as a stabbing implement..It would certainly do more damage than the little cosh.That's not to say i'm going to start waving it around like a lunatic as soon as someone as much as looks at me in a funny way(which happens quite often )I'm not that 'paranoid'.....Finally,i've read most of the posts by members on this topic and can't help wondering what they would do,if they saw their old dad,brother,uncle or mother (who are too old to learn hooflungdung)in the same situation (or worse) as SPS. Edited December 24, 2008 by wellyphant

[Guest Rabbit]

My fishing was cut short today. I was sat minding my own buisness when a middle aged chav slapped me round the back of the head. Broke my rod, threw it in the river and called me a cruel bastard. My Granddad gave me that rod. I'm sick of peoples ignorance and intolerances. God knows I have to put up with other people, 90% of the population I can't stand. Should be able to fix the rod. Trouble is it puts you off going out again

 

Sorry to hear this....BUT

 

You say he was a middle aged chav, and yet you say yiu are 26 and fit. and this guy slapped you and threw your rod in the river. calling you a cruel bastard.

 

I had to check the date....and no its not April the 1st.

Edited December 24, 2008 by Rabbit