Loosedhorse
member
So, your contention is that she was able to do this because of her martial arts training, or her physical conditioning...or what?My friend woke up with the intruder on top of her and had to fight from there, whatever other physical factors may have been involved she was able to get him off of her and out of the house.
Right, just as we all approach SD with the person we are.Someone has already alluded to Donald Rumsfeld’s statement that you go to war with the army you have not the army you want
If a person decides that the best return on her SD hour/dollar is joining a dojo, great. If (as you suggest) it's a gym membership, great.
My personal feeling is that nothing gives greater or quicker returns in SD than firearm training, so it is not surprising that many folks choose that first.
The next best return is on learning maneuvers for unarmed SD (breaking holds, strikes, kicks, etc.) that are quickly taught and learned. No, they won't get you past a master or a real street fighter, but they will reset the OODA on an attacker who wasn't expecting anything but token resistence.
As I said, I think physical conditioning is great. Its returns, however, tend to be long-term, and fairly distant from SD...unless one is regularly running away from or attempting to wrestle assailants.
It also requires (as does true martial arts mastery) a long-term commitment. My guess is that, if you tell most folks that, in order to be better at SD, they need to follow this regimen for the next 2 years--or 20 years--well, you lose students that way.
Students that would have been very receptive to a different idea. And maybe, eventually, to others.
Neither do I. But I see it a fair amount; and I accept what is.I don’t understand the mindset that invests all kinds of time and money into armed self defense yet degrades their ability their ability to mount an effective defense by letting themselves get badly out of shape.
When such a person asks for firearms training, or just advice, am I to say, "Lose 20 lbs, and then come see me. Otherwise, you're just not serious about defending yourself"? Because the answer here seems to be, "Yes; that's what you should say."
Your contention is that his being overweight was what cost him? My guess it had more to do with his tactical thinking--or just general attitude. Let's just say there are some people who, if I find out they were beaten up, I am unsurprised. And not all of them are overweight.He got in a verbal altercation with some guy while pumping gas and the bad guy punched him.
Again: why has this been personalized to me? When did I say I didn't have time to do something?But for anyone to say "I don't have time" on an internet forum, is false on it's face. You had time to get on the internet. You chose to spend it that way instead of getting better at something.
There seem to be two bumper stickers in this thread: "IF YOU'RE 20LB OVERWEIGHT, YOU AREN'T SERIOUS ABOUT SELF-DEFENSE--BUT I AM!" and "IF YOU THINK DIFFERENT, WELL, THAT'S 'CAUSE YOU'RE A FAT SLOB!"