How many of you can defend yourself without your firearm

[Loosedhorse]

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.

So, your contention is that she was able to do this because of her martial arts training, or her physical conditioning...or what?

Someone has already alluded to Donald Rumsfeld’s statement that you go to war with the army you have not the army you want

Right, just as we all approach SD with the person we are.

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.

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.

Neither do I. But I see it a fair amount; and I accept what is.

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."

He got in a verbal altercation with some guy while pumping gas and the bad guy punched him.

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.

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.

Again: why has this been personalized to me? When did I say I didn't have time to do 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!"

 

[Moose1995]

I read the first page of posts on this thread, and was going to post my opinion. Then I went straight to the last page and read the posts, and have decided not to waste my time. Somewhat shameful what a simple subject can be turned into.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

So, your contention is that she was able to do this because of her martial arts training, or her physical conditioning...or what?

You did not use the full quote what I said was :

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. In that situation all she had was her hands and all the whiz bang super tacticool gear in the world wouldn’t have helped her.

Perhaps I didn't communicate it as clearly as I thought I did but my contention is that all the firearms training in the world wouldn't have done her a lick of good at that point and whether she wanted it or not she was stuck in a situation where all she had was her hands to defend herself.

How would your weapon retention skills help you in her place?

 

[hso]

We've failed to to the point of squabbling between a couple of folks turning this thread into less than it started.