Best Clothing for Self Defense?

[Hot_Wings]

I am trying to take my self defense equipment, training, and readiness to a whole new level. Part of that plan is to create or purchase clothing and or uniforms for everyday wear that are specifically designed to enhance personal protection and self defense.

What are your ideas?

So far, I am not impressed with the standard security, military, and police uniforms and undercover clothing. I think that they are wholly inadequate for true self defense. Mostly, their shirts only have a concealed carry pocket sewn in them, and the pants generally only have an inner knee pocket for a sleeve of foam padding. I want more than this.

http://www.karatedepot.com/g/Kung%20Fu%20Jacket/items/thumbs/un-sp-02.jpg

I have done a lot of research on clothing from the past for defensive purposes and so far, the Chinese and Japanese seem to have developed the best everyday wear defensive clothing. The standard Kung-Fu uniform is also a standard traditional Chinese men’s jacket worn in China. The collar is fully around the neck at all times and the material of the jacket is heavier than normal western wear and usually satin or silk lined or completely made out of these materials. The pattern of the clothing is also conducive to martial arts and not too tight fitting. As well, the jackets are long sleeve and provide extra protection there as well.

Do you have any other ideas about defensive clothing?

[Guest]

If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living that facilitates this urgent need for your everyday wear self-defence clothing?

[Hot_Wings]

It is not that I am in “Urgent Need” I am 34 years old and only recently has this even crossed my mind. I am a security guard that is transitioning into day trading. I used to be a graphic designer for a newspaper, but I quit before I was laid off.

I was a security guard when I was going to college for graphic design also. I had many experiences there. I also did my standard 4 years in the military, two of that 4 with an infantry platoon.

In reflection, none of the uniforms and gear that I wore, or now wear, in security or the military was or is actually designed from a personal protective standpoint. They are all just basic shirts and pants or shorts. But since I have started taking kung fu classes I began to wonder, “Where are all the cloths from the past that were designed to actually protect people?”

Most people simply look at a suit of armor and say, “Well, I don’t want to wear that get up.” But is a suit of armor all that our ancestors wore for protection from thieves or vandals? I don’t think so. They also wore leather armor and cotton padding in many places when they weren’t wearing armor. Chain mail and scale mail also comes to mind that archers used to wear.

I also ride a motorcycle and the clothing that I own for that endeavor also got my attention. Kevlar jeans for abrasion resistance and extra thick gloves and boots got me thinking, “Why don’t more people wear these things?”

A painter will wear a tyvack suit on to protect from the paint
A motorcycle rider will wear Kevlar reinforced pants to protect from the pavement
A factory worker will wear leather gloves and a hard hat to protect from falling objects and rough metals and wood

Then why is it that those of us who train to protect ourselves from violent encounters wear nothing different from a cotton tee shirt and standard blue jeans?

Isn’t there a better way? Of course there is. I think that the Chinese Kung Fu suit is a good starting point. The fabric needs to be a little heavier and perhaps made from a Kevlar weave, but I think the design is a pretty good start.

It has a stand up color for neck protection
It is oversized some for movement and for deception
It is patterned is ways that can be an effective form of subtle camouflage if needed
It has long sleeves and long pants for added protection to the extremities

If I added some clever and heavy embroidery to some vital areas I think that it would be much more cut or stab resistant as well. I also want to add some light thin foam sheets to the knee areas. Not enough to reduce a strike too much but just enough to not crack your knee cap in a fall.

These are the kinds of things that I am looking for. I want to design and build (or have made) standard everyday wear that protects me more in hand to hand combat and that will enable me to escape and hide better if need be from a gang. Obviously darker clothing or clothing that can be converted to dark fast like a reversible jacket with black pants.

Most people never think of these things, but I do.

[Hot_Wings]

In the book, “How America Fought Its Wars” it tells the tail of a battle in the American Revolution in which hundreds of redcoats and Americans died of heat exhaustion in two days of battle in 100 degree weather.

Many people do not realize why this happened. Have you ever looked at the uniforms of the American Revolution of both sides? Why did they wear such heavy full body clothing in 100 degree heat? Why didn’t they take off those coats when they knew that they could die of heat exhaustion like the fellow right next to him might have? The answer is because they all knew that a bayonet charge could come at any moment.

The uniforms and weapons of the American Revolution reflect a desperate need to protect the soldier completely from hand to hand combat. Muskets are not accurate much beyond one hundred yards. Hand to hand combat, with swords and bayonets was still a very real worry. If the redcoats had decided to take off those coats, then they very well could have faced a bayonet charge from American commanders deciding to seize the moment.

Not too long after the American Revolution did an American even add more to the Marine’s uniform by adding a leather neck protector. That is where we get the term Leathernecks to this day, even though the leather neck protector has long since been removed from the Marines uniform.

The modern battlefield kept evolving and firearms became the main worry. Bayonet charges became less and less of a concern and military uniforms became lighter and lighter. Heat Exhaustion became more of a concern than hand to hand combat defensive uniforms; so, the uniform is now no heavier than what a civilian wears. There is also a cost factor now in uniform design and construction that was less a necessity in the days gone past.

The uniforms of history were designed to protect the soldier in hand to hand combat. That is why they look the way that they did and functioned they way that they functioned. Sure they were dressed up, but even that performed a function as well.

Today though, the civilian faces a greater need than ever before against hand to hand weapons. I am on an exploration to design and construct, or purchase, civilian clothing that is designed to protect us better in hand to hand combat than a tee shit and jeans will. I think that it is a worthwhile effort.

[DickHardman]

Researchers at MIT and Advanced Research Apparel have come up with a shocking new jacket design for women – literally.

Designed as an anti- assault device for women, this little black sports number carries an 80,000-volt, low amperage current just below the surface shell of the entire jacket.

Dubbed the “No-Contact Jacket”, this exo-electric armor protects the wearer by emitting a high voltage shock that interrupts a would-be assailant’s neurological impulses which control voluntary muscle movement. The attacker is thus temporarily “turned to jelly”.

What’s all the buzz?
Designers Yolita Nugent and Adam Whiton say the project’s goal is to call attention to violence against women and to provide an alternative response to the body’s vulnerable space that society, culture and fashion have created.

Funded in part by the MIT Council for the Arts and the MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies, the No-Contact Jacket purports itself as an attempt to intervene in the social condition of women, and enters a new level of physical and visual communication by expanding the borders between technology, visual arts, culture, product and the mass market.

According to Nugent and Whiton, women have historically been placed in positions of vulnerability – even in modern times fashion can be physically restrictive, confining and can limit mobility – and they hope the No-Contact jacket will challenge the existing power landscapes between men and women. Their intent is to alter the idea of human space and boundaries and to shift the ideas of perceived female vulnerabilities.

Yes, but why?
Well, take the US Judiciary Committee statistic that in their lifetime, three out of four American women will experience a violent crime at least once. A startling statistic, but one that shouldn’t undermine the fact that the numbers for men are higher and that nearly two-thirds of all violent crime victims in the U.S., and three-quarters of homicide victims, are male. But, that’s not the whole point

If by donning and arming exo-electric armor in situations where a woman feels threatened – such as walking home alone after dark in urban environment – consequently prevents an attack, then the designers feel the extremeness of the technology is worth it.

Shocking by design
Unarmed, it may look like a sample of Trekkie couture, but a simple turn of the key located on the jacket’s left sleeve and a press on one of the palm switches conspicuously placed inside the jacket’s cuffs, transforms it into a dazzling display of high tech design.

When armed – meaning the key has been turned to the “on” position – the jacket produces a series of visible and audible electric arcs between two seams on the wearer’s upper right shoulder as a way of warning off any potential unauthorized contact. By pressing the palm switch, the wearer can send pulses of electricity through the conductive pathways just below the surface of the jacket – delivering an 80,000 volt shock to a would be assailant.

“It’s kind of like sticking your finger in a wall socket,” states Whiton.

By design, men cannot wear the jacket – it has been specifically tailored to the female form, sporting small armholes and smaller sizing - nor can it be easily used against the wearer. Unlike weapons or pepper sprays, the jacket cannot be grabbed from a woman and used against her.

Intended for use as a passive defense, the designers have gone to extreme measures to ensure the No-Contact Jacket won’t be used to proliferate violence. This, however, is entirely up to the wearer and Whiton concedes that women could use it offensively.

[DickHardman]

i posted about this jacket that delivers shocks to attackers a while back. these are the innovations that will change the way people protect themselves in the future.


they are even creating "power jackets" that are robotics built into clothing that you can wear to enhance your physical strength and whatnot. the applications of these kinds of technologies are limitless. think about wearing a power jacket that would allow you to lift a car or knock down a brick wall? it could enhance your punching power and gripping power to superhuman levels. imagine all the weaponry that could possibly be built into these power jackets?? flamethrowers, electric shocks, radar etc.....

"Wearable technology may sometimes come off as little more than a gimmick (consider the video belt buckle). But for some people, it can mean something entirely different--regaining abilities lost to injury or illness.

This prototype "power jacket" from Matsushita Electric Industrial (parent of consumer electronics company Panasonic) is designed to help patients recover from partial paralysis. Sensors at the elbow and wrist allow a healthy arm to control the eight artificial muscles, which are powered by compressed air, on the paralyzed side. The 4-pound robotic jacket was on display Wednesday at the Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition in Tokyo."

[Guest]

Guys,

If this is a passion of yours, or an idea you are keen to market, then good luck to you.

I wear a suit to work, sweats when I train, and whatever I feel like when I'm out having a good time. At no point in this equation do I disrupt my life or my relaxation by worrying about combat-ready attire.

I'm in shape, I train to fight in all ranges with and without weapons, and I'm just comfortable with who I am. Perhaps this is a solution for a happier, more secure life, as opposed to wearing an electric jacket or stitching some kevlar into my underpants.

[DickHardman]

are you guys sure you wouldnt want to wear power suits and armors with bionic implants and lasers built into them, that would allow you to lift garbage trucks over your head and knock down solid concrete and brick walls like you were robocop??

[Tant01]

Maybe they'll bring the codpiece back into fashion? There ya go Dick!

[kngfu]

Muscle makes the best armor.

[Tant01]

Dick just needs a codpiece.... Armored or sausage o' steel" codpiece

[TTEscrima]

Just don't wear flip flops.

[kingoftheforest]

May cause an uproar or uproarious laughter.

Buck ass nekkid. That way nothing to grab onto except your flappy piece which I am sure you will guard with your life. Nothing can get hung up into nothing. Shave yourself bald that way their nobody can choke you if you don't have long hair or grab and hang on.

Plus you'll have to have your weapon in your hands at all times.

Draw backs are sun burn and shrinkage in the winter, also depending on how you are equipped, pointing and laughing from the lady folks.


Plus everyone will be watching you and there will almost always be LEO's around so you won't get mugged or attacked.

It's the perfect deterrent.

[kingoftheforest]

Sorry. I just looked over that link I posted. A fucking "Survival Kilt?"

Who buys this shit.

I feel unclean.

Guess that's where that other 30% on intelligence went

[Liberty]

Sorry. I just looked over that link I posted. A fucking "Survival Kilt?"

Who buys this shit.

I feel unclean.

Hmmm......