Two ideal weapons

[danjuandesiga]

Long and short

For the street I would carry a long and short weapon.

Preferably a smaller sized baseball bat and a knife(folding or sheathed).

or

the mini-bat and a can of pepper spray.

Can you dig it?

[kuk sool won]

I love the long staff, although its not ideal to carry a giant staff about with ya everytime you walk out of your front door its a good weapon to have as it isnt too heavy and keeps the opponent at distance, the other option would have to be a nunchaku... or whatever, can never get the bloody spelling right...

[Tant01]

Still not "perfect"...

For the street I would carry a long and short weapon.

Preferably a smaller sized baseball bat and a knife(folding or sheathed).

or

the mini-bat and a can of pepper spray.

Can you dig it?

Ideal means conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain...

To meet those requirements your weapons must first be legal to own and carry on the streets.

A mini bat is a felony waiting to happen here in Ca... Is the peper spray your long or short weapon?

[Escrima Jim]

Pepper spray

Ideal means conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain...

To meet those requirements your weapons must first be legal to own and carry on the streets.

A mini bat is a felony waiting to happen here in Ca... Is the peper spray your long or short weapon?

Is the pepper spray for that extra hot bit on Mexican food? Pepper spray carry's the same offensive here in the UK as a Semi Automatic weapon. So I would count that as a fire arm, as the Law does.

But as I said earlier, weapons are only a problem if you get caught using them or caught with them

[Guro Dave Gould]

Hi guys,

I hope that all are well and that everyone is keeping challenged by their training. Hmmm, interesting question raised and comments made.

In the early 80`s while serving in the U.S. Military I familiarized myself with things commonly found in an environment in which I would most often be found. In this environment I would recognize the weapon potential in numerous items which I would have access to in my time of need. And with this in mind I set out training with them.

At that time I was hanging out in alot of bars and seedy night clubs, which as you may have guessed I found myself getting involved in alot of fights over the stupidest things. After observing my environment and my plight I began to train with specific items common to this environment. I would train with billiard balls, billiard racks, billiard sticks, ash trays, beer bottles, beer mugs, throwing darts and bar stools among other things.

This approach came in handy quite a few times and because I had trained with these things I had already distinguished any inherent strengths and weakness` found in each item. Let`s just say that nothing says good night like an 8 ball upside your head or a bar-stool breaking through the top of your skull.

So to answer your question my first preference for a weapon would be my mind. There is no greater resource in combat than the mind as the mind is responsible for effectively wielding any weapon in defense of life and limb. The weapon may be an extension of the hand but the hand is an extension of the mind, therefore by default making the weapon an extension of the mind as well.

The second weapon of choice would be my environment. More importantly anything that may be in my immediate area with any degree of weapon potential. Anything that can be lifted from its resting place can be used as a weapon. Be it a broken bottle, a shard of glass wrapped in a t`shirt, a board, tree limb, rock, brick, pointy piece of wood, piece of steel, metal pipe, radio anntenae snatched from someones car, garden hose, ash trays, coffe pot, ink pens, hammers, chisels, screw drivers etc... All of these things become weapons of necessity in our time of need.

In Lameco Eskrima we were taught that Eskrima was not a knife fighting system, nor was it a stick or sword fighting system, although it works well with these things. Eskrima is a combative fighting system which can translate and deliver its deadly intent with anything that can be placed in the hand in our time of need, to the point of having nothing and than translating that knowledge bone to bone.

I am partial to knives, but in all honesty there is nothing that I can do with a knife that I can not do with a broken beer bottle, screw driver or chisel. There is nothing that I can do with a rattan stick that I can not do with a rock, tree branch, walking cane or two-by-four. Your combative effect comes from within, directed from your mind not from your weapon. The weapon is irrelevant leaving the mind to dictate how the weapon will be used and to what degree. With out the mind wielding it any weapon is just a harmless inanimate object resting on the ground, or hanging in the pocket.

Go well guys, ciao.

Guro Dave Gould.

[Tant01]

Great Post Guro! Thank you!

Like you, I was exposed to some interesting training in the early eighties, purely recreational and highly unauthorized but same idea. (Navy) and being the young and dumb (insecure) individual I was also had to "test" my prowess in the urban environment... We called it thinking outside the box. and CQC silat.

I once used a wire antenna off an old Buick.... Worked well too.

Don't limit yourself seems kinda JKD (ish), eh?

Thanks again! Your contributions are highly valued...


~Ray

[danjuandesiga]

personal preference

I will use any weapon at hand when it comes to surviving and staying alive.Survival is a mode where it spans beyond the limits of moral values and restriction. Regardless of the weapon used while defending one's self (by any means neccesary) I'm gonna commit to surviving FIRST. I'll be glad to be alive to deal with the law later.

[Escrima Jim]

Escrima Concepts

In Lameco Eskrima we were taught that Eskrima was not a knife fighting system, nor was it a stick or sword fighting system, although it works well with these things. Eskrima is a combative fighting system which can translate and deliver its deadly intent with anything that can be placed in the hand in our time of need, to the point of having nothing and than translating that knowledge bone to bone.

Guro Dave Gould.

This is the same mind set as my Art Escrima Concepts.

https://www.escrimaconcepts.com

We work through Concepts, which teach us about enviromental awareness, blade awareness, balance, speed, timing, distance, power, focus, transtition, syllabus, theroy and strategy so we can use any weapon at any time.

A BASIC OVERVIEW OF THE GENERIC CONCEPTS USING OUR THEORIES

We teach via a progressive syllabus and by practising application alongside theory and strategy to ensure that every member understands how the body and weapon/s works together. To blend all this we teach and explain the following five generic concepts so everyone can enjoy and grow within our art towards a voyage of self-discovery:

1. Balance
2. Focus
3. Speed (Timing and Distance)
4. Power
5. Transition



Balance: - without balance most things will not work, some points to consider:

• Are you balanced as you fight - with or without a weapon?
• Do you know if you are balanced and can you maintain your balance under pressure as you and your opponent move?
• How do you deal with different types of contact using different weapons or unarmed - can you adjust to the unequal balance of weapons?
• What is the balance of your welfare: are you ill, tired, stressed, happy, frightened, angry, do you have full use of your body or are you injured and in pain - what is your emotional state of mind?
• Balance the environment: what are the weather conditions, are you sitting, are you on an incline, are your clothes tight or bulky, are your shoes slippery, etc?

Focus: - the ability to read a situation if you are not aware of danger it will be difficult to assess the danger, some points to consider:

• Long focus - assess the surrounding area quickly
• Short focus - deal with the immediate problem (Pre-empt and Post Fight Focus)
• Be aware at all times by learning to remain calm in chaos
• If you cannot see their hands they are armed
• If they look like they wish to invade your personal area - they mean harm
• If they should not be in an area they may have ill-intentions
• Are they alone - did you notice other people in your environment?
• Did you notice help in your environment - buildings with people in, weapons in the street, etc?
• The way you may be attacked - do they appear trained or untrained?

Speed, Timing and Distance: - how quick ground is covered between two people or their weapons and who evades or makes the first strike? If you cannot cover a distance or read how fast the attack happens or time the moment of impact - then you will struggle and fight instead of learning to win, some points to consider:
• How fast can you or your opponent move (or both of you move together)?
• Are they balanced and in control of their speed - do they lose energy?
• Can they hurt you - are they armed - are you armed?
• What is the distance to cover (if they move, if you move or if you both move)?
• If they are faster than you and cover the distance quicker - can you time your attack to win?
• Can you attack them first - did you time it right?

Power: - to deal with a person's individual power and the power of a specific weapon - if you cannot deal with and analyse superior power or take advantage of your own power - then what is the point of using power if you cannot control it? Some points to consider:
• If you over-hit with an unarmed strike you may lose balance and leave yourself open if you do not connect - this may compromise a situation
• If you over-hit with a weapon you may lose even more balance, become very vulnerable and may compromise a situation
• Power only works if you can control it - anything else is tiring and compromising.
• How do you develop power?
• Where is the power/energy of a weapon?
• How do you balance the power of a man/woman and weapon together?
• Can you split the power?
• How does energy and power work together and is power and energy the same thing?
• Is power dependant on size and strength?
• Is power needed?

Transition: - the ability to use a variety of weapons and unarmed techniques to a given situation - if we train only with one weapon then we may not be proficient in using other weapons. Do we have time to learn thousands of techniques with all weapons in a short time frame? If we do not understand basic body and weapon mechanics then our weapons may not have the desired effect when used, some points to consider:

.To take the knowledge of weapon and body mechanics and take advantage of how to use them against other weapons
.To take the knowledge of weapon and body mechanics and take advantage of how to use them against other people.
.To understand the weapon and body mechanics and apply the previous four concepts together to establish a sound knowledge of different sizes, weights, strengths and sharpness of weapons right through to an unarmed situation.
The above descriptions of our concepts are not designed to go into great detail of theory and alternatives - it is an overview of what can be achieved if required. The most important factor of these concepts is that on their own they are only parts of a puzzle - but when you put the concepts together, they become one, and the bigger picture can be seen - only then will you have a trained and adaptable person confident in the use of everyday weapons.
All the above can be reduced and expanded upon in both practical and theory depending on our customers needs. Our practical application is based on simple, proven, honest and direct methods for people to use in training and under stress. Our theory is designed to improve and understand the syllabus, its techniques and drills so an individual can use and adapt our concepts and progress to self-analysing when on their own outside of the training environment.

The theory and practical and strategic applications can be simple and quick for immediate retention or designed for greater detail on long-term course

Enjoy. This post is getting better and better. Thank you

[Tant01]

Or training ???

I will use any weapon at hand when it comes to surviving and staying alive.Survival is a mode where it spans beyond the limits of moral values and restriction. Regardless of the weapon used while defending one's self (by any means neccesary) I'm gonna commit to surviving FIRST. I'll be glad to be alive to deal with the law later.

That's all well and good and sounds reasonable but the idea I think Guro was trying to stress was that we should TRAIN the way we might be forced to fight. Improvised weapons are all around us but unless we have some idea of their capabilities and limitations and the awareness to grasp that they ARE weapons then they are useless...How many things can be a shield? An obstruction in the path of your attacker(s) eliminates the need to attack. Escape and evasion are also important for those times when you are completely out gunned...or out numbered. Also looks better in court if you try to escape instead if slaughter...

[danjuandesiga]

That's all well and good and sounds reasonable but the idea I think Guro was trying to stress was that we should TRAIN the way we might be forced to fight.

What Guro Dave posted I agree with, but what does this have to do with my own post? Was there some sort of insinuation saying I don't train the way I might be forced to fight?
Um, my friend.... have you read the thread titled "MSDA Student knife fight story"? Look it over again please.

[Tant01]

Yes, I have and you are a badass my friend (no disrespect intended) Just thinking had you been disarmed or without your knife (yeah right..) then what? Ya know?

It comes down to using the things around you. Do you train with chairs?


All the best.

[danjuandesiga]

Yes, I have and you are a badass my friend (no disrespect intended) Just thinking had you been disarmed or without your knife (yeah right..) then what? Ya know?

It comes down to using the things around you. Do you train with chairs?


All the best.

Had I been disarmed, I still won't be discouraged to continue fighting to survive. Like I said earlier I will use anything at hand including chairs, or even another person, etc.

[Tant01]

uh huh...

... Like I said earlier I will use anything at hand including chairs, or even another person, etc.

That's the stuff! A human shield! I've actually used that! Good thinking!

[danjuandesiga]

wisdom of the streets

That's the stuff! A human shield! I've actually used that! Good thinking!

It's one thing to get all "Academic" about the combative arts and to theorize scenarios during discussions, but it still won't make up for one's lack of "instinctively ingrained street-smarts" which is exactly the standpoint I mean to shoot my posts from AND a viewpoint I wish many others would to open up to.

[Escrima Jim]

Reality

When you train it has to be like in a real situation. Real fighting doesn't look pretty, it will be scrappy and the choices that are there will take different routes during the fight itself. But if you are from a system that doesn't have a base in the real combat world then you will struggle big time in a fight if it goes off course.

Train in a reality combat system for a reality combat world.

85% of Martial Arts tech's WILL NOT WORK in the street. FACT