Your means of defence

[Petronius]

Let's face it. We live in a world full of uneducated maggots. This is something real, as real as taxes, as real as...chavs.

I have been in a lot of fights. Usually they attacked me in groups of min 4 people, cause they have no real courage. I never start a fight and usually, when I see a chav I pass on the other side of the street, and I always avoid eye-contact.

First, when I was 16 years old, I used to carry a big folding knife. But the police confiscated it. After that I used batons, triple metallic chains, ninja stars, all of it was confiscated by the police, or my cousin, who also is an officer.

Now I never leave home without at least two pepper sprays and everyone seems happy.

What are your means of defense?

[Deadmanwalking_05]

First Line=Avoidance.

Secondline=Get as much distance as I can between myself (And give anyone that is with me the heads up) and the threat.

Third Line= If the threat continues I take a defensive posture with weapon drawn hammer cocked back,and level the weapon toward the threat if a shot has to be taken,what happens after that is the threats choice to make.

[Man In Room 5]

Ninja stars? Major fail. Those things are fun to play darts with but they're hardly a practical weapon. Even if you were accurate with them their mere campiness would make your victim die laughing (perhaps literally). I carried a butterfly knife in my punk rock years, and I could open it faster than a switchblade, but I stopped carrying it several years ago. I still have it though. I had a chance to buy an unregistered .38 many years ago but I didn't trust the seller so I passed. I also have brass knuckles I never carry. Right now I have them over my window frame to support a falling curtain rod I'm too lazy to repair.

[jack_the_knife]

I don't leave the house without my switchblade. But if I get into a fight I avoid the use of it and usually use things that are lying around. Rocks and bottles make fantastic weapons.

[masquerade]

I just have some police grade pepper spray. I don't suggest getting any of it on your genitals. It sticks and won't wash off with just water. Basically eating away at sensitive bits.

I do have knife I carry, but I live in a small little town and area. I am pretty sure the pepper spray would be enough.... then again they are huge ass rednecks. I might need to get a gun. :/

[Ms.Crowbar]

My first line of defence would be walking away. You're never a coward if you walk away from a fight.
My second line of defence would probably my arms if a fight were to break out. If I'm attacked, I block the punch or the kick. If they use a knife, I hit the nerves in their wrist. It's not as easy as it sounds, but we're trained how to get the knife out of someone's hands.
We're also trained how to kill someone if it's absolutely necessary. Kill or be killed, that's what our Sensei tells us. I know a number of moves that could either kill or disable someone. If I chose to disable someone, it's only for a short amount of time, long enough for me to either run or call the police. In Shoto Khan, we don't use weapons. The use of weapons, in our eyes, is cowardly, especially if the other person doesn't have a weapon that they can use to defend themselves.

[Deadmanwalking_05]

Ah' but it's most usual to say that the weapon you don't see is the one that get's ya'.

[Ms.Crowbar]

Again, it's cowardly to use a weapon in a fight. It means that you're too scared to fight with your hands.

[Deadmanwalking_05]

You're entitled to your own opinion on that,but not everybody plays by the rules.

[Ms.Crowbar]

Originally Posted by Deadmanwalking_05

You're entitled to your own opinion on that,but not everybody plays by the rules.

Yeah, that's what makes them cowards. Not playing by the rules.

[Unimatrix 00]

Bare hands for me.

[Deadmanwalking_05]

That's because nobody in their right mind would trust you with a sharp stick.

[Underwater Ophelia]

Originally Posted by Ms.Crowbar

Again, it's cowardly to use a weapon in a fight. It means that you're too scared to fight with your hands.

Using a weapon doesn't make you a coward, it means you're intelligent.

[Ms.Crowbar]

It means that you're afraid to use your bare hands.
You'd rather use a man made object to kill than what Nature gave you, your bare hands.

[Deadmanwalking_05]

You've never been in a real life or death fight have you?

I'm not talking about high school bs....the real thing where it's killed or be killed have you?

[Ms.Crowbar]

I've been threatened with a knife, yes.
I was out partying with my friends one night at one of the clubs in Dundee. We walked outside and some random drunk fucker pulled a knife out when he saw how I was dressed. The first thing we did was try to get him to calm down while one member of our group went to get help. In that situation, that's the first thing you do. Try to calm them down. Only when the attack you should you use force.
Fortunately, I've never been in a "Kill or be Killed" situation, and I hope that I never have to kill someone to save my life. But being able to fight only attracts trouble, it doesn't scare it off. I learned that in school.

[Deadmanwalking_05]

I've been in situations where trying to defuse the matter only made things worse.

The guy stabbed at me I blocked it using my arm and kept the knife from sinking into my throat.

we grappled around for a second or two,I headbutted him,landed an upper cut with my right hand,got him on the ground and pounded his head into the sidewalk until some friends pulled me off of him.

I then added the knife to my collection.

[Ms.Crowbar]

Originally Posted by Deadmanwalking_05

I've been in situations where trying to defuse the matter only made things worse.

The guy stabbed at me I blocked it using my arm and kept the knife from sinking into my throat.

we grappled around for a second or two,I headbutted him,landed an upper cut with my right hand,got him on the ground and pounded his head into the sidewalk until some friends pulled me off of him.

I then added the knife to my collection.

Was he pissed? Because if he was pissed, then I'd understand why trying to reason with him would only make things worse.

[Deadmanwalking_05]

Yeah one of my buddy's said something to him out of the way and he picked me out of the group,thinking I was the one that said it (I'd just shown up to beat it all)

[masquerade]

Yeah I'm not trusting my hands to finish off a situation. I'm not strong at all, nor am I going to act like I am. I would need to be clever, and have something that would give me the advantage if the situation ever presented itself.

[Saya]

The neighbourhood I live in isn't exactly very safe, but we have a few security officers patrolling the area at night, and a sort of neighbourhood watch, so I feel pretty safe running to the corner store at night. I always have my cell on me incase anything does happen, and if you feel you're being followed you're encouraged to call the police, and they'll have someone pick you up and drive you home. Generally though I don't go walking by myself at night, and never go downtown by myself.

I used to carry a pocket knife, but seeing as I'm usually going to work, where I'd be fired if it was found, or going to a party, where I don't exactly wanna swing a knife around while drunk, I leave it home. A friend of mine recommended carrying around a small bottle of hair spray though, since mace and pepperspray is illegal here.

[HellforgedX]

"You are one dumb sonofabitch, bringin' a knife to a gun fight."
~Harry Heck, Punisher

[Duane]

Originally Posted by HellforgedX

"You are one dumb sonofabitch, bringin' a knife to a gun fight."
~Harry Heck, Punisher

Gack gack gack, throat pierced, gack!!!

[Tam Li Hua]

They say that the best defense is a good offense, so I do the following:

-- Stay out of areas where someone is likely to attack me.

-- Walk with confidence: My head up, my game face on, and an attitude that says, "I'm not the target you are looking for."

-- Plan on using my voice and whatever else I have available to me to fight with if I -am- attacked. [They say that, for a woman, her voice is her best weapon, since attackers rarely want to draw attention to themselves.]

I don't carry knives or anything, because I'm fairly clumsy and am pretty sure I'd end up spraying -myself- before I sprayed my attacker. :/

[Saya]

^ Being street smart does go a long way. I heard also that you shouldn't wear headphones either, apparently an attacker will target you since you wouldn't be able to hear them sneak up on you.