# Self protection in urban area



## Backyardcreek (Feb 12, 2015)

Likely this is covered in other threads so please direct if so.
Watch video clip of a seated (40ish) man on a bus being hit by two young men.
Fortunately the man did not sustain life threatening wounds. 
Ok I'm a 50 + woman & started thinking what weapons would I be able to use.
The monkeys fist hanging off my bag would be difficult due to close quarters. The folding knife card is in my wallet. 
So any suggestions?


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## bigg777 (Mar 18, 2013)

Pepper spray, long fingernails and *do not bury your head in your smart phone!*


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## jnrdesertrats (Jul 3, 2010)

Allways be ready to respond with the ferosity of a wolverine.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

I completely understand your concerns. Most older people (I'm 61) have thought about getting slower and weaker and becoming attractive victims to thugs. The easy answer would be to get a gun, but realistically, if you live in an area with strict guns laws then only the thugs have guns.

The best weapon anyone can have is their mind. Don't travel alone, if you have to travel alone be aware of cars following you and people just hanging out at street corners. If you have to run a red light, then do it, a ticket is better then something much worse.

When shopping or walking, don't carry valuables in your purse, take the valuables out of the purse and put them on your person. If a thug tries to take the purse let them have it. In fact don't carry a purse. My wife hasn't carried a purse in decades. She puts her drivers license, charge card and some cash in a pocket and that's all she carries. If we are out together, she doesn't carry anything, I do.

Secure your home with bars on the windows and extra strong entry doors with extra strong locks, drill a hole in the floor so that a bar can be dropped into the hole, so that the door only opens enough to talk but not enough to allow a person in. Forcible home invasions are usually done by more then one thug, so imagine 2 maybe 3 trying to force their way in through the door and then you will realize the the conventional locks on the door are worthless.

BTW a gun is the only deterrent worth a discussion for middle age and older people. For pepper spray, knifes, brass knuckles, etc. to be effective then good physical strength and speed will be needed and even if you have this what do you do if there are 2 thugs, 3 thugs, or more?


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## OldeTymer (Feb 17, 2014)

hickory cane and lots of practice


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> BTW a gun is the only deterrent worth a discussion for middle age and older people.


I agree 100%. I have had years of martial arts training. But though I am in fairly good shape I do know my limitations and I carry a gun almost all the time. Guns are NOT for everyone. I am old enough so having a cane would certainly not raise any eyebrows and I am now on the lookout for a nice one for the times I am not packing. I might just make my cane to my own specs.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

A lot of this depends on where you live. If you live in California versus Texas as example. If you live in California and try to protect yourself you may be prosecuted for hurting the poor muggers. If you live in Texas and you shoot your attackers they just say good shot. I am not trying to be facetious here but trying to point out we need more information at least about what state you live in. 

If someone attacks you with a knife you are in trouble. From Twenty feet it is pretty much deadly since you do not have time to pull a weapon to defend yourself from a knife attack.


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## SwordsandSaddles (Mar 14, 2015)

I was about to say, no gun? You know, when he invented the revolver, and made firearms truly multishot before reloading, they would say, "God made man, and Sam Colt made all men equal." There is some wisdom there. 

If you can, pick up some martial arts. Never hurts. Go to a shooting class. And do what you can to avoid trouble. Best wishes.


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

No matter what weapon you choose for self defense (gun, knife, cane, etc.) The most important tool you can have is a warrior mindset. Be mentally prepared to fight all the time.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I recommend getting a gun. Then get some training. First get a introductory course then get basic course that involves movement. After that take a class at least once a year. I can't overstate how important the training is. 

As mentioned earlier keep alert. Criminals look for the weak and unprepared. If your head is buried in a phone or your listening to headphones and not paying attention they will will be able to get the jump on you.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Just be aware of your surroundings.*

A predator is always ready to pounce on his/her victim and once you leave the security of your property you are at risk period and it doesn't matter if you are a martial arts Rambo type or a walking nightmare, the predator/predators will have the upper hand the problem here is to know your areas to avoid lonely spots in those areas to travel in groups to ask for help in getting to your vehicle from the store or restaurant if you are alone to pay attention and forget the electric toys grab the tear gas vs the cell phone, it takes a special kind of individual to carry a weapon so is not the end of the world, avoid situations that favor the predators types; dark and lonely places, public parking buildings, avoid routines or habits that can mark you as a target, but if you opt for a weapon get training and if it makes you secured grab it as you walk from wherever you are to your vehicle, don't feel bad about stopping and looking back as you walk been alert is not been paranoid is been careful, this are precautions and habits that I have and teach my love ones every day ;I have a weapon ,well train on its use, I'm not too small but I`m always looking behind me and around me everywhere I go, especially at night and that is not too often .Just be aware of your surroundings.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Get a good cell phone, dial 911 and politely ask the would-be perpetrators to stand by until the police arrive. That advice is White House approved. 

Okay back to reality. Self defense tools are only tools, but preparation, practice and mindset are 75% of the battle. Having options is the last 25%. Guns do not always work well in close-quarters, but with some distance are better than anything else (IF you have the skill set needed to use them properly). Chemical irritants also work in some situations and not in others. Certain stun devices work well up close but only if you are physically able to make contact with an aggressive subject. Taser devices give you more options and range, but also have their limitations. Collapsible batons are another option, but one that takes a lot of training or luck. My best advice is always to seek out a qualified self defense instructor (which is not easy by the way) and learn some basic form of hand to hand in combination with lethal and/or less lethal weapons depending on what you want and the laws of your state.


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## bigg777 (Mar 18, 2013)

Above all else, remember there is no such thing as a fair fight. The old saying, "All is fair in love and war," is real. Never make it a fair fight, when on the defensive be maniacal and vicious.


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## zombieresponder (Aug 20, 2012)

SwordsandSaddles said:


> I was about to say, no gun? You know, when he invented the revolver, and made firearms truly multishot before reloading, they would say, "God made man, and Sam Colt made all men equal." There is some wisdom there.
> 
> If you can, pick up some martial arts. Never hurts. Go to a shooting class. And do what you can to avoid trouble. Best wishes.


No product of man's hands or mind is capable of making men equal. Death is the great equalizer.

As far as self protection goes.... The number one rule is to not _look_ like a victim. Of the people who are attacked, most are targeted because they appear to be easy marks. Many others are targets because they have no concept of situational awareness and thus are too preoccupied with finding their keys/texting/etc. to notice the perp approaching them. If they'd been even slightly aware of what was going on, they would have noticed the guy with odd body language approaching and the alarm in their head might have gone off.

A gun/knife/pepper spray is completely useless if the opponent already has you physically subdued before you can react.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

In the video the victim is at a severe disadvantage. He is seated with very limited mobility while the perps are standing and have an open area to attack from. The victim could have done a couple of moves but a gun would have been the best choice here (maybe). Pepper spray would have worked but irritated most of the non-combatants also. The victim was in a very poor position but at the first sign of trouble could have discretely drawn his gun and kept it concealed until or if it was needed. If a gun had been used it would have been a tough sell to the grand jury for self defense because of the disparity of force used. It was just a totally bad situation. Too bad the victim would not have been Chuck Norris (I think it would have turned out differently).


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

Nothing screams "prey" more than someone walking down the sidewalk with their head buried in their electronics. People in the city seem to wall off everything around them. They look like they are in a constant fog. I don't know if that's because they try to reduce the sensory overload or what. 

Not long ago I saw a video of a small young woman busy texting in a subway station. Some huge thug 3 times her size comes around the corner and rips her phone out of her hand. 

First she jumps in front of him and starts swinging at him. She looked harmless as a fly. As soon as he goes to backhand her, she kicks him once right in the cohones, he drops to his knees. Now she is looking him right in the eye. While his hands are holding his crotch, she flat hands him on both ears. Probably blew out his ear drums. Kicks him once in the side of his temple to drop him the rest of the way, grabs her phone and runs like crazy out of view of the security camera. He never moved once he was down

The whole event was probably over in about 2-3 seconds. 
It's all about "no holds barred" disabling someone. A thumb in the eye, a knee in the nuts, if their down, stomp on their collar bone or a boot in the temple. A hooked finger in the corner of the mouth to rip they head around. What ever it takes to get the job done but once you start, don't stop. And still look for additional attackers coming from the back or sides, then haul butt

Just the fact that you are constantly scanning everyone and every place around you makes you less of a target.


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## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)

One trick that I learned for developing situational awareness skills was to think like a predator myself. (Not to the point of carrying through, obviously.)

As I went through my daily routines, I would people watch. If I were a predator, what would be my opportunities in this moment? The person going through his backpack. The person sitting in the car with the door wide open, keys hanging in the ignition. The person engrossed in their laptop and coffee. And so on. The next step for me as a martial artist was "how would I take advantage of the moment?" With a punch, a weapon, a quick smash and grab ...

Doing this exercise got me thinking critically about how I present myself in public _really_ quickly. Not just about where my attention is, but how I position my limbs to prevent a grab. Or how I hold my stuff (backpack is on _both_ shoulders now!) And what I wear. I still have lots of scarves in my wardrobe, but I wrap them close to my body now with no free-floating ends.

That may be a bit far for many people, but it's a great mental exercise. I still do it a lot, sometimes just for fun.


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## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)




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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

notyermomma said:


> One trick that I learned for developing situational awareness skills was to think like a predator myself. (Not to the point of carrying through, obviously.)
> 
> As I went through my daily routines, I would people watch. If I were a predator, what would be my opportunities in this moment? The person going through his backpack. The person sitting in the car with the door wide open, keys hanging in the ignition. The person engrossed in their laptop and coffee. And so on. The next step for me as a martial artist was "how would I take advantage of the moment?" With a punch, a weapon, a quick smash and grab ...
> 
> ...


I completely agree with your statements. Personal safety is first and foremost about your mindset. You must maintain 360 degree tactical awareness at all times. Constantly scanning your surroundings for potential threats, escape routes, improvised weapons, etc. In addition you must have a warrior mindset and be willing to take the steps necessary to protect yourself. In every sheepdog there must be a little bit of wolf.


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## Balls004 (Feb 28, 2015)

I don't care how old you are, or what gender, I believe that everyone should carry a small fixed blade get off of me knife (not a folder), even if you carry a concealed pistol. They are easily concealed on your person and take very little training to be effective in repelling an attack. 

It might be all you have for teeth in the fight, but it might make the difference for you.


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