Martial Arts Skills

It has been suggested that I share some of my experience and open up to questions, so here it goes.

A little background: my pops was a boxer and he started me out at about 8. I was a small fry and he figured knowing how to defend myself would come in handy, which it did. I had about a dozen low level boxing matches as a teenager before finding Muay Thai kick boxing, which became my obsession during high school and college and a hobby to this day. All in all I have about 12 years of kick boxing, 2 years of Brazilian jiu jitsu, 2 years on MMA, a little bit of taekwando, and just recently started judo. I am NOT AN EXPERT in anything and do not claim such, but as a life long student, I have learned a few things I’d like to share.

Many people assume that martial artists kick people’s asses because they can, or that we at least have some crazy Bruce Lee style fight stories. I have been in exactly ONE real fist fight outside of a cage and it was over in less that 10 seconds. The biggest self defense take away I have gotten from 20+ years of training is the discipline, confidence, and awareness to AVOID being caught in a situation where I’ll have to fight. And I will take a fight avoided over a fight won any day. I have only had a couple of sanctioned bouts where I didn’t get hurt, even those I won (broken hand, broken toes, concussions, torn ACL while winning by submission, there’s always something.)

So if anyone is interested, I’ll post some more. And feel free to ask any and all questions. Thanks.

 

That is good advice, Western. Knowing martial arts or some type of self-defense does not make you invincible. A little better prepared, maybe, but no guarantee you will win, or not get hurt. Avoidance, where possible, is a much better policy.

 

The main thing that martial arts do is they program you to make instinctive responses to certain things. For an example of what I mean, my wife worked for 25 years in various prisons. One of her friends is a mixed martial artist. Her husband is a professional. One day while she and one other officer were escorting an inmate he went off and slammed her u side the head with a bar of soap in a sock then attacked her partner. She suffered a rather severe concussion and was off work for a few days. When she returned she was really upset because she felt that she had failed her partner by getting taken down so fast.

The incident was caught on tape. they showed it to her. For a while, it was a very popular bit of video. She was hit and went down. The inmate grabbed her partner and hit him once with the soap in the sock. Laying on the ground she swept his feet and he went down hard. She jumped on him and repeatedly slammed his face with elbows then hammer fists. Then she grabbed his head and started slamming it on the concrete floor. Several other officers arrived and got her off the inmate. She passed out from the concussion and was taken to the clinic and then to a hospital. When she awoke she had no memory of what had happened after she was hit and went down. It was all instinct and training.

LOL, the after effect of this is that most of the inmates are terrified of her and are sure that had she not been pulled off that she would have beat that guy to death. This young lady is NOT a huge amazon. She weighs about 130 pounds and is about 5'7". The inmate was well over 6' and over 200lbs and wasn't fat. He never stood a chance! When she got hit it triggered an all-out attack that she had trained into her reactions. I believe it is called ground and pound and that young lady did it in spades!

 

I would love to know which types of martial arts she trained for and for how long.

Kudos to this lady!

 

Westen, which style of martial arts do you think is doable for 50 and 60+ year old ladies for self defense (besides cane fighting)?

Asking for myself and a few friends.

 

Nothing to do with MA at all
That was pure "ATTITUDE" or should I say BAD ATTITUDE !

Not so good that she had no control of it! it may have been the first time in her life that rage had surged to the surface.

 

I believe that both she and her husband are primarily Brazillian Jujitsu. You are right Oldguy it takes attitude but there was also the instinctive technique that only comes from endlessly repeated training.

Her training is also dependent to some extent on trusting a referee to tell you when to stop. I will tell you that in my particular form of fighting you never stop until they quit resisting or preferably stop moving. Even when they curl up and stop fighting I'm probably going to kick them a few times to make sure that we are done. You NEVER let your adversary recover and attack you a second time. I don't fight for fun.

 

The "muscle memory" of training in combination with a strong desire to survive (or as Old Guy put it, a bad attitude) went into overdrive and stayed stuck there because she was apparently not in full control of her mental faculties. She was probably shocked at seeing herself in that video later.


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I would recommend jiu jitsu, and if the joints are still functioning properly, judo. These arts are mostly about leverage and less about size and strength.

 

It sounds like that woman had some damn good training, that’s straight up muscle memory and instinct. Remember, 1000 reps for efficiency, 10,000 for proficiency, 50,000 for mastery. The things I like to stress to people learning defense (hand to hand or with a firearm) are mostly mental: don’t fight if you aren’t prepared to kill. The only time you should ever engage in a fight is defense of a life, yours or someone else’s, and that can result in death easier than you think.

The oldest and most effective form of self defense is flight. I encourage and train furious flight (more to come on this in a different post.) Only once this is no longer a viable option do we engage in furious fight. Neutralize the threat as quickly and efficiently as possible, with extreme violence of action, remembering that there are no longer any rules.

 

I suspect that having your bell rung by a hard blow to her temple might have had a somewhat lessening effect of her concern for her adversaries health. This was in a maximum security prison where death row and trouble inmates are kept. There is a real possibility that she was fighting for her life.

I have to admit that I find it rather surprising that everyone is so concerned about the inmate being beaten up. I guess living in Texas gives me a different view of things. By our laws, if he had attacked her on a public street she would have every RIGHT to kill him. By law, you have the right to use lethal force in defense of your life, to prevent physical injury or to stop someone from stealing your property.

 

Martial arts when practiced in full contact / wearing of head gear and padding are both good for self defense and for maintaining the body's stamina and general health. Wear all safety equipment; it is your duty, witness military training. Obviously, if one is in constant fights or trains to the exclusion of living a normal life, the consequences will be negative, very negative. The discipline of working-out on a regular and reasonable schedule is good for the mind and the soul. We are enjoined by the Prophets to be good protectors of the health of the body, for in this world, the body is the temple of the soul. A healthy body will allow you to be of service to your Creator and it will allow you to get a whole lot more fun out of life.

"Moderation in all things"

The youth of America are today are Pillsbury dough-boys and -girls. Without discipline and physical exercise, the body will age prematurely. An uncared-for body will be of poor service during emergency situations. And oh by the way, bad things happen in this world. You may have to save yourself or another person. I once was lean and strong. I've helped others and there were times we had our fun.

Now that I am old and semi-crippled, if you perpetrate aggression towards me, I will not respond by slamming your vomer bone up into the base of your brain, I'll just blow a lead bullet into it. I'm still lightning fast, however I've grown lazy and weary of aggressive people. I'll take you out for sh##s and grins. I've no patience truth be told. And every part of my skeleton aches.

 

Getting old DOES have that effect on you!

 

Sh##ts and grins, huh?

 

via Imgflip Meme Generator

 

I wish I had enough funds to afford MA training, but may have to rely on videos and whatnot... Even if I did have the funds, I live in an area that is too remote for me to travel to attend classes anyway.

I have often wondered how a solo person can train?

 

Great point. You can absolutely train by yourself to get a little better prepared, but it’s always better with a buddy. Even without spending a dollar, there is so much content available on YouTube that you can get a big head start. Granted, it’s not the same and you won’t garner the same results as going to a gym or having a skilled trainer, but you can learn the basics of almost anything.

 

I don't know anyone who is as interested as I am to buddy up on something like this.

I have even toyed with the idea of hanging a homemade "dummy" opponent from the ceiling, but it it is too light, it will go flying when I bust its chops, lol. And if it's too heavy, it would just be my luck, the thing will come swinging back my way and bust my chops and knock me the heck out if I am not careful.


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Hey, at least it will teach you to stick and move!

 

Ha ha ha! Speaking of stick...

My friends already know that I ain't right... but they will positively freak out to see the dummy hanging from the ceiling, lolol. They will think it is a giant voodoo doll or something.

Just because I am a seventh generation New Orleanian, does NOT mean I am related to Marie Laveau, and can speak French as well as my grandmother, or eat beignets and drink cafe au lait every day of my life. But I can't convince them of that.

Oh well, maybe I will just stick giant pins in the big dummy hanging from the ceiling so they won't be too disappointed.

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I made a heavy bag when I was a kid out of sawdust and sand in a canvass bag. It actually worked pretty well.

 

Hmmm... I will do just that. And put an NFL referee shirt on it for good measure... You know, out of loyalty to my hometown (watch the video in this article, lol):

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/03/03/r...e-ncblO3QlBBlg7gC2CJ0RR_5IWIIv-YGqweW-lQM7rzg


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Thank you TMT!

 

Thank you! I will look into both arts.

Poor devils won't know what the heck I am up to... I might accidentally come at them with hybrid jiu jitsu/judo/Krav Maga moves that they will not have ever seen before, lol.


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100% to that. Super Bowl Sunday in New Orleans was a hoot. Practically the whole city took to the streets partying instead of watching the Stupid Bowl. No rioting, just party-hearty fun.


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There is no one style that works best. I say use what works. If that happens to be jijumaga, so be it!

 

Haha. If you’re going to learn one form of self defense in our modern world, I recommend gun fighting. Lol

 

Who said they are?

 

No they are not everything but I am certain that Westen meant to beat someone into submission with a gun.

Thanks,
Watcherchris.

 

It is difficult to beat someone into submission with a bullet.

My non Ishmaelite .02,

Watcherchris

 

LOL LOL LOL!!!!

Zoooooooooooooooom!!!!!!


Watcherchris

Not an Ishmaelite




Post Sript.

If things go right ...I am looking to buy another gun soon from someone's estate sale.


It is a Savage Model 24V ....an over under single shot with the top barrel being a .357 Magnum and the bottom barrel being a 20 gauge.


I currently have one similar to it in a Savage model 24 C...with a .22 long rifle over the top of a 20 gauge shotgun.

I like this kind of set up for Prepping and simplicity/reliability as well as versitility.

I don't really need it but it is come available and will try to pick it up.

 

You do realize I was being facetious in my replies...tongue in cheek so to speak???


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite

 

Yes...Indeed...and I understood that when I posted lonewolf.

I too am pretty serious in most of my posts...hence it is more of an exception for me to carry on in such an manner.


Thanks,
Watcherchris

Not an Ishmaelte

 

Lonewolf,

On the serious side now..

With my new holster of recent I have been carrying my Colt Government 1911 with one in the pipe..and three spare magazines. The 1911 is a heavy gun in weight but no doubt about it's effectiveness close up.

Most of the time I am carrying a Ruger GP 100 in .357 Magnum. A much lighter pistol weight wise..but with a hard bark and recoil compared to my heavier 1911.

Fortunately for most instances.....just the presence of a firearm is enough to deter two legged wildlife...but that does not at all mean one should not be prepared to use it...nor train with one.

I hope I never have to use one ...but the two legged wildlife is branching out from their traditional grounds and territories and looking for fresh prey in this town.

Though we have the occasional rounds of levity....I am, like you , pretty serious about most of what I do.

Many years of building ships has ingrained such seriousness in me. Handling uranium fuel cells...even more so...

One tightens up ones backside and operating standards when doing this kind of work or we don't want or need you.....that is just the way it is.

So it is rarely you will see me cutting up on these boards.....


Just this evening I cleaned two .22 LR pistols I shot earlier last week at the gun club and put them back in storage....on the ready line..

Waiting for the call on that Savage over under combination gun. Hope it comes through by the weekend.



Thanks,
Watcherchris

Not an Ishmaelite.

 

There actually is an advantage to beating someone to death with a handgun rather than just shooting them. If you kill them they will never convict you of murder. Manslaughter maybe but if you went into it with the intention of killing them you would have shot them so premeditated murder would be off the table. If you only beat them half to death you won't be accused of attempted murder only assault. Once again if your INTENTION was to kill then you would have shot them.

 

One of the nice things about being an old fart is that nobody has a problem with you carrying around a heavy club. You just call it your walking stick and they are fine with you having it. Mine are either made by Cold Steel or heavy stock canes. It is amazing what you can do with that hook on the end. I even went to a 6 1/2' shepherd's staff for my hiking stick.

 

Yeah...I've thought about it too after reading and or studying the Cold Steel site.
Same here...knees getting worse as the years go by.

Watcherchris,
Not an Ishmaelite