Weapons Training

[middleway]

Out of curiosity: What is the weapons value of an old mobile phone?
Do you stab the attacker with the aerial? Or threaten to call his Mum and tell on him, perhaps?

By old, i mean the old 'brick' type mobile that was pretty solid. Essentially you hold it in your fist and smash the butt of it into the opponents head until they cant see ... either from teh blood or unconciousness

Chris

[RobP2]

Fiesta? Blimey your showing your age Andy!

[mrtoes]

I guess one problem with the magazine/newspaper is that it requires a degree of preparation and I can't see that working on the street.

Hey Matthew,

It's fine if you prepare beforehand.

Whenever I'm on a plane, I check which magazine would work best as an impact weapon. I also always have a high-powered flashlight and a sturdy pen with me. Come on... I can't be the only crazy who does this...

Hi Ian

After my last post I, um, went home and duly set about myself with various tightly rolled publications (no not Fiesta!). I found the Economist to be quite useless, whether driving the end into myself or whacking myself round the head like a stick. A combination of the Guardian Sports/Money supplement was somewhat better having a bit more heft, but still didn't really create much more than stinging (although I gather from the wiki on the Millwall Brick that the Guardian was indeed prized for this purpose) My girlfriend then asked if she could assist (ooh matron!), and it was really quite annoying. In the end I was forced to disarm her.

With this very limited test, I found it less effective than my knuckles and elbows. I hasten to add however, that I have no doubt that a few seconds alone with you and a carefully selected publication would have me literally choking on my words! Do you need a nice thick glossy, or is it all in the rolling? Those inflight magazines are usually glossy and and bloated with adverts, I imagine they would work quite well.

I'm really intrigued by the torch idea - is one of these small tactical torches really bright enough to seriously disorientate an attacker? The pen is a great idea (oh I just had it in my pocket, oops went in his eye/throat)

I notice that the Surefire lights have hardened sharp edges, very nasty. It would probably count against you in court if you employed it inappropriately, as it looks very much like a weapon.

And just to echo some earlier thoughts in this thread, IMO it's good to be able to turn anything into a weapon, including your own mind and body.

Definitely. Looking into this area is quite high on my (long) martial arts todo list. Thanks for your thoughts!

Matthew

[Ian]

Hi Ian

After my last post I, um, went home and duly set about myself with various tightly rolled publications (no not Fiesta!). I found the Economist to be quite useless, whether driving the end into myself or whacking myself round the head like a stick. A combination of the Guardian Sports/Money supplement was somewhat better having a bit more heft, but still didn't really create much more than stinging (although I gather from the wiki on the Millwall Brick that the Guardian was indeed prized for this purpose) My girlfriend then asked if she could assist (ooh matron!), and it was really quite annoying. In the end I was forced to disarm her.

With this very limited test, I found it less effective than my knuckles and elbows. I hasten to add however, that I have no doubt that a few seconds alone with you and a carefully selected publication would have me literally choking on my words! Do you need a nice thick glossy, or is it all in the rolling? Those inflight magazines are usually glossy and and bloated with adverts, I imagine they would work quite well.

Hey Matthew,

The tube will resist compression from either end, not across the middle. So use the butt-ends of the magazine, just like they taught in science class! It doesn't really work as a swatting instrument

I've found that even a flimsy, 20-page magazine, tightly rolled and used correctly, is enough to dent soft wood. Also more than enough to hurt someone.

That millwall brick is pretty brutal as well. Those edges...

I'm really intrigued by the torch idea - is one of these small tactical torches really bright enough to seriously disorientate an attacker? The pen is a great idea (oh I just had it in my pocket, oops went in his eye/throat)

We're talking 60+ lumens into night-adjusted eyes. Yes, it's enough to disorientate someone.

You might want to try playing with paperbacks in your training as well. Something substantial like Crime & Punishment is better than An Intro to Sudoku.

I notice that the Surefire lights have hardened sharp edges, very nasty. It would probably count against you in court if you employed it inappropriately, as it looks very much like a weapon.

Right. The strike bevel is a bit overkill and will almost certainly land you in trouble if you ever used it. You can do the same with a Surefire G2, which is a lot cheaper and can take the same amount of impact. I have meynard/strawdog to thank for this piece of advice.

[Chris McKinley]

Yep....poor man's kubotan. Also works with unbound paper such that the roll can be instantly dispersed as a minor visual distraction for a follow-up strike or to egress or present a weapon. Same thing with an open cup of coffee, btw.

[josh]

Right. The strike bevel is a bit overkill and will almost certainly land you in trouble if you ever used it. You can do the same with a Surefire G2, which is a lot cheaper and can take the same amount of impact. I have meynard/strawdog to thank for this piece of advice.

I'm a fan of this one - about the size of a roll of quarters, only takes one battery, has a higher max output than the G2 (and is programmable), and while it does have a beveled edge, it doesn't look too menacing:
http://www.ralights.com/?id=EdcExecutive

[mrtoes]

Right. The strike bevel is a bit overkill and will almost certainly land you in trouble if you ever used it. You can do the same with a Surefire G2, which is a lot cheaper and can take the same amount of impact. I have meynard/strawdog to thank for this piece of advice.

Thanks for the tip Ian. I just ordered myself a Fenix PD30 which wasn't much more than the Surefire. Why settle for 60 lumens when you can 220 with a strobe function?

[dragontigerpalm]

This is the one that I've been using for about a year - 4 nights/week. It gets a lot of use. Very rugged and dependable with a very bright and tight light and much less expensive than the name brands.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Q5-Tactical-3-watt- ... 7C294%3A30