Martial arts, physical fitness, defending yourself....

[Chubbo]

My 2¢ worth.

The Martial Arts, have served my son admirably. He owned and operated noteworthy Karate Dojos. he was, many times, able to defuse bad situations. On the other hand I sat with him while he recuperated in a hospital bed, from, numerous broken bones and a jaw broken in three places and wired together, and eating through a straw, after he was nearly stomped, and beaten to death with a tire iron.

My physical condition has detreated, almost to the place where I can no longer wipe my own nose. I've decided that I will rely on the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, and my trustworthy .32 Seecamp, pistol for my, and my family's protection.

Chubbo

 

[Ugly Hombre]

Great thread and topic. I got a lot of benefit out of martial arts since the military sent me overseas when I was young. Practiced it as a hobby, Chinese methods. Funny never was really good at it. But that does not matter. I enjoyed it, kept me healthy. Its a interesting way to learn the good and bad of another culture, and learn self defense. After I retired 2nd time, I had some medical issues pretty serious ones, 3X in about 4 years. I used my training to rehab myself- still doing that, try for every day, but make 5 X a week at least usually. Its hard to find a good teacher in any system, talk to friends, check out the feel of the school how the system is taught etc. Do not sign a contract for instuction. Pay month to month or walk. On the Chinese side Wing Chun is good for older people and easier to find a quality instructor as that system is more popular and practical with more people practicing. Martial arts of any type is a great hobby and has a lot to offer. Good Luck!

 

[Old cop]

I'm 74 and hobble along w/a cane so martial arts training, as well as defending myself like I was 35, is a pipe dream. I did keep myself in shape until my late 60s when on going physical problems changed that.

 

[cmort666]

Maybe at my age I should just stay out of bad neighborhoods and avoid places and situations where things can happen.

ANY neighborhood can INSTANTLY become more dangerous for YOU than downtown Fallujah. All it takes is ONE individual.

I wouldn't consider going to a kosher supermarket a particularly "dangerous" situation. It was for a bunch of people in Paris a while ago.

As long as there are people around whom you don't know to be "safe", you have potential danger.

I'm about to turn 64 and have been in better shape, although I'm not decrepit. I don't participate in any organized martial arts activities. On the other hand, I carry a handgun where legal and think about and occasionally practice martial arts techniques designed not to control, but to injure and maim.

If you ever find yourself in a "fair fight", SOMEBODY screwed up. I'm not fistfighting with some eighteen year old "super predator". If somehow my fingers end up in your eye sockets up to the elbow, maybe you shouldn't have "gone there". At that point, you can't "un-ring" that bell.

 

[kmyers]

Over the years I have learned and practice 4 martial arts: Hapkido, Escrima, Krag Maga and Tai Chi. All do have practical things even though Tai Chi most take for the exercise and health benefits but you learn it and speed up the moves many, many times and it can be used for self defense with many moves being redirects and throwing a person off balance. Just turned 57 on Wednesday so I am no longer young enough, strong enough or fast enough to want to grapple or fight someone. Another option is learning knife techniques for karambit and hawk bill style blades types like the Spyderco Civilian and Matriarch. With the blade shape and design using the right moves you slash and run. I have owned a Civilian since shortly after they came out and it is the only weapon I used in self defense with the person who attacked me forgetting about doing anything other than getting away after I slashed his left arm badly a few times. I worked second shift so got off late a lot of times and the building was kind of secluded being a half mile between two heavily travelled streets so all types would pull into our parking lot for various purposes, I was grabbed in a choke hold so I attacked his arm as the natural target.

 

[cmort666]

Over the years I have learned and practice 4 martial arts: Hapkido, Escrima, Krag Maga and Tai Chi. All do have practical things even though Tai Chi most take for the exercise and health benefits but you learn it and speed up the moves many, many times and it can be used for self defense with many moves being redirects and throwing a person off balance. Just turned 57 on Wednesday so I am no longer young enough, strong enough or fast enough to want to grapple or fight someone. Another option is learning knife techniques for karambit and hawk bill style blades types like the Spyderco Civilian and Matriarch. With the blade shape and design using the right moves you slash and run. I have owned a Civilian since shortly after they came out and it is the only weapon I used in self defense with the person who attacked me forgetting about doing anything other than getting away after I slashed his left arm badly a few times. I worked second shift so got off late a lot of times and the building was kind of secluded being a half mile between two heavily travelled streets so all types would pull into our parking lot for various purposes, I was grabbed in a choke hold so I attacked his arm as the natural target.

It's good to carry a knife where legal to do so.

Unfortunately, an Ohio Concealed Handgun License is just that, a HANDGUN license. It doesn't authorize you to carry anything else, and there is NO preemption of knife laws here. Any little podunk town can have its own knife laws, and you can instantly become a criminal merely by crossing the street. It's literally safer here for me, legally, to carry a 7.62x51mm "pistol" with a drum magazine than a lock blade knife.

When I worked for the crooked IT contractor at the Cleveland Clinic, I always had a box cutter with me, either in my bag or in my pocket. I could prove it was a work tool, by the mountain of monitor and computer boxes we opened every night, and the failure of the employer to provide even the most basic of resources, such as scotch tape and hiliters.

 

[jeffsmith]

With All due respect (Seriously)

Since you are already Legally Licensed
Maybe its time to get into the habit
(Which I Admit I need to get into as well)

But
Being Physically Challenged since birth
Not only could I not successfully defend myself
I couldn't even run away if I had to

I believe All of us Hope it Never Comes to "THAT"
But if the Choice is an attacker or me
All Bets are off

Even though I am legally licensed to carry a handgun, I very rarely do. And, would hope that it never came down to that.

 

[Farmer17]

I'm 61 and have lifted weights and done cardio since college and took Taekwondo when I was younger and a few years ago, I bench pressed 315 and had near 19 inch biceps at 210lbs. One night I was at a local arcade with the kids and it had a swinging punching bag that recorded how hard you hit it and me and my step son both gave it a shot. Imagine my surprise when he hit it harder than me and he is a skinny 150 lbs! The problem is, my punches are much slower than they use to be and I didn't realize how much until that time. So fights are now totally out of the question and even falling down on concrete hurts pretty bad so if I need to defend myself I will, but I'll probably go for the eyes and the crotch and be looking for a rock to pick up. Aiming a handgun would seem like a good way for a senior citizen to avoid a fight when all else fails.

 

[Grayfox]

I'm old, overweight, out of shape, banged up and as of last year, have been diagnosed with COPD. Although I do some light exercise to keep myself in reasonable shape. Fighting is not an option for me.
That's why if I leave the house, I am armed and aware.

 

[Doug M.]

Many of the members here are old enough that this advice comes too late, but: you have to invest in your body as a young person and stay in shape. The typical recommendations made for fitness training are inadequate, designed mostly to keep ordinary people from being intimidated by the real demands.

My Dad (born in 1918) was typical of that generation until he was a little over 40. Served in WW2, hated the Army. However, at about 45, he started exercising at night in the kitchen, using an old military manual. He eventually started running, before it was popular. Net effect: he had chest pains at 65, and was told by the doctor that had he not started exercising and other lifestyle changes when he did, he would have died. He extended his life, with good quality, by 10 years.

When I was starting college, I thought I would apply to the USMC as an officer candidate as part of going on to law school. I started working out to that goal. It was not to be; Uncle Sam did not share my delusions and looking back now I know for sure I would not have made it. However, that exercise program and its goals stood me in good stead and I stayed active (and a bit extreme when I was under 35). I am alive today because of that - genetic flaws caught up with me. Among the lesser of the problems I became a type II diabetic. My doctor says I am an outlier - other than at the time of diagnosis and getting it under control I have not used insulin, and am now several years past the typical deterioration. Part of that is my continued exercise. Because of my 20+ years of part time LE, I worked hard to stay in shape - most American men over 40 can't stand the strain of a fight. I also did pretty significant weight lifting for strength training. It showed when we did control tactics training and ground fighting. (And buying an actual custom suit - not as hard to fit as a football player, but well outside the norm.) Even now at 61, I am still riding my exercise bike (the 6th in about 18 years - I have broken most of them) and hitting the gym. That said, I do not expect to do well in a fight, but my unwelcome demeanor and decisiveness (and protective dogs) give me a boost. We don't go out much (the Covid stuff has had virtually no impact on our lives), which reduces my exposure.

So: let's say you are now in a state in which a physical confrontation is just stupid. Ok, fine. I get that. This means you need to study the knowledge of threat indicators and really know it. You need to study ballistics and self-defense use, and the legal issues, and really know it. You need to be able to articulate in a worst case scenario why you knew that the attack on you was likely to cause death or great bodily harm, and how your inability to do much else meant using your own deadly force. If you can't do that, go watch the relevant portion of Full Metal Jacket in which Ermey tells Private Joker to un(screw) himself until you internalize that message.

Martial Arts have value, as several above have stated. There are many. Most of us should engage in techniques that involve redirection of force, leverage techniques, and the like. My LE control tactics training, which I did before and after the academy, was based mostly on Aikido. Some of you would be well suited to stuff that uses canes; I get that. Wherever you study, make sure that once you get a little bit into it, you find a place that is dedicated to fighting. Some of those are different from other dojos. Watch out for the MMA types - there are a lot of them who are criminals and hate cops - we had specific warnings about that in my last agency, with strongly worded direction about the few places we could go to train.

While any place can be stupid and the Mayberry mentality drives me insane (it never existed, and a real offender would have killed Andy and Barney without a thought, even in the 50s/60s), there are good signs of places not to go. Avoid them. I'll bet a lot of money that you really don't need to be there.

 

[Mule Packer]

"There is only one way to fight, and that's dirty. Clean gentlemanly fighting will get you nowhere but dead, and fast. Take every cheap shot, every low blow, absolutely kick people when they're down, and maybe you'll be the one who walks away."

- J. Frost
​

Okay...maybe the following is not martial arts per se, but by golly, it gets the job done.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC5vbaePNbU"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC5vbaePNbU[/ame]

 

[Doug M.]

That's a good way to kill someone ...

 

[Ματθιας]

I've been doing martial arts for the majority of my life and I'm not going to tell anybody what is best, but anything that gets the body moving and the mind going by learning forms is good!

Movement is life. Life is movement.

I will say this - The tai chi that older folks are being taught is so watered down and far from the original forms, that to attempt to use it for SD, is foolish. I guess, it's better than nothing, but it's more for exercise. JMO.

 

[cmort666]

While any place can be stupid and the Mayberry mentality drives me insane (it never existed, and a real offender would have killed Andy and Barney without a thought, even in the 50s/60s), there are good signs of places not to go. Avoid them. I'll bet a lot of money that you really don't need to be there.

Unfortunately, some of us don't get those choices. When I worked at the Cleveland Clinic, I often found myself in dubious places, late at night, often as late as 03:00.

It might have been the worst job I've ever had, but it was the only one on offer (scam commission sales "jobs" don't count) during a recession after my unemployment ran out. I've grown accustomed to living indoors and eating food.

 

[Rastoff]

Even though I am legally licensed to carry a handgun, I very rarely do. And, would hope that it never came down to that.

Of course you hope it doesn't come to that, but we don't get to choose when and where we have to defend ourselves. If you have a license, you should carry whenever legal.

...and it doesn't matter what age or skill level or martial art involved.

THEY DON'T ALWAYS WORK!

Nothing is a 100% solution to self-defense. However, fortune favors the prepared. Don't use the fact that you won't win every fight as a reason to not prepare for that eventuality.


Phrases like, "I'm to old to fight so, I'll just kill you" or "I'm to frail to fight hand to hand so, I'll just use a gun" are cute to say on the internet, but they won't save you. Of course we're not all MMA experts. You don't have to be. The point is, do something. Kick them in the groin, throw a chair, spray them in the face with pepper spray, whatever, do something.

I've been training in martial arts for a long time. Rest assured, I'm no great fighter. Experience usually trumps training. If you're not used to being hit, someone who is will likely have the upper hand. That doesn't mean you have to become Bruce Lee to win a fight.

My favorite quote, "Owning a gun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician." - Col. Jeff Cooper

You are the weapon, the gun is just a tool. What if you can't get to your gun? What if the gun malfunctions? What if...we can do this all day long. Sure, you're not the most physically fit. So what? You can still poke them in the eye or kick them in the groin or jab them in the throat. Do something.

 

[Ziggy2525]

Of course you hope it doesn't come to that, but we don't get to choose when and where we have to defend ourselves. If you have a license, you should carry whenever legal.

Nothing is a 100% solution to self-defense. However, fortune favors the prepared. Don't use the fact that you won't win every fight as a reason to not prepare for that eventuality.


Phrases like, "I'm to old to fight so, I'll just kill you" or "I'm to frail to fight hand to hand so, I'll just use a gun" are cute to say on the internet, but they won't save you. Of course we're not all MMA experts. You don't have to be. The point is, do something. Kick them in the groin, throw a chair, spray them in the face with pepper spray, whatever, do something.

I've been training in martial arts for a long time. Rest assured, I'm no great fighter. Experience usually trumps training. If you're not used to being hit, someone who is will likely have the upper hand. That doesn't mean you have to become Bruce Lee to win a fight.

My favorite quote, "Owning a gun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician." - Col. Jeff Cooper

You are the weapon, the gun is just a tool. What if you can't get to your gun? What if the gun malfunctions? What if...we can do this all day long. Sure, you're not the most physically fit. So what? You can still poke them in the eye or kick them in the groin or jab them in the throat. Do something.

Great post. At my age, my goal with the combatives I've been working on isn't to beat the tar out of someone. It's to shock them enough with a counter attack to be able create some distance so I can deploy a better tool like pepper spray or a pistol (depending on circumstances).

When someone is right on you, you most likely won't be able to draw a pistol or pepper spray without getting it stuffed. Likely your hands will be busy trying to keep from getting knocked out.

 

[Muss Muggins]

All I'm trying to accomplish in any self defense situation is make that other fella' decide that he's got something better to do at the moment than mess with me and mine . . .

 

[crazyphil]

About twenty years ago they put me on blood thinner. Doc told me not
to engage in any knife fights. I took that to mean fist fights and gun
fights too. So for the past twenty years I have relied on awareness and
judgement. So far, so good.

 

[dasnake]

Living up here......

In rathole north, we basically are not allowed to defend ourselves in a deadly situation, no stand your ground, no carrying of any device that could/would/will be classified as a weapon, a three inch folding pocket knife is about the limit, I know all the big talkers will tell you carbon fiber knuckles, asp batons, tazers, swat gloves, etc, etc etc, but if you use something and it causes injury to the perp, you better be ready to be charged and lawyer up, and spending money, even running away will probably get you shot in the back.
But through all my years I found the best way to be safe, and not have to fear police and legal problems with this foolproof kanadian method.
I call it wet, drop, babble and roll, you pee all over yourself, wearing light colored khakies works really well here, the stain is instantaneous, then you drop to the ground while crying and babbling like a looney bird, and rolling around on the ground for extra effect, Ive never had to use this method as being the scaredy cat that am I never go out, and if I do I always have my wife with me, she may be 70 but she can really take of herself. Our government has adopted this procedure also.

 

[ContinentalOp]

FWIW, I've seen recommendations to act crazy because even hardened criminals (supposedly) don't want to mess with crazy people.