The Harsh Judge

[Asmo]

[Itinerant_Phenomenologist]

Good post. I know almost exactly how he feels, though the situations I was in did not end with such risky actions as I was unarmed the entire time. The police were skeptical of the situations but seemed to err on my side in both cases as I was smaller than the two men that came at me and I did have my book bag with me with a laptop and texts. Still... self defense is a a gray line despite what the threats may be. The fact that he was a self defense instructor could very well have worked against him since that essentially states credentials of skill AND control.

[Asmo]

Carrying a knife is the stupidest thing you can do, its deadlier then a gun in short distance. I know several people who feel safe carying a knife. God forbid they use it one day, kill someone, and end up the rest of their life's in jail.

If you're a martial artist you have no use to carry one on your body IMO. If your a martial artist you're going to be judged extra in court...

That's another lesson you can read in above's story.

[Itinerant_Phenomenologist]

Embarrassingly enough I am afraid of knives (bad incident when I was a child). Give me two burly men armed with clubs and sticks over a skinny guy with a knife.

But allow me to show you a weapon that I think would be handy in ANY given situation in a very Wong Fei Hung movie style. I present to you... the indestructible umbrella!

http://www.real-self-defense.com/unbrea ... rella.html

I think carrying that umbrella around would be quite a nifty thing. Now all it needs is to be made of kevlar and not only can you use it to physically defend yourself but it can also stop bullets.

[Asmo]

There's even forms in Hung Kuen with umbrella's, hehe. There's a form on the recently released Needle Through Brick documentary, ands also (if I'm correct) Ho Lap Tin made a form for the umbrella.

[Tid Sin]

Great article, Asmo; very thought provoking. Makes you wonder, "What if.....?"

I'm going to share a similar experience that I'd had in the Summer of 1990. It was about 2 am or 3 am. I had just been abandoned by friends after a night of dancing at clubs (nice friends, huh?!). The next day, I'd found out that the guys in one car had thought I'd hitched a ride with the guys in the other car, et vice versa. Hence, the confusion.

I was walking the streets alone, preparing myself for about a 3-hours walk home. The public transit system to my area was closed by that time and, being a student, I didn't have enough money to take a taxi. Heck, I had some bills but ran out of coins to call anybody.....those were the days before cell phones.

On the section of the sidewalk that I was on, it was perhaps two or three times the width of a normal sidewalk. Up ahead was a man walking towards me, but a fair bit to the side. We locked eyes for a moment, passed and I thought that was it. Then, I heard his footsteps turn around and quickly he walked towards me. I turned around defensively and he'd asked if I could tell him what time it was. I looked at my watch, told him the time, he said thanks and we went our separate ways, or so I'd thought.

After a few steps, I'd heard him turn around again and make his way towards me. This time, he'd asked me if I could give him a cigarette. By the time I'd answered that I didn't smoke, he'd pulled out a knife and demanded that I give him money/my wallet.

Just as Raymond had experienced in the article, I'd instinctively reacted by going for his knife-hand and proceeded to disarm him by breaking both his right wrist and his elbow. The sound and the feeling at the moment of dislocation was gross, sickening, horrific and terrifying, especially with his screams that followed. I felt like vomitting, but I was able to contain myself, I don’t know how.

At that time, I had a black belt in TKD just like Raymond, but I was also trained in FMA & Hung Kuen. The technique was typical to that found in Jujutsu, Aikido, Hapkido & FMA, nothing special or flashy. Very basic, but luckily I did not freeze so I was able to apply it*. I got cut superficially in the process and was bleeding myself. Thank goodness for bandanas.

(*That's the thing about training in MA. You could know all of the techniques or sets in the world but, if you don't have presence of mind and your body freezes, all of your physical training won't help. You won’t even be able to do the beginner’s techniques. That's why I believe in actual freestyle sparring with contact, standing and rolling, as well as practical partner training drills that burn into muscle memory. If you have to think about what you're going to do, you might already be dead so, in such a case, it's best to comply if possible and give up your wallet. I went against my own advice: I should've given up my money, as it can be replaced. My body just took over, that time luckily. I wouldn't recommend that to anybody still. I don't want to test the gods and press my luck again, only if absolutely necessary.)

As soon as he was incapacitated and screaming on the ground, fear & adrenaline took over me. I was young, alone, relatively inexperienced & I didn't expect anything like that to happen (lesson learned: expect the unexpected), although I thought defensively. Although I'd seen some people a few hundred metres away in both directions, instead of calling for help (remember, I had no coins or a cell phone to call from), I ran away like a scared little kid. I'm not ashamed to admit it.....I was fearful for my life, even though I successfully defended myself. I was not a tough guy, just somebody who was grateful to be alive. If I was up against the fastest man in the world that night, I think that I would've outrun him with all of the adrenaline, fear & shock that I'd felt! I left the guy alone with broken bones. The only consolation to my conscience was that I did not use the blade on him, so I'm sure that he got medical attention eventually.

Hours later, I'd made it home and cleaned my wounds. I quietly went to bed and never told my family. I couldn't sleep that night, I was still shaking from the thought of what'd happened. I turned on the TV the next day to listen for any relevant news, but I heard nothing. The area in which it had occurred was a heavy-traffic zone during the day & night, just not that late at night.

Please excuse the long post. Asmo, your post struck a nerve and brought back a memory that I thought had disappeared ages ago. But, it is reality, it is MA-related & it is part of being human. So, thanks again for posting that story that would be beneficial for martial artists of all disciplines to think about.

Peace.

[Asmo]

Impressive story Tid Sin, one I'm sure shaped your martial arts training afterwards and made a deep impression in your life. Thank you for sharing!

[Asmo]

Oh people, if you want to read more into this, and such situations and what to do and what not to do, get "The Little Black Book of Violence". Dont think, just buy, you wont be sorry.