OC (Pepper) Spray And The Law

 Another video from POM Industries on the legal responsibilities that come with carrying and using OC Spray

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - Old School Street Fight Set-Ups

 There's No School like Old School. 😉

 

 

Blackthorn Blog For 9-26-26 Part 2 - Comment On Yesterdays POM OC Spray Video

 This came in  a little while ago.

 

 Excellent video! I've been carrying POM for some time now, as do others I know. I use the small size when I'm walking at the beach or something. Otherwise, I use the MK2.

I use the tactics she mentions starting at the 00:50 mark. 

1. Ask nicely: "I'm sorry, I can't help you" - and keep walking.

2. Forcefully Order: "GET BACK"! (assume defensive posture)

3. Give him (or her) a blast with the spray! (surprise deployment)

As I've said before, I keep the MK2 in the console of the vehicle. After I park my car, I grab my OC spray and keep in my hand while transiting the parking lot. At the store I stick it in my pocket, and then reverse the process when returning to my vehicle.

This is simple and it works very well. For one, if don't already have a weapon in your hand when an event occurs it might as well be left back at home. You'll never be able to retrieve it in the moment. If anyone notices you have pepper spray in your hand, just say something like  "It's a dangerous world today"  and shrug your shoulders". Of course one can also use a tactical pen or flashlight, but the advantage of pepper spray is that it's a distance weapon. You can employ step #3 at 12-15 feet instead of contact distance, which required to use a  pen or flashlight.

As we all know, distance is one of the key factors in a situation. The closer they get, the more strength and skill will be needed.

Now, to it's effectiveness. For any self-defense situation the goal is to break contact and escape, or transition to a better weapon, depending on the situation.

So, yes one can 'fight through' pepper spray, and some seem to feel no effects, but if employed correctly (surprise) and the eyeballs are saturated with it, it will at least give some pause. Heck, you can squirt someone eyes full of plain water and they will at least close and rub their eyes for a second or two. That is all we want. You are buying time by screwing up "their" plan. I don't believe anyone can receive a blast of OC directly into their eyes and have no effect whatsoever. Most of the fails we hear about are when people fail to employ surprise and allow the attacker to cover up.

And while it may not be totally disabling, it doesn't need to be. Again, our goal is to "break contact and escape". Fill the eyeballs full and get out of there. Or transition to a better weapon as appropriate.

I call this strategy defense in layers and we all know the best security is in layers forcing the attackers to defeat multiple layers to get to you. In this scenario: 

1. AVOID. I study the parking area before I get out of the vehicle. If I see something I don't like. I leave. 

2. DETER. I walk purposefully aware of my surroundings. Just have the can of spray as a deterrent . If a criminal notices something in your hand, even if not sure what it is, they may not want to find out. 

3. EVADE. Verbal interaction and continue walking. 

4. DEPLOY and ESCAPE. Issue an assertive verbal command and then the OC spray, and break contact and escape. 

That is at least four layers of security the criminal must defeat to get close to me. Close combat would be the final option if the everything else fails.

Bottom line, nothing is 100% fail safe including a magazine of 9mm. I have read of instances where an assailant was hit multiple time and kept right on fighting. Unless you hit a vital target , it can take a minute or two for your attacker to become unable to continue their attack.

That is why I firmly believe one should have a firm base in unarmed combat before anything else. Being weapon centric is a big weakness if that weapon fails.

Steve Forester

Some Morning Humor For A Soggy Sarurday Morning

 

From The POM Pepper Spray Company

 I personally carry Sabre Red, however POM has been making inroads into the OC Spray market. I have for several years now been promoting the use of OC Spray as a useful tool for self defense whether or not you carry a gun or some other potentially lethal weapon.  POM has put out a number of instructional videos on the use of OC Spray, and I will be showing them over the next few weeks.

 

More On Improvised Tools For Self Defense From Urban Combatives

 Sometimes the most innocuous items can be useful in getting you out of a bad situation.

 

 

United States Confirms It Has Weapons Platforms In Outer Space

 And Russia and China ain't happy about it. They consider it an unwarranted escalation of military dominance.

As if they don't have their own weapons platforms in outer space.  Gimme' a break!

  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-confirms-weapons-in-space-china-russia-respond/

Humor For A Mondy Afternoon

 

sunday With Blackthorn - Lucky Gunner Review Of The S&W 432 UC in .32 H&R Magnum

 I think I may have reviewed this a couple of years ago, but I couldn't find it, so I'm bringing it back as a Favor to my friend TC. The Lucky Gunner Youtube channel puts out what I consider honest reviews and if they don't like something, or it has  few negatives, they'll tell you so.

Blackthorn Blog Post For 9-12-26 - Part 2

 It's been too long since  we had another David James Video, so here we go.

I was involved in the FMA's for almost 8 years. I've seen more demonstrations of Knife Disarms, watched more videos, and read more manuals than I can remember. In all that time I've never seen any technique that had more than a 10% chance of actually working. 

And I'm being generous with that comment.

So, as always, PAY ATTENTION!! 

 

In Line With Yesterdays Inprovised Tool As A Weapon Blog Post.......

 Remember.......

 

Blackthorn Blog Post for 9-11-26 Part 2 - A Common Household Tool For Self Defense

It's amazing what you can accomplish with a simple tool. You just have to hold it right.

 

And Another Milestone is Added To The Blackthorn Blog

 Sept 11 2026     The Blog Hits 900,000 Pageviews

And again I find myself saying Thank You to everybody who looks in at the Blackthorn Blog. 

I hope everybody continues, on any given day, to find the blog informative, and entertaining! 

 And don't worry, there will be a Part 2 before today is over!

Another Full Length UC Video Tutorial On Fear Management

 If you're not used to violence, it can come as a big shock when you're suddenly faced with it out of the blue. Someone walks up to you in the street, on a train station, or in bar and either they feel that you've disrespected them for some reason, or if they want your wallet and your phone, and you freeze up.

If you've trained in the martial arts any fighting you've done is in a controlled environment. This video goes to how you learn to control and use that fear.

The only negative to this video is the really bad music in the background of the opening segment. But it was typical for the early 2000's, so just try to ignore it.

 

Another Motivational Article From Gavin, The Guy with the Gym That Only Accepts 40+ Year Old Members

 Yeah, I know, you guys are thinking "What, another article for the old Guys here at the Blog?" Well yeah, that's right. Because nobody is getting younger, and if you don't look after your own fitness, some some health aide will in a nursing home.

 

 ********************

 Hey There,

Ten years of running my over 40 fitness studio in New Zealand, and there is one number that keeps turning up.

Two and a half.

That is the average number of sessions a week our people actually do. Not five. Not six.

Not the punishing schedule you see all over the internet every January.

Two and a half sessions a week, year after year.

I know. It is a terrible slogan. Nobody is putting THAT on a t-shirt.

But here is what I can tell you after watching it happen for a decade.

Every single person who holds that average gets phenomenally stronger than they were the day they started.

Their muscle tone changes.

Their range of movement opens back up.

And the things they had quietly stopped mentioning start coming back.

Getting off the floor. Standing up out of a low chair without pushing off the arms. Carrying the shopping in one trip. Going up the stairs and arriving at the top able to speak.

All of that, from two and a half sessions a week.

And notice it is two and a half, not two. Some weeks are three. Some weeks are one.

That matters, because people are so hard on themselves about this.

You have a rough week, you get to Friday having managed one session instead of two, and you write the whole week off as wasted. I hear it constantly.

That is not how muscle works.

The session is not where you get stronger.

The session is where you break the muscle down.

The getting stronger happens afterwards, while you are asleep, eating your dinner, puttering about doing nothing in particular.

The strength work is only one half of the equation. Recovery is the other half, and it is not the lazy half.

So one session in a week is not a failed week.

It is a session, plus a lot of repair time.

And a quiet week here and there, where life takes over and you do very little, will not undo you.

Quite often it is exactly what your joints were asking for.

So the odd week off is not the problem, the six months off is. And that is the only catch in the whole thing.

Imagine you trained hard for six months. Fifty sessions, roughly twice a week, genuinely good work.

Then you stopped for six months. Life got in the way, the weather turned, the shoulder played up....

At the end of that year you would be almost exactly where you started. All that effort, handed straight back.

Now imagine instead you did two sessions a week for fifty two weeks, worked around the injury, same effort in any given week.

No heroics, no six week blitz, nothing you would even tell anyone about.

Twelve months later you would not recognise yourself.

Same person. Same weekly workload. Completely different year.

Consistency is not the boring bit you put up with before the results turn up. Consistency IS the result. Everything else is decoration.

One thing I should clear up, because it lands in my inbox most weeks.

Nobody is asking you to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger. There is no oiled posing routine at the end of this.

You will not wake up one morning unable to scratch your own back, do up your bra or having to go through doorways sideways.

Muscle on that scale takes years, a frankly upsetting amount of chicken out of plastic containers, and a level of dedication that ruins holidays for everybody involved.

We are not building. We are replacing.

From your thirties onwards, if you do nothing about it, you lose somewhere between three and eight percent of your muscle every decade, and it speeds up after sixty.

That is not a scare story, it is just accounting. Let that tick along quietly for three or four decades and one day you notice you are using two hands for a job you used to do with one.

Every session you do is a bit of that handed back. You are not building something new and ridiculous. You are going and collecting what was already yours.

So this week, do not plan five sessions. Plan two.

Then do the same next week. And the week after that. If one of those weeks turns into a single session, that still counts. That is the whole thing.

I just want you to be kind to yourself, and not put too much pressure on missing a session.

Normal people are doing amazing with just 2 and a half sessions a week. If they can, you can too.

Gavyn

Sunday With Blackthorn - (Armed) US Cops vs (Unarmed ) UK Cops

 This short news article is from 1966. And apparently, not much has changed as the Metropolitan Police in The UK are still predominantly unarmed.

 

From Urban Combatives, A Video Tutorial On The Combative Use Of Improvised Weapons

 This video features a VERY young Lee Morrison early in his career  as a Combative Instructor. This is a full length video, not just a short clip.

 

Words Of Wisdom For A Friday Morning

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to slide across the finish line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, and shouting GERONIMO!!!”
 

Bill McKenna 

Ever Wonder Just Who Karl Marx Really Was??

 The following short video should be entertainingly enlightening......

 Just Click the link;

 

 https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/awypG3x_460svvp9.webm

Sunday With Blackthorn - Adapt To Your Situation

 The short piece below comes from a fitness/strength instructor in New Zealand who runs a gym only for over 40 adults. I paid for a program what included a PDF and links to numerous videos. Nothing unusual, but solid material. One of the things he stresses in the weekly emails is that even if you have old chronic injuries, you can still maintain your strength and fitness. 

You just have to be smarter about it.

 

 Let me tell you the thing I am quietly best at, and it is probably not what you would guess.  It is not fancy programming. It is not clever workouts. It is modifications.

A modification is simply a standard exercise done slightly differently, so it fits the body you have today instead of the body you had at 25.

Here is what I mean. A younger person drops into a deep squat and thinks nothing of it. You go to do the same and your knees or hips say no. Most people take that as a signal to stop. I take it as a signal to adjust. We turn the toes out a touch, we raise the depth, we sit down to a chair and stand back up, and suddenly you are squatting again, building real strength, with zero pain.

That is the whole game after 40. Not gritting your teeth and pushing through pain, and not sitting on the sidelines either. It is finding the version of the movement that works for your body right now.

And I mean anybody. In my gym I have people training strong around knee replacements, spinal fusions, frozen shoulders, and hips that have seen better days. It genuinely does not matter what has happened to you. There is almost always a way to keep building strength with the ability you have, and finding that way is exactly what I do.

Three things I want you to take from this:

1. A modification is not the lesser version. It is the right version for your body today. Done well it builds the exact same strength, just without the pain tax.

2. Pain is information, not a stop sign. When something hurts, that is your body asking for a small adjustment, not telling you to quit. Adjust, and keep the strength coming.

3. You do not need a perfect, pain-free body to start. You need the right tweak. I have never met a body I could not work with, and yours is no different.


Keep moving,
Gavyn

Another Entertaining Piece For The Older Guys Here At The Blog

Apparently concert venues are having a hard
 time getting Generation X to fill the seats.
Well, hello. Generation X here. I think I can help. You're welcome.
(This also applies to the Baby Boomer generation)

DEAR CONCERT VENUES:
Decent ticket prices. I should not have to sell blood, the blood of my children, and take out a small personal loan to see someone I listened to on a cassette t

Earlier shows. No more 8 PM start times. Give me 6:30. I don’t like driving home in the dark anymore and by 10 PM my body has begun shutting down nonessential systems.

Comfortable seats. Yeah, I said it. And while we’re at it, STOP PACKING US IN LIKE SARDINES. I would like to sit down without becoming intimately acquainted with the stranger beside me.

 CUP HOLDERS. We have the technology. Please use it.

No general admission. I’m not standing for four hours protecting my spot like it’s beachfront property. Give me a seat with a number on it.

 Reasonable parking. Preferably somewhere in the same zip code as the venue.

Clean bathrooms. Enough of them. With toilet paper. We’re not asking for a spa. We’re asking for basic civilization.

Turn it down just a smidge. We still want it loud. We just don’t want our ears ringing for the next three business days.

DEAR ARTISTS:

Go on stage ON TIME. If you say 7:30, we have planned our entire evening around 7:30. Respect the schedule. We have dogs to let out.

 I came to hear YOU sing. I know the audience knows all the words. That’s wonderful. Let us have a chorus here and there. But please stop holding the microphone toward the audience for half the performance. I did not pay $200 to hear Brenda from Row G sing your greatest hits.

We get it. You’re proud of your new album and you’re probably bored to death with the old stuff. Sing a couple of your new favorites. We will listen. We will support you. We may even like them. But then go back to the oldies. That’s why we’re here.

Because every time you play something nobody knows, Bob decides that’s his opportunity to get another beer. Then Bob has to pee four times because he drank the beer. And every single time Bob leaves and comes back, the entire row has to stand up.
My knees cannot handle this much up and down. Please. For the sake of our joints. Play the hits.

And you know what? Throw in an intermission. We can pee, stretch our backs, check the dog camera and regroup.

We aren’t done going to concerts.

We’re just at an age where the experience has to be worth leaving the house.
You want Generation X back in those seats? We just no longer have the desire to suffer unnecessarily.
 

Training Workout Wednesday - From Urban Combatives

 This video from Lee Morrison is about using a less than lethal tool, such an all metal or hard plastic Pen, or possibly  a small handheld pocket flashlight in conjunction with a defensive posture when  a sudden assault presents itself. In the video he also demos the technique briefly with a knife but makes it clear that  using a knife is going to be problematic in a great many jurisdictions from a legal standpoint. Especially if your assailant is himself unarmed.

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - And.......Yet Another Milestone For The Blog

It took me from 2008 until the summer of 2022 (14 years) to get to 100,000 Pageviews. As of today, the Blog has hit the 800,000 Pageview mark. Once again, all I can do is say thank you to you guys for your support.

Dec 4th 2025      The Blog Hits 400,000 Pageviews

May 3rd 2026     The Blog Hits 500,000 Pageviews

June 20th 2026    The Blog Hits 600,000 Pageviews

Aug 2th 2026    The Blog Hits 700,000 Pageviews

 Aug 16th 2026    The Blog Hits 800,000 Pageviews

Deep Purple And.............Ritchie Blackmore

 After 33 years, Ritchie Blackmore returns. Just for the encore, but.....who know?

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - Have I Ever Mentioned How Much I Liked The Show "Mr. Inbetween"?

 Let's just say, a lot!

The show ran for 3 seasons from Oct 2018 to July 2021, and I never missed an episode. 

 

 

Blackthorn Blog for 8-4-26 Part 2 (Just A Little Humor)

 

You're At A Gas Station Filling Up When Things Start To Go South

 

So, You're Over 40 And You Think You Can Still.......

Guys, nobody is getting younger. A simple fact of life. You will slow down, your knees won't move quite the way they used to. If you're not doing some sort of resistance training you will slowly lose your muscle mass to sarcopenia (look it up). 

Time to get real about how well you can defend yourself against  a younger, faster, assailant.

 

Sunday With Blackthorn Part 2 8-2-26

 This video is being put up for Comic Relief only Gentlemen. It is an excellent video on how NOT to use the Fairbairn WW2 Smatchet! Please do not watch it while attempting to drink anything. I will not be responsible for any fluid damage to your Keyboards!

 

And.......Another Milestone For The Blog

I can't quite believe this but, as of sometime today, the Blog has hit the 700,000 pageview mark. Again, all I can say is thank you to you guys. I appreciate the support.

Dec 4th 2025      The Blog Hits 400,000 Pageviews

May 3rd 2026     The Blog Hits 500,000 Pageviews

June 20th 2026    The Blog Hits 600,000 Pageviews

Aug 2th 2026    The Blog Hits 700,000 Pageviews

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - Ever Wonder Why Saps And Blackjacks Are Illegal Pretty Much Everywhere In The USA?

 Just a Note here: While Saps and Blackjacks are legal to OWN in a handful of states, carrying them in public is not. 

Having said that:

 

Cybercrime - What Would You Say If You Were Told That the Anti-Theft Security System In Your Car Actually Makes It More Vulnerable to Theft?

 As the last paragraph in the article linked below states "Cars are essentially computers now, for better or worse".

Consumer reports indicate that close to 2 million cars are in danger of being stolen because of a fault in the cars security program that allows a thief to access your vehicle with a bluetooth hack. 

Oh my, the wonder of Technology....... 

 2 Million Cars At Risk Of Bluetooth 

Hack That Unlocks Car Doors

 A security vulnerability affecting at least 2 million vehicles on the road today is so serious that some cybersecurity experts are calling it one of the worst car-hacking threats in years. It involves a third party, aftermarket device called the KARR Security System. When exploited, the threat potentially gives attackers a way to wirelessly unlock a vehicles doors or prevent it from starting.

 To read the rest of the Article go to:

https://www.popsci.com/technology/car-bluetooth-cybersecurity-hack/

Little Known Techniques of Self Defense

 Don't be misled by the title of this Youtube video. Most of the techniques in this video are not "illegal", however they are frowned upon in certain jurisdictions, and are misunderstood by juries and/or judges. Most of these techniques have been around since well before WW2, and some go back even further than that. 

Now while the techniques are valid, the AI used in the making of this video is  execrable to say the least. The voice-over is fine and does a good job of describing the techniques. However a great deal of the visual portions are just worthless. 

All that aside, as I said in the beginning,  the techniques themselves are real and I was shown quite a few of them by my former instructor Carl Cestari. Oh, and  some of them are not lethal, but can cause serious damage. As with other videos I've shown before if you unfortunately find yourself in a serious situation, you had better be able to articulate why you felt it necessary to use one of these techniques, and have a good lawyer.

 

 

This Is What Old School Jiu Jitsu Used To Look Like

 Until it turned into Strip  Mall Dojos designed for teaching Life Lessons to 'Little Jimmy'. 

For those of you guys here who've known Ralph G. over the years, you're really going to enjoy this!

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - 7-19-26

 You guys know by now that I quite often put up videos and/or articles that apply to the older guys here on the blog. Sometimes is self-defense, sometimes it's exercise, etc. Today's video is from a guy who's a Prepper. Now the video is 15 minutes long and obviously you can watch the whole thing if you want, but otherwise I suggest you watch the first 3 minutes, and the last 4 minutes. It concerns your fitness and your mobility respectively.  I hope you get something from it.

it's Been A While Since We've Seen Something From David James, So.........

...........PAY ATTENTION!!!!

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - My Opinion On The Current Political Situation Here In The USA

 

A Quickie Lesson in 'Flanking' From Urban Combatives

 

Have I Ever Mentioned That I Love The A-10 Warthog

Headbutts, Knees, And Elbows From The 411 Otdoors Youtube Channel

 

Sunday With Blackthorn 7-5-26

In the video below, Massad Ayoob explains why you should never underestimate the lethality of a knife. 

 

Happy 4th Of July!

 

From The Malwarebytes Lab Reports Page - The Current Situation Regarding AI Scams

 Protect your Digital footprint in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. AI is already being used to steal your identity, your assets, your reputation and more. Like most modern technologies these days, on the one hand it can be very beneficial, but on the other hand it can become a threat.

 

https://www.malwarebytes.com/ai-scams

And Now Another Public Service Announcement From The Blackthorn Blog

 As if car manufacturers aren't making enough money these days, apparently last year 45% of all new cars sold had no spare tire, jack, or lug wrench. Thereby saving the car companies $250+/-. It also provides a n absolute minimal improvement in your cars mileage which is a result of government mandates.

 https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/tires/some-newer-cars-are-missing-a-spare-tire-a9928775934/

 

And Now For Some Humor To Start Your Week Off Right

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - This Is A public Service Announcement For Those Of You Who Drive On I-95

 Ain't Technology just Great?

 

10 One Minute Training Video Shorts From Scott Babb Of Libre Knife

 Note: If you decide to ever use the methods shown in Libre Knife Fighting, make sure your life was in jeopardy at the time. Otherwise you'd better have a good lawyer on speed dial

Sunday With Blackthorn - How Fast Can You Run?

How Fast Can You Run?

Can you get out of trouble when it's time to go?

by Shelley Hill November 15, 2025

Let’s start off with a scenario. Answer truthfully, you are not being graded, you are just going to measure your “before you read the article and after you read the article” answer.

The holidays are just around the corner, and you have decided to get a jump on that Christmas list. It is Friday around 5pm and the parking lot is full, so you park in one of the spaces furthest away from the entrance. You get out, lock your doors and casually stroll to the mall. Once there you see all the decorations, hear the jolly music and see people make friendly eye contact and smile. You think to yourself, “Wow, this is going to be a pleasant experience” and you start to get into the Christmas spirit.

After buying gifts from the cosmetic department, the electronics store and the jewelry store, you are ready to head home. As you walk through the doors with a handful of gifts, you try to recall where you parked. It dawns on you; you parked a football field away.

You get about halfway to your car and you hear footsteps from behind, coming up on you FAST. You recognize that sound at once and break out into a run towards your car.

Do you make it there? Be honest with yourself, are you safely in your car with the doors locked?

If your answer was “no,” then running may not be the best choice for you.

If your answer was “yes,” then I want to congratulate you but first, finish reading my article and see if your answer is still a “yes.”

Let us look at factors that influence speed for the general population:

• Terrain: You may run slower on an uneven surface as opposed to a flat parking lot.
• Health: What is your medical condition? Are you in good shape? Weight can affect your ability to run. Do you have any injuries?
• Age and gender: As a rule for the general population, men walk and run faster than women. My research shows that women are .5 mile per hour slower than men and as women age, this number can easily increase to roughly 1 mph slower.
• Train: Are you consistent in your training program? Do you run or sprint two to four times a week?
• Distance: Sprinting is a must, but you will naturally slow down for longer distances.
• Attire: What shoes are your wearing? Flip-flops? Heels? Cowboy boots? Can you run in the shoes you are wearing while shopping?

Let’s first address the answer “No, I did not make it to my car.” That means that one, a few or all the bullet points above influenced your ability to be explosive and run away. I would highly recommend that you not only carry pepper spray but have it pre-deployed in your hand when alone and in a parking lot. If you heard footsteps running to you from behind, you may have no choice but to drop your packages as you turn around and prepare to possibly spray or engage and spray the bad dude approaching you. After he has stopped, get to your car as quickly as you can and lock the doors.

If your answer was “yes.” Then please evaluate the bullet points and see if you can relate to any of them. If so, you may not be a “yes.” That is ok: It is good to realize that you may not be able to outrun the bad guy now, and not during an unwanted encounter.

In the perfect world, your scenario would go something like this:

After buying gifts from the cosmetics department, the electronics store and the jewelry store, you are ready to head home. You thought ahead and brought a big brown bag with a handle from the house and placed all your gifts in there so no one can see your purchases. As you walk through the doors you try to recall where you parked. It dawns on you; you parked a football field away.

You pre-deploy your pepper spray and start walking to your car with purpose. Your head is up, and you are scanning your surroundings the whole time. Your gait is confident, and you do not look approachable.

Guess what: You were never selected as a victim of a crime because your loot was not on display, and you did not project as a vulnerable person. The answer to this scenario is to deselect yourself so it never happens.

 

Another Milestone For The Blog!

 

Dec 4th 2025      The Blog Hits 400,000 Pageviews

May 3rd 2026     The Blog Hits 500,000 Pageviews

June 20th 2026    The Blog Hits 600,000 Pageviews

 

Once again, thank you to everybody who follows the Blackthorn Blog!!

Lee Morrison Urban Combatives - EDC Water Bottle In A Sling Bag

 BTW: The woman at the 11:00 time marker is Morrisons Daughter. He keeps it in the family.

Sunday With Blackthorn - More On Social vs Asocial Violence by Tim Larkin

This is a long one people, so get comfortable, and settle in.

Social Aggression vs. Asocial Violence:
Why Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Life

https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/tell-difference-social-aggression-asocial-violence/

Editor’s note: The following article was adapted from When Violence Is the Answer: Learning How to Do What It Takes When Your Life Is at Stake by Tim Larkin.

    Dulce bellum inexpertis. (War is sweet to those who have never experienced it.) —Pindar

You don’t have to look very hard on YouTube to find videos of long-suffering kids reaching their breaking point with bullies and finally fighting back. The scenes vary in geography, gender, and the size and age difference of the kids involved, but each scene generally goes down the same way.

The video picks up mid-conflict. The bully is in full aggressor mode: stalking after the victim, cutting them off, pushing them, taunting them, and getting in their envelope of personal space, sometimes looming over them like a beast. The bullying victim is folded over, trying to make themselves smaller. Or they’re turned to the side, as if subconsciously hoping the teasing will just go away. Sometimes they’re backed against a wall, as if they are hoping to melt into it.

Then, suddenly, there is a shift. The victim stops, stiffens, and bows up. There is going to be a fight. The bully is almost always caught off-guard when this happens. Bullies typically pick their victims based on the likelihood that they won’t fight back. The fight might happen right then and there, it might have to wait until after school. It doesn’t really matter, though, because once the bully’s victim has had enough and finally decides to defend himself, the decision ripples through the playground or the schoolyard like a shockwave. The other kids start getting super excited. If the fight is going down after school, it’s all anyone can talk about. They can’t wait. If it happens right there in the moment, the kids immediately encircle the pair chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” In the lead-up to the actual physical confrontation, the bully will often start talking trash in an attempt to humiliate or intimidate and regain the upper hand in his relationship to the victim. If the victim responds, it’s to show that the bully’s taunts aren’t going to work this time. They’re going to have it out once and for all.

Fights likes these are instances of what I call “social aggression.” They are quasi-violent scenarios that stem from conflict and jockeying within the social hierarchy. I call them quasi-violent not because I don’t take them seriously, but rather because they don’t always involve violence as we understand it — sometimes it’s just talking or threatening


 — and they’re less about physically destroying the other person than they are about asserting social dominance, gaining some advantage, or elevating social status. That’s why people instinctively want to gather around and watch these types of conflicts, because they want to see what happens.

Kids get so excited about these playground fights because there is valuable social information to be gleaned from them. Both fighters’ positions in the school’s social hierarchy are in flux. The bully occupies a position of power, and when his target finally fights back, that means his position is being challenged. When it’s all over, will there be a change in social standing? Will the bully get his comeuppance and be reduced to a pariah and a laughingstock? Will his victim be elevated to the position of nerd hero or defender of the meek and helpless? Or will the bully get the upper hand and the social status remain the same? This kind of aggression isn’t exactly tolerated — it’s the kind teachers usually break up and punish, after all — but it doesn’t destroy the social order in the school, either. Afterward, the kids will be talking about it excitedly in the lunchroom for the rest of the week.

And then there is the other way these playground fights and bully takedowns can go. These are the kinds of incidents that do not show up on YouTube. The victim has had enough, but he has only stiffened and bowed up in his mind. He — and it’s almost always a he — has no interest in fighting back at the center of a ring of classmates. Instead, he opens his backpack, pulls out a revolver and shoots his bully in the head at point blank range. Do you want to guess what happens next? There is no excited chanting for a fight. No one is hoisting the bully’s victim on their shoulders and marching him triumphantly around the schoolyard. There is only complete and total pandemonium. Everybody runs and no one looks back. There is no social information to be gathered here.

That is the rough outline of any number of the school and workplace shootings that have dominated our news over the last fifteen years, and become (along with ISIS-style terrorism) the scariest, most urgent form of violence we face today. I call violence of this nature “asocial.” Asocial violence is violence that has nothing to do with communication or reshuffling the pecking order. Asocial violence is nothing like that: it doesn’t try to change the order, it tries to wreck the order. It’s the kind of violent interaction we instinctively run from — the kind in which there is only mayhem, death, misery, and horror. (The knockout game is asocial violence.) At the end of the day, all violence has the potential to be a matter of life or death. The difference with asocial violence is that death and destruction are not its by-products; they are its purpose.

It is essential we understand this distinction between social aggression and asocial violence right now. Social aggression is about competition; asocial violence is about
destruction. Competition has rules; destruction has none. Social aggression is about communication — implicitly with status indicators but explicitly with lots of taunting and posturing. There is no talking with asocial violence. Open your mouth and you are likely to eat a lightning-fast punch or a jacketed bullet traveling at 2,500 feet per second.

How to Tell the Difference Between Social Aggression and Asocial Violence

If there is one reliable way to distinguish between the two kinds of violent encounter, it is the presence or absence of communication. If a man comes upon you from behind as you’re walking home from dinner and he puts a gun to your head and says, “Give me your wallet or I’ll blow your brains out,” that is fundamentally an act of social aggression. It may feel asocial, because you feel powerless when you’re taken by surprise, but how you feel has nothing to do with whether a situation is social or asocial. What matters is the intent and the action of the attacker. In this scenario, his primary motive is not to destroy, it’s to dominate. He’s using the threat of violence to make it easier to get what he wants. If the situation were asocial, if what he wanted to do was destroy you, you would not hear any words. You probably wouldn’t even hear the hammer cock before the trigger got pulled and the bullet left the chamber.

Social aggression doesn’t wear off after adolescence; fast-forward twelve years to a bar fight between rival fraternity members and the outline is the same. It’s still two guys exhibiting their inner-male aggression, thrashing, ranting, raving. It’s the silverback gorilla banging his chest. It’s the butting of rams’ heads. It’s the clashing of male grizzly bears. These are all bids for a kind of social status, and they’re all meant to be witnessed.

The schoolyard brawl and the bar fight aren’t usually life-or-death situations. Rather, they’re a form of primitive communication. It’s a social display that communicates, “I’m really agitated. I’m mad. I want to run this other guy off my territory.” And the other guy is responding, “I’m not willing to be run off my territory. I’m going to stand my ground.” The intent is not to inflict grievous bodily harm. It’s only to exert social dominance.

In these situations of quasi-violence, people rarely punch their opponent’s throat or kick them in the testicles or gouge out their eyes. They rarely try to inflict permanent damage. If you were to look at such a confrontation simply from the perspective of causing bodily harm, you’d call it wildly inefficient. I have studied video of countless epic bar brawls that have gone on for ten or fifteen minutes that left the combatants bloody and bruised, but also conscious, uninjured, and able to walk away. I’ve also seen guys beat each other senseless and then hang out afterward — like it was something they just needed to get out of their systems.

Many of us know how to act like jerks and add fuel to the fire, how to turn an argument into a shouting match that turns into a fistfight. It can be scary. It can be wrong. It can be extremely intimidating. But the aggressor is not deliberately trying to maim, cripple, or kill. He’s not trying to break down the social order, to sow terror and mistrust. The goal is to dominate, not to destroy. This is social aggression.

Asocial violence, on the other hand, is brutally streamlined. It’s quiet. It happens suddenly and unmistakably. It’s one person beating another person with a tire iron until he stops moving. It’s stabbing somebody thirty-seven times. It’s pulling a gun and firing round after round until he goes down, and then stepping close to make sure he has two to the brain, just to be sure. If you’re a sane, socialized person, thoughts like those can make you physically ill. That’s because you recognize them for what they are: the breakdown of everything we, as humans, hold sacred. Indeed, they are often a breakdown of the perpetrator of the violence themselves. They are no longer in control, they are no longer thinking rationally, they are no longer thinking at all. These acts represent the destruction of the social fabric. They’re devoid of honor. They’re acts without rules, where anything goes. That is asocial violence.

How to Respond to Social Aggression and Asocial Violence

So why am I harping on the difference? Because our responses to social aggression and asocial violence ought to be fundamentally different.

Social aggression is avoidable — and you should avoid it. You can choose not to participate. You can employ social skills to remove yourself from the situation, or to de-escalate it. It comes with big, flashing warning signs — loud, dramatic, and recognizable social posturing. You can see it coming a mile away. These sorts of problems can usually be handled with social tools that we all know how to use. We’ve all talked our way out of a bad situation. We all know how to calm another person down. We all know how to back down ourselves. If we didn’t, none of us would have made it this far in life. Similarly, threats of violence with a clear purpose — like a robbery — can be terrifying. But they remain social interactions, with generally clear demands and big, flashing warning signs of their own; the lines of communication remain open. When he says, “Give me your wallet or I’ll blow your brains out,” give him your wallet and live to see another day.

You can rarely, if ever, talk yourself out of asocial violence. You have no idea whether the movie theater you chose is the one where a shooter with a full arsenal will show up looking like The Joker and acting like Bane. You have no idea if your child’s school is the one where a deranged mind will decide to make his mark. Asocial violence doesn’t care about your social skills.

Negotiating with a serial killer is like arguing with a bullet. If it’s coming your way, words won’t deflect it. If somebody has decided to stab you to death, capitulation doesn’t appease them. It only makes their work easier. When it comes to asocial violence, if you have not been able to foresee and escape it, you must render your attacker one of three ways to survive: incapacitated, unconscious, or dead. Understanding and accepting that reality, then training to deal with these unlikely scenarios, will give you the confidence you need to quickly and calmly identify the difference between social aggression and asocial violence, while setting your mind at ease that you’ll be able to handle whichever comes your way — de-escalating where it’s possible to de-escalate, and fighting to save your life where it is not.

When the Rules Don’t Apply

Though these kinds of conflict — social aggression and asocial violence — look and sound quite different from each other, our instinct is to apply the same set of rules to both, because our socialized minds don’t want to accept the possibility that the rare and unthinkable has found us, by no fault of our own. If we don’t have rules governing how we deal with the rare and unthinkable, then the rare and unthinkable can’t happen, right? Alternatively, we try to shove this unseemly business out of our minds by dismissing the distinction altogether: Why are we talking about this? Violence is violence; it’s all bad. We get ourselves into deep trouble when we take either one of these approaches, because you can’t play by rules that your attacker refuses to recognize even exist.

Rules, as a social construct, only work in a conflict when both sides honor them. Major League Baseball has a broad set of rules that generalize across the American and National Leagues. But when teams from each league play against each other during interleague play or in the World Series, they have to agree on which league’s rules govern or else the whole thing collapses. The idea that rules of any kind go away the second the other guy ignores them is generally unsettling and downright terrifying in the case of violence. But when you think about asocial violence through that prism, you start to realize that it’s a horrible mistake to use the same social contract that governs social aggression, to understand and navigate true asocial violence. During true violence, our usual social categories—good guy/bad guy, right/wrong, attacker/defender — cease to apply. These dichotomies are useful, but only before and after a violent confrontation has occurred. During the actual fight, they are utterly irrelevant, if not misleading and dangerous.

It is an issue of practicality in the most literal sense. In the midst of a violent encounter, to think merely of “defending” yourself — rather than incapacitating your opponent — is essentially to curl up in a ball and hope for the best. Waiting for your attacker to give up — or worse, expecting him to follow the rules — is, putting it bluntly, to risk
participating in your own murder. Your only reliable course of action to save your life is to do what your attacker is trying to do to you, but do it more effectively and efficiently, and to do it first. To use the very same tool of violence.

And yet, as sane, socialized beings, we continue to drag our rules into these places where they don’t belong. We want to somehow keep everything fair, on a level playing field. This is why most confrontations involving real violence go terribly wrong for the good guy. We’re constrained by a litany of social rules while the asocial predator is bound only by the laws of physics. All he cares about is how best and most quickly he can do you grievous bodily harm and end the situation. He’ll stab you when you’re not looking. He’ll kick you in the throat when you’re down. If things don’t look hot for him, he’ll capitulate to get you to let go, then pull his gun and shoot you. He’ll use your socialization against you — he’ll turn the social rules that normally protect you from harm into his most powerful weapon. But all his weapons are tools that you can use in turn.

When you’re staring down the barrel of a gun (literally and figuratively) with a violent asocial predator on the other end of it, you must remember that this is not a movie or a video game or a hero fantasy. This is not high noon at the O.K. Corral. There is no Good, Bad, and Ugly — there is just ugly.

Social Aggression Can Quickly Turn Into Asocial Violence

In 2006, a young British lawyer named Thomas Pryce exited the tube station by his home. It was early January, about 11:30 at night. It was cold. Tom had just left a work function in London and he was hustling back to the flat he shared with his fiancée on a quiet street in an up-and-coming suburb of London.

On this night, he was followed by two young men in hooded sweatshirts who had robbed someone else earlier in the evening and saw Tom as another opportunity. They circled around in front of him and drew their knives, demanding his valuables. He quickly complied, handing over everything. If the incident had ended there, we might say that Tom used his social skills to escape an instance of social aggression. He saw assailants who, however intimidating and dangerous, were still offering a recognizable, if coercive, exchange — his possessions for his life, straight up — and he accepted the exchange. He kept quiet, offered no resistance, and gave up his property exactly how the authorities tell you to do it in a robbery situation like that.

Thomas was shaken up, but he kept walking home. Then the young men came back. This time, their knives were already drawn, their heads were down, and they weren’t saying anything. Thomas broke into a sprint, but they quickly overtook him and began stabbing
him repeatedly, in the chest, the hip, the face, the hands, and the lower torso. He yelled frantically, “Why, why, why? You’ve got everything!” But they didn’t have everything. They didn’t have the one thing they needed once they realized he had seen their faces. They didn’t have his silence.

“He could identify us,” they said to themselves, according to the Metropolitan police who interrogated the men upon their capture, “we need to kill him.” That quick realization was all it took for those two young men to go from opportunistic robbers to cold-blooded murderers. Social aggression to asocial violence in the blink of an eye.

The lesson I take from Tom’s murder is how essential it is to understand the difference between the two types of physical confrontation. You need to be able to identify them in the moment, and you need to recognize that one can turn into the other very quickly when circumstances change. The kind of encounter that Tom endured initially — no matter how frightening it must have been — still presumed a kind of communication. He was in the kind of conflict that we can escape with our social skills: after all, giving up your belongings in exchange for your life is a kind of negotiation, even if it happens under extreme duress. If you can comply with demands, it means there’s still communication happening, which means there’s still a chance of getting out of there in one piece.

Unfortunately, the situation turned asocial very quickly, for reasons Tom could not have foreseen. The rules that he believed were governing his initial encounter ceased to apply when the two men returned. His attempts to communicate, to negotiate, to make sense of what was happening, all of it fell on deaf ears and was met only with more violence. His only hope lay in recognizing, quickly, what kind of situation he was in, and acting accordingly. In a phrase: using violence. By the time he realized the shift from social aggression to asocial violence — if he ever realized it — it was too late.

When escape was off the table, the only thing that could have helped him was a fuller understanding of the tool of violence and greater preparedness to take immediate action. Instead of turning to flee, he needed to turn and fight. Because when an aggressor doesn’t care about your reasons or your rules, and isn’t interested in having a negotiation, no other strategy tends to work. Especially when you’re outnumbered. Tom’s only hope was to inflict injury first. But before his survival depended on that, it depended on recognizing, as soon as possible, that he was not in a situation of coercion and communication, but in a situation of life-or-death violence.

Social Aggression and Asocial Violence: Know the Difference, and Be Prepared to Act Accordingly

Remember: all of what I’ve been explaining goes both ways. Just as there’s no way to de-escalate a situation of true, asocial violence, there’s no reason to escalate a situation of social aggression. We learn the difference between the two not only to prepare ourselves to fight for our lives when we absolutely have to, but also to prepare ourselves to wisely back down when there’s no need for a fight.
                               





 

On The Subject Of Trainng For Fitness vs Strength.............

 Makes you wonder, don't it?

 

A Very Brief Demonstration On The Use Of A Flat Sap From Scott Babb of Libre Martial Arts

 Note: Don't run out and try to buy a Sap or Blackjack. They're illegal pretty much everywhere. This video is for informational purposes only.

Sunday With Blacktorn - Lever Action Pistol Caliber Carbines For Personal Defense

 Ok, let's get this part out of the way, right up front. Semi-Auto PCC's have been hot for the last 5 years or more.  

So, why buy a Lever Action?

Put simply, 2 reasons. 

Firstly, a lot people are living in areas where semi-auto's are either banned outright, or severely restricted. Whereas a Lever Action is legal pretty much anywhere and everywhere.

Secondly, if you live in an Urban (possibly even a Suburban) environment, using a carbine or rifle that fires full sized rifle loads can be problematic in terms of physical injury to u involved persons, or damage to to other peoples property. Either way the you could potentially wind up becoming even more involved with your local legal system over and above any serious charges you might be facing.

Accordingly,  the video below should provide you with some useful information on the subject of Lever Actions with no bombastic, over the top emotional content. Just some straightforward facts that might get you to consider the Lever Action as a viable self defense tool.

 

The Four Basic Truths of A Violent Assault

 Rory Miller is a Corrections Officer in Oregon. He has written several books on the subject Violence, both Social and Asocial. His occupation as a C.O. has given him an up close and personal insight to both.  If you're interested in reading any more of his material, all his books are available on Amazon ( and no, I don't get a cut from Amazon). The two books I would recommend are "Conflict Communication" and "Facing Violence".

************************

The Four Basic Truths of Violent Assault
By Rory A. Miller

As a corrections officer, I am often thrust into sudden violent situations. On one
particular occasion, I responded to an incident between two inmates.

One was brushing his teeth. The other came up behind him and struck him on the
right side of his head. The tooth brusher tried to turn but was pressed into a corner,
punched again and again with hard rights until he curled into a fetal ball. Blood
splashed (not smeared) onto the wall at shoulder height.

Do you train for this? Do you respect the power of a sudden attack and a constant
barrage?

The attacker broke several bones in his hand and did not know it. He didn’t break
just the metacarpals of a boxer's fracture, but also one of his fingers was deformed.
He did not know it and just kept hitting. He started complaining of the pain several
hours later.

Do you ever teach that pain alone will stop a committed attacker, that if you break a
bone, it's over?

I told the attacker that he was lucky. If the other guy had fallen or hit his head on
the wall and suffered more serious injury, he could be looking at some heavier
charges. He said, "Nah, I held his head with my other hand so it wouldn't hit the
wall. I know how you guys trump up charges and if I'd let him hit the wall you'd try
to get me for attempted murder."

Do you and your students realize how rational, how planned, a sudden assault can
be? It's only sudden for the defender. Far too often “sudden” is part of his plan. Do
you understand that there is a sub-group of human beings who can savagely beat
another human being while coolly thinking of their eventual court case?

The Four Basic Truths

Assaults happen closer, faster, more suddenly and with more power than most
people can understand.

Closer: Most self-defense drills are practiced at an optimum distance where the
attacker must take at least a half step to contact. This gives techniques like blocks
enough time to have an effect. You rarely have this time or this distance in a real
assault. Give some thought to how your technique will work if there is no room to
turn or step. Remember that the attacker always chooses the range and the location,
and will pick a place and position that hampers your movements.

Faster: When your martial arts students are sparring, use a stop watch and time how
many blows are thrown in a minute. Even in professional boxing, the number is not
that impressive. Then time how many times you can hit a heavy bag in a second. Six
to eight times a second is reasonable for a decent martial artist. An assault is more
like that. Because the attacker has chosen a time when the victim is off-guard, he
can attack all-out with no thought of defense. A competent martial artist who is used
to the more cautious timing of sparring is completely unprepared for this kind of
speed. You can strike ten times a second. You can’t block ten times a second.

More suddenly: An assault is based on the attacker’s assessment of his chances. If
he can’t get surprise, he often won’t attack. Some experts will say that there is
always some intuitive warning. Possibly, but if the warning was noted and heeded,
the attack would have been prevented. When the attack happens, it is always a
surprise.

More power: There is a built-in problem with all training. You want to recycle your
partners. If you or your students hit as hard as they can every time they hit, you will
quickly run out of students. The average criminal does not hit as hard as a good
boxer or karateka can, but they do hit harder than the average boxer or karateka
usually does because of gloves and dojo etiquette. More often than not, the first
strike in an ambush will find its target. Fighting with a concussion is much different
than sparring.

Responses to the Four Basic Truths

There are specific ways to train to deal with these truths about assault. You must get
used to working from a position of disadvantage. Put yourself and your students in
the worst positions you can (face down, under a bench, blindfolded to simulate blood
in the eyes and with an arm tied in their belt) and start the training from there. No
do-overs. Work from the position you find yourself in. There is no “right” move
anyway, just moves that worked or didn’t that one time.

Contact-response training. Condition (as in operant conditioning) for a quick,
effective response to any unexpected aggressive touch. Trained properly, the
counter-attack will kick in before the chemical cocktail of stress hormones. This will
give you one technique at 100%, and possibly the initiative, to the expected victim.


Remember, when you are pumped full of adrenaline, you will loose much of your fine
motor coordination, peripheral vision, etc. So you need to have your 100% technique
trained to be automatic.

Train to “flip the switch”. Make your students practice going from friendly, distracted,
or any other emotion to full on in an instant. Make them play music, converse, fold
clothes, write or pour tea as an armored assailant attacks. The key is that the
distraction must be natural and relaxed, not the jerky half-preparation of someone
who expects an attack.

In slow motion training, use realistic time-framing. Do not let them pretend that
“Monkey plucks jade lotus and presents to golden Buddha” is one move; do not let
them pretend that a spinning kick is just as fast as a jab.

Get used to being hit, and get used to being touched, especially on the face. For
various reasons, face contact between adults is loaded with connotations. Accidental
face contact almost always results in both students freezing and can cause an
outpouring of emotional sludge. Criminals use this by starting with an open-hand
attack to the face (called a “***** slap”) that has paralyzing psychological effects.

Teach common sensitivity. They must respond to what is happening, not to their
expectations or fears. If there are weapons mounted on the walls of your dojo and
you are practicing self-defense someone should be reaching for the weapons or
running for the door.

Forbid giving up. Winning is a habit. Fighting is a habit. Put them in positions where
they are completely immobilized and helpless and set the expectation to keep
fighting.

The Flaw in the Drill

In the end, a martial artist is training to injure, cripple or kill another human being.
However, in the dojo we cannot go about breaking our students So in any drill where
students are not regularly hospitalized there is a DELIBERATE flaw, a deliberate
break from the needs of reality introduced in the name of safety. In every drill you
teach, you must consciously know what the flaw is and make your students aware of
it. 

Sunday With Blackthorn - No Self Defense Today Guys...

 ...Just a trip down Memory Lane for the older guys!!

 

If AI Is The Future, Then I think We're Going To Have A Problem

 After clicking on the link below and reading the article, make sure you watch the video at the bottom of the article. Even the the guy doing the experiment just shook his head and walked away. Note: You only get one chance to watch the video and read the full video. After that you have to sign up to the website.

 

 https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ai-ignore-evidence-trust-science

Sunday With Blackthorn - How To Use A Palm Heel Strike

Don't be put off by the title of this video. I thought it was going to be another knock on open handed strikes. The point of the video is how to use a Pam Heel strike for the best effect  and how to do it without injuring your fingers or your wrist.  

 

 

Minnesota Fraudster Runs Away From Authorities

 Actually, It's more like HOPS away. The guy  jumps out of a 4th Floor window, with no apparent issue, then trips, falls and injures himself when one of his flip-flops trips him while going over a low wall and it falls off his foot!

The fun starts at the  00:46 second mark.

 

 

 

Wednesday With Blackthorn - Interested In A Strength And Conditioning Workout?

 From Randy Couture of UFC fame, this circuit workout might interest you. Give it a try.

 

 

 Now, just in case you're not already at least at some reasonable level of fitness, the S&C coach in the video below will show you how to progress from first getting the movements down, and then advancing to just using standard barbell before you start doing this routine.

 

 

Artifice

 

How To Use Your Knees And Elbows - Another Tutorial From Urban Combatives Netherlands

You Need To Know The Difference Between Self Defense And Overkill

 Otherwise you may wind up broke from defending yourself in Court, or else locked up for a long time.

 

And Now For Some Humor...

 ....This goes out to all the guys out there.

 

 

David James And The Spinning Elbow

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - Geoff Thompson On Why Marial Arts Fail In Real Fights

 

Time To Learn The ABC's Of Self Defense...

 ...From David James. So, Pay Attention!

 

NEW MILESTONE FOR THE BLOG!

 At 5:25 PM, The Blackthorn Blog Officially hit 500,000 Page Views!!

Thank you Guys!

 

Sunday With blackthorn - A Fight Is A Fight, But Self Defense Is...........

 

How About A Little Something From Carl C. Today

 Anything by Carl is always worth watching!

 

From Matt Numrich, More Self Defense Tips For Seniors

 Actually even healthy, fit, younger people can use these, not just Senior citizens. Take a look and decide for yourself.

From Mark Hatmakers Indigenous Ability Blog

Who’s Tougher: You or the Bad Hombre?

by Mark Hatmaker

 

Let’s talk “Scarface” Al Capone, Gangs of New York, dirty tactics, boxing and wrestling, and the focused “training of the bad element” that is, people who have a vested interest in training harder than much of the dabbling some of us allow to pass for mock hardness.

First, a bit of info passed along to me by more than one friend in the law enforcement profession. [Names of officers and contemporary gangs will be excised from this tale. But, all 100% Bonafide true stories.]

Beginning, oh, a decade or two ago friends on this side of right have related to me that upon raiding various and sundry biker hang-outs, gangbanger residences and like abodes that in addition to what is considered contraband they often find fight training material. [At a Boot Camp sometime, ask me about a couple of curious encounters I had with certain elements who wanted to schedule something a little less…just ask me, but do it in person.]

I was told these stories by Law Enforcement Pros because some of my  DVD titles were there. I always inquired who else, and the laundry list of squared away cadre always included a stable of straight-talking sorts with an eye on reality.

What was not included: Anything sportive, traditional, flashy, showy or that reeked of choreography.

Now myself, and these other gents whose titles found their way to these dens/clubhouses/Halls of “Learning,” we offer our ministrations in aid of self-defense on the right side of the line, self-edification, and, in my case, a bit of historical recreational fun.

I mention all this not to say, “Yay! Biker Endorsement!” But for what philosopher Nassim Taleb would call “The Graveyard of Invisible Evidence.”

I asked what other titles were included not for ego props but to see what the enemy has an eye on.

It is never in-depth kata material, internal kung fu, systema, and seldom is it sport oriented beyond an MMA title or two.

Almost invariably the consumption is rough-around-the-edges street-ready material.

This telling bit of Intel lets us know that those in the trenches of perpetrating mayhem have little to no use for theory and or bounded domains [sport applications.]

If [If] we proclaim ourselves street/reality focused, we would be well advised to take heed of our enemies’ tastes.

I now draw your attention to the fact that this phenomenon is nothing new.

 

Gangs, gangsters, motorcycle clubs on the fringes, and all of the other pockets of borderline behavioral association value hardmen, able scufflers, or as one Scottish lawman told me, “They value bonny fechters.” [Good fighters.]

Possession or Use

Now mere possession of a training implement does not make one adept. We all know that.

We all have YouTube tutorials available on every possible subject in our pockets and yet I see no corresponding rise in actual ability. Mere possession of information is nada.

Let’s look to the waters we law-abiding training ones swim in. There are faaaaaaaar more consumers of the aforementioned YouTube fight tutorials than folks who ever swing a fist at a bag.

There are copious members/commentors of the “Squared Away, Fight All the Way!” league tapping away at keys on social media forums for more seated rounds than ever pound bags, hit the mat, or swing a cudgel.

How many of these do you think put ass on mat? Hand in glove? If any time at all, how often? How long is that training session?

You get my drift, and if you’ve been alive and awake in these waters you are cognizant that on the right side of the justice line there are more in the theory-laden and sportive end of the pool than in the deep waters of “OK, this is real” and even fewer who test that reality off of high-dive platforms.

Use and Utility Over Mere Exposure or Possession of Information

The key info to know when eyeing an enemy is what armament do they possess?

In today’s lesson we are discussing the unarmed armament.

Question #2…

How adept are they at using that armament?

With adept we must never forget the fact that often mere use of said armament, any use at all, is often way more than the defender has ever had.

Gun shy, trigger-wincing, “How will this go in the mix?” never goes away, but it is diminished by exposure.

With that said, who do you think has been in tougher spots more often, the law-abiding reality-combat student, or the on-the fringe-biker gang member?

Who do you think has experienced more confrontations, the person who has read numerous essays on the OODA Loop or the ambitious kid from South Central?

To Know Wicked Tactics, Look to the Wicked

I have discussed the remarkable overlap between kosher tacticians and outlaw players of the seemingly same game but with violently different adjustments many times. In mob parlance, some of the able adjusters were called Street Dentists.

Men who were able boxers, able wrestlers, able scufflers, but something a bit more than that.

From the early days of rough and tumble to now, boxing+, all-in scuffling, boombattle, etc. are valued knowledge, valued skills.

Concerted Deliberate Practice

We would be on somewhat level playing fields if our gangbangers who possessed instructional material approached it in the same manner than many fight GIF swappers approach their own training but…

My selfsame law enforcement insiders tell me that the possession of the material is not the end. It is utilized. It is honed.

To keep current names out of the game, let us look at a few historical examples of outlaws honing illegal tactics in a most decidedly organized manner as one would expect from organized crime.

Let’s talk Al “Scarface” Capone.

The short version of the story is Capone came up brawling in the Five Points Gangs of New York. He was noted for slinging hands, busting heads and his “boxer’s feet.”

This abridged version of the tale leads us to believe that natural ability and simply engaging in street-scufflin’ is all one needs for improving a skill-set.

Let’s dig a little deeper.

Capone did indeed engage in numerous street scuffles as a member of the early rough and rowdy gangs of New York.

His actual gang was a smaller outfit called the James Street Gang. This gang was headed by a young Johnny Torrio, also of later mob notoriety.

If you’ve seen Martin Scorsese’s film Gangs of New York you are likely familiar with the largely Irish gangs—the Dead Rabbits, the Plug Uglies, and the Whyos.

Another large and powerful gang was the Five Pointers which was predominantly Italian.

It was headed by one dapper individual named Paul Kelly.

Not exactly an Italian name there. Kelly’s actual name was Paolo Antonini Vaccarelli.

Kelly/Vaccarelli was an experienced and successful bantamweight prizefighter. He used his winnings to bootstrap and bolster his criminal enterprises.

Kelly was also idolized by many young hoods, Johnny Torrio and Capone among them.

Kelly offered tips and tactics of the legitimate fight game in which he was well skilled—a Bridgeport Herald newspaper article of 1897 refers to him as one of the "fastest and cleanest little boxers in the business."

He could fight clean but…

 Kelly also made additions that made the game street-ready for the “thrash in the street” that was commonplace to the gig of being in a gang. The Five-Pointers were noted for their eye-gouging in the clinch tactics.

[Keep in mind, the story I am telling is not isolated. The history of boxers, wrestlers, rough ‘n’ tumblers evolving and expanding the game in methodical ways to aid and abet the less than savory are numerous. We are telling merely one tale in timeline today.]

Capone was part of this eager-to-learn cadre of young hoods, he avidly participated in these lessons.

Capone would go on to perfect his game working as a doorman, bouncer, security enforcer and labor slugger. [There are many tales to tell here but…another day.]

Flash forward to Capone becoming the biggest gangster in Chicago. Capone no longer had a need to get his hands dirty, but he still did on occasion—the infamous Indian club incident comes to mind. [The story has been altered to say Capone wielded a baseball bat, as we see in the film The Untouchables. Those in the know say, “Nah, it was an Indian club.”

A piece of exercise gear. Why was that on hand?

Capone, like his idol Paul Kelly, well, according to crime journalist Fred Pasley, at Capone’s headquarters at the Metropole Hotel in Chicago, there were two rooms equipped with punching bags, horizontal bars, trapezes, rowing machines and other such devices that his staff was expected to get a regular work out within.

“They followed a schedule of training as methodical as that of college football athletes...”

He goes on to say…

“Experience had taught him [Capone] that their professional value, based on that quality commonly described as nerve, was in direct ratio to their physical fitness. It might be only the imperceptible tremor of a trigger-finger, or the slightest moment in any of a score of unforeseen emergencies; yet the cost of the lapse would have to be reckoned in lives and money.” Al Capone: The Biography of a Self-Made Man [1930]

There is a contingent within the less than savory side of life that takes mayhem seriously. Both the training and the education of this mayhem.

To confuse this version of boxing, wrestling, and scuffling with the version we law-abiding squares often mistake for “fighting dirty” is a grave error indeed.