Masculinity

How To Maim An Attacker When Your Life Is On The Line

211 Comments

Just as every man needs to know how to fight, every man needs to know how to fight as if his life depended on it, for one day, it just might. Indeed, for while every man should know the basics of “bar-room brawling”, much more importantly, every man should also know the basics of ‘my-bloodly-life-is-on-the-line-and-I-will-win-no-matter-what-the-cost’ combat as well. And when it comes to life-or-death combat, a critical aspect of such a struggle is not only knowing which targets to aim for on a human body, and it is not only about knowing which targets to aim for first, but it is also about knowing which targets are literally indefensible no matter who your opponent is. And it is precisely these latter types of targets which this article will address.

Now, in providing you with this information, the onus is obviously on you to know how local self-defense laws apply to your situation. So, let’s be clear: I am just providing you with some knowledge, but you are responsible for how you use it. At the same time, I want it to be understood that these tactics should never be used except when you are under threat of death or serious bodily harm.

So, having said the above, let us now address the three indefensible targets that every man should know about. And in saying that these bodily targets are indefensible, what is meant is not that an opponent cannot actively protect these areas, but rather that no matter what a person’s bodily composition is—fat, skinny, muscular, etc.—there is almost nothing that a person can do to passively defend these areas. Whereas, for example, throwing a rib shot at an obese man or a trained Muay Thai fighter would be largely ineffective due to the passive armor that these two individuals possess—layers of fat in the former case and hardened ribs in the latter case—with the three targets under discussion, no such passive protection is possible. So what then are these targets? Well, they can be remembered with the acronym ‘ETC’, which stands for ‘Eyes, Throat, and Crotch’. Now, let’s look at each of these in order.

E is for Eyes

Just search ‘eye-gouging’ to see what really happens when you do this move.

In most life-or-death conflicts that a civilian might find himself in, the ultimate goal is to survive and escape. Indeed, the goal is to break contact with the attacker and get away as quickly as possible. And with this point in mind, it is key to remember that any attacker who cannot see you, cannot chase you. Not only this, but in nearly all cases, any attacker who cannot see you, cannot coherently attack you either. And to add to all this, an attacker’s eyes are also one of the areas that he cannot passively defend no matter what he does and no matter how muscled or fat he is.

As such, an attacker’s eyes are a prime target for attack in a life-or-death situation. Now when I imply that you should attack an opponent’s eyes, I am not talking about some minor eye fleck or eye scratch—although such moves have a place in less dire circumstances—but rather, in the life-or-death struggle, I am talking about driving your thumbs into an opponent’s eye sockets and literally ripping his eyeballs out. This is brutal, I know. But in a serious struggle, when it is your life or his, it must be your life, and so you must do whatever is necessary to survive, even if that means putting your fingers so far into a man’s skull that you start tickling his grey matter!

T is for Throat

Two for the price of one!

If a man’s eyes are the first body part to aim for given that this target is easy to get to, and does not do fatal damage, and also allows you a chance to escape, then this second target is no less important, for this target can be used when gouging the eyes is no longer an option and escape has been taken off the table. Indeed, when that happens, target the throat.

Now notice that I did not say the neck, for the neck, though an excellent target, is nevertheless one which can still be reinforced and strengthened, thereby making it difficult to attack in some people. Thus the throat is the target, and it is the target in two ways.

First, target the fleshy part under the Adam’s Apple where the trachea lies underneath the skin. Grab the neck like a vice grip, then drive the thumbs inwards until they are literally touching the attacker’s spine; with the trachea between your thumbs and the spine, bad things happen to your attacker! And the second way to attack this target is to grab the Adam’s Apple in a compact vice grip—just the Adam’s Apple, not the whole neck—and then squeeze until your hand forms back into a fist, thereby crushing the throat. Again, this is only to be used in a life-or-death self-defense struggle, but if you are in such a struggle, there are few moves more effective than this one.

C is for Crotch

Now crush, twist, and tear!

Although targeting the crotch is applicable to both males and females, for obvious reasons, it is used mainly in the case of males. But since a male will most likely be your opponent in a life-threatening encounter, then this limitation does not pose too much of a problem. Now, although the groin is not a fatal target, if attacked properly, it is a horrendously painful one, and one which will stop a person in their tracks. But again, I am not talking about some “snap-kick” to the crotch or a groin “strike”; rather, I am talking about grabbing the opponent’s junk, twisting it, then crushing it, and then pulling it off. Either that, or stomping and/or kneeing it into oblivion. That is what I mean.

Bonus E is for Ears

Not a good day!

Finally, as a bonus, I would also invite you to consider the ears. They are a non-lethal target but, like the three targets above, they are also a target which cannot be passively strengthened or protected. At the same time, a good number of individuals wear earrings, which make grabbing the ear and tearing it that much easier (or at least tearing out the earring itself). And so the ears present another target which can be readily grasped in a firm crawl-like fist, and then, with adrenaline flowing, pulled and ripped off.

And so, the long and short of it is this: real blood combat is an ugly business, and one which you want to avoid at all costs. But if violence is pushed onto you, the only answer is to respond with the aggression of a tiger and the brutality of a sociopath. Show no mercy until the threat is gone. And so, know the areas to target first—the eyes, the throat, the crotch, and sometimes the ears—and target them ferociously. Remembering this might very well mean the difference between life and death if you ever find yourself faced with that choice.

Read More: 4 Effective Fighting Techniques That Every Man Should Know 

211 thoughts on “How To Maim An Attacker When Your Life Is On The Line”

      1. The fun part is if you’re in the middle of a brawl and you grab a rock while swinging blindly. I clocked a poor bastard like that once in the playground as a kid and he required stitches.

      1. I believe “nigga” is the appropriate form of address when discussing Glocks.

        3. I’m not american, so I have always wondered: why niggas love their Glocks? Are they cheap or something?

        5. No, not cheap at all. Just glorified in “gangsta” culture.
          Part of my comment was a bit of snark, as the fellow had dared to suggest a plastic gun was superior to the venerable 1911.

        6. Probably because a rapper mentioned it. It’s nice to see people form their own opinion about Glocks.

        7. Technically, it is. Higher capacity and lighter weight. I see guns purely as combat tools, so I evaluate them in that light.

      2. Not a fan of DAO’s. I have a Glock 21 but I never really carry it. The nice crisp modified trigger on my Series 80 1991A1 breaks clean and smooth.

        1. I got one in the black finish. I hate the sights and want to mill the Novak slots on the slide. I just need the specs and a dovetail cutter.

        3. It’s not bad at all. It’s single stack so it’s thin, and the holsters I make, make it comfortable. I also open carry more often than concealed so in that case, it’s not only powerful, but “scary”.

        4. The stock sights on a Glock suck wind. The gun was a sound design, but it has way too many drawbacks for me to carry.

        6. Ah, forgot you are in leather industry. I just bought a leather sewing machine to fool with.

        7. I built a couple pistols based on the polymer80 SPECTRE frame, I’m using LWD slides with Trijicon night sights. I like the slides and sights. (However, I’m still working out a couple issues with the pistols- 80% ARs were far easier for me than the 80% pistol frames).

        8. Yeah, they are basic, but get the job done. Won’t be using the sights for close range stuff anyways, so it doesn’t matter much.

    3. No shit. And if for some reason you are in a place where you cannot carry a weapon, use weapons of opportunity. The fucking pencil or scissors on your desk can be lethal if used correctly. If your life truly is on the line, fighting with bare hands is fighting to lose. Unless you are completely out of options, find a weapon and use it.

      1. Knives very often get turned against the individual who carried one.

        3. Lesson: learn how to use a knife properly so that you aren’t incompetent when your life depends on it.
          Certain martial arts teach you to turn punches and kicks thrown at you back against the attacker. That doesn’t mean it’s not wise to defend yourself with punches and kicks. It means you need to learn how to fight.

        4. How is it bullshit? If the person is bigger than me for example or is more agile? And who says an assaillant doesn’t have a knife himself?

        6. I pull out a knife, someone gettin cut.
          Wont be me and I dont care if you are Hafthor, cutting will occur.

        7. A good method if you have a heavy enough knife is to pull it and hold it as if you’re going to stab your opponent in the guts. When they block their belly, you raise it up and use the butt end as a bludgeon to the head.

        9. Throughout human history, according to retards, any man who wielded a weapon had it taken from him and was murdered.
          Sounds legit.
          If you cant keep yourself alive with a knife against an unarmed person, do you deserve to carry on?

    4. Always some punk has to pull a pistol out his ass in a discussion about unarmed combat….
      Not literally you understand…

      1. Sorry that UK doesn’t let you own handguns, Bob. When I carry, I’m especually cautious to avoid trouble. I don’t gawk at loud arguments or physical confrontations or go into dodgy scenes just because I have a gun.

        2. Off course, everyone knows your ass gun needs to be like a derringer or something.

      3. Hopefully no reloading is necessary and no one is standing to the side. Beautiful gun though.

        1. Men back then would carry 2-4 of those, which meant “reload” in that time. The time to actually reload was back at camp when danger was far, far away. It’s why dual holsters were all the thing for a while.

      4. Remington 1858? Black powder it looks like (nipples) and not the brass cartridge conversion.
        I gots the black powder version of that. Noisy, smelly, smoky and messy. Love it.

        1. colt .45. from the website its the third model dragoon black powder pistol. man i looked up the Remington and they do look very much alike. Hey ghost you seem like a connoisseur when it comes to weaponry where should i start as far as learning about guns and starting a collection.

        3. Assuming you have the right and legal ability to do so, I always advise starting out with a revolver, usually a .38/.357 type six shooter. Use .38’s at the range and get lots of shooting practice in. There are many ranges where they run classes on basic firearm safety and proficiency, I highly recommend getting some of those classes under your belt. If you don’t have those, track down any proficient shooters you may know and get the Reader’s Digest version.
          After that, bolt action .22 rifle, iron sites, and a nice 100 yard range. Cheap to shoot, gets you set up to utilize the fundamentals of rifle shooting and is good fun. Never start with Tacticool accessories, always go to the basic iron sights first.
          After that, a semi-auto of either rifle or sidearm, and from there, you’re basically in the door with most of the relevant guns out there today (lever actions and other more unique actions you can pick up along the way). Shotguns are also good fun, but you want to ensure that you don’t start with a 12 gauge as your first gun, or you’ll come to hate shooting.

    6. Thats the first thing that came to mind. Thought this article was going to talk about weapons but nonetheless it still does make good points

      1. Yeah, it sure does. I’m kind of arrogant about my right to carry a firearm and tend to not think about the “feelings” of my international brothers. But they’re men, so I know that they’ll take it in stride.

      1. When you get a loyal companion, you keep it by your side. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

    8. I get my s/s Colt Commander .45 tomorrow. CDNN Sports has some good deals. I can’ wait!
      Ghost, are you familiar with Southern Ohio Gun? I used to see then SGN with all sorts of deals. Not sure what they have now.

        1. It’s actually one of the few “viable” machine pistols, more controllable and limited to burst. With that said, I don’t think auto or burst belongs on something as small as a handgun, high cyclic rate, small magazine, too lightweight to be very controllable.

    10. My Dad studied jiu-jitsu from a young age, and I had expected him to pass it on to me for my own good and as a rite of passage. Alas, this did not happen for this very reason. I would ask him, and he would respond “There is no point, everyone has guns these days”. Including myself =)

      1. This is what I got, a Ruger 44 Magnum superblackhawk. Bought it up in Alaska to hike around in bear country.

      2. I find that odd.
        My father was trained to be wary of unarmed folks within 20 ft (over 20 years civilian security on a military base). Buggers can close fast and getcha and you could miss.

        1. Good addition to the thought. Firearms are best deployed at range. Still, I’d rather be well trained in tactical shooting and have a sidearm and deal with that, than have to take years of proficiency in fist/knife fighting for close range and still have basically the same odds. Plus, I’m a big ass mother fucker, people want to stay out of my range, not charge into it.

        2. “years of proficiency in fist/knife fighting . . .” From what I read, the best technique in knife fighting isn’t using artful swordsmanship-style moves but the “prison yard rush”: rush your victim suddenly, swiftly and attack ferociously

        4. That’s true. Works for guns as well. That’s where being a big ass motherfucker actually helps you, it provides a psychological deterrent to people rushing you. You might be able to tackle Joe Average with a gun, but rushing The Rock in his prime you’d have second and tenth thoughts about.

        5. Size is an advantage, but it doesn´t matter when you are flat on your back, much less while having multiple stab wounds. A knife is a better option at close quarters. Easily concealed and it doesn´t run out of bullets, nor malfunctions.
          Being more aggressive beats size every time.
          Personally, why not train both? I practise both shooting and krav maga.

        6. ” A knife is a better option at close quarters”
          Most shooters completely underestimate knives. Not only are they more lethal at close range (a smaller percentage of knife wound victims survive compared to handgun victims), but they are silent and can deliver multiple wounds in a short period of time.
          We used to do drills where a shooter had to get off a shot at a charging assailant with a knife, and then defend against the knife. At 7 feet most shooters could barely get one shot on target. (And these were not novices). 20 feet, sure… Now imagine being in the dark, attacked from behind, multiple assailants from different angles, etc. Knives are no laughing matter.
          To be honest, most gun people in the USA are kind of fat and out of shape, and very few have done boxing or combatives that would train them to avoid strikes. Jiu Jitsu generally becomes useless when knives or eye gouging are involved.

        8. The trouble is, the nutters who will fight you in the street don’t tend to be the ones that care about your size. Not saying it won’t put most people off but I would be wary of relying on it as a line of defense.
          Doesn’t tactical shooting require years of training?

        9. The ’21 foot Rule’ or Tueller drill is the idea that an officer can’t react and shoot someone within that distance who charges the officer. It’s a bit controversial nowadays, you can google for various opinions, enactments. However:
          http://www.forcescience.org/demos.html
          A site which studies police use of firearms including action/reaction times for perp/LEO. Best case scenarios for cops in terms of timing as ‘perps’ were college students unfamiliar with firearms; LEOs were experienced making simple reaction to a buzzer/light decisions vice scenario driven.
          They also have written a lot of papers on reaction time in terms of the start shooting/stop shooting decision, why folks in legit shootings can end up being shot in the back etc.

        10. If you’re a normal shooter, no. If you’re some dillweed who has never shot a gun, it can take some time.
          To get really good as in “I can legitimately kick most people’s asses” good, you are going to be in the dojo for a long, long time. Basic firearm proficiency and some tactical shooting classes are in and out. You still have to keep up your marksmanship, but the time from entry point to “kick your ass” is way shorter.

        11. Oh, no worries, I carry knives as well. Usually one, sometimes two. SOG is my go to knife normally.

        12. Even if my handgun runs out of bullets or jams, there’s nothing stopping me from beating the shit out of people with it. Agreed, hand to hand and firearms training are both important, they go together.

        13. I take your point about shooting. My instructor told me that I’m already better trained than most cops – simply because they never practice. And so some street thug who has probably never had weapons instruction a day in his life would have the odds stacked against him in a firefight with me.
          I think with martial arts it depends on the art. In my opinion, Muay Thai will give you a significant edge over the average guy in a matter of months. Aikido on the other hand will take you years. However, long term Aikido will give you a better understanding of the human body.
          That said, I think that the combat arts such as Krav Maga and Systema are better, because they prepare you mentally for a combat situation. And you can apply that to your firearms training because combat is combat, no matter the weapons used. The best part is that they remove that belligerence that some of us have after training in a sports martial art for so many years.

        2. Modern semi autos don’t really jam, either. Or, it is incredibly rare. They also hold more ammo and have a faster reload speed. My carry piece is a G19, almost 3x the capacity of a revolver with much faster reload speeds. Even so, I still practice jam clearing and such.
          Revolvers can jam as well, gravel, ect, can seize up the cylinder, and problems with revolvers aren’t easily correctable like a semi. The revolver not jamming thing is mostly a myth.
          If it’s .357, you aren’t going to see much better results out of a snub than you would with a 9mm out of a standard barrel anyways.

      4. I trained on handgun disarmament and snatches in krav class, but that has it’s limits. It won’t work when someone is 6 or more feet away unless you are much faster than the attacker’s reaction time.

      5. Except that several times over the last few years I’ve read articles about MMA guys disarming robbers and holding them in some jiu-jitsu position until the cops show up. Don’t get me wrong, a gun and about 15 feet of distance is the preferred defense method but there is surely a place for learning jiu-jitsu and kick boxing/ mau tai, wrestling, etc…

        1. You are 100% correct. I certainly wish my dear ole daddy had taught me everything he knew about self defense, because there is always that situation where you don’t have your sidearm. Not to mention the discipline that comes with learning the art if the first place.

    16. Yupp………… But unfortunately in lots of ZOG countries they are illegal & near impossible to obtain, unless you are part of the crime society ??

    18. That 45 is so much more humane. Please shoot me in the head before ripping my nuts off with the most fucked up kung fu move I’ve ever heard of.

      1. They seem less eager to kill then islamists in the middle east, and certainly far less willing to kill then atheist communists were in Soviet Union and China, but whatever…

      2. No. We will kill those who attempt to kill us and we are very open about it.
        That seems to upset mainly non-American atheists.

      3. The idea is not to die for your country, but make the other bastard die for his.

      4. Where does Jesus council against self defense?

    20. I like it. But if you’re ever caught without your gun, you better know how to raise hell with other tools.

    21. Glock 19, weighs less, holds more, less recoil, and in modern hollowpoints, there isn’t a huge difference in results.
      I love 1911s, shoot my friend’s fairly expensive custom one and it is a joy to shoot, but it’s been over a hundred years, technology is much better now. I wouldn’t feel underarmed with one, but there are much better choices out there now.

  2. “…every man should also know the basics of ‘my-bloodly-life-is-on-the-line-and-I-will-win-no-matter-what-the-cost’ combat…”
    Very true, good article with some solid tips. In a life or death situation, you have to be willing to be more vicious, more ferocious and more ruthless if you want to even have a chance to survive. You also have to be ready to endure getting hit and getting hurt, while still staying focused on doing as much damage to the softest and weakest parts of your opponent as possible. In that situation, you ain’t got time to bleed, you got to tear out some eyeballs and rip into some soft tissue with your teeth.

  3. It needs to be said though, that if you are not conditioned properly for combat you likely would not think of doing any of this. This requires training for the combat “state” so that you can maintain the presence of mind to think about going for these weak spots.
    Actually breaking the ribs of a Muay Thai expert is easier than you think. It is very hard to condition your ribs not to break from a naked fist, particularly if it is thrown by a capable fighter. I know a MT champ who was laid out with four broken ribs after a bout of combat with another MA expert.
    And I have broken ribs my self with a punch.

  4. A few addendums:
    To add to your list, think of anything that runs down the center of your body as potential weak points. Think eyes, filtrum, throat, solar plexus, and crotch, knees. This also applies when looking at someone from the side: temple, armpit, liver/kidneys.
    Also, know what weapons to use at what ranges. Farther away, utilizes kicks and punches. Closer in, more knees, elbows, locks and throws. If you’re in really close and can’t really throw anything, pull the guy in and start biting him. An old self defense book described the process as “bite, chew, rip, spit, repeat.”

  5. Punching is still good.
    And/or running.
    Very experienced in both.
    Dont understand chest wars with hands out and yelling..
    Thats assault. Defend hard and fast then run.
    One akito move to twist remove hand grabbing your shirt…
    Nuts are for nuts

  6. Dig your fingers in behind the collarbones and rip downwards hard. Fight ender…

    1. as in dislocate the collarbone or break the collarbone ?? God that sounds painful. How about getting a finger and bending it back so it breaks or dislocates??

      1. Yeah, collarbone injuries are vicious. If done right you can dislocate both of them.

      1. Problem there is that you don’t always know who is writing the laws until it is too late.
        FL and SC are ostensibly red states at the local/state level, but George Zimmerman and Michael Slager found out the hard way that they were living under libtard law.

        1. Never talk to police, especially if you shoot an intruder.
          Say only that you’re not saying anything and want to talk to your lawyer.
          In another life I was so advised by a D.A. friend who knew a certain black man was stalking my wife at the time.

    2. That’s only if you are stupid enough to hang out till the cops get there.

    1. looks like they were all victim to the ‘crush, twist and tear’ move.

    2. Building workers (i.e. construction workers)?? I doubt it. This is more like a group pic of the organizers of Stockholm’s Gay Pride parade.

    5. The difference between Vikings and Swedes is that the Vikings are the Swedes (and Norwegians and Danes) who left and conquered shit, while the Swedes are the weakling fuckers that they left behind.

    7. Read that body language. Covering their genitals. There were a few forced to go with the flow. Pun intended.

  10. I’ve been following martial arts and self-defense discussions and theory for a long time and I must say I’ve never heard of a case where a woman escaped an attacker by attacking the eyes or throat and very rarely have I heard of men doing that succesfully in defense and I’ve even read a news article about a woman breaking an attacker’s ankle with a kick and getting away. Have heard some brutal assault stories about the perp gouging eyes though. Twisting the fingers is another self-defense trick that’s supposed to work well but is rarely reported. Consequently I believe that basic defensive positioning and being able to throw a knock-out punch are the most important things for men’s self-defense for your average person; for women that would probably change into a groin kick and maybe some ground defense. There’s a lot more to it of course but it’s unreasonable to expect that everyone turn it into a hobby as there are more effective ways to invest your time for most people.

    1. I’d say that gouging eyes or kicking knees in sidways goes against most people’s nature. If some of the victims had the mindset to ruthlessly win by any means, then such techniques would be used.
      Now if you can carry a handgun, then do so. But I’ll add that a good friend of mine’s father shot an attacker three times with a .357 point blank while being savagely beaten with an axe handle. It stopped the perp (he went to jail, the defender wasn’t charged), but he survived. Shot placement is key. A well-placed .32 to the heart or head beats a .357 to the side of the abdomen.

      1. I don’t think knee kicks are very effective for most people. They are not practiced in MMA, muay thai etc. and although they may be theoretically trained in so called self-defense arts, those arts are all over the place and they teach people to be mediocre in everything. A woman or a weak man with mediocre kicks is not going to bust someone’s knee with a kick unless they’re very lucky. Again I have never heard of any confirmed stories of someone ending a fight by kicking someone in the knee and a big problem with it is that it’s a technique dependent on your opponent’s positioning. If they are not placing any weight on that knee, it’s pretty hard to jam it anyway.

    2. I got tackled off a car fender onto a curb by a guy that outweighed me by about 50-60 pounds, with him on top. I stuck my thumb in his eye and it took the fight right out of him. I still ended up with cracked ribs from the curb.

  11. Self defense is tricky. It’s not about to fight, but to get out of troubles, mainly by being attentive (i love ‘The Fence’ theory by Thompson)
    The first thing is to accept that you may have to face violence. Just that is too much for 90% of actual people.
    Then train, realistically to prevent it, and to face it.
    Train with the best trainer you can find.
    Do drills. Until your able to react without thinking.
    Destroy your opponen(s) ability to see, to breath or to run. Then run yourself.
    You’ll neer be good enough.
    But accepting it and training yourself will have two interesting conséquences.
    One, you’ll be able to prevent most problems. Because, most of the time, you are attacked when you are vulnerable. So basic training and awarness will prevent most of problems.
    Two, you’ll be able to recover more quickly if you are attacked. Sure, it won’t cure a bullet in your brain. But ‘innocent’ people who were beaten lost more than their physical integrity. Their entire world have suddenly fallen appart.
    I don’t say it’s easy to recover from a good beat up, but it’s definitly easier when you have already pushed your body and mind to the limit of pain on a friendly ground.

  12. That’s why I love Krav Maga. It does not only train you tactics and fightstyles, but also your mind, so you will be able to use these tactics in a real situation.
    I’ve seen Boxer Friends of mine with 8 years of experience shitting their pants because a drunken guy with a knife in his hands threatens him.

      1. Exactly man! These; just stay calm and do some Kung-Fu shit, doesn’t work.
        Controlled Aggression works the best.

        1. Scheduling and finding the instructor to teach what I was searching for. The last one I had was good (close quarter fighting, take downs), but he moved and after awhile I had/have other responsiliities that suck away my time.
          There is a KM place not far from me and I have been mulling it over to take that up.

    3. I think most people would be slightly concerned about a guy with a knife. You are right about KM. A complete combat system must teach you to maintain proper state in the face of a life threatening situation. MMA, Boxing and Muay Thai do not teach this, primarily because they are sports, and sport require a completely different state.

      1. I learned from my years in prison (employee, not inmate) that if you are unarmed and facing an assailant armed with a knife…you are going to get cut, even if you survive the attack.
        Super-aggression in a knife attack is a must; your attacker is already ramped up, your intensity needs to at least match his. They’re not expecting you to act aggressively.

    4. The problem with this krav maga stuff is it teaches you to be mediocre in everything and confident regardless, because you’re theoretically “prepared” for something. It takes a lot of practice to see a sucker punch coming and I can trust the boxer guy to see that half the time but I cannot trust the krav maga guy to succeed unless he’s allowed to kick and pummel a semi-resisting drunk who does not throw the first punch, which is basically the same philosophy women’s self-defense is based on; going berserk once you sense a threat; if the 5’4 woman or the short potbelly guy does not get to engage first, he’s lost like a puppy. If I cannot trust this dude to know the basics of striking against an active opponent, I’d focken hate to see him take on someone with a blade because he has probably spent even far less time training that.

    5. Agree..did some KM.. Like how they practice “scenarios” like say getting attacked while you are sitting or someone comes at you with a stick…

    6. Dude I don’t care what you know, if someone has a knife, the best option is to run and create distance. Even with a firearm, the law of 10 still applies to be effective for a firearm.

  13. Knees too! Especially really big guys when you can’t reach their face. Fat dudes generally have weak knees

    1. So long as this remains the exception and not the rule, nard-demolition can stay on the list.
      First comment on the youtube page is pretty good: “This is how I feel when I am watching feminist videos”

    3. Fucking testicle battering-ram. Forget waterboarding. Someone get me the President.

  15. Google Marc “Animal” MacYoung. He has good info on the realities of fighting, SD, and legal consequences.

  17. Before we get all macho an’ shit (which is usually totally appropriate don’t get me wrong) remember that it isn’t always possible to carry a weapon depending on laws where you live smaller stature people, children and women have a hard time executing complicated martial arts moves. Eyes, throat, balls and knees are great targets for these types of people for whom ripping their heart out with your bare hands isn’t feasible.

    1. Yes they are, but If you’re super diligent and attend a one hour class a week that walks you through an eye gouge, without ever gouging an eye, then it’s probably more harm than good. It’s better than nothing if all avenues of escape are blocked, but if one hour a week is all you can bring to the table, then running is your best bet. The problem is that your one hour a week had too much kata and not enough randori, so you don’t know how badly you suck, so you might not run as fast as you should.

  18. I just use the ol’ Glasgow Kiss, then boot the f**k out of them when they drop.
    But whatever works for ye.

  19. If you’re in a fight for your life, there’s only two rules: always cheat and always win.

        1. If you only cheat once a month that is 12/365 which is 97% faithful.
          Win.

        2. I’ve never agreed/promised/vowed to be faithful to my wife, therefore I’m not cheating.

  20. Crushing someone’s eyeballs will result in a lifelong prison sentence. One just trains the fucking attack and defense strength exercises. These exercises make attack and defense so strong and natural, that one will never forget it in a tricky situation.

    1. You must live in Europe. Here, you can use what force is necessary for self defense, assuming that you did not start the confrontation, up to and including lethal force.

  21. I believe what you’re going for here is…. “Colt .45…… it works… every time…..”

  23. In early America eye gouging was so common that much of the backwoods population was missing one.

  24. Advice I once got from a former Hells Angel:
    If you can’t get ahold of a gun, then go to your local home depot or lowes or some other hardware store, and buy a 15 dollar padlock.
    Practice with it. Carry it with you. If you ever need to, put it through your finger, and bash the other guy’s head. Hammer-strike from above. Across the side. From below. When all is said and down, throw it as far away as you can. No one is going to care about an old padlock on the ground.
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/59/Padlock.svg/1024px-Padlock.svg.png

      1. Padlocks pick up blood and have grooves that make it hard to clean out, especially in a hurry. They’re brushed metal.
        I don’t necessarily disagree with the OP but I’d think twice about casually tossing anything away at or near a crime scene. A rinsed off padlock in a dumpster 10 miles away? Perfect. A bloody padlock one block away? You’re going to the big house.

    2. You could also drop the lock into an old wool army sock and go for the head (see that once with results).
      Also a cheap, plastic bic pen. Jam that anywhere under the rib cage and drive it in as far as you can. Effective as a plexiglass shiv.

    1. 3.5W handheld laser that can do damage? Got link? I really need to investigate this, that wattage sounds way too low to do serious damage without time, luck or both. But if it actually works, I want one! Heh.

      1. “It also offers four functional modes: momentary, constant on, strobe, and bypass. The LED panel now displays your current power level. Used with the Phosforce, the Arctic transforms into an brilliant white-light flashlight. With the Expander, you can multiply the focus of your beam. And with the LaserSaber (which does exactly what you think it does), you’ll never lack for options to make the chilling presence of your Arctic known to the world.”
        I haven’t used it but have heard that it’s the real deal. I watched a video at the following site, and the laser cut through metal. Scroll down a bit and you can watch it –
        http://www.wickedlasers.com/arctic

        1. I’ll look at it but man, 3.5W sounds really, really weak, even for a CO2 laser. The shit that they use to cut metal in car shops and such are WAY more powerful in wattage. Will check the link out, ty.

        2. Some quotes from a gadget review of the S3 Arctic, found at the link below; the review is six years old, back when I guess the company first started making these lasers –
          Q1 – “There were many rumors of production issues, delivery delays, and the FDA leaning on Wicked Lasers for a multitude of safety reasons. All I know for sure is that it took Wicked Lasers a very long time to send me a S3 Arctic laser to review.”
          Q2 – “Although the wait was long and the path to me was somewhat complicated, Wicked Lasers’ S3 Arctic lives up to its (very dangerous) hype.”
          Q3 – “This laser is absolutely not a toy. The S3 Arctic is a Class 4 laser capable of blinding and/or burning someone almost instantly. I believe one of the reasons for its delayed shipment to customers was the fact the FDA pressured Wicked Lasers to engineer greater safeguards into it. Among those are Smart Switch technology, a safety interlock, and contact guard.”
          http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/01/09/wicked-laser-s3-arctic-laser-review/

  27. Finally a realistic street fighting article in ROK.
    I have been doing Krav Maga for the past 7 years, for the skeptic.
    You can also jab the throat with fingers if you’re going to make a run for it.
    Twisting the groin is fine, but you’re susceptible to a headbutt which may put you to sleep. I’d knee or kick it.

  31. I train Brazilian jiu-jitsu for 2 hours 2 to 3 days a week, and I’m a former boxer. I also carry a gun and karambit every where I go, and practice regularly with both. Every style and technique has weak points, but it’s all about having as many tools as possible, and knowing when to use each one

  32. Earrings. A fifty-year old co-worker said he used to yank them off guys in the 80’s. He added that his friends and he ran over cats and rabbits on purpose, with some kind of points system in place.
    His name was also Bob.
    No relation…I think.

  33. I prefer to pay someone else to do my fighting for me.
    As my brief used to tell me to say “It wasn’t me, I wasn’t there”
    And if we really are talking ‘no rules fighting’
    That would be a hit and run on your wife/kids/mother/sister a week or two later.
    Nobody does man on man any more.
    PS. You forgot “T is for tits” For when you’re fighting women, a hard punch and you won.

  35. By the way, there’ a natural cognitive bias against shooting on a member of your specie. You can be an elite shooter and stay petrified when an opponent Attack because of that.
    You have to practice on human silhouette (practical and tactical shouting) if you want to be able to shoot efficiently in life and death scenarios.
    Being good at the gun range is just the beguining.
    You have to overrun a natural reflex. you won’t have a few second to make it right in life and death scenarios.
    Practice.
    Note: criminals, by definition has overrun it for a long time…

  36. Biting is extremely effective, as I know from my time in a mental hospital(employee, not patient). Nothing redirects the mind more than someone taking a bite out of you…hurts like a motherfucker!

  37. Having a combination of concealed weapons permits form the states that enables me to carry in most states, I find myself trying as much as possible to just stay away from places I can’t legally carry.
    I often ask people if they’ve been in a fight with someone they either don’t know or someone they weren’t related to. I’ve found plenty of people have been in knock-down drag out fights but few have done it with people who weren’t going to grant them any quarter at the end of it.
    I’ve been in many fights where I knew the guy wouldn’t ultimately try and kill me. As far as fights to the death–two, but one was a real eye opener. I was 19. I was at a venue where there was a lot of guys I knew, some close friends some just acquaintances. There was a group of people there that turned out to be a white-thug gang. Long story short, when your’e in a fight with a lot of people around, you have to know exactly who your enemy is. I wound up having a guy take a swing at me who I’d been talking to like we were best buds not thirty minutes earlier (a lot of my friends had the same story that evening). Turns out my friends were squaring off with his gang members and I became part of the fight without even realizing or trying. The move that got me on the right side of my particular battle was the fish-hook. I damn near twisted his head off. There were individual fights going on all over the place–one on one, two on one, two on two… I got a bunch of guys that went after me when I put myself in the line of fire trying to protect a close friend who was in real danger, and a bunch of friends that went after them. In the end I got the shit kicked out of me and a few of us wound up running for our lives.
    Side note: you find out in a hurry who of your friends are bullshitters and who are the real bad-asses. This happened almost thirty years ago and the guys I knew who turned out to be pussies were never able to live that reputation down. Not a one of them ever talked shit with me around because I’d just look at them and shake my head. They turned out to be cowards and left their “friends” when the shit hit the fan.
    By the way, the whole thing was started because of some slut, and a dog and some unsuspecting orbiter…

  38. The eye-gouging part is really cringeworthy though. And what if your opponent’s friends turn that method back on you for revenge?

      1. Big deal, I don’t want mine gouged out in the first place. I’d rather die than become blind.

  39. This is all true. As a self defense instructor based in WT Kung Fu…this is what Kung Fu is all about. Our first targets are the eyes, the throat and the groin.
    There is an old saying: The westerner slaps to humiliate, the asian hits to kill.
    There is truth in these words. All these moves have the basic idea to kill the other person(s) as fast and with as little force as possible.
    If this is not the case in your dojo/gym, you are not training self-defense, you are doing it for sports.
    Sports does prepare you to engange in friendly or semi-friendly contests while self defense prepares you to fight for your life. The later beeing quite rare in our modern, castrated age. At least in the west. In the middle east things are different. In south america are areas where things are different. In russia things are different. In many parts of asia things are different.
    But in the US or europe? You dont need stuff like that. You are pretty save and cosy. Or so your goverment says. Its for your own good to call the police and pick up the soap while you wait; is it not?

  42. My first martial arts instructor was a 5′ 4″ and pretty much had the same philosophy as Damian Michael: Eyes, Throat, Ears, Solar Plexus, Nuts and Knees. That aside, I’m pretty happy with the Smith and Wesson M&P series. A couple a mods and they shoot as good as any Sig’ or Glock out there. Their .38 bodyguard is a pretty cool little pistol also, got that for my girls purse gun.

  43. My first martial arts instructor was a 5′ 4″ maniac and pretty much had the same philosophy as Damian Michael: Eyes, Throat, Ears, Solar Plexus, Nuts and Knees. That aside, I’m pretty happy with the Smith and Wesson M&P series. A couple a mods and they shoot as good as any Sig’ or Glock out there. Their .38 bodyguard is a pretty cool little pistol also, got that for my girls purse gun.

    1. I like it. But if you’re ever caught without your gun, the things your 5’4″ instructor taught you are still a lifesaver.

  44. Brilliant article. Forget what you learned as a boy and remove all notions of fist fighting and karate from your mind. Fight dirty. Gouge eyes attack throat and use weapons. When your personal safety is on the line I’m afraid you have to become a gangster not a martial artist.

  46. One is missing: ‘N’ for nose. Just send a quick unexpected jab with your palm to the nose and the guy is going to cry in pain.

  47. Plenty of people have died from a punch to the head or have died from falling after the punch and slamming their head on the ground or have died from being kicked in the head or stomped. That said, all fights are really life and death, regardless of intent.
    I am now a senior citizen. As such, I will treat any physical attack as a possibility of my death and will respond in kind with the legal gun or knives that I always carry. I’ll tell the cops and the judge if necessary that I feared for my life and, given my older age, will likely get away with it.

  48. “But since a male will most likely be your opponent in a life-threatening encounter”
    I may sound silly, but why is that?

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