Self Defence for Landlords? :)

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ShaunW said:
Hi Duncan, I'm a southerner myself (H.Valley) and used to train in freestyle Karate called Zen Do Kai, and our club incorporated Muay Thai (I achieved Black belt after 4yrs training - a hard slog, coz you really earn the belt, not just pay for it).
If overall fitness and brutal self defence is what you are after, then Thai is the go. Hands, elbows, feet, shins and knees all become rather nasty weapons for the thai kickboxer.
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Thanks, I'm just around the corner from you, Woodcroft.
 
I think what needs to be taught in self defence is how to recognise problem situations and how to avoid confrontation. It is all about staying out of trouble, or if it arises, get out quick.

The 'bad' types are usually well versed in unfair fighting so a black belt may prove worthless. The unexpected whack over the head with a blunt object is hard to avoid even for a trained commando.

Maybe the best advice is to do the exact opposite of what the American macho guys do on TV.

I think it is wise to treat everyone with politeness and respect. Why indulge in sharp business practices when it could result in someone stepping out of the shadows with a gun one day?

Most of us have no experience of the seamy side of life and we need briefings on what to look out for (without becoming paranoid).

We all need good practical tips to read and anticipate trouble. For example, if a neighbour calls to advise that your tenants are drunk and noisy, advise the neighbour to report it to the authorities and not to you. If a tenant is threatening you, leave immediately and get police advice.

Lplate
 
amen Lplate

this thread has had me thinking about the martial arts i have been doing. i started seriously in 1996, i train in combatic martial arts rather than sport martial arts. since i started, i personally have not been in any real fights. it has really come down to two pieces of advice. the first, is simply to smile as much as you can. simple but effective (i have found people tend to think you're stupid if you're happy and/or smiling, but you can use this to your advantage). the second bit of advice was "dont go to bad places", or be careful not to get stuck in bad situations.

i have seen enough fights to know that as soon as violence starts, someone i care about will be hurt and the consequences will continue for months. it is just not worth it. its similar to people buying fancy cars with credit they cant afford. who are they trying to impress? what are they trying to prove? just forget about it, try and be decent to one another and be happy, it is much more enjoyable :)

all that said and done, i still train in martial arts cause i get a lot out of it. i need a bit of discipline to help me keep focussed, and theres nothing as humbling as getting your head served to you on a plate by a five foot tall 40 year old mother of three :D
 
OK, time for me to go down in flames :D

Duncan, one word….boxing, you’ll get super fit, super fast, & have the cardio system of a lion. You’ll learn to punch properly, avoid a punch (& get pretty good at seeing most of them coming), & be so fit that when you’ve realised it’s time to run, there’s no way they’ll catch you unless they’re in a car :eek: .

The advantage of boxing is that it focuses on using one set of tools (fists) extremely well so you get a lot of bang for your buck in a short time. One other advantage of boxing is you learn to take a punch so that you can still react after getting hit, which WILL happen if you get into fights. If you’re lucky enough to find one of those rare trainers out there that train boxers instead of fighters you’ll also learn that there is a science to boxing. :confused:

After you’ve done boxing for 6-12 months, then look into one of those getting sweaty on the ground styles (Judo, Jui Jitsu, Wrestling) so that you can survive falling or being tackled & know how to get back on your feet REALLY QUICK.

Please note this is not casting aspersions on any of the school recommendations out there, I currently train in a Wing Chun derivative & have done stand up & ground based styles on & off over the last 20+ yrs. I have nothing but respect for the MA’s & the artists out there (with the occasional exception) :p

My response is based on Duncan having been concerned about his ability to assist a woman getting bashed & is aimed at getting him street effective as quickly as possible. Based on personal experience & observation, 6 months of boxing training will create a fast efficient fighter with even faster legs.

Duncan, once you’ve learnt a bit of whatever style, then go & mix with other people & cross-train i.e. if your school does ground fighting, go to a good judo or wrestling school so you get an idea of whether you’re getting taught good technique, or just an ‘add-on’ that sells more memberships. You’ll soon learn what works & doesn’t, also make friends with a couple of security guards/bouncers & learn the basics of body language, distancing, stances etc. This is so that you can “pick when they’re going to pick you”, have an initial idea of whether they’re going to punch, grab/wrestle, or kick. Also you may find a style that suits your personality & pocket & becomes part of your life. Anything that’s too damaging on your body (like boxing is on your head) is not something you’ll want to stick with.

A point to remember, in a lot of instances such as the one you were confronted with, a calm approach with a LOT of talking will defuse without resorting to violence i.e. “look mate, that sort of stuff isn’t good around here, the coppers will be here in a minute, someone’s bound to have called them”, etc, etc. Keep talking, don’t let them too close (DO NOT stay within striking distance), if possible have them looking in the other direction from their initial object of anger, this will give them a chance to leg it.

One of my favourite stories is an instructor of mine who’s trained longer than I’ve been alive who told a guy getting antsy “look mate, I don’t want you breaking my nose”, he was able to calm the guy by having the guy think he was not scared but didn’t want the pain of a fight, the other guy kept his ego & fortunately for him decided to walk away. My instructor had no ego in the fight as he knew what he was capable of & wasn’t afraid. By the way, he’d already flipped the guy off a 4’ landing & landed on top of him when the guy had his first attempt. You think the aggressor would’ve learnt!

Once you’ve got past the ‘fighting’ part of your training (assuming you stick with it), you’ll find it can be a lovely addition to your life, enabling you to release tension & keep calm in confrontational situations.
 
willair said:
Ducan,
i have a black belt in no can do,it teaches you to walk away
and let someone else deal with the problem..
good luck
willair.
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I second that.

Best self defence is to be aware at all times. If you feel uncomfortable / threatened..... don't be there.

If you have a tenent whom you feel may become physically aggressive try speaking to the cops and if they are no help then consider hiring a bodygaurd or two for the day and get the problem sorted. Body gaurds for a couple of hours aren't going to cost you the earth and will give you a lot of confidence.

If you don't have years to become proficient my advice, for what it is worth (ex-bouncer.... but not a tough one ;) ) is boxing. When the chips were down and all reason failed and it was brown trouser time, my years of kung-fu flew out the window and my limited boxing training came to the fore. That's why I'm back at boxing. You don't have to get into the ring (I don't 'cause I KNOW I hate being punched :p )

For me Boxing is the way to go. Kickboxing is cool as well. Nothing against Martial Arts its that for me, I prefer to stick to basic moves that have proven themselves to work. The fancy moves MAY work but when push comes to shove......

But yeah I'd get the cops first. Or hire a PM and get them to sort it out :p

Good luck
 
nah i agree with the boxing thing. the basics of fighting are quite simple and only take 3 - 6 months to become proficient at, and boxing is a great way. i am thinking of taking it up just cause we dont do much sparring at my current dojo and it really is a rush. imo, because it is so simple you plateau in knowledge fairly quickly (6 to 12 months as mentioned above) and this is what i like about the martial arts i do now, they have a lot of depth which lends itself to ongoing study. for example really small details in posture etc can have great bearing on outcomes and it takes a long time to really master them. this is why martial arts may not really be suitable for self defense, as they can take a long time to get good at, and as mentioned when real punches start flying technique usually goes out the window, unless youve been doing it for a long, long time.

the attitudes i have when sparring i take with me to how i run my business and how i plan to invest. know the risks, have an exit, then commit with everything you can. or more bluntly cover your arse and have the courage to put it on the line. maybe its not for everyone but its worked for me so far. being confident in my ability to defend myself has let me be more open and to share more of myself with people, even though i run the risk of getting hurt. this has resulted in more and deeper friendships than i had before, which im pretty happy with, and infinately more useful than a black eye or broken wrist :D

anyway, enough evangilising ... :)
 
Duncan

I reckon wrongdoers fear the Watchhouse more than exchanging blows with an onlooker. Let's face it, they probably go out to have a punch-up on Saturday night. It is their way of having fun.

An alternative:
Never underrate the power of voice because wrongdoers fear being recognised and any shouting attracts attention to them.

So, from a distance, use your mobile then scream fire.

So that other observers do not feel the situation is ambiguous and do not help, point DEFINITELY at one or two and say "You there in the window of the green house ring the police' or "That man in the brown trousers call an ambulance (or whatever)" or "That woman in the red car get police now'.

The first thing I'd do if someone stepped up to me to be nasty would be to take steps back to get out of range.

I know little about self defence - had some exposure to Savate years ago - however it strikes me that people like us who spend time reading a property forum would not have the street smarts, observation and 'talents' equivalent to those who set out to hurt others. Such predators have very keen powers of observation and have usually rehearsed ways to quickly disable a 'punter'.

I think young men are very much at risk of being permanently incapacitated or killed because they do not understand that walking away from a stoush is more manly than letting some cowardly thug beat the *bleap* out of them.

Any tenant who threatens an owner or PM is definitely someone worthwhile reporting.

Lplate
 
Lplate said:
Duncan

I reckon wrongdoers fear the Watchhouse more than exchanging blows with an onlooker. Let's face it, they probably go out to have a punch-up on Saturday night. It is their way of having fun.

An alternative:
Never underrate the power of voice because wrongdoers fear being recognised and any shouting attracts attention to them.

So, from a distance, use your mobile then scream fire.

So that other observers do not feel the situation is ambiguous and do not help, point DEFINITELY at one or two and say "You there in the window of the green house ring the police' or "That man in the brown trousers call an ambulance (or whatever)" or "That woman in the red car get police now'.

The first thing I'd do if someone stepped up to me to be nasty would be to take steps back to get out of range.

I know little about self defence - had some exposure to Savate years ago - however it strikes me that people like us who spend time reading a property forum would not have the street smarts, observation and 'talents' equivalent to those who set out to hurt others. Such predators have very keen powers of observation and have usually rehearsed ways to quickly disable a 'punter'.

I think young men are very much at risk of being permanently incapacitated or killed because they do not understand that walking away from a stoush is more manly than letting some cowardly thug beat the *bleap* out of them.

Any tenant who threatens an owner or PM is definitely someone worthwhile reporting.

Lplate
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Thanks LPlate and others,

I really appreciate everyones input. There was a wealth of very sage and very useful advice provided..

I will let everyone know what direction I take. I think for me.. my mouth could be a much more effective tool if I wasnt shaking at the knees quite so much when push comes to (almost) shove.

Thanks once again.
 
duncan_m said:
Thanks LPlate and others,

I will let everyone know what direction I take. I think for me.. my mouth could be a much more effective tool if I wasnt shaking at the knees quite so much when push comes to (almost) shove.
QUOTE]

When I was younger I mistook that shaking of the knee's as fear. Then a mean bouncer put it in perspective for me. That "fear" is your warning system telling you to be very careful and that all is not right. When you get that feeling you had better be prepared.
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There is no one Martial art that can help you .

Different situations call for different responses.
Fists/holds /chokes/feet / on the ground or up right / one opponent or 3 opponents etc
Boxing is superb for learning about weaving and protection.

Compared to other ARTS the learning curve is fantastic and within 6months your skill level would be very high compared to almost any other martial art.

As a high majority of fights end in a scuffle I would also throw in Jujitsu. It is the father of all Martial arts and it is quite amazing.
Whatever you choose must reflect real world situations . My children, 6 and 8 learn Jujitsu ,and dont need any strength to pin an adult given the right condtions.

However our style also incorporates kicking and punching, but lacks the skills of weaving associated with boxing
Brazillian Jujitsu is quite popular but lacks the skills for upright fighting. I havent done this style .
I would only recommend this after you have done some other form of self defence
I have done Jujitsu,boxing Judo and a little origami...........those paper cuts can be pretty bad.

My guess is you might proceed with some form of self defence then give up a few months later.
On that premise I think Boxing would be your best shot.

Instructors teachiing ability rather than their Belt level is highly important.

These are all pretty physical activities and unless you participate in a realsitic way you will most likely be wasting your time and giving your self a false sense of security.

I hope you proceed with something ....good luck
 
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