Defend yourself RIGHT NOW!!!

Well not RIGHT now…but soon!

Before I was ever into the PUA scene, I was a firearms and tactical instructor.
Guys who don’t know this should check out this blog post- The Warrior Creed.

“You are not a man if you can not protect yourself, or your loved ones.” – Bravo

For those of you who don’t know, the Supreme Court has ruled that the police have NO duty to protect you.  (horrible case where women called the police for help, never got it and were raped and beaten for hours) that is why people take this topic so seriously.
One of the reasons why I moved back to Arizona was because California made it illegal for me to carry a firearm to defend myself. Nowadays I am always armed, and yet still fashionable! 😉
But what if you don’t have a self defense tool with you when you need it, or just don’t have one at all?
Situations such as-

  • in bed
  • in the shower
  • on the can
  • swimming
  • in an area where they are prohibited, and they check like an airport
  • working UC (UnderCover)
  • etc

In a recent Improvised Weapons Class I helped teach some SWAT and UC guys from various local agencies the selection and use of different “weapons of opportunity”. We covered 3 groups in the class-
1. Edged weapon
2. Impact weapons
3. Flexible weapons.
Each student was given a homework assignment to find 1 of each type of improvised weapon in their home. The next day they reported back with what they found and how they would use them.
If I decided to look around for a weapon while I was in the kitchen, I had access to more large knives than I could carry, a cast iron skillet that would make a nasty impact weapon, and a dish towel that I could use to choke or limb control someone with.
If I decided to look around while on the can….I had a lot less options (but still all 3 if you think about it).
So I want all the guys who read this, and on THE BRAVOHOOD, to do this drill with me.
Set your phone or watch alarm for 2:13pm tomorrow (tomorrow from whenever you read this) and as soon as you hear it going off, freeze (unless you are driving) and quickly scan your environment for weapons of opportunity and how you would employ them. Think about if an attack WERE to happen, where would they be coming from. How could you escape..is escape even an option? Would you have to fight your way THRU an exit?
For a 2nd drill, set a countdown timer on your phone for 27 mins after you wake up the following day, and when it goes off do the same drill.

If you want to set a few additional alarms to drill this multiple time= AWESOME. Just spread the times out randomly so they kind of surprise you.

22 thoughts on “Defend yourself RIGHT NOW!!!

  1. stone :

    Bravo :
    and so far no one has mentioned the most readily accessible impact weapon….

    We are all our own weapon. Some of us are just a better trained weapon then others.

    I like the way you think sir!
    But
    I was talking about walls/floors
    Slamming someone into a bookshelf, desk, head first onto the ground
    GREAT impact weapon!
    And always around us
    🙂

  2. mine was going off when I came back to my room,
    had a glass next to my bed could smash it and slice someone or just hit them with it, a screw driver and other tools to the side most would be good for stabbing or bashing, and a few big heavy textbooks sitting on my desk, these could be used as a weapon or maybe used to defend against a knife

  3. Oops. I was trying to refer to the quote about weapons we carry with us…
    Sitting at my desk in my room studying…
    Couple hunting/tac/EDC knives, 2 tac lights, Chinese exercise balls, scissors, desk chair, belt, a lot of pens, clothes for choking, books for blunt objects.
    Bravo have you ever done choking drills with an exercise band? My Krav Maga instructor has us do drills from the Israeli military where the band is placed around your neck, someone holds onto it and you move forward to increase the tension. You can also have set goals of distance and combine it with punching drills. It forces you to keep your chin tucked down protecting your Adams Apple and to keep breathing out.

  4. My alarm went off while I was in the shower. Awkward time, but I managed to come up with a few things relatively quickly:
    Towel = flexible
    Rack Bar = blunt
    Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything sharp in the actual shower, I’d have to make a run for the sink and grab some scissors.
    It’s pretty clear that I’d have to fight my way out. No easy escape in there. I’d have to do it naked too, so there’s also that bit of weirdness.
    At first I considered the shower head as a blunt weapon, but this seemed limiting since it’s connected to the wall by a cable. Guess it could double-up as a flexible weapon in close quarters.

  5. Bravo :
    and so far no one has mentioned the most readily accessible impact weapon….

    We are all our own weapon. Some of us are just a better trained weapon then others.

  6. Expedia :

    For guys who don’t know much about flexible weapons…. On my last 1 on 1 with Bravo, he actually demo’d using a flexible weapon to demo a choke hold on my forearm just to get an idea of what it would feel like and I was shocked at how the amount of pain that was inflicted on my arm from a plastic shopping bag, you get at the grocery store.

    that was fun
    😀
    it is crazy how much a thin flexible weapon BITES in when applying pressure
    most brutal wrist lock and choke hold I’ve experienced was with a flexible weapon

  7. Poly :

    Just went off while sitting in car waiting for my dad.

    I panicked and grabbed the first thing I could see and it was a 3mm aux input jack.

    Could be used as a strangle weapon or to sling an arm after a strike.

    Also had my dog in the back who would protect me at the slightest hint of an attack.

    would the car be a good impact weapon?

  8. ice :

    So had my streamlight 2L, benchmade griptillian, and tac pen. But I made sure I carried it because I remembered about today. Some days I go without any…

    If I didn’t have those with me, I had a coffee mug, a pen, and a pair of scissors.

    I work in a cubicle so only one way in and out and would have to fight through

    scissors are good
    but why not carry your pocket knife every day?
    do you forget your cell phone or house keys?
    it needs to be treated the same
    EDC
    Every
    Day
    Carry

  9. For some more info about this drill-
    Years ago, one late night when I was home with my X, all of the sudden there was LOUD kicking at my front door of my apartment. I jumped up to see who was there and when I tried to look thru the peephole, they had their thumb over it.
    I freaked
    I sent my X to the bedroom and told her to call 911.
    I looked at the front door and could see the lower part of the door BENDING IN WITH EVERY KICK
    I looked around for my gun….a small J Frame 38 revolver that I wear on an ankle holster at work.
    – I sold my Glock to get this because I wanted something nice and small
    I couldn’t find it….I raced around my home looking for it, the whole time the door is getting kicked in.
    I then find it on my nightstand next to the bed, that’s where I took it off so it would be next to me when I slept.
    I grabbed it and ran to the door, pointed it at them thru it and yelled
    WHO IS IT!!!!
    Slowly the thumb lowered and I saw it was 2 drunk girls who looked like they were 18-20ish and they asked if some girl lived there.
    They were drunk and trying to be funny.
    I’ve done some shit in my life….but I have NEVER been so scared in my life.
    If that door was kicked in by a few guys, it was up to me to defend myself and my soon to be (x) wife. The thought of them coming in there and robbing us, killing us, raping her as I was in the other room and had to listen to- changed me.
    We have all read stories about that happening, and even the recent one where the dad was in the house while his daughters and wife were raped and then killed.
    That will NEVER HAPPEN TO ME OR ANYONE WHO I CARE ABOUT.
    That is where this drill came from.
    So for anyone who is still drilling it, think about it happening when your GF is over, while your kids are home, while on a date, while with your mom.
    Are you able to protect them from the wolves out there?
    Or are you a sheep who will cross your fingers, scream for someone to call 911, and hope for the best?

  10. Faisal :

    Cool topic i actually started being aware of my evacuation options after the ooda lecture you gave. Before i get into the alarm experiment i wanted to ask, in a theater, there is usually 2 excit doors, one that everyone comes in from ( that gets you mid way in the theater) and another very close to the screen. What would my options be there ( in worst cases a shooting)

    Here is what happened in the exercise, The alarm went of in class. 2 excits on the same but opposite side of a wall, classroom occupants are about 40-60 ( 9 people per row with 6-7 rows). The one weapon i thought of was a pen. Even the tablea are stuck to the ground. Chairs are heavy to use offensively, and to light to use defensively.

    Im assuming worst cases scenarios for both cases

    in a theater- I see it as 1 of 3 things happening
    1. People take cover, hide, pretend to be dead and hope the active shooter doesn’t shoot them.
    2. You try to exit- but then pre-plan how close you are to the doors, how the wall of people running for the door could jam it up (fire in a bar this happened and many people died because they blocked up the door), and if there are unknown doors- (movie theater I go to a lot, I only JUST figured out there are top a few theaters with TOP floor exit doors) so that might be the best way, or event getting INTO the projector room to exit.
    3. You are armed and stand your ground and fight.
    I like #3 and then of course would exit if that made more sense at the time.

  11. So had my streamlight 2L, benchmade griptillian, and tac pen. But I made sure I carried it because I remembered about today. Some days I go without any…
    If I didn’t have those with me, I had a coffee mug, a pen, and a pair of scissors.
    I work in a cubicle so only one way in and out and would have to fight through

  12. For guys who don’t know much about flexible weapons…. On my last 1 on 1 with Bravo, he actually demo’d using a flexible weapon to demo a choke hold on my forearm just to get an idea of what it would feel like and I was shocked at how the amount of pain that was inflicted on my arm from a plastic shopping bag, you get at the grocery store.

  13. Just went off while sitting in car waiting for my dad.
    I panicked and grabbed the first thing I could see and it was a 3mm aux input jack.
    Could be used as a strangle weapon or to sling an arm after a strike.
    Also had my dog in the back who would protect me at the slightest hint of an attack.

  14. I set my alarm for this challenge….I waited for it, but completely forgot about it. When I went on my lunch break today, I came back home and checked my facebook. It went off…while I was in my bedroom. Fail. Multiple pistols stashed, 10/22 stocks, batons, bats, silk sheets, belts, neck ties…
    So, to be fair, I threw it forward by an hour. It went off while I was at work. I had my pocket knife on me, my sweater, lab coat, ink pens, neck tie, thick leather belt, steel toe boots, and….an ice scraper with broom bristles.

  15. Cool topic i actually started being aware of my evacuation options after the ooda lecture you gave. Before i get into the alarm experiment i wanted to ask, in a theater, there is usually 2 excit doors, one that everyone comes in from ( that gets you mid way in the theater) and another very close to the screen. What would my options be there ( in worst cases a shooting)
    Here is what happened in the exercise, The alarm went of in class. 2 excits on the same but opposite side of a wall, classroom occupants are about 40-60 ( 9 people per row with 6-7 rows). The one weapon i thought of was a pen. Even the tablea are stuck to the ground. Chairs are heavy to use offensively, and to light to use defensively.
    Im assuming worst cases scenarios for both cases

  16. Decided to just look around now and see what I have in my living room.
    Blunt/impact: Coffee cup, ornamental stuff sitting on the table, laptop, tv remote, lamp.
    Edged: Not as easy as the blunt objects. If I previously used the coffee cup and it broke it could be a stabbing or edged weapon perhaps? Only other thing I’m really seeing is the edge of my Ipad as a maybe. The kitchen is a short distance away but I’m looking at things I could grab within 2 or 3 steps of me.
    Flexible: Pillow, sweatshirt although that takes a second to get off of me, cord of the mouse would be a decent one, santa stocking as amusing as that would be lol, various cords for the tv, xmas lights, window curtains although I dont see those ripping off very easily, rope toy for the dogs. I thought this would be the most difficult one but it looks like theres quite a range of options here.

  17. drewder :

    What if you have most of these covered at all times (or almost at all times)?

    Example:
    If I was on the can, I would have a thick leather belt with a heavy belt buckle, always have my knife and streamlight in pants, and toilet lid works as a pretty evil blunt object.

    Shower:
    Towel for flexible weapon, mirror edged weapon (if I couldn’t get to the knife in my pants), towel rack for impact weapon.

    Bed:
    Between the Khukuri House blades, a handful of CRKT pocket knives, a 5.11 Karambit, a Blade-Tech Riptide Karambit, a few Ka-Bars… I might have the edged weapon bit covered. Impact would be…can I use the Khukuris as my impact weapon? Or would I list the ball-bat, guitar, gun stocks as the impact weapons? I also have a few surefires and streamlights scattered in easy places (both night stands, under the bed, mounted to the USP.45…). Flexible weapons could be neck ties, belts, hoodies, paracord, cables, gun slings.

    I try to play out these scenarios as much as possible, especially at both jobs. I am game for this challenge.

    then you are covered!
    that’s why I removed my EDC from this post, because if the alarm goes off and I have my gear on me= I’ve got all 3 (and more) covered.
    But 27 mins after waking up could be coffee, crapping, showering, or even SEXY time and then I don’t have my EDC gear.
    But if, for example it’s sexy time, I’ve got stuff right next to the bed AND the bed sheet/ pillow case for a flexible weapon.
    For guys who haven’t used a flexible weapon, here is a silat vid with some moves in it

    I choke with a flexible weapon like that is WAYYYYYY more painful than a standard rear naked choke. (Ive studied both)
    When teaching police we have them just use an old T-Shirt, and their faces are clear, out of the 3, it’s the most painful one to play with.
    😀

  18. What if you have most of these covered at all times (or almost at all times)?
    Example:
    If I was on the can, I would have a thick leather belt with a heavy belt buckle, always have my knife and streamlight in pants, and toilet lid works as a pretty evil blunt object.
    Shower:
    Towel for flexible weapon, mirror edged weapon (if I couldn’t get to the knife in my pants), towel rack for impact weapon.
    Bed:
    Between the Khukuri House blades, a handful of CRKT pocket knives, a 5.11 Karambit, a Blade-Tech Riptide Karambit, a few Ka-Bars… I might have the edged weapon bit covered. Impact would be…can I use the Khukuris as my impact weapon? Or would I list the ball-bat, guitar, gun stocks as the impact weapons? I also have a few surefires and streamlights scattered in easy places (both night stands, under the bed, mounted to the USP.45…). Flexible weapons could be neck ties, belts, hoodies, paracord, cables, gun slings.
    I try to play out these scenarios as much as possible, especially at both jobs. I am game for this challenge.

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