Having a weapon or gadget for self-defense does not lower the chance of attack or improve your personal safety because an assailant may not know you are armed, or he plans to neutralize its effectiveness. Purchasing an item or weapon for personal safety can be successfully used for self-protection when used properly and under favorable conditions. There are advantages and disadvantages of relying on a man-made device or improvised item for self-protection and personal safety.
Improvised Weapons
Other times any number of improvised weapons such as tools, kitchen utensils, or many other household items can be effective during the chaos of assault. Plenty of success stories demonstrate this point, and there are other stories where the item did not work well during a criminal assault. Improvised weapons may be as simple as a rock or stick. Others include screw drivers, hammers, bug spray, keys, book, coffee cup, or a pen. almost any item can be used as an improvised weapon if delivered with force and especially to a vulnerable area on the assailant’s body.
Personal Safety Weapons
Protective items may successfully stop an attack such as chemical agents, electronic devices, and weapons. The most common are pepper spray, tasers, and firearms. Sometimes these are referred to as quick fix items that can become a “crutch” that creates dependency, reduce environmental awareness, downplay intuitive warnings, and weaken response to threats, both physically and mentally.
Weapons and quick fix items are also stranger-danger oriented in their application, which require foreknowledge of potential assault. Consequently they can limit one’s potential for self-preservation during violent crime committed by acquaintances. Most items take valuable seconds to bring to the “ready” position for deployment and can become a mental distraction inhibiting effective fighting. Thinking about where the item is or how to use it can be a distraction. If the item is not available, panic may ensue making it a debilitating crutch. Relying too heavily upon a device for self-protection and personal safety becomes a disadvantage if you did not have the selected device in your hand, the device malfunctioned or the threat was too close, or it was taken away.
After taking a self-defense course or studying a martial art, any personal safety weapon can be applied to your training because you know you are not relying solely on a mechanical device. If you did not have the selected device in your hand, you can still effectively protect yourself. If it did not work right, or it was taken away, there are other ways to protect yourself and stop an assailant. You know other ways to protect yourself to stop an assailant.
Personal Weapons
After taking a Model Mugging course, any weapon may enhance your training because you know you are not relying solely on a mechanical device or other weapon. When properly trained to use your personal weapons, you can protect yourself and stop an assailant. Spontaneity and quickness of using personal weapons such as hands, elbows, or knees to strike and kick can be very powerful.
Model Mugging self-defense training provides knowledge and experience that can be empowering and simultaneously lead to a greater capacity to de-escalate volatile situations using the gentle are of verbal self-defense.
Weapons and improvised items can also work to the advantage and disadvantage of the assailant. In the Model Mugging Advanced course, students learn the psychology of armed assailants and how to deal with various weapons commonly used by some criminals.
Return to Choices in a Self defense Course for more suggestions.
