Here at the frontier, the leaves fall like rain. Although my neighbors are all barbarians, and you, you are a thousand miles away, there are still two cups at my table.


Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.

~ Wu-men ~


Monday, July 03, 2017

Improvised Weapons

At the Art of Manliness, there was an article about improvised weapons. Some of these could come in handy. Others, I wonder about. An excerpt is below. The full article may be read here.

Repel Violent Attackers With These 12 Improvised Weapons



“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” –General James “Mad Dog” Mattis
While rare, violence often strikes when you least expect it. To counter violent attacks, you need to be fast and furious. Hand-to-hand combatives are a great tool to have up your sleeve to quickly dispatch an attacker, but you should always be looking for force multipliers—tools that make your counterattacks even more painful, damaging, and effective.

Having some sort of defensive weapon—be it a firearm, knife, or spray—as part of your EDC is never a bad idea, but sometimes you don’t have one on you (like when you’re in an area that prohibits weapons), your attacker has taken or knocked your weapon away, or you’re in a position that makes drawing your weapon hard to do.

Thankfully, you’re constantly surrounded by potential weapons that can be quickly accessed to counter violent attacks. To find and employ them, you just need to hone the most important weapon in your arsenal—your mind.

In the right hands, seemingly innocuous, everyday items can be turned into lethal weapons. Such a transformation just requires violating those objects’ Aristotelian telos—the end for which they were made. If your life is on the line, I don’t think old Aristotle would mind.

Below we offer 12 suggestions of everyday objects that can be turned into improvised weapons. Use this as a jumping off point to think of how other objects could save your life in a pinch. When you’re out and about in public, practice scanning your environment and considering what might be used as a weapon if needed. Think of it as creating mental models for your OODA Loop so you can win the fight if/when it comes your way.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

fyi:

http://www.henrywalser.com/book-of-memories/2972009/Pan-Grand-Master/obituary.php

Rick Matz said...

I'm sorry to read of his passing.

ms_lili said...

When I walk the two blocks from work building to my car, which is parked in a lot many potential attackers/harassers cross also, I'm always carrying a glass bottle, often filled with water. I've wondered if the bottle could be used as modified brass knuckles, where one wraps their hand tightly around the bottle and smashes someone in the face/throat. It might not stop them but it would certainly distract them for a moment.

Rick Matz said...

You could always experiment on random passers by. Just sayin'

Rick Matz said...

¡Bienvenido!

ms_lili said...

Well, there is the guy who always approaches and says, "Nice coat"...

Compass Architect said...

Being a professional amateur, I believe in carrying the right toolkit and not needed it. Then to need it and not have it.

@ Miss Lili, you can wrap a strap three times around the middle of your water bottle with a grip. Now you have an unique implement. ...

ms_lili said...

Compass Architect, the strap would definitely give it better gripping power and would also protect the hand if the glass were to shatter into the face/neck of the assailant. Thank you for suggestion!

Compass Architect said...

@ ms_lili

You are welcome. ...