Massad Ayoob: Terrorism in America, the Armed Citizen's View, interesting article

[KestrelBike]

Or, if applicable: RBBBBBBBBBBBBBB ...(reload, if available)... BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Or an ironic RSLDohhhhhhh!

[Jer]

IMO if you're evaluating the threat as 'innocent little Johnny' or a 'goat poker' you're already in the wrong mindset for self defense. A threat is a threat is a threat and if I'm armed (if I'm breathing I'm armed) then I'm meeting said threat with force of action until it's no longer a threat. I'll deal with emotions (what are those) and potential litigation in the weeks/months/years that follow but I'll be alive to address them. Anything short of that takes you a step (of four) the wrong direction to being able to deal with those things if you get my drift.

Someone tells me about a problem and then in the same breath offers something that can solve it at his profit and I have to question the source's motives & the severity of said problem.

[Gunservant]

I recognise the benefits of unarmed combat skills, but personally it comes down to prioritization for me:
I don't have a lot of time on my hands: I work full-time plus studying after hours (and I'm married , which comes with its own responsibilities), so I really have to choose carefully what I am going to focus on. Personally it makes more sense for me to spend the scarce free time I have mastering handgun techniques and drills, as opposed to trying to squeeze unarmed combatives in there too. My EDC handgun is afterall what I consider my primary weapon, and I am paranoid about maintaining (if not improving) my proficiency with it.

Perhaps I'm looking at this wrong, but then again that is what a forum is for: debate.

[Ronin13]

I recognise the benefits of unarmed combat skills, but personally it comes down to prioritization for me:
I don't have a lot of time on my hands: I work full-time plus studying after hours (and I'm married , which comes with its own responsibilities), so I really have to choose carefully what I am going to focus on. Personally it makes more sense for me to spend the scarce free time I have mastering handgun techniques and drills, as opposed to trying to squeeze unarmed combatives in there too. My EDC handgun is afterall what I consider my primary weapon, and I am paranoid about maintaining (if not improving) my proficiency with it.

Perhaps I'm looking at this wrong, but then again that is what a forum is for: debate.

Ah a new member, from SA no less... Welcome.
My point of contention with your post is simple- what do you do when a threat disarms you, or puts you into a position where you are physically unable to draw your weapon? I'm a big advocate of training in all aspects of EDC, and one of those is self defense without a weapon. There are several disciplines that teach disarming techniques that can be easily attained for anyone with the desire to- I personally improve my current LE training with Krav Maga, but other mixed martial arts gyms teach various techniques that once you get the basics and fundamentals down are easy to continue learning and begin to introduce into muscle memory (as Foxtrot so eloquently put it). Until training becomes an instinctive reaction, keep going. And then when it is instinctive, keep training. Many things, like shooting, driving, and hand-to-hand are perishable skills.

[Jer]

Ah a new member, from SA no less... Welcome.
My point of contention with your post is simple- what do you do when a threat disarms you, or puts you into a position where you are physically unable to draw your weapon? I'm a big advocate of training in all aspects of EDC, and one of those is self defense without a weapon. There are several disciplines that teach disarming techniques that can be easily attained for anyone with the desire to- I personally improve my current LE training with Krav Maga, but other mixed martial arts gyms teach various techniques that once you get the basics and fundamentals down are easy to continue learning and begin to introduce into muscle memory (as Foxtrot so eloquently put it). Until training becomes an instinctive reaction, keep going. And then when it is instinctive, keep training. Many things, like shooting, driving, and hand-to-hand are perishable skills.

Get MY gun from me? Good luck with all that. If the BG gets my gun from me then I probably froze & probably wouldn't be able to call up my hand to hand training either. You're now talking about a long shot within a long shot within a long shot that you're training for. At some point your ROI for training is diminutive and I think that's what he's talking about. Sure he can budget his time to train for the 0.00000001% likelihood but it would take away from his training for the 0.00001% likelihood in his case.

[275RLTW]

... but other mixed martial arts gyms teach various techniques that once you get the basics and fundamentals down are easy to continue learning and begin to introduce into muscle memory (as Foxtrot so eloquently put it). Until training becomes an instinctive reaction, keep going. And then when it is instinctive, keep training.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means...

if something is instinctive, why do you have to practice it? Muscles don't have memory either...you want to say "mylinazation" which means new pathways via nerve cells and creating a direct patch for that given action. If you want to see your "instinctive" actions, have someone scare you.

[Gunservant]

Thanks for the welcome

I am absolutely not dismissing the value of unarmed combat skills. I have a limited repertoire of weapon retention skills, and those I practice often, but most of my time goes into practicing shooting and drills. One day when I have more time, I will definitely dedicate more time to unarmed combatives.

[Gunservant]

Get MY gun from me? Good luck with all that. If the BG gets my gun from me then I probably froze & probably wouldn't be able to call up my hand to hand training either. You're now talking about a long shot within a long shot within a long shot that you're training for. At some point your ROI for training is diminutive and I think that's what he's talking about. Sure he can budget his time to train for the 0.00000001% likelihood but it would take away from his training for the 0.00001% likelihood in his case.

Pretty much exactly what I was trying to infer.

[SamuraiCO]

Instinctive is the easiest way to explain to lay people what "mylinazation" means.

Training disarm techniques doesn't take that long to learn. Practice will be like any skill and the movement will slow down as you get better. You will think you are going slow but someone watching will see you moving very fast.

[Ronin13]

Get MY gun from me? Good luck with all that. If the BG gets my gun from me then I probably froze & probably wouldn't be able to call up my hand to hand training either. You're now talking about a long shot within a long shot within a long shot that you're training for. At some point your ROI for training is diminutive and I think that's what he's talking about. Sure he can budget his time to train for the 0.00000001% likelihood but it would take away from his training for the 0.00001% likelihood in his case.

Aside from you being Bruce Lee or Jason Borne, there are cases, while yes, you're correct they are rare, there are still cases of assailants using a victim's firearm against them. I'm not saying take away from good firearms training to train for a scenario that is unlikely to happen (unlikely does not mean impossible), but simply saying that to be well rounded in your training, why not utilize all tactics and incorporate them into your training regimen so you're better trained and more prepared for any scenario? Yes, I agree that it's a long shot, but what happens when that long shot happens and you're unable to meet the threat? It's that same line we've heard before: "I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."