Options for self defense

[sirdarksol]

The world is a dangerous place. It always has been. There will always be people who would use force to attempt to take advantage of others. However, this is no reason to be afraid and hide in your house.
I go places that are less than safe, based on violent crime rates, but I don't fear for myself.
What follows are some methods of self defense that can be chosen. Man or woman, you should always think about how you are going to defend yourself. A big guy may not have as much to worry about as a 5'2" woman, but there's always the chance that someone with a knife is desperate enough to take the big guy on.

Confidence- This is my personal #1 tool for self defense. Wherever I go, I tell myself that I can handle whatever comes my way. I'm not cocky about it, I don't throw myself around, and I'm not in anybody's face. However, most muggers/rapists/general criminals don't have the guts to face someone who is confident.

Martial Arts- Something of a no-brainer for this forum, but important enough that it should be mentioned. If you're going for self-defense in a MA program, be very selective about the school/dojo. Sports-oriented schools will not offer much in the way of self-defense training.
Martial arts have the advantage that it is a weapon that cannot be taken away from you, unlike some of the following options.

Knife- Advantage: good equalizer. A small person vs a large person stands a better chance if armed.
Disadvantages: Requires skill to use. Can be taken away and turned on you. Takes time to pull. Lethal force may be excessive in some cases (or all cases, depending on your personal beliefs).

Baton/club- Advantage: good equalizer. Not as lethal as knives. Police/judges will look more kindly on their use than the use of knives.
Disadvantages: Requires skill to use. Can be taken away. Takes time to pull. Requires some space to use swinging strikes.

Gun- Advantage: excellent equalizer. Works at a range. Strength has almost no part in its use.
Disadvantages: Requires skill (though arguably less than batons/knives). Can be taken away (and if it is, a confrontation could go from "you will get hurt" to "you are dead"). Takes time to pull. If lethal force is not justified, you're in trouble. If you injure a person but don't kill them, you might get sued.

Taser- Advantage: Excellent equalizer. Works at a range. Strength has no part in its use. Less-lethal.
Disadvantages: Requires skill (see gun). More difficult to acquire (unless things have changed since the last time I checked the laws). Can be taken/used on you. Takes time to pull. Some people (such as someone on a meth-bender) may not feel the full effects.

Stungun- Advantage: Good equalizer. Strength has no part in its use. Less-lethal.
Disadvantages: Requires skill, though only enough to touch someone. Can be taken/used on you. Takes time to pull. Some people may not feel the full effects.

Mace- Advantage: Works at a range. Non-lethal. Good way to escape a situation. Good for use on dogs, too.
Disadvantages: Can end up spraying yourself if it's windy. Even if the can says it can't do so, it can. Some people may ignore its effects (see taser).

Dog- Advantage: Nearly nobody will screw with someone with a big dog on a leash. It dissuades attackers before they attack. If the dog is protective enough of you, it will attack anyone who still attacks you, and there's no chance that the dog gets turned on you.
Disadvantages: Research caring for a dog, and you'll see the disadvantages.

Feel free to discuss these, add ideas as you wish.

[Shirindo]

Nice post.

All it really raises for me is another question; do any of you train to defend yourselves against a dog attack?

You have to discover which breeds attack which areas instinctively. For example, British security firms used to use alsation/german shepherd dogs as guard dogs to great affect until they took them to the middle east to patrol oil fields. Those who were intent on attacking the oil fields soon found a way to overcome these animals. The security firms then included dobermans to the patrols and the attacks on the plants dropped quite quickly. Why? Because the alsation attacked the throat area and a doberman goes for the groin area. It became far harder for a sabateur to defend two diferent areas of the body.

Ooo! Didn't I go on! So do you? lol

[disgruntled]

i don't think SD against dogs would be any different than humans.... go for the vulnerable spots. i think the problem with dog attacks (all attacks for that matter) is that people panic and act like morons instead of defending themselves. i think MAist would even guilty of this because we practice with humans the novelty of the situation might cause panic even thought the basic principals are the same.

[sirdarksol]

I don't worry much about big dogs. The only time I've had a big dog attack me, I got my arm in its mouth and then got it in a headlock. Not the most pleasant method of dealing with it, but better than getting my throat/groin chewed.
Small dogs terrify me. They can't crush with their teeth, so they use them to cut, instead. There's little defense against that, other than not getting bitten, and they're so darn fast.
There is one exception to the large dog rule, shar-peis (the Chinese dogs that are all wrinkly). Their skin leaves nothing to grab and hold the dog still, since it kind of flows around the dog if it tries to move. They're immensely strong for their size. Their teeth can crush a soup bone in an instant, which leaves my "jam the arm deep into the mouth" defense as worse than worthless. Lastly, they're extremely defensive of their families, which means that, if I'm not part of the immediate family, I'm seen as a threat.

This actually brings up another part about the dogs.
If you're getting a dog for self defense, do your research on breeds very carefully. Some breeds, such as shar peis and pit bulls, are excellent guard dogs, and are very protective of whoever they have bonded to. However, these breeds are often over protective, and might see a friend as threatening your property, especially if you aren't in the room. Other dogs have had the "guard" nature bred out of them as much as possible, and, while still offering a deterrent, may not defend you against an attacker.
It is my belief that, if you treat a dog right, it will defend you if it feels you are really in danger, but some dogs' thresholds of what they consider "danger" is lower than others, and if you're "just" getting mugged, he/she might be friendly with the nice mugger. It may take an actual life-or-death situation for the dog to defend you.
Like people, of course, there will be cowards, so there will always be exceptions to this, too.

[nangel78]

I tend to stay away from aggressive breeds on dogs as much as I can. In the new year, I plan on looking into martial arts more.

[Shirindo]

Hey! Nice to see you again Nangel, where you been

Have you had any ideas what you're going to start with in the New Year?