Everyone talks about (and some disagree) that OC is a faster response time to a signal event (i.e. a sudden ambush).
The thing about ALL martial arts is that to a degree they ALSO fail when needed most and I'll explain below.
MAN, guys, I'm getting chills thinking about this epiphany...
When you are ambushed, even if armed, trained and ready and in orange alert, you can be defeated by a skilled predator. For example you're open carrying and your doorbell rings and it's a guy in a Fed Ex outfit, you answer the door and when you do (they practice this) a guy slams you in the forehead with a baseball bat (like the guy in the news).
I'm citing an EXTREME event which will probably never happen just to illustrate my point. An ambush by a skilled practiced predator is almost an unsolvable problem. (there are some things you can do and I'll mention those also).
Even the knife guys in martial arts, Escrima, Silat, you know almost crazy types (like the group who was in the movie 'The Hunted') admit that they are not going to win in most ambushes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayoc_Kali)
So, what I'm thinking is that the best way to be almost 'bullet proof', (pun intended) is to do a little bit more.
To digress for a moment...I'll talk about EXTREME OPTIONS - I'm not suggesting everyone wear a coat of armor, I'm just touching on SOME options out there. When I carried a fighting knife back in the day I did the cut gloves and one leather arm brace and I did a tourniquet style bicep wrap (like Thai Boxers wear). But that was back in my fighting days.
In a knife fight, which is kind of a fantasy event in the US (but not in places like Brazil), there are ways to harden yourself. You adopt some tactics that MC groups use:
1. Wear arm braces of thick leather. This is a way to keep from getting a wrist cut. The leather arm braces are stylish and easy to get used to.
2. Get some 'Kevlar Cut Gloves' and wear them inside a slightly larger very light leather glove. These gloves I used in the restaurant business and they don't prevent a deep committed assisted cut, but will give you a bit of resistance
3. Sew a leather lining inside the collar of your jacket - a Nehru type collar you can zip up quickly - and if you are going into a somewhat rough part of town, you just zip up and put your gloves on. Again, some of the stuff you wear has to be hardened so you get a moment's resistance and allow you to deploy your weapon or evade.
4. Look into the new bullet proof type of vest that looks like a large laptop case but can be strapped over your body - it's only about 13x15", but it is cut-resistant.
5. Wear one of the newer 'bullet resistant' trench coats, it's an executive style and costs a bit, but it's not more than the price of two guns. Reinforce it.
6. Work with a partner. IOW, in the door ambush above, you would (in a dangerous area) have your partner stand off to the side and you'd open the door, but your partner, being armed in the house would be off to the side ready to back you up.
7. Have a baseball cap with some metal lining - a mesh would work with a bit of a forehead plate (like Steed's bowler hat in the Avengers, but baseball cap style). A bat to the forehead would be a lot less injurious and we have people who wear a baseball cap almost 18/7.
8. Look into sap gloves. They're illegal in some places, but hey, I'm talking an exhaustive list of extreme options. Pick and choose, but I'm trying to brainstorm here
9. Look into skateboarder gear (high impact, but light weight elbow and knee pads and scrape gloves) We used a type of skateboarder's vest when we trained knives live back in the day. It's lightweight and resists cuts.
10. Look into high impact cycling sunglasses. These things are pretty tough and will save your eyes and face in a fall on pavement - they're wrap style to keep wind and objects out. Good as regular Ray-bans, but the 'wrap' style makes all the difference.
OK, back to guns.
1. Work with a partner. Have the partner use a BUG pocket carry style so they always have their finger in safe mode but the gun is in their grip inside their jacket pocket. You OC and have your BUG in an ankle carry (why, your first defense position might be on your back on the ground, b/c predators like to tackle people they want to take down but that look 'hardened' and not soft targets).
2. The partner in the shotgun seat would always have their BUG in an unholstered pocket carry so they are almost able to shove their hand in the pocket, get a grip and shoot. This would be primarily for travel in car-jacking areas.
3. Look into some 3M glass covering for your back window in the car (you're very vulnerable in a car. You're seated and seatbelted in. If the LEO in the VT case had hardened windows, the guy who shot him while he sat in the car would not be able to kill him in most cases. The 3M covering is very good - not proof, but resistant - might deflect the bullet or hammer a carjacker might use.
4. Study how the most successful and robust car-jackings occur - in fact study ambushes that are successful. Think how YOU a handgun enthusiast would do a home invasion.
5. Run through drills, but not on the whole combat pistol craft drill, focus on those last few seconds where the BG gets you in a kill box
(more in part 2)
The thing about ALL martial arts is that to a degree they ALSO fail when needed most and I'll explain below.
MAN, guys, I'm getting chills thinking about this epiphany...
When you are ambushed, even if armed, trained and ready and in orange alert, you can be defeated by a skilled predator. For example you're open carrying and your doorbell rings and it's a guy in a Fed Ex outfit, you answer the door and when you do (they practice this) a guy slams you in the forehead with a baseball bat (like the guy in the news).
I'm citing an EXTREME event which will probably never happen just to illustrate my point. An ambush by a skilled practiced predator is almost an unsolvable problem. (there are some things you can do and I'll mention those also).
Even the knife guys in martial arts, Escrima, Silat, you know almost crazy types (like the group who was in the movie 'The Hunted') admit that they are not going to win in most ambushes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayoc_Kali)
So, what I'm thinking is that the best way to be almost 'bullet proof', (pun intended) is to do a little bit more.
To digress for a moment...I'll talk about EXTREME OPTIONS - I'm not suggesting everyone wear a coat of armor, I'm just touching on SOME options out there. When I carried a fighting knife back in the day I did the cut gloves and one leather arm brace and I did a tourniquet style bicep wrap (like Thai Boxers wear). But that was back in my fighting days.
In a knife fight, which is kind of a fantasy event in the US (but not in places like Brazil), there are ways to harden yourself. You adopt some tactics that MC groups use:
1. Wear arm braces of thick leather. This is a way to keep from getting a wrist cut. The leather arm braces are stylish and easy to get used to.
2. Get some 'Kevlar Cut Gloves' and wear them inside a slightly larger very light leather glove. These gloves I used in the restaurant business and they don't prevent a deep committed assisted cut, but will give you a bit of resistance
3. Sew a leather lining inside the collar of your jacket - a Nehru type collar you can zip up quickly - and if you are going into a somewhat rough part of town, you just zip up and put your gloves on. Again, some of the stuff you wear has to be hardened so you get a moment's resistance and allow you to deploy your weapon or evade.
4. Look into the new bullet proof type of vest that looks like a large laptop case but can be strapped over your body - it's only about 13x15", but it is cut-resistant.
5. Wear one of the newer 'bullet resistant' trench coats, it's an executive style and costs a bit, but it's not more than the price of two guns. Reinforce it.
6. Work with a partner. IOW, in the door ambush above, you would (in a dangerous area) have your partner stand off to the side and you'd open the door, but your partner, being armed in the house would be off to the side ready to back you up.
7. Have a baseball cap with some metal lining - a mesh would work with a bit of a forehead plate (like Steed's bowler hat in the Avengers, but baseball cap style). A bat to the forehead would be a lot less injurious and we have people who wear a baseball cap almost 18/7.
8. Look into sap gloves. They're illegal in some places, but hey, I'm talking an exhaustive list of extreme options. Pick and choose, but I'm trying to brainstorm here
9. Look into skateboarder gear (high impact, but light weight elbow and knee pads and scrape gloves) We used a type of skateboarder's vest when we trained knives live back in the day. It's lightweight and resists cuts.
10. Look into high impact cycling sunglasses. These things are pretty tough and will save your eyes and face in a fall on pavement - they're wrap style to keep wind and objects out. Good as regular Ray-bans, but the 'wrap' style makes all the difference.
OK, back to guns.
1. Work with a partner. Have the partner use a BUG pocket carry style so they always have their finger in safe mode but the gun is in their grip inside their jacket pocket. You OC and have your BUG in an ankle carry (why, your first defense position might be on your back on the ground, b/c predators like to tackle people they want to take down but that look 'hardened' and not soft targets).
2. The partner in the shotgun seat would always have their BUG in an unholstered pocket carry so they are almost able to shove their hand in the pocket, get a grip and shoot. This would be primarily for travel in car-jacking areas.
3. Look into some 3M glass covering for your back window in the car (you're very vulnerable in a car. You're seated and seatbelted in. If the LEO in the VT case had hardened windows, the guy who shot him while he sat in the car would not be able to kill him in most cases. The 3M covering is very good - not proof, but resistant - might deflect the bullet or hammer a carjacker might use.
4. Study how the most successful and robust car-jackings occur - in fact study ambushes that are successful. Think how YOU a handgun enthusiast would do a home invasion.
5. Run through drills, but not on the whole combat pistol craft drill, focus on those last few seconds where the BG gets you in a kill box
(more in part 2)
