Recommendations for personal defense

[ellis4538]

Try tdiohio.com  I am not sure where West Union, Ohio is to you but they have a very good rep and I know some of their instructors past and present.

FWIW

Richard

PS:  I am in no way connected to or paid by TDI Ohio

[tstand]

I found Tony Blauer Personal Defense Readiness classes. Are these the ones Rob Pincus is referring to? 

It is hard for me to imagine carrying a gun, for a variety of reasons (legal, ethical, concern for safety). But I do have pepperspray, a couple of different sizes including key chain fitting. Gee, I forgot I had it!

[twyacht]

I would be uncomfortable carrying a gun or knife, but might be willing to carry something else, as long as it is legal. You say "PD training is a great outlet." Is that a forum on this website? I am unsure what you meant.

I apologize for the abbreviated letters. "PD" is Personal Defense. All the advice is an asset to provide you an avenue to defending yourself. Whether armed or not. There are options.

Rob Pincus mentioned carrying a "cane" in Europe, Michael Bane referred to dive shop knives. Pepper spray, even car keys, and a self defense discipline, can account for alot.

Kubotans can even be one option with training.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubotan

I am too old to "scrap" hand to hand, especially if outnumbered. The world is not that nice anymore. However, having a defensive plan is always an advantage whether a firearm is used or not.

[TAB]

My 2cents,  training yourself to pay attention, is the BEST thing you can do for SD. 

[Solus]

My 2cents,  training yourself to pay attention, is the BEST thing you can do for SD. 

Agreed.  It needs to be the very first and most important objective.

But once it is accomplished, it is just the start.

[Sponsor]

[Rob Pincus]

I found Tony Blauer Personal Defense Readiness classes. Are these the ones Rob Pincus is referring to? 

Yes.

As for the TDI recommendation, I know several people who have taken (and liked) their courses and had lunch with their lead guy, John Benner, at SHOT. Seems like a good dude.

-RJP

[tombogan03884]

Tstand,

Glad to hear that you enjoy TBD and that you are interested in training.

I would encourage you to look towards a more efficient and less "traditional" unarmed program. Personal Defense Readiness is a great program, based on intuitive concepts and taught in a variety of short seminar versions. I'm sure you can find an instructor in your region.

As others have mentioned, there are plenty of tools that you can carry other than firearms or knives that can increase your ability to defend yourself, but awareness & avoidance are going to serve you much better than any tool.

-RJP

I'll go at Rob's earlier post from a different angle.
There is no real difference between armed and unarmed Self defense, in either case if you foul up you can wind up dead or severely injured, if you either shoot or punch your way out of the situation you can still face, crippling injuries or, crippling legal fees,  (if not both ). The only upside is that you still have a pulse.
If you are AWARE of whats going on around you, ( instead of texting, Talking on the phone, )You have the opportunity to leave , cross the street.
The best way to succeed completely in a violent civilian encounter is to not be where they are happening.

[Rob Pincus]

There is no real difference between armed and unarmed Self defense,

''

Great Point, Tom.

I did a consultation call with a new client a couple of days ago and had to really drive the point home that Personal/Family Protection is not about gear, it is about mindset, preparation and compromises when it comes to avoiding danger. Gear might help... might it can't be the focus of your approach.

-RJP

[Timothy]

If you are AWARE of whats going on around you.  You have the opportunity to leave , cross the street.  The best way to succeed completely in a violent civilian encounter is to not be where they are happening.

I'll add the following;

Profiling works and in spite of the "lefts" disdain with it, it's not illegal!

Avoidance/awareness of potential threats is something you cannot take lightly.

[Michael Bane]

I know it's a cliche, but it does bear repeating over and over...your brain is the weapon; the other stuff are just tools. Awareness and avoidance are the first and most important "building blocks" for personal protection. Part of awareness is building your lifestyle around making sure you and your family are safe. It's not really that hard to do...a point I've been making for years is that if you're not actively interacting with the criminal element — drugs and prostitution come to mind — your chances for being involved in a violent encounter are actually pretty small. For example I will readily agree that marijuana should be legalized and the the government's war on drugs has been a spectacular failure. However, as long as it's illegal, I want no part of it, nor will I be around people who flaunt that stupid law. Maybe makes me boring (or perhaps more boring), but it's part of that awareness/avoidance equation.

As some of the other posters have mentioned, before you even consider how you plan to defend yourself, you must answer Question 1, which is simply how far are you willing to go in that defense. This can be an agonizing and in many cases a life-changing exercise...but if you don't honestly address Question 1, your efforts at self-defense will fail, and at the worst possible time.

Welcome to the Forums, and don't hesitate to ask questions!

Michael B