NON LETHAL weapons

If she's ok with carrying a knife, I say go for it. But, that said a fight with a knife requires a certain mental preparedness. I was taught to accept the fact that I will get cut and/or stabbed and that I will bleed heavily. Hopefully that mental preparedness keeps me from freaking out if I ever get cut/stabbed. The knife is a very effective tool if you know even the basics of how to use one against an untrained attacker.

As far as what type of knife, blade etc..., that's up to you guys. If it's a purely defensive tool, then I suggest a fixed blade that can be drawn with one hand and that has at least a 3" blade.

I will throw out there that some training in grappling and escaping are paramount. You won't always be in a position, especially if running, to see or prepare for an attack. In the case of a female victim, the attack is more likely to involve grappling and the need to be able to escape or at least get an arm free to grab a knife, oc spray, gun etc... is a big deal.
 
As far as what type of knife, blade etc..., that's up to you guys. If it's a purely defensive tool, then I suggest a fixed blade that can be drawn with one hand and that has at least a 3" blade.
Click to expand...

I would agree and add that something with a T-handle would probably be best. Not only is this type of knife extremely difficult to take away from someone, but it allows a longer blade to be carried in a still relatively compact package. My younger sister is quite fond of her Cold Steel Safe Maker I, although the Safe Maker II isn't a bad knife either.

http://www.coldsteel.com/samase.html
 
personal alarms, whistles....

She may also want to consider a personal alarm. The loud shrill sound may disorinent a attacker or group of attackers long enough to get away.
I know many people ignore car alarms or warning bells but a loud shrieking sound may give the citizen time to flee or prepare a defense weapon.

I purchased a small bright orange whistle with a high db level to use on security details. I put it in my first aid case/duty belt & considered it useful for signals or to alert others in an emergency.

I used it a few times but not in any high risk incidents, mostly crowd control-traffic enforcement.

Clyde
 
Not to be a downer but years ago there was a little girl kidnapped and murdered. She triggered her alarm. No one came to her aid. The alarm was still sounding on the ground and she was gone. A neighbor buried it to muffle the noise.
 
Noise makers require someone else to intervene, or a criminal so easily scared that even the thought of someone else intervening deters them. As a defensive tool, I wouldn't put much faith in that stopping an attack. As a step in a layered approach, maybe. As a "fight stopper," no.
 
I worked in the Texas Prison system and can share some of what I learned.

If you use spray, you will probably gas yourself, too. There's hardly any way you can deploy that spray inside and in close quarters without being zapped yourself. Outside, it's a little better but you will probably get it anyway. That impairs your ability to defend yourself.

Truly mental Offenders can drink that stuff and come out fighting. It doesn't slow a mentally deranged subject one bit.

I am an older man who has some knee trouble occasionally. I needed a cane at times to steady myself so I invested in two CaneMaster canes. One cane is Hickory and one is Oak and they have a complete self defense program for the canes which I trained in. Those canes are some of the best butt whippin' devices that I've tried and unlike an ASP, I can take them anywhere! Beware the CaneMaster canes!

Flash
 
I'm gonna throw this out there, learn to grapple and escape. This is a gun forum and we often overlook other aspects of defense. If you're out running and you're tired, you lose focus on everything around you. You're likely to be tired and caught unaware, you need to know what it's like to be exhausted and have someone fresh beating you up. This is especially important for women, as the fact of the matter is that most attackers will be male and they will likely be stronger and have surprise on their side.

I've been into martial arts for half my life or more. I've always been an above average athlete and I'm a big strong guy, but 1 day of real grappling and I was exhausted in 2 minutes. It also didn't take me long to realize that although I outweighed a 45 year old 140lb female student by 90lbs and was 20 years younger I was still easily moved, swept and choked, because she had knowledge and skills that I didn't. She didn't panic, she kept breathing and she made me work for everything. I got tired in a few minutes and I made mistakes. She caught me and I got choked.

If she had been armed with a knife and I had attacked her, she'd have cut me to ribbons before I knew what was going on. Same as if she had a gun, she could have gotten a hand free, drawn and emptied her weapon into me a point blank range before I had a chance to stop her.

My point here is that a little knowledge and some good training go a long way. In the case of protecting yourself when you're out running and you're tired, it's best to have that knowledge, rather than rely on OC spray, a gun or a knife alone.
 
I am an older man who has some knee trouble occasionally. I needed a cane at times to steady myself so I invested in two CaneMaster canes. One cane is Hickory and one is Oak and they have a complete self defense program for the canes which I trained in. Those canes are some of the best butt whippin' devices that I've tried and unlike an ASP, I can take them anywhere! Beware the CaneMaster canes!
Click to expand...

I don't need a cane, but look old enough it doesnt look out of place. I picked one up the other day. I flew into this town and didn't have a firearm, so I picked up a wooden cane just to have something. I know a few moves, but would like to pick up some instruction. I'll look into CaneMaster.
 
I'd like to add a couple comments to those made about TASERS and OC:

OC - I've been teaching police chemical agents for right at 30 years -

When OC was introduced to the LE world as the replacement for the officer's Chemical Mace (CN) one of the things that initially gained favor was the fact that the OC particles must have contact with the face, eyes, respiratory tract to be effective, unlike the chemical agents CN and CS which have very small particulates, low vapor pressures and therefore spread easily and effect everyone in the immediate area.

With the OC projectors (sprays) one of the main problems is folks don't know what the heck they are doing - they buy cone/mist sprays and try to use them in outdoor conditions where the mist is easily dispersed or, blows back on them; they deploy with a cone/mist spray and then move into the area they just sprayed, sucking in the particles. Or someone else does it for them.

For self-defense OC sprays I would recommend a streamer versus a cone/mist pattern. The stream of agent gives you more range, is more likely to put OC on target because you actually see the stream and can aim it. You want to hit the eyes and the mouth - preferably with the eyes open and when the person is inhaling - so it needs to be a surprise. For the best incapacitation possibility you need to deliver 2 to 3 seconds of OC on target and then disengage.

OC works on pain compliance and to a lesser degree on the inflammation of the respiratory tract and the membranes around the eyes. I will tell you that MOST of the failures reported with OC are due to insufficient quantities delivered to the target areas.

Don't be fooled though, a determined/drugged/angry person can fight through OC, especially if they have experienced it before - if I had a choice between OC and TASER C2 for personal defense, there would be no choice, I'd take the C2.

TASER - the civilian TASER's are the X26C, the M26C and the C2 - the C2 is the one purpose designed as a civilian self-defense device, it is also roughly 1/3 the price of the other models. It gives you a standoff window of point blank range to 12 feet (15 feet is maximum range - limited by wire length) and then gives you a 30 second window to escape. If you file a police report TASER will replace the system, all you pay is shipping.

Nothing in life is absolute, the TASER's biggest detriment is that for incapacitation to occur both darts have to lodge either in the person's skin, or in the person's clothing with no more than a one inch gap between clothing and skin.

In terms of something guaranteed to stop an assailant at close range I'd place the TASER above the handgun, unless you are able to deliver CNS shots reliably under stress.

http://www.taser.com/products/self-defense-products/taser-c2?gclid=CP7RxrvR3bECFSpgTAodDCEA2A

Some folks have mentioned stun guns, they are different than the TASER, they use high voltage, low amperage electrical charge to case pain, they don't incapacitate as the TASER does, plus you have to be in close physical proximity to the attacker.

Batons were also mentioned - as I mentioned, I've been a police trainer for over 30 years, most officers don't stop someone with one baton strike, do you really think the civilian average would be better?

In terms of the self-defense the original poster was talking about, I'd go TASER C2, knife.

I'd also get "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Becker and make it required reading for everyone in the family.

Hope this helps.
 
Most canes available at retail are pretty flimsy. The Canemaster canes are designed for use and abuse. I'm not sure why I'd want to do this but I could probably total out a car with one of these canes. They are rugged!

Their self defense instruction media is effective and in many of the techniques, I wondered "Why didn't I think of that?" They have take downs with the crook, pokes, throws and of course, simple strikes. I can't run so I must stand my ground and fight. The cane is perfect for that.

http://www.canemasters.com/

Hope that helps!

Flash
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top