Back To Article Brief
Back To Article List
REALITY OF THE CLUB
Author: James LaFond
Bryant, a construction worker and fourth-degree blackbelt taekwondo instructor who has participated in a handful of bar brawls and match fights, was at the Baha Club.
After having “a lot to drink,” he and his girlfriend departed, and he began walking her home. Suddenly, someone ran up behind the 5-foot-10-inch, 155- pound martial artist and slammed something into his back just below the shoulder blades. He dropped to his knees.
“I looked back and saw this guy standing over me with a board in his hands, cocked for a swing,” Bryant said. “I didn’t think. I just mule-kicked him. I caught him right under the ribs, and he went down.”
Bryant scrambled to his feet and looked down at the attacker, who was gasping for air. He then picked up the board and started walking. It was not until he had turned onto a side street that he finally realized he still had ahold of the board. He dropped it and continued on his way home.
“Walking the streets at night when you’re that drunk is taking an unnecessary risk,” Bryant said afterward. “I should have spotted the guy. It’s not like he came at me from behind a car or out of a doorway. He just walked straight up on me, and I was oblivious to his approach.”
If you have never been in a clubbing attack—more precisely known as a blunt-force encounter, you should consider yourself lucky. My research has shown that approximately 45 percent of all violent incidents involve an unarmed striking attack and/or the use of a blunt weapon. It has also shown that approximately 44 percent of armed encounters involve the use of a blunt weapon. Those statistics reveal that blunt-force strikes are the single most common means of armed and unarmed aggression.
The following are 11 questions readers of my previous Black Belt articles on the subject of real violence have asked about blunt-force attacks. It is hoped the answers will help all of them and you survive.
Question 1: What is the most common type of blunt weapon?
I have defined five general types of blunt weapons. They are listed below from most common to least common.
1. Clubs (including bats, boards, pipes, bars, blackjacks and whip-sticks) 113 uses 2. Common articles (bottles, jackets, brushes, dishes and other unaltered items) 84 uses 3. Heavy objects (tools, furniture and machinery) 70 uses 4. Sticks (any non-weighted/non-edged extension weapon, including car antennas, handles and night sticks) 57 uses 5. Stone-like objects (including bricks, ashtrays and trophies) 38 uses Note that the most common blunt weapons are fists and shoes.
Question 2: Do clubbing attacks come straight overhead like you see in martial arts demonstrations?
No. Most clubbing attacks are diagonal strikes aimed at the left side of the defender’s head, with the temple being the approximate aiming point. The overhead down stroke is the least common method. Martial artists tend to train against down strokes, thrusts, rising blows and horizontal strokes. All four angles of attack are rare in the real world.
Question 3: What is the worst place to be hit by a club? In other words, what do I really need to defend?
The ear area—especially when struck with a horizontal blow—and the back of the head are the most damaging locations.
Question 4: What is the most deadly type of blunt weapon?
Easily concealed clubs—such as saps, blackjacks and whip-sticks—are perhaps the most deadly weapons of all.
They are often used by members of violent groups and always injure the target person, who is incapacitated 47 percent of the time and killed 27 percent. Only 7 percent of the people who use such weapons end up facing criminal or civil charges.
Question 5: Is a club more likely than a knife to inflict a fatal wound?
Clubs inflict fatal injuries 13 percent of the time, compared to 12 percent for edged weapons and firearms, which are more likely to be used to threaten. Heavy blunt objects are the most lethal at 14 percent. However, the fatality rate for the other categories of blunt weapons ranges from 0 percent (common articles) to 6 percent (sticks).
Question 6: Is a person more likely to be rendered unconscious by a club or a knife attack?
Knockout rates are as follows: clubs—50 percent, sticks— 24 percent, blades and shanks—19 percent, firearms—19 percent, and common articles—6 percent.
Question 7: Does it take more skill to use a blunt weapon or an edged weapon?
The weapons that require the least amount of skill to use effectively are heavy blunt weapons like automobiles and kitchen tables. Those that require the most skill are light blunt weapons, such as fists, sticks and jackets. Edged weapons fall somewhere in between.
Question 8: Why do attacks with bats and sticks seem to succeed so often?
While the majority of knifers, muggers, brawlers and sucker punchers attack as individuals, the majority of those armed with sticks, stones, bats and pickup trucks act as a member of a group. Also, while most knifers and gunmen— and many sucker punchers—are smaller than their victims, the majority of stick, club and heavy-object wielders are actually larger than their victims. In many cases, the club is not even necessary; it amounts to overkill for the group or individual involved.
Question 9: Should a woman use a club to defend herself?
Female aggressors are just as likely to succeed as male aggressors are, and they are just as likely to be armed. Females are 50-percent less likely to successfully defend themselves than males are, and they are five times less likely to be armed. Obviously, there is a definite correlation between armed defense and successful defense.
Unfortunately, many women insist they will not use a weapon for defense because they have “heard” that it will just be taken by the attacker and used against them. As the smaller party in a violent encounter, the female should select a blunt weapon that is not too long, too light or too heavy on the striking end. In other words, it is best to hit a male attacker with a bar, pipe or his bowling trophy.
Question 10: What are the most effective defenses against a blunt-weapon attack?
Most defenses are not successful. Indeed, the club user has, in most cases, so stacked the odds against the defender that only chance and extreme levels of response from very capable fighters have been successful. The most effective defense against punch-outs and stabbings was shown to be grappling. But against aggressive groups, the only successful grappling defenses have been poor-leverage throws by extremely powerful men. Taking the fight to the ground when facing a group has, in almost every documented instance, resulted in a group stomping.
The majority of successful defenses against blunt weapons by normal-sized people have involved the display of a firearm or edged weapon or the use of a better blunt weapon.
Other success stories have involved the use of delaying actions, which exposed the aggressors to third-party intervention.
Note: Most defenses against common articles such as bottles were successful and involved a combination of clinching, hitting, throwing and kicking—often in that order.
Question 11: If an attacker comes after me with a bat, should I run?
Let’s see. He’s bigger than you, has two vicious friends who can’t wait to get their hands on you while he hits you, and he probably won’t stop swinging that thing until you stop moaning. Running away sounds like a good idea. ...
|
Choose your martialarm
|
|
|
Martialarm Testimonials
"This is the answer to the only problem I had in my martial arts training, 'How to effectively test a technique?' I can now experiment using full power which I could never do before with my normal training partner." L-Baxter"After training in the various martial arts systems for over 22 years and thinking I had seen it all I was extremely surprised to train with your martialarm product. It is truly excellent and proves once again simple ideas are the best." F-Barrasong
"I just started to train in Karate and also Wing Chun. I wanted to train as much as possible but there are only two classes per week. Since I bought the martialarm I now train everynight! This is great for a beginner who wants to train alot!" J. Evans
Looking for other martial arts training dummies?Purchase the Wooden dummy, Versaflex, B.O.B. training partner and boxing bags.
|