Peppers spray - MMA combo

MMA - Illustration, from Flicker.com

OK, so it wasn't the MMA (mixed martial arts) alone that did the trick - a healthy doze of pepper spray was part of the self-defense combo.

Still, it is no doubt that learning martial arts can be of great help when you suddenly find yourself in a dangerous situation like the California based woman here did.

Also, it is definitely a major equalizer to have access to some sort of weapon - here a can of pepper spray.

A Sanger woman used mixed martial arts skills on a man claiming to be a door-to-door salesman.
It was around noon Thursday, when Mayra Villanueva heard the doorbell ring. She looked out and saw it was a man dressed as a Dish Network consultant.
She opened the door and that's when he threw a punch, and tried to get into the house.

Anyone else having good or bad experiences with using martial arts and/or pepper spray for self-defense? Feel free to comment below!

Lame excuses #11

Connecticut -- As a result of injuries he sustained from an assault in Stamford, a 78-year-old man died on February 22, 2009.

The incident which led to the tragedy occurred in a downtown parking lot, according to stamfordadvocate.com.

During the recent (June 2011) manslaughter trial, the defendant accused of punching and knocking out - a 6'2" and 200 pound, 49-year-old man - is claiming he acted in self-defense.

Yeah, right...

Hit like a girl

"You hit like a girl!" Yeah, right....

The slap

Here's a video showing why a punch with a closed fist is highly overrated as far as self-defense goes.

You can see that the person doing the slap here clearly knows what he's doing. First, he holds his left hand to his chin in a defensive posture - some times referred to as a "fence".

He then drops his left hand, which draws attention away from his right, and then wham...

Note also that the person who does the slap turns the man on the ground on his side. It may also (hopefully) look like he's going for help. Probably a bouncer.

'Aero-solved'

Illinois -- Without pepper spray to defend himself, a cabdriver was forced to improvise when he was attacked by a knife-wielding passenger early Thursday morning in Elgin. He sprayed the would-be robber in the face with an aerosol deodorant, according to foxnews.com.

Police said said the 51-year-old driver felt something was wrong when the passenger changed his destination. Consequently, he discreetly placed the small canister between his legs.

When the passenger held a large knife to the driver's neck, he sprayed the robber in the eyes, causing him to drop the knife. The passenger then punched the driver, but did not seriously injure him. He took off on foot, leaving the knife behind.

Teacher self-defense?

There's probably more to this story than what you can read from a media rapport - it usually is. Even so, it seems like this teacher A. has a serious anger management problem, and B. needs to learn some basic conflict management and control techniques.
Yes a 10-year-old child can absolutely do some harm to an adult, but come on... Do you seriously need a neck restraint technique or a choke hold to control a situation like this? Absolutely not if you know what you're doing.
Another discussion is the possible use of force by teachers. In my book there may be situations where such a need may arise. But again, you really must know what you're doing. And of course, any type of force should always be kept as the very last resort. There are no winners in a situation like this!

Story:

New York -- A 58-year-old substitute gym teacher allegedly put a 10-year-old student in a chokehold when the two got in an argument over a game of dodgeball in New Rochelle, according to wten.com.

Police said the teacher apparently called the student 'a big baby' and a 'crybaby' after they began arguing about a call.

The boy reportedly threw a punch but missed. The teacher then grabbed the boy by the back of the neck and dragged him across the gym floor. Police said the boy was held in a chokehold when he tried to break free.

The student was taken to a hospital with neck and back pain. The substitute teacher claimed he acted in self-defense.

A musical lesson

There are at least two vital lessons to be learned form the story below. First off, you definitely don't want to be messing with 17-year-old marching band girls. If they are armed with a baton, then even more so - stay clear :-)

Secondly - and this is the serious part - the incident really goes to show how effective any kind of weapon can be in a self-defense situation.

Needless to say, I really love stories like this one.

California -- This high school marching band student form Quartz Hill (a high desert community about 40 miles north of Los Angeles) beat up two attackers who attempted to mug her as she was walking to school Friday morning, officials said.

A Sheriff's spokesman said the teenager kicked one man in the groin and punched the other in the nose. She then beat both men into submission with her large baton before running away.

Make some noise!

"Jump up and down, scream and holler, do whatever – just remember, the more noise you make, the safer you will be!" This is a lesson given to five-year-old elementary school kids by an Ohio resource officer.

Recently, remembering the methods she learned at school, a young girl (9) escaped an abduction attempt in Middletown, Ohio, according to wlwt.com.

The girl's mother credits Officer Mike Davies with saving the girls life after she fought off the 6'8", 300-pound would-be abductor on June 6.

The mother said her daughter kicked and screamed and punched, and did everything she was told to do.

Apart from being a great story about the ability to fight back - this story also raises the question as to how and how early children should learn about this issues.

Some say children should be allowed to be children. It's hard to disagree with that, really. However, at one time these lessons has to be taught, and they should be presented in some shape or form - the earlier the better.

No good Samaritans

This is bad.

Story:
From Stockton, Teeside, UK news.bbc.co.uk reports about a serious sexual assault on a 20-year-old woman. She was reportedly walking home in the early hours of Sunday when a man grabbed her.

And here's the sad part: According to police, cars passed almost within inches of the assault. A number of cars, particularly taxis, drove past as the woman was being attacked, a police spokesperson said.

"It took place in the middle of the road, but not a single person stopped. There were at least five cars that passed her as she was lying on the road while the attack was taking place," the spokesperson said.

The woman had just finished a mobile phone call when the man attacked her. Despite being punched repeatedly to the face, she fought back and was eventuallyable to flee. She was later treated at a local hospital for facial injuries.

More school violence

Here are three individual cases, each pointing to the huge - and vastly un- or under reported - problem of violence towards teachers.
One of the reports says: "Teachers and campus officials probably shun police reports and prosecution because they don't want to hurt the child or taint the school."

January 25, thedailyitemoflynn.com reported from Lynn, Massachusetts about a high school disciplinary meeting which turned violent.
The 20-year-old sister of a suspended student physically assaulted two teachers and threatened several others, according to the report.

January 28, dailytribune.com had a story from Oak Park, Michigan about a 17-year-old high school student being charged as an adult.
The teenager was reportedly accused of assaulting a female teacher, and the teacher says violence and threats at the school are increasing.

Then on January 29, ajc.com had an article about a female teacher from Lilburn, Georgia.
The experienced teacher was blindsided by a 12-year-old middle school student. "It was a beatdown", the newspaper says.

'I-knee-do' #1

Great fighting spirit in this "older" guy! If it is totally wise to fight back at that point is another matter all together. I suppose the "spirit" just came over him.

Story:
Pennsylvania -- In Sunbury, an older church leader fought off a would-be robber as he left the church Wednesday night.

The man explained he had finished locking the doors and was walking down a ramp when he saw a man wearing a black mask.

When he was asked for money, the church leader said he didn't have any. However, the man said he was going to check the church leader's pockets anyway.

The church leader, with what he described "just a moment to think", kneed the main in the groin, and punched him to the face. He then ran to his car parked nearby and locked himself inside.

A police spokesman said the criminal took off booking down an alley after the confrontation with the intended victim.

Shoplifters

UK -- Shop workers have spoken out about the violent attacks they face on a daily basis, according to hartlepoolmail.co.uk.

Statistics reveal more than 10,000 workers nationwide were injured in attacks last year. And more than 60 per cent were caused by shoplifters trying to escape with their stolen goods.

According to figures from the Union of Shop Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), more than 10,000 shop workers in the UK were physically attacked in 2006 alone. Around two thirds of those incidents centred around apprehending shoplifters.

The dangers facing shop staff were highlighted this week by the case of named female shoplifter.
The 18-year-old drug addict was jailed after she assaulted three members of staff at a bargains store in Hartlepool.

The offender punched, bit and spat at the three women workers, because they tried to prevent her from leaving the store with two stolen dolls - worth £4.99 each.

"My-key-do" #5

At 2:31 a.m. on Saturday, a police foot patrol responded to a call for an attempted sexual assault in Isla Vista, California, independent.com reports.

The woman told authorities she had met the suspect to buy cocaine from him, but when she arrived, he pushed her into a car and starting ripping her clothes.

Using her keys as a weapon between her fingers, she punched the man in the neck and was able to run away. The victim knows the suspect, because she had bought drugs from him before.

Danger

Interfering in a fight or a heated argument between a couple (man/woman) has proven to involve a great deal of danger - the case below is a typical one.
Great care should always be taken if you decide to get directly involved.
Your best course of action is probably to call police, get help from others, stay back and say loud and clear to the offender that police have been called.

From Salem, Oregon salem-news.com reports about a man who attacked a veterinarian outside an animal clinic Sunday night.

Police say the veterinarian saw a man and woman arguing outside of the clinic, and she tried to break it up.

The man then attacked the vet, knocking her to the ground, and tried to strangle her police said. Both the man and woman fled the scene on foot.

A simple lesson

I bet these Texas parents are more than happy they had their 9-year-old daughter Misty watch a self-defense lesson they saw on TV.

She remembered the lesson well, and a simple kick to the groin may possibly have saved her from being kidnapped, molested or even killed.

The young girl was approached by a man Tuesday at a playground in Allen, Dallas. She fought back hard when the perpetrator grabbed her - kicking, punching, screaming and running away.

The brave girl ran to a friend's house a few blocks away. "I ran. I ran as fast as I could. When I got to her house my heart was pounding so dang hard," the girl said.

You go, girl!

Source: Cbs11tv.com

Gotcha!

Young woman with firm grip: 1 - Large male with pimped up ride: 0
Probably a good thing for "Mr not-so-tough-now" to have lights in his car that matches the color of his balls...

Story:
Texas -- A large man in a muscle shirt, probably in his 20s, about 6' 1'' and 200 pounds, offered a young woman a ride in Fort worth.

The 18-year-old woman was walking at about noon Friday when the man approached her. The female reportedly refused his offer repeatedly.

The man got out of his car, which had blue lights inside and underneath (bling-bling anyone...?). He grabbed the young woman by the hair and ordered her to get in, a police spokesman said.

When she fought back, the man threw her to the ground and kicked her in the ribs, the spokesman said.

The man pulled the woman back to her feet, and that's when she grabbed his crotch (ouch!). The man fell to the ground, and the woman punched him in the face and ran away. She told police that when she looked back, he was lying on the ground.

Source

Huge Coldplay fan

Karaoke is a torture instrument the devil himself could be proud of. Consequently, I really can relate to the rage against the "singer" in this story, even though the actions are way over board.

Story:
Washington -- A woman attacked a karaoke singer belting out Coldplay on Thursday night, telling him he "sucked" before she pushed and punched him to get him to stop singing, bar staff said. The man was singing "Yellow" when it happened.

"It took three or four of us to hold her down," a bartender said.

When she was escorted outside, the 21-year-old woman "went crazy," the bartender said, throwing punches at him and others, including an off-duty police officer.

Patrol officers and detectives then arrived at the neighborhood bar and blocked off the street, which inflamed the woman's rage even more, a police report said. Before police could handcuff the woman, she headbutted the off-duty officer at least twice.

Source

Another "tough" guy

This is just sad. And I bet he's got a good excuse since he was drunk. We all know we can't possibly control ourselves when we've had something to drink, so it wasn't his fault ... right?

Story:
Canada -- A 40-year-old man faces assault and possible hate-crime charges after attacking an elderly Asian man in broad daylight on a busy Vancouver bus.

The attack happened at about 1 p.m. Sunday, said police."The man, for some inexplicable reason, starts making racial slurs against the 87-year-old man, punches him in the face and runs off," a police source said.

The man, of medium build and smelling strongly of alcohol, jumped off the bus and ran into a nearby pub.

Stacking

Pay close attention kids...
Here you have a slick perpetrator who is using "stacking" - that is (in this context) using more than one means to distract and confuse his intended victim.
A. Asking for direction.
B. Talking on the phone (probably just pretending).
C. Extending the hand.

Story:
Texas -- Fort Worth police were searching for a man who punched a woman in a parking lot and drove away with her purse.
Police said the incident occurred about 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The 35-year-old woman was loading her vehicle when a man drove up and asked for directions, police said. The man had a cell phone against his ear the entire time he was talking with the woman.

When she sensed something was amiss and began to move away from the man, he stuck his hand out to her as if to shake hands and then hit her in the mouth. She fell and the man grabbed her purse before fleeing in his car.

Source

The scream

Illinois -- A 21-year-old Arlington Heights man is accused of a violent burglary attempt. The man allegedly broke into a Mount Prospect apartment early Saturday morning, pushed the startled woman inside to the floor and hit her repeatedly.

The incident began around 3:15 a.m. Saturday. The accused allegedly entered through the bedroom window of an apartment, where a 27-year-old woman awoke to find the man standing over her, according to police reports.

Startled, the woman screamed. The intruder threatened to tie her up and struck her several times in the face.

The man fled the apartment through the bedroom window. He later was arrested when police determined he matched the description provided by the victim. The man later told police he was scared someone would hear the woman when she screamed.