Aswad
Posts: 9374
Joined: 4/4/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: LadyEllen
On the self defence thing - we dont get pepper sprays, we dont get stun guns, we dont get anything.
Sounds like where I live. We can have blade weapons or licenced firearms (ammo and bolt stored seperately) in our own homes, but nothing else. These cannot be carried in public, except blades of at most 2-3 inches.
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We are permitted to use equal force in self defence.
You're listed as being from the UK. The law clearly states reasonable, not equal, force. That is, an amount of force equal to the threat of violence or the value of what is being protected.
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He is stronger than I, so to overcome him I need a weapon, which means I break the law instantly I use one as this is "excessive" force.
A difference in physical strength and/or size can be (and has been) successfully used as legal justification for the use of a weapon. WP mentions R. vs Rose as a case in point.
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In law, I am male and so couldnt even rely on the fact that I'm nothing like and so need a weapon to equalise things. Such is the ridiculous law here.
I agree the UK laws seem silly in this regard. Although, the standard is whether the jury considers you likely to be able to defend yourself without the use of a weapon.
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Conviction rates are what count here - my assault being easier to prove by reference to wounds, I am prone to conviction, whilst his assault being subject to my word against his would likely not even proceed to court.
If he physically forces himself upon you, it is easy to show that he engaged in rape. If you resist, that will establish it even more clearly, even if he doesn't bruise you. Attacking a rapist will increase your chances of being injured a little bit, but decrease your chances of being hurt and raped a lot. The tradeoff and ethics are your call.
I'm not talking about stabbing him in the heart because he gets too close. I'm saying that's something you can keep in mind if he gets outright violent, whether by himself or in response to being resisted. It just happens to be the most reliable means, that I can think of right now, by which an untrained defender can stop an attacker.
Baring that, eye gouging is done with your hands, either by clawing, or by pushing a finger or two behind each eye and pulling. Depending on your position, relative to him, this can work, but don't try unless you have a fairly clear shot at it.
Another little trick, although less reliable. Touch the base of your palm to your jaw in front, with one muscle pad to each side of the bone, then slowly glide it along the bone until you find an indentation. If you strike in that approximate area, with the base of your palm (open hand), hard, there is a reasonable chance of stunning him or knocking him unconscious, although it may be more serious (not a concern in self-defense, IMO, as it isn't intended to do more). Aim at a point 4 inches up from where you're supposed to hit; this will prevent your muscles from pulling back at the last moment, maximizing the impact. If at first you don't succeed, use the few seconds of stun effect to repeat it with the other hand to the other side. The exact point isn't necessary to achieve the effect, but has the added benefit of possibly breaking and/or dislocating the jaw.
If he gets on top of you, repeated blows to both ears (again, aim 4 inches in for more power) with cupped hands or a hammer hand (make as if holding a hammer, strike with the end that would be away from the head of the hammer) will be disorienting and probably stuns him. A headbutt to the nose would also be likely to work in this case, in which case you want to try (getting it right isn't critical, but helps) to strike a point 2 inches behind his nose with the part of your forehead that is about 1 length of your nose up from your browline (going by the picture).
If his hands are to both sides of you, pushing against the inside of the elbow joint on the side closest to the floor (assuming you're in a couch or on the bed; any side if not) hard and fast, while pushing up against his other side, will overbalance him to that side, which gets you time to run away, most likely. This may work better after something that stuns.
Similarly, stepping down with your full weight on the inside of his knee in the direction his knee is bending, when he is standing up, will topple him to that side. He may grab for you; if you can't deflect his arm (slap the underarm, not the hand), you can try to escape (pull against his thumb), but if not, you allow yourself to fall, and try to put your weight on a joint of your own, which you should try to come down on him with. It might buy you time to get up.
If you should happen to get him on his belly, somehow, but lack time to get away, put your arm around his neck, with his throat to the inside of your elbow joint, and squeeze as hard as you can, folding your arms the way you would while scowling at the UMs to support the grip, making it harder to break. It's less likely to get you in trouble than striking or kicking the base of his skull (frequently lethal) and, although less effective, will usually cause unconsciousness in 15 seconds or so. There'll probably be bucking during that time. Personally, I'd go for a kick to the base of his skull with the "knife edge" of the foot, aiming at a point 1 inch below the tip of his jaw, but I don't live in England, so I don't know how a jury might feel about an attack that will render him paraplegic or dead.
Kicking the groin is useless if he's shot up on herion (it is a strong analgetic), he'll most likely just get pissed off.
The clavicle is a fairly weak bone, and worth targetting if there's no better target available. Identify these points on yourself, and it'll be easier to do something with the knowledge in a real situation, although it obviously won't be as good as practicing it.
Remember that if he's drunk, he may be inclined to get violent, and if he's shot up on drugs, he may be insensitive to pain. Breaking bones, blunt trauma to the head, gouging of the eyes, and potentially lethal attacks are the only things that will work reliably in such a case that doesn't necessarily involve som form of weapon, improvised or not.
Of course, if something happens, trying to remember any of this will probably be useless without at least dry practice. The most important things to remember: when striking or kicking, always go for a point about 4 inches in to maximize power; be 100% committed; go for the eyes if possible.
Anyway, just some more thoughts. I'll send you a PM on a more specific option.
_____________________________
"If God saw what any of us did that night, he didn't seem to mind.
From then on I knew: God doesn't make the world this way.
We do." -- Rorschack, Watchmen.
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RE: an ideal victim? - 
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