Stupid little bags of testosterone

MrDeVil909 wrote:
momgamer wrote:

filling an inflatable monkey with acetylene, floating it downriver and then igniting it by hitting it with a Roman Candle round.

Hmmmm, intriguing.

Why was this not posted somewhere I would read it when I was working on my PhD in Chemistry at the University of Ottawa and had easy and untraceable access to acetylene, as well as various other things that could be used to set things on fire.

duckideva wrote:

Also, enroll them in Krav Maga, so they have the tools to eliminate any physical threat from someone who doesn't understand the word "NO".

Gently, and as a lifelong martial artist: please consider enrolling them in something with an ethos other than that of Krav Maga. While KM is effective, it is also incredibly brutal, and there are ways to learn to effectively defend oneself (kickboxing, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, etc.) without relying upon lethal violence, and perhaps even impart a sense of the ethical continuum within which the use of violent force AND competitive sport lie.

I'll second the notion and suggest Aikido.

mudbunny wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:
momgamer wrote:

filling an inflatable monkey with acetylene, floating it downriver and then igniting it by hitting it with a Roman Candle round.

Hmmmm, intriguing.

Why was this not posted somewhere I would read it when I was working on my PhD in Chemistry at the University of Ottawa and had easy and untraceable access to acetylene, as well as various other things that could be used to set things on fire.

It doesn't set on fire. It explodes. With a boom and a shock-wave big enough to get picked up on the seismometer up at the high school. (the monkey was about 3' high when fully filled).

TheHipGamer wrote:
duckideva wrote:

Also, enroll them in Krav Maga, so they have the tools to eliminate any physical threat from someone who doesn't understand the word "NO".

Gently, and as a lifelong martial artist: please consider enrolling them in something with an ethos other than that of Krav Maga. While KM is effective, it is also incredibly brutal, and there are ways to learn to effectively defend oneself (kickboxing, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, etc.) without relying upon lethal violence, and perhaps even impart a sense of the ethical continuum within which the use of violent force AND competitive sport lie.

Edwin wrote:

I'll second the notion and suggest Aikido.

Um, can I suggest you're both looking at it from the perspective of someone who isn't going to be half the size of her attacker? Aikido is good, and a heck of a lot easier to find than krav maga, but don't trim her claws too short, gentlemen.

momgamer wrote:

In case you're wondering, "Rule 1" is "Don't do stupid things!" in the context of many adventures like throwing spent fireworks in a fire to see what they do

My husband has a notch in his hearing (if you plot the frequencies he can hear out of his left ear, there's one point where the smooth curve has a big hole in it), and his best friend has a notch in his hearing out of his right ear due to a similar adventure.

My kids are on the cusp of entering in to this whole world of being a teenager. (My son is almost 12 and my daughter just turned 10.)

Katy wrote:
momgamer wrote:

In case you're wondering, "Rule 1" is "Don't do stupid things!" in the context of many adventures like throwing spent fireworks in a fire to see what they do

My husband has a notch in his hearing (if you plot the frequencies he can hear out of his left ear, there's one point where the smooth curve has a big hole in it), and his best friend has a notch in his hearing out of his right ear due to a similar adventure.

My kids are on the cusp of entering in to this whole world of being a teenager. (My son is almost 12 and my daughter just turned 10.)

I'll stop scaring people with my stories, and just point out they're all alive, in good health, and mostly productive members of society.

Find a compassionate teacher of something very dangerous.

momgamer wrote:
mudbunny wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:
momgamer wrote:

filling an inflatable monkey with acetylene, floating it downriver and then igniting it by hitting it with a Roman Candle round.

Hmmmm, intriguing.

Why was this not posted somewhere I would read it when I was working on my PhD in Chemistry at the University of Ottawa and had easy and untraceable access to acetylene, as well as various other things that could be used to set things on fire.

It doesn't set on fire. It explodes. With a boom and a shock-wave big enough to get picked up on the seismometer up at the high school. (the monkey was about 3' high when fully filled).

TheHipGamer wrote:
duckideva wrote:

Also, enroll them in Krav Maga, so they have the tools to eliminate any physical threat from someone who doesn't understand the word "NO".

Gently, and as a lifelong martial artist: please consider enrolling them in something with an ethos other than that of Krav Maga. While KM is effective, it is also incredibly brutal, and there are ways to learn to effectively defend oneself (kickboxing, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, etc.) without relying upon lethal violence, and perhaps even impart a sense of the ethical continuum within which the use of violent force AND competitive sport lie.

Edwin wrote:

I'll second the notion and suggest Aikido.

Um, can I suggest you're both looking at it from the perspective of someone who isn't going to be half the size of her attacker? Aikido is good, and a heck of a lot easier to find than krav maga, but don't trim her claws too short, gentlemen.

Yeah; as a rule, I don't advocate violent means...but as someone who was attacked and unable to stop my attacker because he was a foot taller and 50 pounds heavier; if I had the power to kill him to stop him, I would have.

I have my issues with Krav, and I wouldn't enroll my son in it, because I have him in a very Japanese program that focuses more on kata and control, but I don't anticipate him having to fight off a drunk asshole who believes he has the right to hold down anything smaller and and stick his penis in it.

I can almost guarantee you that every single woman you know has had to deal with a rapist. At least once. Most of the time, we can deflect it, and it's scary but we're unhurt. But that one time that your daughter can't deflect, can't make him stop, can't make him listen...give her the skills to stop him in his tracks. I've spent more than two decades years not leaving the house at night unless someone is with me, or I'm armed. Don't let that happen to your daughters. Rape is about power. Give them the power to always have the trump card. Sure, Krav will teach them to kill without mercy. I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

Judo and the rest is all fine and well...on a mat. Girls need to be trained in how to stop someone in close quarters, who may already be holding them down.

momgamer wrote:
Edwin wrote:

I'll second the notion and suggest Aikido.

Um, can I suggest you're both looking at it from the perspective of someone who isn't going to be half the size of her attacker? Aikido is good, and a heck of a lot easier to find than krav maga, but don't trim her claws too short, gentlemen.

That's why I suggested it. It's easier to find (especially here in WA) and it's really good for when you are smaller/weaker than your opponent. I wasn't implying to not hurt the attacker, that's just insane.

Edwin wrote:
momgamer wrote:
Edwin wrote:

I'll second the notion and suggest Aikido.

Um, can I suggest you're both looking at it from the perspective of someone who isn't going to be half the size of her attacker? Aikido is good, and a heck of a lot easier to find than krav maga, but don't trim her claws too short, gentlemen.

That's why I suggested it. It's easier to find (especially here in WA) and it's really good for when you are smaller/weaker than your opponent. I wasn't implying to not hurt the attacker, that's just insane.

I know you weren't and I should have expanded. The problem is, most of the ways Aikido compensates for smaller size require room to maneuver -- you use angular momentum to make up for mass (from the knowledge of a white belt like 20 years ago). That doesn't happen when you're shoved up against a wall. There are some strikes, but it's not really focused on.

Aikido combined with a solid women's self-defense class for the ruthless, up-close maneuvers is a pretty good choice. That joke in Miss Congeniality about teaching an attacker to S.I.N.G. is actually a start (but a class to help her learn to actually execute those ideas is a necessary thing). Aikido is a bit rarefied for application to real life sometimes.

I'm not a martial artist. Here's what I think:

If she's going to learn something, it should also teach things like awareness. Consider your surroundings. Keep an eye out for people that may be up to no good. Not being there is the best defence.

She needs to be aware of her limitations. Confidence is dangerous.

She needs to train properly. If she learns aikido and its all, and only, telegraphed punches and outstretched arms, thats bad aikido.

If it comes down to it, she needs to be able to use a pen or a bottle. To bite and scratch and blind. Something to buy some time.

And you should consider the effects of training and sparring on brain development.

1Dgaf wrote:

I'm not a martial artist. Here's what I think:

If she's going to learn something, it should also teach things like awareness. Consider your surroundings. Keep an eye out for people that may be up to no good. Not being there is the best defence.

She needs to be aware of her limitations. Confidence is dangerous.

She needs to train properly. If she learns aikido and its all, and only, telegraphed punches and outstretched arms, thats bad aikido.

If it comes down to it, she needs to be able to use a pen or a bottle. To bite and scratch and blind. Something to buy some time.

And you should consider the effects of training and sparring on brain development.

Edit: Wow, crossed threads in my head there. Let's try this again:

No. Don't instill this kind of mentality in your kids. If someone attacks them, don't let them think "it's my fault, I shouldn't have been there."

I'll chime in on the martial arts bit as another (nearly) lifelong goojer martial artist. When push comes to shove, I've always found that 99% of the stuff I learned in Kempo went out the window, and I balled my fists, covered my head and neck, and kept my feet on the ground (as opposed to pulling some spinning hook whatever kick).

My suggestion? Boxing and BJJ. Keep your feet on the ground, keep a solid stance, protect your head, and if the situation goes to the ground (and they often do), you know what to do. Couple that with some sort of personal threat assessment training (I think many college campuses offer such classes) and you'll have the tools you need (that, hopefully, you'll never have to use).

I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately, given that the wife and I are expecting our first (a girl!) in February. It's forced me to re-evaluate a lot of things in my life, and make some personal decisions that I've been putting off - like piking up my martial arts training again. And you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be teacher her how to throw a jab and a cross as soon as she can stand. =P

Anyway, be safe everyone!

Nicholaas wrote:

I'll chime in on the martial arts bit as another (nearly) lifelong goojer martial artist. When push comes to shove, I've always found that 99% of the stuff I learned in Kempo went out the window, and I balled my fists, covered my head and neck, and kept my feet on the ground (as opposed to pulling some spinning hook whatever kick).

My suggestion? Boxing and BJJ. Keep your feet on the ground, keep a solid stance, protect your head, and if the situation goes to the ground (and they often do), you know what to do. Couple that with some sort of personal threat assessment training (I think many college campuses offer such classes) and you'll have the tools you need (that, hopefully, you'll never have to use).

I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately, given that the wife and I are expecting our first (a girl!) in February. It's forced me to re-evaluate a lot of things in my life, and make some personal decisions that I've been putting off - like piking up my martial arts training again. And you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be teacher her how to throw a jab and a cross as soon as she can stand. =P

Anyway, be safe everyone!

I hear this more and more when I talk to people about self defense classes.

And the best part about Boxing and stuff like BJJ is that the relative rise in popularity of UFC and MMA as a sport in general means classes for that stuff are popping up all over the place.

Sixteen

I don't think you're considering the context of the quote. Part of being safe, man or woman, is being aware of your surroundings, assessing the situation and deciding whether to stay around or not.

When I was in a train carriage with a drunk who seemed a bit off, I decided to leave and wait for another train. It dented my ego, but I reasoned that it was better to leave than to wait and see if something happened.

Not being there is the best defence. That's nothing to do with blame and it needn't be to do with blame. It's about understanding that knowing how to fight is just one part of staying safe.

Here's a PDF that might explain. The writer is an ex bouncer. His self defence advice is 'learn to hit f*cking hard'

http://www.geoffthompson.com/media/A...

momgamer wrote:
mudbunny wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:
momgamer wrote:

filling an inflatable monkey with acetylene, floating it downriver and then igniting it by hitting it with a Roman Candle round.

Hmmmm, intriguing.

Why was this not posted somewhere I would read it when I was working on my PhD in Chemistry at the University of Ottawa and had easy and untraceable access to acetylene, as well as various other things that could be used to set things on fire.

It doesn't set on fire. It explodes. With a boom and a shock-wave big enough to get picked up on the seismometer up at the high school. (the monkey was about 3' high when fully filled).

The fire was more in the availability of things like sodium and potassium which make for a (relatively) safe source of ignition if you know what you are doing.

duckideva wrote:

Girls need to be trained in how to stop someone in close quarters, who may already be holding them down.

BJJ -- which, despite the "jiu-jitsu" in the name, takes far more from Judo than it does from traditional aiki- or jiu-jitsu -- is exactly the right thing here. It is not reliant upon relative size, it's predicated on being in a grappling situation, and (assuming a no-gi training style) it translates to the exact situation you're describing.

It also gives her options that won't land her in jail. Take a guy, even a rapist, and kill him, and you'll be in the situation of needing to prove that lethal force was required -- compounding the psychological trauma attempted rape with having killed someone, being arrested, and then having to defend oneself legally.

Being able to slip a mount with a good knee-and-elbow escape, choke him out, and get the hell out? Much less traumatic.

Edwin wrote:

I'll second the notion and suggest Aikido.

I trained in Aikido for 10 years, with some absolutely amazing sensei. It's a beautiful art that will do jack squat for you in a "real" situation. Six months of boxing and BJJ put me into better shape in terms of actual fighting ability than a decade of serious, hard Aikido, and a childhood in Kempo.
(I trained first at Valley Aikido (formerly run by the late Sylvain shihan, the first American shihan in Aikido and directly awarded the title from O-Sensei's son), and later at Shobu Aikido (run by Gleason sensei, who trained for years in Japan with Yamaguchi sensei, who was one of the founder's direct students). I say this not as bragging, but to provide context.)

Nicholaas' comments on the reasoning behind the boxing/BJJ mix are dead on.

mudbunny wrote:
momgamer wrote:
mudbunny wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:
momgamer wrote:

filling an inflatable monkey with acetylene, floating it downriver and then igniting it by hitting it with a Roman Candle round.

Hmmmm, intriguing.

Why was this not posted somewhere I would read it when I was working on my PhD in Chemistry at the University of Ottawa and had easy and untraceable access to acetylene, as well as various other things that could be used to set things on fire.

It doesn't set on fire. It explodes. With a boom and a shock-wave big enough to get picked up on the seismometer up at the high school. (the monkey was about 3' high when fully filled).

The fire was more in the availability of things like sodium and potassium which make for a (relatively) safe source of ignition if you know what you are doing.

That requires the whole gang of underage drinkers down at the fire pit to know what they're doing.

First of all, the first five pages or so of this thread were great and informative, since then it's kind of gone 90 degrees about five or six different times lol.

My daughter is only 4 months old, and although firearms are generally illegal here, I get the feeling the irrational sentiments of overprotective fatherhood will no doubt overwhelm me when the time comes.

In terms of martial arts (I only reached brown belt so take my comments for what you might feel they are worth) - I feel the most useful martial arts will probably be boxing/kickboxing combined with a grappling technique (BJJ/Judo). The boxing styles will give them an idea on what they can do if they're on their feet and gives them agility training (how to manage fighting space and avoid attacks, increase fitness), and the latter trains them on what to do on a worst case scenario of getting overwhelmed and forced to the ground (how to switch positions/escape, chokeholds, restraints).

I am sure that every Sensei in their discipline will sternly advise their students not to take up martial arts for the sake of bringing violence to others. Mine always taught that it takes more courage to walk or run away than to stay and fight. And besides, even if you learn life-stealing techniques, I doubt very few would have the resolve to use them.

Bfgp wrote:

First of all, the first five pages or so of this thread were great and informative, since then it's kind of gone 90 degrees about five or six different times lol

I'm partially to blame -- sorry, guys.

TheHipGamer wrote:
Bfgp wrote:

First of all, the first five pages or so of this thread were great and informative, since then it's kind of gone 90 degrees about five or six different times lol

I'm partially to blame -- sorry, guys. :)

Don't apologise. The weird places threads go is part of the fun on GWJ.

TheHipGamer wrote:

I'm partially to blame -- sorry, guys. :)

Same here. Sorry about that.

I've got no constructive input to add. Except just to share alittle.

I believe I got along quite ok with the dads of my girlfriends.
But over here and being Asian it's of course different: you shook their hand, nodded knowingly when they did, always have military talk to fall back on, made damn sure you got his daughter home at the time you had informed him you will ("2am? Make sure ah!") and always greet them first. I once called one of them "sir" and his daughter burst out laughing, he shook his head, smiled and said "call me 'uncle' can already" and that broke the ice.

It's the moms that you got to watch out for.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

Don't apologise. The weird places threads go is part of the fun on GWJ.

Yeah this thread had me checking to see if there were local BJJ classes last night. Turns out there are several.

TheHipGamer wrote:

It also gives her options that won't land her in jail. Take a guy, even a rapist, and kill him, and you'll be in the situation of needing to prove that lethal force was required -- compounding the psychological trauma attempted rape with having killed someone, being arrested, and then having to defend oneself legally.

Being able to slip a mount with a good knee-and-elbow escape, choke him out, and get the hell out? Much less traumatic.

Not to mention the effect that training in something with Krav's mindset will have on a person's day-to-day mentality. If you're always looking at the world with thoughts about killing or destroying at the back of your mind it'll do bad things to your personality. Many of the Krav people I've met don't tend to be nice people, and I think it relates in part to the way the art shapes them.

Please forgive my country upbringing climbing up from the depths of my conciousness, but this conversation reminds me of something an old farmer told me when I was dating his daughter.

She'll be done cleaning the shotguns around 6. You can pick her up after