A Perspecitve on Self-defense and its Relationship to Prep

Self-defense is an essential part of prep. Despite the fact that violent and property crime have declined quite a bit over the past couple of decades, and only 2.5% of us will ever be the victim of a violent crime in a given year, the statistics feel irrelevant when violent crime happens to you. In the scope of all prep activities, self-defense is pretty low, but when it's needed, it can make the difference between life and death (of course, so can knowing CPR and first aid, so don't forget those). For comparison, the estimated annual average of people affected by natural disasters worldwide (between 2002 and 2011) was 268 million (about 3.8%). But sometimes prep is about preparing for the worst of the worst, not just statistically likely events. If we only prepared for things that are likely to happen to us, no one would buy insurance (or lock their door, or wear their seat belt, etc.).

The focus of this post how self-defense fits into a comprehensive prep plan. It should be obvious (statistics or not) that there are many more opportunities to hurt yourself than to be hurt by someone, and that food and water are essential components of survival, while self-dense is more of a "special scenario" tool. However, I think there's a logical place for at least basic self-defense training in everyone's prep program, particularly training that promotes situational awareness (i.e., avoiding dangerous situations), and deescalation of active threats, in addition to empty-hand combat and weapon use. With each level of intensity comes additional complexity and risk, and a lower chance that it will ever happen to you. So from a prep perspective, this amount of time you focus on self-defense should be scaled appropriately.

But I'm a certified martial arts geek, so my perspective on this is a little different. I started training in Tang Soo Do when I was 14. I was a relatively nonathletic kid, not at all "rough-and-tumble," and hadn't been in any real fights. Then I met this girl at a school dance. Then, the next week I met the guy who thought she was his girlfriend. He told me to stay away from her or he was going to take care of me. This was the first time I ever really had to think about going head-to-head with someone.

I remember asking my parents if I could take boxing lessons at our local Golden Gloves gym where a friend was training. My mom said NO (all caps) to the boxing, but she found a local Tang Soo Do (TSD) school. And although my snarky 14-year-old headbanger self didn't see why getting kicked in the head was better than being punched in the head, I decided to try it. I wanted the skills. I didn't want to start any fights, but if this guy came after me, I wanted to be able to end it. I was hooked almost immediately, and trained there through high school and part of college (testing for my black belt when I was 19 and teaching some classes through the rest of college). It really was a great growth experience and probably made me a more athletic person than I would have been otherwise. I've tried a few other martial arts since then, with widely-varying levels of intensity, including Hapkido, Judo, Capoeira, fencing, Bushido-Kai Karate-Do and Aiki-Ju-Jutsu, but none with the same level of intensity as I did TSD.  That is until I started training in Krav Maga a couple years ago at Alliance CrossFit and Krav Maga.

Based on my experience and research, I think Krav Maga is one of the best options for people looking for a "martial art" to supplement their prep. See a neat summary of some of the most brutal and effective martial arts and self defense systems here, but you can find hundreds of lists of lists like this online. Spending a few hours scanning YouTube for real fight videos and "Tae Kwon Do versus Jiu-Jitsu" can be a learning experience, too. The Gracie family has done a great job evolving Jiu-Jitsu, and there are some really neat videos of family members going up against martial arts experts from other styles (with commentary on what went right and wrong).

So why aren't other styles good options for self-defense? There are a few reasons, and it's important to be clear that I'm not saying Krav Maga is THE best system, or that all "traditional martial arts" are equally bad choices. Some are good choices for self-defense. More on that below. But some will fill you with confidence in your skills (like I had) that can actually get you hurt or killed. By the time I tested for my black belt in TSD, I was a pretty serious student, and had won several trophies and medals (actual first- and second-place trophies, not just participation medals) in forms and sparring competitions. In a strange, bureaucratic turn of events that I still don't totally understand, I actually won the black belt sparring division in a tournament the day after testing for my black belt, but wasn't allowed to receive the trophy. Anyway, I think it's fair to say I was good at what I did. Maybe not Olympics good, but above average. So in college I would get together to spar informally with other guys on campus from time to time. Most of us were typical "punch-kick point sparring" guys, and we all fought with the same basic rules of contact. One week, a couple of amateur MMA guys joined us. I still have two vivid memories of that experience: 1) the spinal adjustment (literally) that I received when one of the guys put me in a headlock, and 2) the sore neck I had for the next two days and the feeling of humility (and maybe a little self-shame)

In another college experience a friend asked me what I would do if he did THIS, and executed a quick take-down, pinning me to the ground, where I was helpless. Between these two experiences, I had a serious wake-up call with respect to my training and skills? What good was all the sparring, one-step techniques, pressure points and self-defense tricks if someone could quickly pin me or put me in a headlock?

For prep, the bottom line is that you want a system that that is bare-bones and direct, that it is easy-to-learn and simple-to-implement. You'll probably find this in systems that are actively being developed and tested, rather than those that haven't changed in decades or centuries. Martial arts mystique would have us believe that techniques developed over thousands of years are somehow better than those that have been refined more recently. But that seems backward if you think abut it for long. Similarly, you should consider whether the system you chose emphasizes training for self-defense specifically (like Krav Maga), for sport, or for other reasons like physical fitness, self-esteem, or mental discipline. Yoga is great for physical fitness and mental/emotional discipline, but it won't help you in a fight in any direct way. Neither will being a good runner (though the fitness and mental discipline from yoga and running may help in indirect ways, like running away or being calm when confronted by an attacker).

So for me, for now Krav Maga is a good fit for a prep-relevant self-defense system. For the record, I sought out Krav Maga before I started getting into prep, but only started to see the overlap of the two as the latter hobby developed.

I think Krav is a great option for the following reasons:

1) It is based on instinctive and direct movements. For example, the first choke defense you learn begins with a "plucking technique" because your natural reaction to a choke will be to reach for your throat or the attacker's hands.

2) It emphasizes techniques that incapacitate people, such as groin kicks, eye pokes and gouges, or repeatedly pummeling someone into submission. The underlying philosophy here is eliminating immediate threat. In defense against a handgun, for example, that translates into first re-directing the line of fire before doing anything else.

3) It has a recent military origin (being created by Imi Lichtenfield for the Israeli Defense Force in the mid-1900s). This is important because it means that it was designed for war, rather than sport. Even though many martial arts have military origins, they have lost much or all of their military application, making them inefficient (and very risky) for self-defense.

4) It is hybrid system, including techniques from boxing, judo, karate/TKD/TSD, and jiu-jitsu. This means it focuses on techniques that do a specific job, rather than fit into a specific tradition (e.g., high kicks v. throws).

5) It is a system that's still evolving. Krav instructors continue to test and evolve techniques that are more efficient than traditional ones, or more adapted to nuances of specific modern fighting situations. One of the core tenets of Krav is "If it works, keep it. If not, throw it away." In other words it prioritizes effectiveness over tradition. Isn't that what you want in a system that you're learning to protect yourself?

6) It is physically-intense (at least where I train), and includes pressure tests from early levels. For example, other martial arts often practice self-dense in "one-step" scenarios or other exercises where the attacker is completely compliant with the defender.

Aside: Aikido is often critiqued for this dimension (see Joe Rogan discuss it here and here, and this equally-insightful conversation with Bas Ruten), but all karate/TKD/TSD I've experienced does things the same way. In Krav training, attack and defense intensity are increased over the course of training, even within a single class. While you start with a non-resistant opponent, you end with one who is really trying to get you (and not let you get them). This is all scaled to experience level of course (if you have good coaches like I do). Pressure tests also sometimes include starting with eyes closed and then being confronted by an unknown attack, practicing in the dark, and things like that. Special lessons on fighting in street clothes and in real-world contexts (i.e., walking to your car) are common as well, making Krav training much more realistic than most martial arts. The goal is create situations that are as real as possible while being safe.

7) There is no sport component of Krav Maga, although many people who study it also participate in MMA at some level (e.g., MMA-based sparring classes). This is an interesting reflection point. In boxing and MMA training, you can actually get knocked out (which seems like the ultimate pressure-test, right?). That's one argument for why Krav Maga training might not be intense enough to replicate a real fight scenario in which someone wants to truly do harm to you. Some schools, like Alliance Krav Maga, have worked this into their black belt testing requirement, in which students must engage in a public, competitive fight against someone they don't know personally who is trying to hurt them (e.g., amateur MMA, boxing, kickboxing, and some kinds of wrestling, but not TKD or point karate). Even from my light point sparring days, I can attest that there's something about competing head-to-head with a clear winner/loser outcome that is missing from day-to-day Krav training. But no system is perfect. The reality of fight training is that when you up the intensity, you have to up the rules, too, so that people don't get hurt. So if you want to do "Krav-like" training with 100% intensity, you have to drop the eye pokes and groin kicks or put on all the bulky protective gear (though see this documentary on Dog Brothers events, which are the best example of maximal reality with minimal rules (and still being safe) that I've come across yet. Check out their episode of Fight Science on NatGeo, too!).

Aside: Of all the sport-based martial arts, those that regularly involve intense and close physical contact are probably the best options for self-defense. Those include wrestling, boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu, and stuff like that. And of course MMA. Some will argue that training for rules reduces a person's effectiveness in self-defense situations, but the intensity of training in these sports and effectiveness/brutality of their techniques means that what you learn for the sport has a direct application in self-defense. Further, they all push practitioners past the initial, natural fear of hitting someone and getting hit. Knowing how to do both of those things is priceless in self-defense situations. Know how to gather and direct the energy and intensity to physically over-power someone (whether by knock-out or submission) goes a long way in self-defense.

So I hope you consider finding some way to do some level of self-defense training as part of your prep. My Krav school, for example, runs women's self-defense seminars where a guy in gear grabs you and tries to put you in a van. They also run an active shooter seminar where you learn basic techniques for dealing with active shooter situations (including avoidance/hiding/cover/concealment strategy, as well as efficient tackles).

And surprisingly, all this is actually a lot of fun, and a good way to get in shape, too! :)  So even if you never have to use it, you come out ahead in life!

Why did I start this blog (and what's with the title)

I started this blog because I've been gathering a lot of notes on prep, self-defense, etc., and starting to practice these things. I wanted to have an easy place to collect and share them. I also wanted to share the things I've learned with others. So the blog will be something between notes for myself, notes to share with friends, and philosophies and logistics of prep and related topics like gun control, self-defense, as well as reason (which seems to be lost in some prepper discussions).

So what's with the title? I thought of other titles like "Rational Prepper," "Liberal Prepper," and "Sensible Prepper," ("Sensible Prep" and "Sensible Prepper" were already taken). "Gunless Prep" didn't seem right b/c I'm not claiming to promote prep without guns (in fact a 9mm and shotgun are on my medium-term list of prep tech, and I like to shoot (though I don't do it often)).

One reason I called this blog "Gunless Prepper" is because that literally describes me. I currently don't have a gun in my bug-out bag or anywhere in my home. 

The other reason is that I think a sensible prep scheme can be developed without guns, and guns should be the last thing on your prep list, since shelter, food/water, heat, medicine/first-aid, communications, and self-defense, are the most basic challenges in any survival situation (roughly in that order). Being able to fight off a zombie apocalypse or violent uprising are much less likely, and guns only provide one kind of self-defense (probably not even the kind that's needed in most situations). But that's a tangent for another post. 

Ultimately, I thought the name made a point (in addition to describing my current state). It's easy to equate "prepper" with "gun nut" or "right-wing conspiracy theory idiot," but I don't identify with those perspectives and I don't think that those mindsets lead to smart prep. I tried to name the blog this "howtoprepwithoutbeingagunnutorrightwingradical.blogspot.com" but Blogger didn't like that.

My quick philosophy on prep:

1) Prep isn't about gathering an arsenal of guns. It's also not about theories about how the world will end or society will collapse. Unfortunately, shows like "Domesday Preppers" on Netflix have conflated the three things. I recommend watching this show, though, both for ideas about smart prep, and also guidance about how easy it is to get distracted by particular theories about how (or when, but not if, ironically), society will collapse. FYI: My favorite episode follows three urban preppers attempting escape from Manhattan (as an urban dweller this resonated with me). But other episodes provide excellent guidance (and a good laugh sometimes).

2) The only thing anyone can say for sure is that, we don't know when or if something will occur that will require us to be more prepared than we usually are. Could be a localized natural or human-made disaster or something more epic and global. But a lot of basic prep principles and tools will help in any situation, whether you have to bug-in, bug-out or whatever.

3) Planning for a specific doomsday scenario has two general weaknesses. First, it blinds one to other prep scenarios. For example, preppers on DDP on Netflix regularly get knocked down by the experts for defending against one risk while ignoring another (e.g., building a large firearms arsenal, but not having enough food). Another example might be stocking a lot of food but putting it all in one place (i.e., your basement...what happens if you have to leave home or somehow all the food in your basement is destroyed?). One family on that show had a massive amount of evacuation gear and a place in the mountains to go to, but quickly found out that they couldn't move it all when they tried a test-run. Sensible prep requires being flexible and fluid, and preparing for the most likely scenarios and with the most generally-useful tools. Flexibility and mobility are key. 

Second, it takes efforts away form the action (the prep) and puts it on theory. This is at least a wasted effort (i.e., the time you take thinking about the cause the unsaid disaster could be spenter prepping and practicing). At worst, as mentioned above, the pet theory of the theory-driven prepper then circulates back into the prep plans, and directs them only toward scenarios that fit the theory (e.g., building a bunker b/c you expect a nuclear bomb). Survival is maximized when you're prepared for a range of events, but also the most likely ones. Creative outlets should be saved for writing, music, painting, building, etc., but have no place in a rational prep plan. Weighing good evidence/argument against bad becomes essential, but basic "common sense" critical thinking works pretty well. (Aside: Maybe critical thinking needs to be a concrete prep skill! After watching DDP, I think so!)

4) As I'm probably making clear, most of the things you need to prep for aren't doomsday events. They aren't the big "when the shit goes down" societal breakdown, racial riots, anarchy situations we imagine. They're home fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and things like that. They might even include active shooter situations, major power outages, and "partial disorder" situations (think LA riots of the 1990s).  Self-defense situations are in-scope, too, as well as car accidents, biking/hiking/camping accidents, and things like that. Being prepared is about being ready for the things that don't happen every day, and may never happen to you, but which can be avoided or severely ameliorated with just a little knowledge, skill, or tools. So before you go buy a gun, take CPR and first aid class!

With this in mind, here's my (admittedly off-the-cuff) amateur prep hierarchy. In other words, these are the things you should do first, second, third, etc. when beginning your prep plans.

1) Make sure you have plans! Plans for a fire. Plans for being split-up with your family in an emergency. Things like that. Does everyone have everyone else's contact info (work and cell) in their phone AND written somewhere that they carry daily? Where will you meet if you have to evacuate your home or the event happens when one or more of you are not at home.

2) Have a daily carry "kit." This will have the very basics for daily emergencies. Small first aid kit, water, and a snack. A knife (preferably in pocket with clip), flashlight (tactical grade) are good too. FYI, I need to do this, but a role model of mine from DC (and a fellow subway commuter) carried these things in his backpack.

3) Consider your whole self and dress as part of your prep. Are the shoes you're wearing good for mobility (would you want to walk out of the subway via the access tunnels in them). If you get in an accident, will you be able to patch yourself up before medical gets there?

4) Do you know basic CPR, first aid, etc? If not, that's a really good place to start (maybe it should even be point 1). You're more likely to cute your leg then to have the electrical grid brought down by an EMP (watch DDP if you don't know what an EMP is...it's probably the most popular DDP scenario).

5) Steps 1-4 are essentially the "everyday readiness phase." Phase 2 involves being prepared to shelter-in-place or "bug in," which could easily happen in a storm, earthquake, etc. Do you have enough water, food, heat, etc. for 3-4 days or more? Drinkable water being the most important one. A hand crank weather radio with USB charging port is also essential for information gathering and to charge phones for communications.

Phase 3 involves considering what you would do if you had to leave (i.e., "bug out" when the shit really does go down). I live in LA, so I thought this through for a while and consulted a fellow (more experienced) prepper and ex-military friend. I came to the conclusion (during a traffic jam) that evacuating LA by car is pointless (unless you get out early, which can be part of the overall plan). So I've shifted my thinking to "sheltering in place". That said, we still have bug-out bags. Whether your plan is shelter-in or bug-out, you need similar supplies. I'll share my bug-out bag checklist in another post.

6) A quick note on self-defense and fire-arms (back to the title of this blog). Self defense doesn't just involve a gun (or any weapon for that matter). Many self-defense situations happen faster than you could draw a gun or a knife, and you always drop or lose those. But you always have your fists and elbows. A comprehensive self-defense system, like that taught by Krav Maga, should probably include some firearm and weapons training, but you can't rely solely on things. And if you chose to use them, you have to train them. How will you carry that gun or knife? How quickly (and safely!) can you draw and use it? It's much easier to cut or shoot yourself than you might think? What do you do if that weapon is taken from you and used against you? Now you're back to hands, elbows, knees, etc. I'll share more on the values of empty-hand self dense v. guns and knives in later posts.

7) Finally, like any weapons you choose to include, ,make sure you know how to use all the stuff in your kit. Do a test run. Go camping with just the stuff in your bug-out-bag (BOB). Is it really enough to provide shelter and food? Can you really start a fire with those "waterproof matches" (keep in mind that the best sham industry is prep b/c people will buy things based on fear and claims stated by manufacturers, but may never have to use them...buy tested tools and test the tools you buy).

There are obviously more steps to a thorough prep plan, but I'll share those in later posts. I hope I've at least enticed you to read further :)