Uechi-Ryu.com

eJournal: How does defense with knives sit with juries?

MacYoung: Knives are a thug’s weapons. If you stab somebody and you stab him repeatedly, then you’re going to be the bad guy in their minds. It is really hard to get rid of that impression if you’ve gone “weed-whacker-of-death” on him. I can justify cutting and running a whole lot better.

According to Gallup, 16 percent of American men carry knives for personal protection. I am quite sure that most of those men have not thought through the legal, ethical, and game-theoretical implications of drawing a blade in a moment of conflict. It is true that brandishing a weapon (whether a gun or a knife) sometimes preempts further violence. But, emotions being what they are, it often doesn’t—and the owner of the weapon can find himself resorting to deadly force in a circumstance that would not otherwise have called for it.

There has been an epidemic of knife attacks on schoolchildren in China in the past two years. As Fallows certainly knows—he is, after all, an expert on China—in some instances several children were murdered. In March of 2010, eight were killed and five injured in a single incident. This was as bad as many mass shootings in the U.S. I am not denying that guns are more efficient for killing people than knives are—but the truth is that knives are often lethal enough. And the only reliable way for one person to stop a man with a knife is to shoot him.

I've got a buddy that used to be a cop, and he got into a fight one night with a guy who would kill a Deputy 4-5 months after my friend fought him. He dealt out one of the worst beating I have ever seen.

He got a call to a bar on this guy, that he had a gun and was causing trouble. My friend approached him with his model 65 in close contact position, and the guy immediately grabbed it. Every time he would grab for it, my buddy hit him with the gun.

The guy looked like hamburger when they brought him into the E.R., and the model 65's barrel was bent, and the trigger guard was bent into the trigger and it would not fire. Chunks of meat were in the gun--I saw it. I was working security that night at the hospital where they brought this guy. Mr. hamburger was a bodybuilding, huge guy with black belts in several martial arts and was one bad dude. The gun as a sap did a number on him.

As I said, 4-5 months later, this guy shot a Deputy multiple time during a traffic stop. The scumbag was shot himself 5 or 6 times with a .357 magnum--all torso hits. This puke then ran about 10 miles, broke into a trailer, took a hostage, and it was many hours later when he surrendered to SWAT.

My buddy always regretted that he did not kill him.

Marine Corps Rules for Gun Fighting_
how to act in a gun fight:

1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.

2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.

3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.

4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.

5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)

6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.

7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.

8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.

9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.

10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

12. Have a plan.

13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.

14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.

15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.

16. Don't drop your guard.

17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.

18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.

19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.

23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a "4."

And let me make this point clear…on this forum…I will not allow Kyokushin or any other style to be criticized for any reason…we went through this garbage a few years back, with some of the jokers on this forum criticizing Uechi Ryu, but never jumping into the ring to face a Uechi fighter.

I know we have some Kyokushin practitioners looking at this forum, as we have had in the past, and I don't want them to think we are knocking their style.

It is a no brainer to realize that with the constant battering, which also includes full power kicks to the head, the Kyokushin fighter achieves pain thresholds that wouldn't be quickly negated by taking some punch to the face.
The reason why they do so well against Muay Thai fighters.

The average jury consists of mouth-breathing morons who would rather be home watching WWF, Oprah, porno, or Ben Stiller. In court, making the argument requires $$. Regardless of right or wrong, deep pockets usually win, and/or the most "disadvantaged" party in the engagement.

Bottom line: Whatever you use in a shooting, you should be willing to lose it. Know that, except in the rarest circumstances, if you aren't prosecuted in criminal court, you will be in civil. If those don't set well with you, move to the country, and raise hogs. Always, "ya' do what ya' gotta do"- deal with the consequences later. But do be aware of what they are likely to be.

Does its practice also include prearranged kumites where head punches are blocked as in the kata, along with such high blocks used for head kicks?

Two questions:
1. Do you personally feel you would be unable to throw a head punch in a fight because of your training to punch the body?

2. Do you personally feel you would not be able to block/intercept/defend against a head punch?

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What does your sensei say regarding this 'limitations' of punches to the body, as impacting on self defense ability against a face punch on the street?