Self Defense is art. Throughout the years, many people have tried mastering self defense. However, all of them have failed. People became gurus. However, none of them reached the limit. What is the limit? We can never know. It’s too complicated to begin explaining.
I served in the IDF for 4 years. Throughout my training, I’ve gone over many self-defense and attacking classes. Most of you know the form known as Krav-Maga. If you don’t, it’s primarly hands and feet techniques to beat an enemy in close quarters. In addition, all IDF operators go through it.
As I’m writing this post, I noticed that it’s a never-ending subject. I can sit here and write about self defense forever. In it, there’s never a correct answer. For example, some will suggest that Karate is a form of self-defense? Why? Because you can use it to defend yourself and disable an attacker. (We’ll discuss what is self-defense shortly)
On the contrary, I can say that Karate is not self-defense. But it’s a fighting technique. Well, there’s no wrong answer here. That is the beauty in it. I can write anything I want from my experience, and somebody else will disagree. The experiences we had were different.
I can guarantee from my experience that if you practice self defense, your life will change for the better. Not only will you not feel defenseless alone, but you will know how to react to any situation. For instance, a hostile can attack you, and you’ll know what to do.
In these types of situations, most people tend to freeze and not react. I’m aware that it’s a part of our nature. However, if you know self defense, you’ll comprehend how to respond. Not only will you not freeze, but you’ll disable the attacker.
What is Self Defense?
Once and for all, what is self defense? In short, self defense is the ability and the right every person has to defend themselves if they must. In regulated countries, every person has the right to use physical force to protect themselves and, they won’t be guilty of acting with violence.
If you’re a beginner and know the basics, you might not understand what I’m talking about yet. Stay with me. Soon everything will come together.
There are many routes for self defense. For instance, While one can practice a specific type of it, the other will study a whole different form. In addition, arming yourself with a lethal weapon is a way to defend yourself. Therefore, because you’re now armed, you practice self-defense.
Today, people prefer arming themselves rather than practicing a self-defense fighting technique. For instance, carrying a pocket knife is extremely common these days. In addition, because you can travel with pocket knives on planes, people never feel defenseless. That’s a massive advantage to arming yourself.
I carry a pocket knife on me at all times. It’s compact, lightweight, and accessible. Therefore, I never feel a burden on myself while having it. In addition, it serves me as a utility tool and helps me complete day-to-day tasks.
The example of pocket knives I just presented is merely a single one. It goes to show you that you can go any way you want. As long as you’re defending yourself in some way, you’re practicing self defense. If you practice self defense, you’re making your life better.
My Story with Self Defense
If you’re reading this post, you’re most likely looking to make your life better. In my case, I increased my quality of life by practicing it. At first, I started doing boxing. That improved my physique and my confidence. I reached a level that I was very sure of my ability to disable an attacker bigger than me.
As the years progressed, I joined the military. I knew that I was a serious person and could join a high-tier unit. And I was correct. Now, my confidence was at an average level. I wanted to increase it.
How did I do it? The number of krav-maga routines we did was enormous. Throughout my training, it was clear that this unit wanted its operators to know self defense on a high level.
Krav-Maga is known for its aggressiveness and explosiveness. For instance, my team and I did this drill where we formed a circle. One of us was in the middle and, people were switching between them except the main guy. This guy stayed in the middle and fought 3-8 people, depending on our commander’s mood.
That drill is a mere example of the amount of confidence such routines can grant you. When you finish the training, you’re deeply confident in your ability to face multiple opponents, all bigger than you.
When I finished my training in the unit, I could achieve considerably more than when I first started. Because of that, my self-confidence increased significantly. For that reason, I encourage you, the reader, to start practicing self defense in any way you wish, even if it’s shooting a pistol.
Self Defense Laws
The self defense legislation in the world is similar. However, there are several differences between countries. Therefore, I would encourage everyone to read the local self defense laws. In addition, if you’re willing to arm yourself, ensure you know the consequences of it in the law.
As I’ve said, worldwide, the laws are similar. Overall, in all regulated countries, you have the right to self-defense. That means that if you need to use physical force to defend yourself, you can. Not only will you not be guilty of your actions, but you’ll also be in a positive light.
That is the fundamental right to self defense, which any person has. So, what is the difference between the countries? Well, the difference is mainly in the subheadings. For instance, In California, it’s illegal to own butterfly knives. However, in Oklahoma, it’s legal.
That is a single example of one difference between two states. I guarantee that if you read two different self defense legislation, they’ll be different. For that reason, I again encourage you to read your local legislation.
International Self Defense Laws
Self Defense is the protection of yourself or your surroundings against an individual with hostile or offensive means. “The defense of one’s person or interests, especially through the use of physical force, which is permitted in certain cases as an answer to a charge of violent crime.” (Dictionary)
I have an entire post on the topic of international self defense laws. If you wish to dig deeper into this matter, I encourage reading it.
Currently, in the United States, there are two prominent self-defense laws. The stand your ground, and the duty to retreat. If you’re not aware of these, let me shine some light.
First, stand your ground is a law that 24 states applied to their legislation. It’s the right to use deadly force to cease serious crimes, such as kidnapping, robbery, or great bodily harm. There were several cases in the last years that this law applied. Eventually, it got the defendant innocent.
Second, the duty to retreat is a law in 17 states throughout the US. This one has a slight difference from the last one. Pay attention. Individuals who face imminent danger must try to flee from the crime scene and not use deadly force. If one has to use such violence to protect himself, he may. However, there’s an emphasis on the police force and their duty to stop such crimes.
| Stand Your Ground | Duty To Retreat |
| Alabama Alaska Arizona Florida Georgia Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Michigan Mississippi Montana Nevada New Hampshire North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah West Virginia | Arkansas Connecticut Delaware Hawaii Iowa Maine Maryland Massachusetts Missouri Minnesota Nebraska New Jersey New York North Dakota Rhode Island Wisconsin Wyoming |
An important note is that these two laws are specific to a single situation. There are many other situations for which the law suggests a way of approaching. In addition, it won’t be the same in every country. Therefore, I can’t speak for the entirety of the world.
However, the right to self defense is the same in all regulated countries. The only difference is the subheadings of this right. For instance, in one country, carrying a pocket knife is legal. On the other one, it won’t be.
What is the goal in Self Defense?
Contrary to what we may think, the goal of self-defense is not disable the attacker, although it might make sense. What we’re trying to achieve is avoiding injuries altogether. If nobody got hurt, you did your job. The use of physical force is exclusive if you must use it to cease imminent danger. Therefore, if you do not need to use it, don’t.
So now that we understand the goal we’re trying to achieve in every situation we encounter, we are more prepared. You need to think of it as if you’re preparing yourself for a crisis that may come shortly. If you won’t, it’ll surprise you, and you’ll end up being in a shock. We don’t want that to happen.
Because, if you’re in a shock, you’ll react with a delay. In self defense situations, every second matters. Therefore, if you respond with a delay, you’ll most likely not achieve your goal. As we remember, our goal is to avoid injury. Not disable the attacker.
To summarize, our goal when we practice self-defense is to be as ready as possible for a soon-to-come crisis. We want to practice it in any way we wish, even by carrying a pocket knife. Lastly, our goal is to avoid injuries. If someone got hurt (Not the attacker), we have failed.
Knives and their role in Self Defense
99% of families in the world own a knife. It’s a tool that is too important to give up on it. Not only can you prepare your food and eat it with a knife. But, it’s also a utility tool that anyone can benefit from using.
Now, in the last couple of years, there’s been a significant rise in the number of people who carry pocket knives on them. It’s lightweight, accessible, tactical, lethal, beneficial, and intimidating. All these aspects make the pocket knife an exceptionally qualified self-defense weapon. Check the best pocket knives out there.
| Weapon | Number of aggravated assaults |
| Knife | 61,924 |
The biggest reason for carrying a lethal weapon on you is confidence. You want to ensure that if the time ever comes, and you have to use physical force, you want to have an advantage. A pocket knife is not only lethal, but it’s also intimidating. Therefore, you’ll be able to come out on top even against bulkier opponents. Therefore, carrying a pocket knife is wise.
Have you ever walked alone in the street at night? If you did, you know the feeling of defenselessness. Now, imagine you had a pistol on you. How would you feel? I guess safer because you were capable of defending yourself. For that reason and many others, the popularity of pocket knives has increased throughout the last couple of years.
Knives came into the play when operators started carrying knives on them. Militaries around the world knew that it could change the game. Not only can it serve as a utility tool, but it can also assist the operators with close-quarters fights. That way, they’ll be able to beat the enemy in close combats.
Best Pocket Knife For Self Defense
Kershaw Shuffle DIY Multifunction Compact Pocket Knife
The Kershaw Shuffle multifunction pocket knife is a perfect fit for a beginner. Its design is simple, and you can learn how to use it by yourself. It includes a bottle opener, a flathead bit, a Phillips bit, and a pocket clip. Moreover, its price is average, standing at $34.15. It has many positive reviews, and I encourage you to buy it.
Kershaw is a well-trusted and company of high quality. They mainly produce knives and outdoor equipment. Because of that, their products will fit for hunting and fishing. If that’s your occupation, this knife is fantastic for you.
Because of its simple design and overall utility, it’s an excellent fit for beginners. They made the blade out of steel with a blade oxide coating. That makes the blade durable and stable. Its edge is sharp and lethal, which you can use for self-defense purposes as well.
Drop point design adds tip strength and eliminates pitch momentum, making it a perfect tactical, hunting, or survival knife noted for its durability and controllability when slicing game (Amazon product details)
Overall, this is my choice for the best pocket knife for beginners. I would advise and recommend every one of you to consider buying this knife. Its price is low to the quality of it and the amount of utility it can provide you. I have an entire post with a full list of the best pocket knives, check it out.
Lethal Weapons in Self Defense
Lethal weapons play a significant role in self defense. Today, many people arm themselves using different weapons capable of disabling an enemy. That increases their confidence and allows them to respond when things go south.
In addition, if you’re not willing to practice self-defense from the beginning, arming yourself is a fantastic shortcut. For instance, people who do Krav Maga practice it for years. When arming yourself, you don’t invest nearly as much time. Therefore, many people arm themselves. It’s simply easier.
However, understanding that using lethal weapons is complicated essential. That is why not all states use the stand your ground law. Using deadly weapons can cause death. Therefore, you need to pay attention to it. You can’t go around using it without hesitation.
That’s why I recommend you practice any weapon you’re using before operating it. If you won’t, you will not use it properly. That will cause situations where people may be in danger for no good reason.
For example, if you want to arm yourself with a pistol, which I encourage. You want to go to gun ranges and shoot it consistently. That’s the only way you’ll get better at it. Later, if you need to use it, you’ll know how to respond quickly and safely. In addition, you’ll be aware of the circumstances and, you won’t shoot innocents. Some examples of lethal weapons are:
- Pistol
- Handgun
- Pocket knife
- Any carryable knife
- Dagger
- Brass knuckles
- Any weapons you can think of that will do permanent damage
To summarize, there are many lethal weapons out there that you can carry. When you use a deadly weapon for self defense, you can end up killing innocents.
Therefore, use it solely when you’re facing imminent danger or a serious crime, for example, murder, high-threat robbery, kidnapping. Lastly, using a deadly weapon against someone has consequences. Consider thoroughly before using it.
Non Lethal Weapons in Self Defense
Nonlethal weapons are the go-to choice for many people out there. Because such weapons don’t cause permanent damage, individuals prefer using them. People don’t want to injure other people. It’s not my cup of tea. Therefore, they go for a more relaxed weapon.
In self defense, we want to avoid injuries. So, our primary goal will be to disable the attacker as fast as possible. That means that if we can have a weapon that quickly gets rid of the attacker’s ability to use force, we did our part. Therefore, we can not think of many weapons we can arm ourselves with to do just that.
Another significant reason that people prefer using nonlethal weapons is the consequences. When we use a lethal weapon, such as firing a gun, somebody will question us. Either we get into a police station or a court. Therefore, before shooting a gun or stabbing someone, we need to think hard.
However, with a nonlethal weapon, you can use it more freely. We know that there will not be any permanent damage. Now, don’t get me wrong, you can go around spraying people with pepper gas. However, you can use it more willingly and for less severe crimes. For instance, if someone intimidates or threatens you, you may be able to use your nonlethal on him. Nonlethal weapons may include the following:
- Pepper spray
- Taser
- Stun gun
- Keychain knuckle weapon
- Small non-harming weapons
- Flashlight
- Your fist!
- Nonlethal guns/pistol
To summarize, arming yourself with a nonlethal gun is a fantastic choice. Contrary to deadly weapons, you can use them more freely. Therefore, it may be more helpful to arm yourself with one. Lastly, they don’t cause permanent damage. As a result, individuals prefer to use them.
Should I begin doing martial arts?
As I’ve mentioned previously, practicing martial arts increased my confidence. I did krav maga for two years straight. Now, I do prefer to arm myself rather than use martial arts. But, practicing it for that much time made me more aware of the surroundings and self-confident.
Therefore, no weapon would’ve done the equivalent change to me. Because of that, and many other reasons, I believe that everyone needs to practice some martial art.
Again, I will most likely not use the skills I’ve learned in martial arts training in a real scenario. However, all the drills I went through made me a better man and a more confident person.
Therefore, no weapon in the world can increase my confidence by this much. Because of that, I recommend you to start practicing martial arts, even as a hobby.
In which situations should I use my martial arts abilities?
In addition, a situation where you must use your martial arts abilities to cease a crime is not fictional. Such a scenario can happen. Therefore, you can’t go wrong with practicing any martial art.
Sometimes, you carry a lethal weapon on you. However, in some situations, you don’t want to use it. For example, you might not be willing to face the consequences because you’re unsure if you can use it.
In such situations, you’re better off not using the weapon. If there’s any doubt, there’s no doubt. For example, there have been many situations where the attacker was eventually innocent. That is possible if you misuse your weapon and the attacker takes advantage of that in court.
Although it doesn’t happen often, it can and did. For that reason, you ought to be cautious before using the weapon you carry. If you were to use your body to stop an attacker, the chances of you getting into trouble are slim.
Eventually, you do have to stop the physical force you’re inflicting. You want to avoid as many injuries as possible, even for the attacker. Therefore, avoid causing permanent damage as much as possible.
To summarize, there are certain situations where you don’t want to use your weapon. For instance, if the crime you’re witnessing is not severe enough, you might not be willing to face trial for that. As a result, we want to practice martial arts. That way, it’ll be possible to use our physical force rather than a lethal weapon. That will help us control the amount of strength we’re inflicting on the attacker.
Pistols and their role in Self Defense
By a long shot, pistols are the best lethal self-defense weapons. Although pocket knives are a great choice, pistols overtake them. However, there are many downsides to getting a pistol, from the paperwork to the constant gun ranges visits. In this section, we’ll discuss the importance of pistols in self defense.
First, a pistol is a handgun. It’s compact, lightweight, easily accessible, and deadly. For those reasons, many people prefer to arm themselves using a firearm. However, it’s not all pink.
| Weapon | Number of aggravated assaults |
| Pistol | 69,423 |
If you want to arm yourself with a pocket knife, you order one from Amazon, and you now own a knife. When we talk about guns, it’s different. The process of buying one is longer than you may think. I won’t get into too many details here, but you can read the about process here.
You must understand the consequences of purchasing a pistol. First, there’s all the paperwork. You want the government to know that you, the reader, carry a handgun on you. If you won’t, you’re committing a severe crime, perhaps a felony. This process is long and not as fun as you would expect.
After purchasing a gun of your own, you’ll need to ensure you know how to use it. If you don’t, you might end up using it wrong in a live scenario. Therefore, you’ll have to practice shooting with it constantly.
Now, it’s not once or twice. I’m talking consistently. I don’t want to give you false information, but it’s around once a month, depending on where you live. That can discourage many people from buying one. Not only is it a long process of getting one, but it’s also tiring to own one.
To summarize, there is a long process before getting yourself a gun. In addition, after you do, you have to spend time shooting it, or else, you won’t know how to operate it. Yet, a pistol is the best self-defense weapon available on the market. Therefore, I highly encourage you to get a piece for yourself.
Examples of Real Self Defense Situations
In the last couple of years, we have witnessed many real situations where people used self defense. In many cases, its use was controversial. Therefore, if we ever face a scenario like the previous ones, we want to be familiar with them. That way, we’ll assure ourselves that the use of self defense is justified.
In the United States
Most cases I’ve found happened in the US. There are many controversial cases that I would like to present. In addition, there are many scenarios where using self-defense was justified and correct. We want to learn from them as much as possible.
Allen v. the United States
This case is a classic case of misusing a deadly weapon. The defendant got attacked by a group of guys using sticks. Although it may sound silly, he felt imminent danger.
Earlier, Allen, the defendant, armed himself with a pistol. He knew that he might face danger in this meeting. Therefore, he felt right to arm himself so he wouldn’t be defenseless.
Later in this meeting, he got attacked by the guys he was meeting. Allen felt right to pull out his pistol and shoot the leading fellow. Eventually, the judge blamed him for murder. He tried to use the right to self-defense, but he couldn’t.
We can learn many lessons from this case. The first is the fact that Allen used deadly force. Now, if you remember, using a lethal weapon may cause trouble. Therefore, if you carry one, you don’t want to use it whenever. Instead, you want to ensure you’re in imminent danger. If you notice severe crimes or someone is ready to injure you, you can use it.
Lastly, we can learn from this case that even though Allen acted from the right to self-defense, he forgot that he couldn’t use deadly force. Instead, whenever you’re exclusively in a life-threatening scenario, you can use it.
Because of that, the court charged him with murder. We must remember that the right to self defense doesn’t grant us the ability to injure anyone we want. If you’re in imminent danger, then, by all means, use your abilities.
Rittenhouse v. The United States
This case was unduly controversial. Many people involve racial injustice in such cases. However, we’ll ignore these claims. Instead, we’ll focus on the self-defense aspect of this issue. In addition, I’d like to point out that I by no means take any stand whatsoever.
Following the shooting of a man by a police officer, many people were protesting. In this protest, individuals were causing chaos. Therefore, Kyle Rittenhouse started to roam the streets with an AR to defend against the damage caused by the protesters. Later three men surrounded him, wanting to attack him. The situation ended when Rittenhouse shot dead two men and wounded the other.
Contrary to the last case, he was found innocent. Well, you may wonder what the difference was. The distinction is that Rittenhouse had the right to use deadly force. The three men came at him, and he found himself in a life-threatening situation. Therefore, specifically here, using a lethal weapon is legal.
Lastly, we can learn that using deadly force is, at times, legal. So, don’t be afraid of using your pistol if you’re in imminent danger. As you can see, Rittenhouse’s case is one of many self-defense classic situations. That is the exact reason we’re going over such suits.
Worldwide cases of self-defense
Contrary to what we may think, there are plenty of cases regarding self-defense all around the world. If you’re from the US, I believe you can keep reading, and you’ll learn plenty. If you’re from Europe or anywhere around the globe, you can grab many lessons from the next few cases.
The case of Mr.Turk, France
This particular case led to many controversies in France. Unlike the US, there are not many cases like this in Europe. Therefore, from this suit, we can enrich our knowledge.
Let’s start from the beginning. Mr.Turk was the owner of his jewelry store. One day, two teenagers decided to steal from Mr.Turk. While they ran from the store with stolen jewelry, Mr.Turk shot one of the teenagers with an unlicensed pistol.
Eventually, the shooting caused the teenager to die from his woundings. Now that we are familiar with the story. Let’s discuss the consequences of Mr.Turk’s actions.
First, the pistol that shot the teenager dead was illegal. Turk held this unlicensed pistol and used it without authorization. That’s a severe crime and a serious felony. The first mistake was the unlawful use of a lethal weapon that led to a man being shot dead.
If we ignore this crime, the decision is quite complex. Although the teenagers did steal from Turk’s store, he didn’t have the right to self defense. On the other hand, they did steal from his store, taking his pricey jewelry. Therefore, he has every right to cease the crime.
I believe that in this case, there’s plenty to consider before coming to a decision. However, like most self-defense lawsuits, getting a clear solution is impossible. Therefore, we can’t take sides. Before jumping to conclusions, we must think.
The case of Mark Wilson
This particular case is interesting. In addition, like the other lawsuits, you can consider it to be a classic debate case. First, the attack happened on June 14th. At that time, other matters caused a gap in racial injustice claims. For now, we’ll ignore these claims and focus on the self-defense aspect.
The story begins when Mark exits a Taco Bell with his girlfriend. At a stoplight, a pickup truck pulled over next to them. Now, one of the men in the vehicle started to shout out racial words towards Wilson.
Later on, the teenagers tried to swerve Wilson off the highway. Then, they threw an object on his car. The sound that it made resembled a shot fired.
Following that, Wilson pulled out his pistol and shot in the direction of the teenagers. The shooting caused the death of a 17 years old man sitting in the backseat.
So, what do you think of this case? There was a transparent attack from the teenagers’ side. However, was that worth using a deadly weapon ultimately leading to death? Eventually, we look at the facts. If Wilson wouldn’t react, could it have been possible for him to end up wounded? Did the couple face imminent danger?
All of these are questions that will ultimately lead this case. If Wilson overreacted and shot his handgun for no good reason, he’s in the wrong. However, if there’s proof that the couple was facing a life-threatening situation, they’ll come out innocent.
Conclusion
If you’ve read this entire post, you must be a self defense enthusiast. I believe that if you’ve seen this post and clicked on it, you want to improve your life. Therefore, self-defense is a fantastic route to start practicing.
If you involve it in your life, I guarantee that your life will change for the better. If you don’t, I encourage all of you to start working out. Getting physically stronger will assist you in disabling bulkier opponents.
In this post, we’ve gone through everything there’s to know on the topic of self defense. Because I can’t list out each country and its self defense legislation, the only detail that’s missing here is your local laws. For that reason, I recommend you to read and understand your local laws regarding self-defense.
Lastly, I ask you to check my other content on my website, BlinkLift.com. If you don’t know me, I served as a special forces operator in the IDF. I did my duty for four years. I have plenty of information inside my brain and, I want to share it.
As a result, I launched BlinkLift.com. If you’re anything like me and want to improve your life in all aspects, I encourage you to follow my posts. In them, I mainly cover the topics of knives and self-defense.