Glasses, spectacles....

Hi.

If , like me, you where glasses, do you have a plan of what to do with them, if/when trouble starts?

I've had a 2 pair broken in 2 scuffles one a group & another a lone guy & managed to take them off beforehand when i saw what was brewing with another group. Still went to a fight, dammit.

Awareness seems the only way to near guarantee to protect them.

Very difficult to remove them safetly when its kicked off. They can be a liability & actually wound too. Both times i got caught the arms cut the eyebrow worse than the punch alone.

Your safest bet , other than to just get out of the whole situation, would seem to be hit first, hit hard.

Any other ideas?

Those of you who wear specs, do you train with them on? Half and half?

I am interested in how people cope.

Off to training in a mo, everybody have a nice evening.

regards

Matt

I'm a four-eyes too. You've basically said it your self... hit first, hit hard, get out. Or just stay switched on enough to see trouble brewing. If you take them off, you'll be like Mr Magoo during the 'escape' phase. I wouldn't want to outrun any perusers with limited eye-site.

The only other thing is having them adjusted so that they don't fall off. I got mine adjusted just right so that they don't fall off my face (even if I hang up-side down on my pull-up bar).

The downside to glasses (for me) is that I am quite flinchy. Don't like anything going near my face because I'm quite aware of them. It's also a problem with grappling where I may have to press my face against my opponent. But hey, what else can I do? I just train as much as I can with them on to get used to them being there.

They are a bugger. And i never managed to get them to stick particularly well. Must be my large & shapely, Cyrano De Bergerac inspiring conk.

The lack of good perpheral vision is a right bloody issue, as well.

Yes, I find they get crushed when rolling too, so I tend not to wear them. Do wear them for stand-up, drilling not sparring.

Left them off, most of the evening, except when i have to watch the demo of what we were supposed to be doing.
(never have a clue otherwise)

I rely on them quite a lot as being virtually deaf in one ear, I realise i instinctively lip-read what a lot of people are saying.

Take them off & during a crash drill when its noisy, and i cant hear when I'm told to go......so i tend to pre-empt more realistic then anyway.

hope your having a good evening Shariff.

More groundwork tonight. Had a few weeks of it, getting bored & want some stand-up

Yep, I wear glasses, have done since I was 14, but luckily I'm not that near sighted to be totally blind. I can see anyone at arms length which is good!! Contact lenses irritate my eyes too much, but I do have some disposable daily wear lenses for training days that involve close contact. For dueling glasses are actually a safety feature, they've saved my eyeballs on a couple of occasions.

Hi Guys!

I apologise for not introducing myself or having a cool avatar but what can I do? When someone waves a rule I get a strong urge to break it.

Yeah, I am flinchy too and have the same hit don't grapple ethos. Not that I avoid contact on the arms, far from it, I just don't see the value in a judo type throw: too easy to get snagged, dragged down and delayed from the vital task of moving to deal with any other potential threat. Head control and silat and jitsu arm and leg locks are cool but the priority has got to be make em even blinder than we are!

I too have been cut from a punch that would've done nothing without specs.

My contribution: I think training in all the ways you normally conduct yourself is important and so one should practice, within the limits imposed by potential harm to you and your partner in grappling, BOTH WITH and WITHOUT glasses.
Without familiarity in training "blurred" distance and orientation errors could cause a missed strike when the buggers fly off, as they do.

Also, specs off I can't see faces well enough to judge emotions or even eyegaze direction. Misperception and communication is of course the last thing you'd want in de-escalation mode. Just have to work on Listening and Intuition and Being a Nice Guy. Which leads me to a topic I will post a question on elsewhere, to wit how not to escalate while protecting oneself ? e.g.taking the specs off, a sure telegraph of the expectation of violence.

And don't forget Seeing! Bates Method works and has been improved on, put that with pinhole glasses and Relaxing and BINGO!
20-20.
They say. I am the Official Hypocrite so how would I know!?

Get em fixed to not fall off, but not so they squeeze your head too much... that would impede your one of the basic crucial rhythms, the CranioSacral (cerebrospinal fluid) Pulse.

I'll get round to introducing myself soon. Meanwhile, here's a spiritual funny with Bill Hicks on the end. See? The funny section is now everywhere.

Code:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_AAfsGxA7o

DOH! Must be the insomnia, or maybe the bike spill earlier. The one causing the other.

Thanks Official.

I put this thread up because it is a subject i never see addressed on any of the forums & yet is fundamentally important to a hell of a lot of people. Thanks for your input.

Maija, I'm afraid contacts are pointless for me with my eye problem. I wish I could wear them & then i would look like Clint Eastwood or Hugh Jackman, not Louis Theroux!!

Incidentally I will be selling my new TactiStrap (or raggedy old bootlace) soon. Colours available for this essential piece of kit as worn by the two ronnies during korea & vietnam will be fuchsia & manly pink. First come , first served.

Official wrote:

Code:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_AAfsGxA7o

DOH! Must be the insomnia, or maybe the bike spill earlier. The one causing the other.

Lovely link, thanks offical

Like listening to a chuck palahniuk novel.

You should check out their other videos. V cool. Spreading peace and love in London

https://www.youtube.com/user/cveitch