very very usefull in a streetfight..

Damn Richard, that Vaquero knife looks beautiful! Lol, what was that I was saying about not being a knife guy?

I don't make a habit of carrying a knife or anything usually..

But a few times I have gone into situations armed..

One time was when I had to go into a dodgy area where people are known to carry weapons.. I had to go in there to protect my family because of trouble my sister got into that my dad was trying to sort out and he got threatened. Luckily it all was okay in the end.

Another time was with a crazy ex and that night a group had threatened her and were likely to come around to her house.. I was also armed that night. But I realized after that she wasn't worth the trouble, and caused alot of the bullshit, so I left her.

Other than that, at times I have weapons where I can access them at times, this is because of my job I am at more risk than most people are, because I am always dealing with violent people and may deal with revenge attacks.

My friend who mentored me, one day he said "Don't ever go down for scum in a car park"..

Take that for whatever you want, but I know what it means to me.

But as Richie was saying if you don't have your mind sorted out (violent intent, awareness) then nothing can replace that.

Awareness and avoidance is my first weapon that I have used many times.

-Ben

[strike]Well the thing as I see it, is that this is a place where advice is given in a semi-official way, on an open forum. And because the laws tend to favor fair play, true effectiveness is often functionally illegal. Some times the best strategy is to be a better monster. Be a criminal as it were. But that's advice you don't necessarily want to give out to just anyone, on an open forum. But if people want to go down that path, it's a choice that they can make anyway.[/strike

]nice words thanks.. you are right..

We all have to be careful, even if your using a false name on the forum, your i.d. can be easily tracked... so its kind of an open forum thats sort of about street fighitng, but we all still have to be careful

yes, thats why nunchakus , kamas and other farm tools become weapons, because of the forbidden law to carry a knife, or sword in japan in 1800..
but okay , talking about tactical tools is not illigal i suppose?

i dont want to explain you what you can do with a ballpoint, or a crowdbar.

its like the pittbull law in holland.. pitbulls are forbidden, but on the bite accidents from all dogs hes on number 4.......... from under 100, on place 96 !!

soo it is about the knife..

if somebody like to kill a man, he just buy a knife in a supermarket, or cheap store.

for sure he dont use a expensive karambit or so.

soo is this tool nice for self protection. not for murder, because i would choose a bigger knife you can find in every kitchen.
and if you can handle a knife, you can many times choose to disable a man without killing him.
many time you can just use the back side of the knife, to hammer, like a pocket stick.

yes, i agree, about maby some people get scared or something about this kind of forum, but if they look better, we all try to eleminate fals movements, and tactics out of our system. so we can survive a monster attack.
and if you make weapons outlaws.. only outlaws will have weapons.. and guess what? you loose

I wish some day we can all meet and greet in real life, and train and exchange info, and experience with each other in a good way.
but i hate it so with many things.. once it start as a really useful good idea, thing, later it becomes a product for everybody and looses effect..
many time you see a underground club, become big, and the whole feeling change.
soo, Richie, you make the rules, and i understand we only can talk about defending, with bare hands.
its okay.
i like to pay money for this forum, and get a forum where we can talk and exchange experience free ly. without anybody can check in, and read, and mistake, the things on this forum.
i thougt.. finally a site where you can discuss about real things. but i understand that a criminal also can learn from visting this site.. or you tube etc.

but believe me, a criminal dont spent time training martial arts.. he has other options.. more effective than training for defending.

i take off the link to youtube.

I dont insist people only discuss bare handed fighting Chulo- I think maybe my post had a facetious tone- like a jokey feel- that doesnt translate if your english is not good...
a froum is just a place of discussion/argument... we have an expression in englsih which is "just for the sake of argument..." then you say not what you really feel but something that furthers a discussion- so what I post here is "tongue in cheek"
...which means... ah mate its hard to explain... Dutch people tend to talk more directly than English people anyway which is a whole other issue, but I think you've misinterpreted my post, I didnt wnat you to take the video down, I hadnt had a chance to look at it yet!

but basically I will very rarely say what I really really feel on here... because if we wanted to get really really real I would just say "dont post on forums theay are a waste of time Ive never done better in a punch up because of reading a forum" and I would say "dont worry too much about collecting more and more dvds and cds and information, if you didnt get it the first time round why do you think you will get it the 7th"??? which would be bad for business, but really I can only transmit the training one on one (but my private lesson fee is waaaaaaay too much for most peopel!) - I dont even like doing it in a group, so my aspirations for what people can learn via dvd or cd are conservative unlesss they are superdedicated and drill everything I say... in which case they wouldnt need my dvd in the first place! do you know what I mean?

the really real reality is most people here are hobbyists who may have been in one or two altercations as adults, its very rare to find proper "operators" posting on forums, I just wrote a post about how I got into a little scrap because its a big issue in my life right now, 4 years ago it would of been a regular (ish) occurence that I wouldnt of though twice about ...
but at that time you couldnt of got me to post on a forum (I didnt know what one was then and could barely operate a pc let alone run a website)!

so, everyone can post here waht they want, but they cant always expect me to agree

I personally stand on the side of the argument that no weapon training is best for most normal (civilian in modern western world) everyday self protection, not for legal or moral reasons as much as sheer usefulness

Obviously if the siutation you are in demands it then weapons are useful, I dont frown on there use because its illegal, I frown on their use because I dont see the advantage in most everday situations where fights may occur in the UK

however if you are involved with bad people who carry big sticks, of course you would be foolish to not carry a bigger pointier stick with more skill than the others

I hope you arent taking this the wrong way chulodogo, Im convinced its a language/culture barrier and I would like you to keep posting freely whatever you find useful or relevant

thanx richie, respect..

i hope like i said before some day we can all meet eachother and exchange experience and train in respect.. and test like the dog brothers. would be very cool and usefull.
i agree about the dvd, and so on. but after seen it all mostly it is allways nice to explore new things on martial arts.
i find my way a long time ago, and i see many things back in your skills and from bob.
not all.

yes in holland they are different, but i dont like to represent the dutch, because also in holland im a little bit an outlaw. so its not representive to the average guy in holland.
in the army i went to mission with english and people from argentina.
no problem at all.
very nice time.

words are only 8 % of the communication.. and if there is a language difference even more i think.
but i like every body to enjoy and learn from this forum

greetings to you all!

also in the enlish language, you have more words than in Dutch.. soo for many of your words, theres no explonation in dutch.. your language is richer.. more rich. i mean.
thats way. i was on patrol with an english guy, we dont speak so much, but after a few months we dont have to also, we understand many things in a different language.
even more than with my dutch collegas sometime.
so, even in a same language can be a communication breakdown. you see it every where.
okay, i now understand what you mean by saying things to put a conversation, discussion deeper, although you dont believe in what you say but just say it because the other can convince your doubt. its a nice way to let the other explain your own point of vieuw even more!
smart move!
haha
nice also the difference of culture and people.

i have to laugh everytime if i remember the first time i experienced the enlish platoon.. haha, really they look very very disciplined, even little bit nerdy. sometimes..
but if they only have had one oppertunity, haha, they party like animals!! and they dont care if they have to do a fcking long march the day after, or something.. just wasted.. haha
really nice

You've got it Chulo- bang on the money mate

Ive also enjoyed working with people where there is a language barrier, sometimes you do communicate more effectively without words

sometimes not so well:

I was once working with a "traveller" in Tenerife called "D", one of the best lads Ive ever worked with, but he speaks in this thick accent called "the gam"...
one night, he mumbled to me in the club "Im off to sort that fight" and loped off at speed towards a group of lads by the ciggy machine
I followed and thought my best opener would be to just barrel into them. "D" turns to me looking shocked
"what the fook are ye doin? i said im off to sort some faaags!"