The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - My neighborhood isn't as good as I thought it was

Samurai · June 20, 2006, 09:33 AM

In the school where I train, we say that this type of situation must be handled with "T.L.C." That's a Total Lifestyle Change. The situation you have described is not a single, identifiable, dangerous threat. You have described a fully-encompaning dangerous environment. This is a problem that cannot be solved simply by carrying a Taser. (Side note: I don't like Tasers. They are hard to use, and if you miss, then you've allowed the attacker to get close enough that you're now in trouble... Sprays are better. Big freakin' sticks are even better than sprays, but only if you know what you're doing.)

You need a Total Lifestyle Change. You need to change the way you think about yourself, your surroundings, and your interactions in your surroundings.

First and foremost, I'm going to guess that this altercation happened in the evening? Don't go out when they are out. Don't place yourself in bad situations like that. Jog in the mornings. Thugs hate the mornings. (Around 7:00 a.m., they'll all be sleeping off the hangovers.)

Second, after you have removed yourself from the portion of the threat you can identify, train, train, train! Get into a martial arts program (empty-hand or other), and learn some awareness and evasion skills. Learn to identify threat, anticipate an escalating situation, and take reasonable steps to avoid the situation. I'm proud to say that I've never been in an altercation. I've had to take the long way home a few times, but I've never gotten close enough to a threat to allow a situation to escalate (knock on wood!). These are things that I can't teach over the internet. You need personal instruction.

As mentioned earlier, a portion of evasion is personal projection. You need to learn to project confidence, give the appearance of strength and lack of vulnerability. But, this is only a very minor portion of threat evasion.

You must accept the reality of your situation. You're 16, so you can't just up-and-move. You have to go to school sometime, so you can't carry your concealed bazooka all the time. You need to make some serious personal adaptations to your changed environment. Miamoto Musashi always encouraged his students to be adaptable to any situation. This has the potential to be a very positive trial-by-fire for you.

Concerning the property theft: Fences. Think Fences, Walls, Force-fields, etc... Just make it a little harder for them to steal it, and they may move on to the next guy's house. Remember, they're not looking for the best car in the neighborhood. They're looking for the easiest car in the neighborhood.

I hope this helps. You're in a bad situation, and I do not envy you for the changes you will have to make.

June 20, 2006, 09:33 AM	#14
Samurai Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2001 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 901	Tlc In the school where I train, we say that this type of situation must be handled with "T.L.C." That's a Total Lifestyle Change. The situation you have described is not a single, identifiable, dangerous threat. You have described a fully-encompaning dangerous environment. This is a problem that cannot be solved simply by carrying a Taser. (Side note: I don't like Tasers. They are hard to use, and if you miss, then you've allowed the attacker to get close enough that you're now in trouble... Sprays are better. Big freakin' sticks are even better than sprays, but only if you know what you're doing.) You need a Total Lifestyle Change. You need to change the way you think about yourself, your surroundings, and your interactions in your surroundings. First and foremost, I'm going to guess that this altercation happened in the evening? Don't go out when they are out. Don't place yourself in bad situations like that. Jog in the mornings. Thugs hate the mornings. (Around 7:00 a.m., they'll all be sleeping off the hangovers.) Second, after you have removed yourself from the portion of the threat you can identify, train, train, train! Get into a martial arts program (empty-hand or other), and learn some awareness and evasion skills. Learn to identify threat, anticipate an escalating situation, and take reasonable steps to avoid the situation. I'm proud to say that I've never been in an altercation. I've had to take the long way home a few times, but I've never gotten close enough to a threat to allow a situation to escalate (knock on wood!). These are things that I can't teach over the internet. You need personal instruction. As mentioned earlier, a portion of evasion is personal projection. You need to learn to project confidence, give the appearance of strength and lack of vulnerability. But, this is only a very minor portion of threat evasion. You must accept the reality of your situation. You're 16, so you can't just up-and-move. You have to go to school sometime, so you can't carry your concealed bazooka all the time. You need to make some serious personal adaptations to your changed environment. Miamoto Musashi always encouraged his students to be adaptable to any situation. This has the potential to be a very positive trial-by-fire for you. Concerning the property theft: Fences. Think Fences, Walls, Force-fields, etc... Just make it a little harder for them to steal it, and they may move on to the next guy's house. Remember, they're not looking for the best car in the neighborhood. They're looking for the easiest car in the neighborhood. I hope this helps. You're in a bad situation, and I do not envy you for the changes you will have to make.