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Spectre · November 20, 1998, 07:12 PM

I personally sometimes practice defending against a hypothetical close-range attack by

(1) Blading my body (to get the most distance between my attacker and my sidearm)

(2) Drawing my sidearm very close to my body, wedging my forearm against the bottom of my ribs, while

(3) Practicing an eye strike with my "reaction side" hand.

I can see some advantages to the elbow method, though. The elbow is a very solid, and obviously pointed part of the body. In addition, correct alignment will allow the skeletal structure to do most of the work, instead of mere muscle. If the attacker really is onrushing, they will "impale" themselves on the elbow. I can vouch for the effectiveness of the elbow, as I received an elbow strike about 4 months ago that bruised me through a 12" striking pad. I was wearing a necklace at the time, and had an interesting design on my sternum for about month.

November 20, 1998, 07:12 PM	#5
Spectre Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 23, 1998 Location: ATL Posts: 3,277	I personally sometimes practice defending against a hypothetical close-range attack by (1) Blading my body (to get the most distance between my attacker and my sidearm) (2) Drawing my sidearm very close to my body, wedging my forearm against the bottom of my ribs, while (3) Practicing an eye strike with my "reaction side" hand. I can see some advantages to the elbow method, though. The elbow is a very solid, and obviously pointed part of the body. In addition, correct alignment will allow the skeletal structure to do most of the work, instead of mere muscle. If the attacker really is onrushing, they will "impale" themselves on the elbow. I can vouch for the effectiveness of the elbow, as I received an elbow strike about 4 months ago that bruised me through a 12" striking pad. I was wearing a necklace at the time, and had an interesting design on my sternum for about month.