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MLeake · October 8, 2012, 05:48 AM

Using fists isn't generally recommended, since so many times the other guy pulls a knife or gun if he is losing the fist fight.

Also, most guys I know who were good with fists were the types who were likely to engage in what the law considers "mutual combat;" mutual combat undermines self-defense.

I'm not saying it's bad to have the skills; I'm not saying there aren't times when some sort of martial arts training may be more applicable than having a gun. (In fact, I frequently recommend that CCW types should learn at least some basic retention skills, if nothing else; and, I've trained over the years in wrestling, TKD, kempo, and, for the last sixteen years or so, in aikido.)

But I am saying that, even though I have a very good defensive skill set, and I'm in pretty decent shape, I would not attempt a knife disarm on somebody if I had a pistol on me, and the time to draw and employ it.

The martial arts stuff may be legally useful in a wider array of situations, but problems that justify the use of a gun are not problems where fists (or chokes, etc) would be the best tool to employ.

October 8, 2012, 05:48 AM	#23
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	Using fists isn't generally recommended, since so many times the other guy pulls a knife or gun if he is losing the fist fight. Also, most guys I know who were good with fists were the types who were likely to engage in what the law considers "mutual combat;" mutual combat undermines self-defense. I'm not saying it's bad to have the skills; I'm not saying there aren't times when some sort of martial arts training may be more applicable than having a gun. (In fact, I frequently recommend that CCW types should learn at least some basic retention skills, if nothing else; and, I've trained over the years in wrestling, TKD, kempo, and, for the last sixteen years or so, in aikido.) But I am saying that, even though I have a very good defensive skill set, and I'm in pretty decent shape, I would not attempt a knife disarm on somebody if I had a pistol on me, and the time to draw and employ it. The martial arts stuff may be legally useful in a wider array of situations, but problems that justify the use of a gun are not problems where fists (or chokes, etc) would be the best tool to employ.