Self-defense: why learn to use improper weapons

Master Kongling All, Self defense, Weapons improper weapons, improvisation, weapons fight 2

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Why improper weapons are crucial in self-defense

Let’s start with these simple 3 reasons:

Any (correctly chosen) weapon can be enough deterrent to avoid fighting (read why this is always the best option in What is the difference between real fights and combative sports)
Any (working) weapon is an incredible force multiplier (read why this is what we need in Sudden aggressions: the disadvantage of self-defense)
In most countries and situations it is illegal to bring any kind of proper weapon (read also Best martial arts for self-defense)

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

So, is it all that easy? Is it enough to bring a rock from the ground to prevail in a real scenario? No, let’s see why and what are the necessary premises.

The premises to proficiently implement improvised weapons

Improper weapons can be the key to solve many dangerous situations (not rarely even without recurring to violence), they are everywhere and similarly to the proper ones, they can fill many common gaps (strength, number, etc.) but this can be done only if:

We are able to recognize them rapidly / effectively – In most cases, it is a matter of instants and only a trained eye can instinctively opt for the best tool that the scenario is offering
We are trained to exploit their potential – Contrary to high-quality proper weapons, the improper ones have almost always big limitations or harmful characteristics that only a prepared practitioner can manage effectively

Let’s dive into these 2 points.

1. How to recognize a good improper weapon

In a self-defense scenario, there can be a large number of apparently useful tools or even zero, the skilled practitioner knows:

How to choose the right ones and discard the less functional
How to rapidly test them (if / when possible)
How to possibly move the battle to where the right weapon can be found

The problem is that it is not rare to see elements of the scenario that:

May appear very functional but that are more dangerous for us than for our opponents (eg. a cheap Katana for exposition, read also Buy junk Katana)
May appear easy to bring but that are not (eg. a branch solidly attached to a tree)
May appear solid but that break very easily (eg. plasterboard objects)
May appear safe but that are not (eg. objects with sharp splinters)
May appear strong but that are not (eg. hollow plastic objects painted to look like metal)
…

The list could be endless but the point is that we need to know the basic theory and train our quick reasoning in safe but realistic contexts.

Let’s start by reading:

2. How to learn to effectively manage an improper weapon

There is only 1 way to implement improper weapons (at a good level):

Study the basic dynamics of free-hand combat (mobility, balance, etc., read How to learn to fight: all the steps)
Study the martial weapons starting from the most simple (and training ones), to gradually move toward the most complex (and real ones, read Learning the use of real weapons)
Make real practice with truly improvised weapons (our philosophy is that we become good doing a thing only doing that specific thing or a more complex one that completely includes it)

A note by Master Kongling – This may not be the answer that we would have listened but anyone will try to say that it is possible to reach a good level of mastering skipping these steps is a deluded or a scammer (read Why and when self-defense does not work and Self-defense courses: how to recognize scammers). If we do not want to follow a so complex path, let’s focus on the non-violent part of self-defense (read Self-defense? Do not waste time).

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

In our school, we insist on martial weapons right from the start and we also use them as training tools precisely because the path to mastery is long (the sooner a practitioner starts the better it is, read 6 Dragons Kung Fu: what does it teach?)
In the pure context of civil self-defense, we tend not to promote the use of specific defense tools (like pepper spray) or firearms (read Self-defense ineffective weapons: when & why), firstly because they are really at hand only for a few hours per day and secondly because even having them their activation is not always functional to an immediate response; at most they can be an additional option to serious preparation (read Personal defense: the S.A.F.E. method)
It is not a secret that learning to manage improvised combat tools is much more complex than learning the ones that are specifically designed to fight but at the same time it must be understood that we have not to search for excellence, we just have to understand their most important dynamics and trace them back to the most similar martial weapon we master (this is more than enough)
…

In the next article of this series, we will deepen the topic.

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – A simple but fundamental path to build our martial skills
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu weapons – The preparation toward the most important martial weapons
Self-defense basics: how to – The full path toward our self-defense method
Self-defense: not violent self-preservation – Everything we teach to do before recurring to violence
The basics of the knife – A specific video course about the use of the knife
Weapon disarming: what works and what not – A rational approach to weapon disarming

In-depth articles

The complete list of all the martial arts’ weapons – A martial weapons list that we periodically expand
Self-defense: the best 12 improvised weapons – A list of the most effective weapons we can recover

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Is there an improper weapon near you at this moment?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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