Good for you!Medic624 wrote:I've been seriously researching taking some kind of unarmed fighting style ... .
You didn't mention your age -- some others brought up some of the problems that occur over time -- but to me being older is not an excuse to avoid studying combatives other than the handgun. All that things that make it hard -- creakiness, stiffness, less muscle, more fat, whatever -- also make it more likely that you will be targeted for an attack. Having awareness and gun and observing the three "S" strategy goes a long way, but is not a 100% guarantee you won't be surprised, or that you won't be someplace you can't have your gun when something bad happens.
I am 51 and train with a couple other guys up in Austin in AMOK with some Systema thrown in. Among the regulars, the "kid" is 40, I am next, the instructor is 58, and I don't know how old our latest recruit is -- late 50s at youngest, probably older. We often meet up with some guys from Killeen, some of them soldiers from Ft Hood, and it is hard to go up against them, but we do -- and we don't always lose. Good practice. Also, this has given me much more incentive for to do physical training on my own, largely "bodyweight" exercises, which are doing me some serious good.
The first order of business if you are attacked is to survive. If you are presented with an imminent threat to your life or limb, do what you have to do to get out of it, worry about juries later. Yes there are horrendous examples of good guys going to jail due to ambiguous circumstances, rotten DAs, etc, but first you have be alive and in good enough shape to face trial. And on the whole I believe those are exceptions, not the the rule.Medic624 wrote:Not that I'm have any reservations or feel I couldn't draw and (if needed shoot) BUT my issue is (despite the threat of violence) a jury of my peers will hear over and over and over how I shot an unarmed "GOOD" man who was a "LOVING" church going man who, sure he had some minor issues but was on his way "getting back on track!".
Then you won! Let him go, make sure you are really safe, call the cops ASAP. Go home and be happy.Medic624 wrote:And, if I feel threatened enough, what happens if he is advancing, I feel my life is in danger, I draw and before I pull the trigger he stops well... Then what? does he say, "OH, WoW, Uh... my bad, I'm just gonna go and you have a nice day sir" and THEN what do I do??.
There seem to be a lot of Krav Maga schools around. As noted above, I have been going the AMOK route, and because the leader of our little training group is also studying Systema and Guided Chaos, we have been incorporating some of that into our sessions as well.Medic624 wrote:I'm leaning toward either Krav Maga or Something similar .
I think doing something is better than doing nothing. If the training is any good, then you will quickly come to realize your limitations, rather than getting overconfident. If the training is NOT showing you your limitations, then I would find another place.