Category: Self-Defense

Martial Arts in The Collapse: A Question of Limits – Part 3, by Dr. Joseph

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) typically involves fighting with boxing gloves and no shoes; classical systems usually have no hand gloves and no shoes. Fighting without shoes is totally unrealistic for street fighting, as footwear is worn everywhere in waking life, except perhaps the beach, and shoes, as the French savate system shows, can make kicks more dangerous, especially with steel-capped boots. But even worse is the use of boxing gloves for striking. This is done not for mercy to opponents, but to protect the hands, which can easily break from strikes to …


Martial Arts in The Collapse: A Question of Limits – Part 2, by Dr. Joseph

(Continued from Part 1.) The knives that I have in mind for fast draw, and for defeating unarmed Mixed Martial Arts types, are those that do not dangle in a sheath by one’s side, but rather sit tucked into the belt, such as the Afghan Khyber knife/Indo-Persian pesh-kabz (but not the sword versions, such as the otherwise excellent Cold Steel version), facon of Argentina (Cold Steel has a smart version of this), the Arkansas toothpick, and Scottish dirk. Cold Steel’s Marauder, has a 9-inch blade, 4.7 mm thick, and is used by pig hunters (see Gideonstactical, YouTube, “Pig Sticker OR …


Martial Arts in The Collapse: A Question of Limits – Part 1, by Dr. Joseph

The Death Spiral to Dark Age 2.0 In my previous article at Survivalblog.com, “After the Collapse – Dark Age 2.0: Melee Weapons,” I outlined the case for the coming collapse being many dimensions of severity greater than most survivalists and preppers suppose, leading to a situation of multigenerational collapse, the Mad Max scenario without the hot cars. There are, much like ancient Rome before the fall (or disintegration/decay), forces at work internally destroying the West, leaving it vulnerable and lacking in resilience to external shocks, such as nuclear war, and EMP events, either from intense solar storms or from enemy …


Handling Predators, by Hollyberry

Predators come in all shapes, forms, and sizes. Some have fur, feathers, or scales. Some of them walk upright among us. What exactly is a predator? As the name implies, they prey on a victim. Who doesn’t hum the theme to Jaws when stepping into the ocean? As soon as you enter the water, you become part of the food chain. Sharks are predators, we are the prey. When an animal preys upon another animal, it is usually not on a personal level, it’s to eat. Yes, sometimes dominance is involved. When humans prey on other humans, it’s all personal. …


Alternative and Improvised Weapons – Part 6, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.) Fire I’ve saved what will probably be the most controversial type of weapon for last – the use of fire for self-defense. Humans have an instinctual fear of fire, so you can harness that fear by adding fire-based weapons to your potential arsenal. There are a number of such options you should consider, but be aware that carrying pretty much any of these during ‘normal time will most likely get you in trouble with law enforcement. Molotov Cocktail – This is any breakable container filled with flammable liquid with a soaked wick …


Alternative and Improvised Weapons – Part 5, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 4.) Blunt Force Projectiles Picking up something and throwing it at an attacker or game is another deep-seated instinct most people have, and it provides a number of additional options for weapons. A 9oz. projectile thrown at 45mph results in around 40 ft-lb of kinetic energy at impact, which is enough to break some smaller bones and cause a concussion. Throwing something accurately and hard enough to do damage requires a lot more practice than just swinging a club, but it can give you a stand-off capability to mitigate threats before they can get close to you. …


Alternative and Improvised Weapons – Part 4, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 3.) Tasers and stun guns are another type of disruptive weapon, but regulations regarding possessing them tend to vary widely. Tasers are generally gun-like devices that shoot barbs on wires to deliver a high voltage to the target’s body, while stun guns require direct physical contact to deliver the voltage. I’m not crazy about any weapon that requires you to get close enough to an attacker to touch them, but it might be useful in some scenarios or as a last ditch option. A useful type of stun gun is the Stun Pen ($17), which doesn’t look …


Alternative and Improvised Weapons – Part 3, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 2.) I’ve also got a smaller kit with just some very basic tools that fits in a wallet-size pouch (except for the Shomer-Tec saw) and weighs just 2.2oz, not including the .7oz trauma shears since I’m already carrying those in my FAK. It consists of: Wazoo tube wire saw w/1 extra titanium split ring (for handles) Shomer-Tec diamond bow saw Lever Gear Toolcard Pro (wrenches, cord cutter, additional screwdrivers, pry bar) Big Design Titanium Pocket Bits (I replaced the OEM split ring with a titanium one) Small 2” file from old multitool (on same split ring as …


Alternative and Improvised Weapons – Part 2, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 1.) Some Theory While most people instinctively understand the concept of ‘pick up something heavy and hit them with it’, it’s useful to understand some of the theory behind weapons in order to make more informed decisions about what to carry and how effective it can be. The goal of most weapons is to apply energy to the target, whether through simple impact force, penetration, explosion, chemical reaction or other methods. For impact weapons, Newton’s Law of motion say ‘Force = Mass x Acceleration’, which roughly translates to the heavier something is and the faster it’s moving, …


Some Lessons Learned in Israel’s Kibbutzim

Like most other Americans, I have been closely watching the recent events in Israel.  I traveled there once, as a tourist, for several weeks. On that family trip, we drove up to the northern border with Lebanon, and all the way south to Eilat, on the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba. My wife (Avalanche Lily) has studied Hebrew for many years, and she has traveled to Israel more than a dozen times. In all, she has spent more than three years in Israel. So for us, watching the Israel-Hamas War brings back a lot of our travel memories. Lily lived …


My Experience with a Bluetti AC180 – Part 1, by Rick S.

INTRODUCTION One of the more useful new technologies for preppers is photovoltaic power generation. Twenty years ago this technology was in the early stages with very limited applicability due to a high cost/benefit ratio. Today, due to a number of significant advances, a solar power generation capability on some scale is entirely practical. At the same time, entirely off-grid solar power is not yet practical unless one is prepared to make some significant sacrifices in living circumstances. This can be illustrated by simply referring to your monthly electric bill where you will find a wealth of information regarding your electrical …


How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 3, by Mr. Y.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Part 3 – Lessons and Observations Unsurprisingly, I ran the whole episode over in my head quite a few times as the days and weeks went by. Small details that I had forgotten came back. Eventually, I thought it would be worth noting a few things to share with other people: The biggest takeaway was that things happened unbelievably fast. If my pistol had been in a different room, or been unloaded, or had the chamber empty, or had a manual safety, or was stored without the magazine in it, the outcome …


How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 2, by Mr. Y.

(Continued from Part 1.) Part 2 – Interview and aftermath I sat around in the little interrogation room by myself for about 90 minutes before anyone came to ask questions. The two detectives informed me that The Bad Guy ‘didnt make it’. I wasn’t surprised but it added a new level of anxiety to things. If I was going to get into trouble over this, the consequences were a lot more severe for killing someone than for injuring them. We spent about two hours or so going over what happened. Did I know this person? What did they say? Where …


How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 1, by Mr. Y.

Part 1: Backstory and The Event This is an article about the experience, aftermath, and lessons learned from a home invasion that I experienced. I feel strongly that retelling it provides some important lessons and food for thought for anyone who keeps a gun for self-defense. The Backstory It was a weekend late afternoon and I was in my computer room at my house, working on e-mails and generally perusing the Internet. I had headphones on so I was unable to hear anything going on around me. The only other people in the house were my girlfriend who was cleaning …


The Time It Takes, by SwampFox

I work as a truck driver. That means I spend a lot of long, boring hours driving from state to state. I have a regular route, covering the same roads each day. On good days, not much happens that is new or exciting, and to pay attention to my job I need a bit of entertainment in the background. So I listen to a lot of audiobooks. A handful of these have been survivalist fiction or preparedness-oriented. I have discovered that many authors and readers may possess some unrealistic ideas about what a prepared life looks like, or what life …