Hello guys, where I live has always had its fair share of homeless people, normally they ask for something like money or food. We had a state of high alert due to the Olympic Games in Paris, so police were always patrolling the streets and nothing really happened.

Now the patrolling went down and the events of unstable homeless people are becoming more frequent, last week me and my gf were exiting a store and one asked us for spare change we didn't have any and said "No, sorry" and kept walking, my gf noticed the guy was following us, we crossed the street, and he still followed. I stopped, put my gf behind me and waited for him to pass through. He came close to me and I extended my arm to him to prevent him from coming closer to us, I slightly push him, and he turns around and goes the other way.

I think he just wanted to intimidate us, my gf was visibly scared and nervous of him, always looking back.

If this happens again to me or to my gf if she is alone, what should we do?

Think about it: what are people taught in these classes? Primarily, they're told to run away and de-escalate. Imagine being a criminal, knowing that everyone you encounter has been conditioned to respond this way. It's like having a free pass to approach anyone, knowing they're more likely to try and reason with you than defend themselves.

Furthermore, the pervasive myth that knives are unbeatable instills a sense of helplessness in potential victims. This is a criminal's dream scenario. Instead of encouraging people to fight back, these courses often reinforce the idea that the best defense is to avoid conflict altogether. This passive approach makes it far easier for criminals to target their victims.

Self-defense instructors should be teaching people how to assess threats and respond decisively. Instead, they often perpetuate fear and uncertainty by focusing on worst-case scenarios and unrealistic expectations. This not only fails to empower individuals but also creates a pool of potential victims who are more likely to freeze or flee in the face of danger.

The main target group of self defense courses are victims of violence. Their interest is knowing how to stand their ground, not a runner's club.

If a self defense course endorses running away, the techniques tought won't be put to the test, which sustains constant income for the teacher as long as he can sustain the fear inside of participants and the false promise that if the techniques were put to the test, they would work.

For context my eldest brother has massive anger issues and starts fights with me over minor issues in the house, and when ever it escalates and he gets physical he usually pushes me around or grabs my shirt around the chest area.

Is there anything i can do against him?
He's just below my height im 5'2 and he's 5'1, he's about 1.5x my bodyweight which is why he can overpower me.
I have lower body strength because im a badminton athlete and gym as well, but im pretty weak in regard to upper body.

Please help

So, few months ago my friend got made at me and he can easily let his anger get to him and same stuff has also happened with some other people. But anyways when he got made he quickly jumped up and decide to choke me ish and I didn't knew what to do at that point. I know your your gonna say that I need to stay away from him but I have my in reason I shouldn't, any tips to avoid me getting choked from him or by another person in the future?

Hi guys. Sorry if this is a dumb post.

Today when going to work at like 6am, I was riding my scooter on a bike lane on a road. Before I realized this car had stopped on the other side, and two guys (they were literally kids tbh) came to the bike lane and waited for me. I wish I had realized earlier but I didn't and they pushed me off my scooter. One of them kept telling me to give him my wallet. I tried riding off on my scooter again but got pushed again then I just ran to the side of the road. I said I didn't have my wallet then he asked for my bag I kept sAying please stop. I'm not sure if someone on the side had said something but they suddenly stopped and ran back to their car and drove off. By this time I had run off to the side of the road and accepted that my scooters gone, but they didn't take it. When I went up ahead to the intersection I even heard the same kid go "where you running". I made it to work and hid to a side a bit.

In hindsight they were legit kids I could've very easily taken them, but I was just so scared the whole time and freaking out.

Is there any way to train my nerves to not fly into such a panic? I'm a p timid guy anyways and I really need to work on this. I used to go to the gym quite regularly so I'm not terribly weak, and had some boxing training, but at the time I just couldn't think and was freaking out.

https://youtu.be/TtKx41UdCj0You hear a lot about Karate, Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Taekwondo, Boxing, Sumo wrestling, Krav Maga, etc. Then you hear about the styles special forces in militaries use, you look at all the different sports for these. But which one is the most effective and 'powerful'?

My wife was driving me somewhat and she got in a fight with another driver (man), who has been rude.

I tried to de-escalate the situation since I thought that the whole thing was childish and not worth to ruin the night, but the guy said something rude and stopped the car obviously to have a fight.

That's when I decided that a like has been crossed and that I'll go kick his ass, but my wife kept on driving because she knew that shit was about to get down.

And here I am know still made 1 hour after the altercation and I'm asking a question:

I know that the first rule of self-defense is to de-escalate any conflict. But is it really worth it when you get disrespected?

Hey everyone,

I am quite an active guy with 5'8 built and have been wondering which form of self defence should I learn. Aim is to stay fit and agile but also knock down when situation arises.

I’m (F19) a college student in a medium-sized city and my work often has me out early in the morning (while it’s still dark) or late at night, so my dad got worried and bought me pepper spray. I appreciate the gesture, but I have no idea what to do with it. Where do I put it? Do I try and hide it? Do I clip it to my lanyard that I already wear consistently for college? Do I clip it to my backpack that I wear everywhere I go? I understand protection is important, but this has the possibility of becoming a nuisance.

Read the writing down below. Then you'll understand the situation more clearly. (My English isn't good. Please figure out a little bit) I'm a 19 years old. Skinnier and look much younger than the guys of my own age. I'm a naturally calm person, try to avoid problems. I hate to say this but i know I'm physically weaker than most of the people for my physical shape. A few days before an incident happened which made me think about everything. I was in a bus in the window sit. A man sat beside me and spitted outside through the window. As he was spitting i said ' watch it ' in a very good way, not rudely. But this guy took it personally. He asked me if the spit fell on me. I said no. Then, he said 'then why did you say 'watch it'? ( now, i don't know about the rest of the world, but the country that i live in it's very very normal to say 'watch it'. Especially, in that situation, i didn't say this in an offending way). I said 'what are you taking about? I didn't say it in a rude way'. Then, he told me something and told me to lower my eyes. By this time, i got extremely nervous. A cold chill was in my throat to chest. Got absolutely puzzled and couldn't understand what to say. And then the argument stopped. Now, after coming back to home, for more than a week i can't think of anything other than that. I'm feeling extremely coward. What would have i done if something like this would happen to my family? I can't think of anything other than this and very disturbed when I'm writing this. But even after that incident i kinda realised, i might be weak. But if just became a little aggressive and talk for myself, probably he wouldn't accept his mistake but at least he would stop. And i would not be that coward. But i couldn't be brave there. So, my question is how can i be aggressive in situations when i have to?

Got confronted by a road rage mf today. They opened my car door and threatened to hit me. Old-ish guy - 50-60yo. I am 20s. I have at least 20 pounds on the mf and didn't want to ruin my career. I thought I'd just sit there, take the road rage and then apologise. I did that, and then he drove away. But hours after, I feel like a bitch.

Did I do the right thing?

What do I do if I get jumped (2 or more people) I know the obvious answer is to run away but what if I’m in a confined space and there’s too many?

I’m a young woman in my 20s so I’m no stranger to being hit on/approached by men. Usually my tactic is to just completely ignore them, especially if I’m with a friend, I’ll continue talking to said friend. The man giving me unwanted attention will usually take the hint and keep walking. I told my dad this and he was concerned that this might embolden some men to continue trying to get my attention and that making eye contact might be better. I just assume that eye contact might be mistaken as an opening for the unwanted conversation to continue. Thoughts?

What age did you get them into SD, boy/girl? Any tips on making them stick with it? Cheers lads

I feel like dodging kicks is a lot trickier than dodging punches, especially in enclosed spaces, though I'd like some tips on dodging both

How much protection would a puffer jacket give you against different kinds of blunt trauma?

Yesterday I was charged by an aggressive pitbull that was loose with no owner in sight. I wasn't bitten but, more or less a stand off for several minutes before their owner poked their head out their house and called it off. I've had 3 negative incidents with pitbulls in my neighborhood over 4 years. I'm assuming pepper spray is the way to go but don't know if there's more to know than just picking one.

I'm looking at martial arts gym in my town.

Their are a few but the most interesting just opened like 2 months ago and it's half the price then the other ones.

I'm affraid it might be a scam the closes down in a few months.

What do you guys think ?

I was thinking that a backpack might be quite an effective shield against knives attacks. Especially if it had some sort of straps on the back: so that you could handle it with one hand, like a medieval shield. Something like the picture below.

https://rebeccashedd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/b63-p2-straps.jpg?w=600

However, it seems that there are no backpacks on sale with such a system of straps. There are antibullet backpacks on sale (ridiculous in my opinion) but no ne really thought about adding a couple of straps on the back of the thing?

Do you know any brand that could make such a product?

Hi Reddit and r/SelfDefence,

I am wondering if there is a real difference between different pepper spray (oc spray) brands.

I am mainly talking about sprays with more then 1% MC content, I always hear brands like fox labs are much stronger then other brands like sabre or tw1000 even with nearly the same MC Content

I am somewhat educated in this topic but no expert and I am curious if someone has some experience with different brands.

Hi, I am a male, but I am smaller and weaker than the average woman. I am 5'10, 125 and I can only lift up to a mere 60 - 70 pounds over my head. My punching power is on par with a 12 years old girl.

A few days ago I was run over by a big guy in an electric scooter at over 20 mph. I apologized but he threatened to punch me until I was down. I went away unscathed, but I literally feared death.

How can I protect myself ?

I think I should place all my hopes in environmental awareness, descalation skills and running speed and stamina.

I do not think I should take MMA classes to learn how to fight or practice weight lifting. A tiny framed manlet with 6 inches wrists like me will never be even remotely comparable to a real fighter. I already take TMA (Kung Fu) classes for fun. I never thought a TMA could ever be effective in real combat the way it is practiced nowadays, but I am interested in the cultural aspect. I also would not even survive a legit MMA/Combat Sports class, not at all.

I live in Canada so actual pepper spray is banned. However, I am able to buy sabre dog spray. Which I would carry with the intent to ward off aggressive off leash dogs when I go jogging.

But let’s say on my run I meet an unsavoury character and have no other choice than to use it, would dog spray affect a person if it was sprayed at them?

Which is better and why? I see a lot of people recommending Sabre but I rarely see Mace recommended. Anyone have any experience with Mace brand?

so I went to my first night of bjj it was free and the people there are very respectful they actually seem to Want me to learn. I tried a boxing gym and they had me spar my first night didn't teach me anything just basically beat me up. I just want to confidently defend myself if I need to and I won't carry a gun my reasons are private. thank you for your time and any advice you can give me.

So I drive Uber as a side gig, and yesterday I arrived at a grocery store to pickup to passengers who I'll refer to a Weird Guy and Nice Lady. Weird Guy looked to be in his mid 20s and Nice Lady looked to be in her Mid 30s. Since it was a grocery store pickup and they had a lot of bags, I popped my trunk and got out to help them load the bags. It was Sunday so I'd already done this 100 times and everything seemed normal. We were almost done and suddenly Weird Guy got in my face with a very aggressive look and his hands, while at his sides, were balled up. He did not break eye contact.

Me: What's up man?

Weird Guy: What's up?

Me: Everything okay?

No answer

Me: You good?

Weird Guy: You good?

Me: Just trying to help you with your groceries.

Weird Guy got out of my face and we loaded the rest of the bags in.

As Weird Guy was returning the shopping cart Nice Lady came over to me.

Nice Lady: I am so sorry.

Me: Everything okay with him?

Nice Lady: He has really bad anxiety. This is the last time I'm going anywhere with him.

Me: Does he every get violent?

Nice Lady: Not with me.

Me: How do you guys know each other?

Nice Lady: He lives in my building and asked if I'd go grocery shopping with him.

Weird Guy came back and we began the trip.

During the ride back to their apartment building, Nice Lady was telling Weird Guy that he needs to calm down in public. Apparently he had been verbally aggressive toward workers at the grocery store I had just picked them up from. Based on the conversation during the 5min car ride, it seemed like Weird Guy was a loner with a lot of problems and Nice Lady was trying to help him.

How did I handle the situation when he got in my face? I was able to deescalate and calm him down, but he was right in my personal space, so if he took a swing, I wouldn't be able to react fast enough.

I've driven uber as a side hustle for 6 years now, and while I've had some odd balls, I've never felt as though I was about to be assaulted. I was close to not even letting this guy in my car, but the fact that his groceries were loaded in complicated that, and me denying him service may have also escalated the situation.

Thoughts?

I am 18M, and I was looking into starting a martial arts. I have experience with boxing and very minimal in Taekwondo (did it when I was younger, don’t believe the experience it be useful). My main goal is to be able to defend myself with confidence . I am from Canada, so I know I can’t use firearms or weapons, as much as that’s something I was considering, since using a weapon of some kind is always better. Although I don’t have any goals to do a martial art professionally, I still want to be very proficient and get good at it, and I’m willing to put as much effort as needed. If there’s a good combination between 2 martial arts or so, that’s also something I’d be interested in. I’m very open to any opinion even if it doesn’t directly any of my questions.