I'm curious and also since no other thread has been active since 2008 on unarmed self-defense, anybody have any background in self-defense/combatives/martial arts, for self-defense and how that applies to the transgendered individual?
I practice core combatives, literally just 20 self-defense moves, geared for gross motor movements in mind, as in a self-defense situation presents itself, you have to act quickly and escape harm. Practicing these moves until they become instinctive in a hostile situation, for literally quick reaction, when the predator makes contact with you, you react. Of course, you have situational awareness first, but wanted to hear from people out there, what their training is, and how they can help out the TG community against bullies.

I have some background in Lau Gar thanks to my stepdad, but what he always said was that if you ever have use these moves the most important ones are 1) being able to avoid being hit and 2) being able to break out of a grip. In reality, if anyone ever lands a real strike that could be it for you. Getting out of the way and being able to escape are more fundamental and useful than knowing how to hit someone else.

So I pay more attention to where I put my feet and where they are putting their hands. I know how to get out of quite a few grips and how to block and reverse, and also where the points are on someone's body to aim for that has more chance of disabling them or forcing them to let go.

Personally I think anyone can benefit from knowing these things but especially those who are smaller and weaker. They won't help you in every situation though, and I'm not sure how they can really help TG people deal with the issue of bullies singling them out because they are TG but, worth knowing, definitely.

Quote from: Kylo on January 17, 2017, 06:14:09 AM
Personally I think anyone can benefit from knowing these things but especially those who are smaller and weaker. They won't help you in every situation though, and I'm not sure how they can really help TG people deal with the issue of bullies singling them out because they are TG but, worth knowing, definitely.

In self defense they taught the girls in highschool to 'hiss' whenever  executing any sort of maneuver, the logic behind it was to tense the core muscles to prevent being winded by an unexpected body blow. It sounded silly but for rhe most part it worked. Again rhe majority of the practical element revolved around escape and incapacitating an attacker to escape.

I was a boxer for over 12 years, and dabbled a tiny bit in krav and kick boxing.

I've been wanting to try systema and krav again.

Kylo,
You bring up an excellent topics,
1) Avoid being hit, since the cis gender male, usually is stronger than a M2F tg, due to their bigger muscles and stronger body structure.
2) Being able to get out of grips. This can be accomplished by techniques, knowing them is the key point. Bending fingers backwards, comes to mind, or even using leverage in certain grips.

I believe speed and technique can work against power to a large extent. Just having SA and knowing that a predator has set his sights on you, you can then use speed, to deploy a weapon(knife) or get out of harms way as fast as you can.
Now, where they get the drop on you, as soon as the predator makes contact with you. In the military we were taught, react to contact, meaning if we got ambushed to our rear or flanks, mostly, we would have drills we would deploy fast, hard, at full bore, show we mean business and prevent more harm.

E.g. A sucker punch from your flank, step back immediately, from the direction of impact, put your hands up and assess your predator. Always step away from your predator to gauge him/her.
E.G. Pulling of your hair from your rear, immediately, grab their hand, rotate yourself to see your aggressor, and with your free hand aim for their eyes, and/or kick their groin. If your really fast enough, deploy a knife and go for their hand grabbing your hair.

Time, barriers, and distance are you friend in a violent confrontation(Miller, 2013).

Most bullies, shout epitaths or telegraph their intentions, predators, wait until they see your blind spot and attack.

Social violencers, you can negotiate, apologize, even if its for a stupid reason, apologize and leave the area, they usually attack, because you violated some rules, hierarchy, or territory(Miller, 2013).
Asocial predators, come in two flavors, resource predators want your money or goods(ie. money, television, jewelry, valuables), you give it to them, to live another day. Process predators, want you for lunch, literally meaning for rape, and/or killing you for their pleasure(ie.serial rapists/serial killers). With Process predators, you go all out, fight for your life, deploy all your weapons, and try to see another day, they are bonafide sociopaths(i.e. no conscience). Process predators like resource predators want no witness, unlike bullies/social violencers, who want an audience to teach you a lesson( Miller, 2013)

References:
Miller, Rory. (2013). Logic Of Violence: Think Like A Criminal. YMAA Publication Center, Inc. DVD. 175 minutes.

I did a little bit of MMA years ago, and in all honesty would love to restart it! I am not sure where you live or spend most of your time but i heard Toronto, Ontario, Canada has one well known TG boxing program for self defence. Not too sure what else there is though

I've been doing Kenjutsu for a few years now and I've done a good bit of reading in terms of strategy...

In regards to defending the self, the only real way to get out of a fight/flight situation is to not get one in the first place. Walking with friends, avoiding shady parts of town, being concious of your own surroundings.
In terms of weaponry, the best weapon is the one that you have on you. You could maybe "make your body a weapon", but I do think that's a bit cliché.

So a dude ambushes you and wants to take advantage of you and pulls a knife on your throat, what can you do? In the movies you'd probably kick him in the nuts and he'd miraculously drop his knife and you make a run for it. Maybe in reality you've tried that, but he's got you in such a hold and you're so weak that you have no option but to succumb to his demands.

Did you know that a knife is more likely to kill you than a bullet?

What are your options?
- Carry some sort of weapon
- dedicate yourself to some form of non competitive martial art

In terms of carrying some sort of weapon,

There are lots of different weapons for use in self defence.
- Blunt weaponry such as a telescopic baton has a great intimidation factor and can be paired with classic jujitsu techniques to help you take down any attacker. This weapon does need training though, and don't expect that just by carrying it you'll be able to take someone down.
- Knives can be great if you know how to use one and practice quickly gaining access to it. If used properly, it can compliment any martial arts style and there are even a few martial arts styles based around knives. Something like a push dagger can be easily concealed and are relatively easy to use.
- Guns are great, but using one requires a lot of discipline, observation of laws and need a lot of training. Anyone can pull the trigger, but using a gun properly is an art in itself.
- Non-lethal guns are a good available option for where lethal firearms are not available. There's a pepper-gel gun called the guardian angel that can easily incapacitate an assailant with ease and is compact enough to be concealed.

Things to remember with using any weapon:
- Not being trained to use the weapon can be detrimental. You need to know everything about how it works and everything about how to use it.
- A weapon can just as easily be turned against you.
- Escalation of violence could lead to a gun being pulled on you.

In terms of martial arts, there are quite a few good ones, though a few things to avoid.
- If you're thinking of looking up one for self defence, I would personally avoid something like Karate or Judo as their modern focus is more on competition and sport. You will learn virtually no weapon defence in these martial arts which could be crucial.
- Ones I would recommend are Aikijutsu, Aikido, Jujutsu (not to be confused with the Brazilian variant), or any martial art that has a focus on grappling and incapacitating an attacker. The three mentioned aren't necessarily sports and have a focus on taking down an armed attacker while you yourself are unarmed. Jujutsu also has a bonus of doing baton training and literally being about taking down an opponent with their own strength.

Some things to remember
- Just because you do martial arts in a safe environment doesn't mean you're able to perform it in a stressful situation.
- You should never assume that an attacker doesn't have any knowledge of any martial art.
- Thugs and Gangsters literally go home and practice how to stab things quickly and not get stabbed.

In summary, fighting and getting out of a situation is best to be avoided at all times, even if you think you can take them on. If you get into a situation, then try to keep self preservation a priority. If you want to get something to help in case you end up in a situation, learn how to use it properly or you'll end up with it being used against you.

I hope my advice helps. Fighting is universal and there's no such thing as the strongest person being the winner.

One of the below quotes is by Musashi Miyamoto who, interestingly much like C2, said that there are only a few moves you ever need to know to take down an opponent. Going to look into C2 for a bit.

Anything helps. Right now I'm taking Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I'll probably add in some striking at some point.

I took a course once where the premise was there IS NO true defense technique against a knife attack. Knife attacks are often feral in nature resulting in multiple stab/slash wounds. They always train to 'disarm' and he further went on to demonstrate why that was a crock, as when he had experienced volunteers, hed simply switch hands with the knife and keep stabbing. (Frighteningly easily.) His concepy was ignore the knife entirely, as youre going to get cut or stabbed anyway, and incapacitate the attacker. When his volunteers logic switched to this approach, he was lucky to get one or two stabs in before being swiftly put to the floor.

Quote from: Angela Drakken on January 17, 2017, 07:01:11 AM
In self defense they taught the girls in highschool to 'hiss' whenever  executing any sort of maneuver, the logic behind it was to tense the core muscles to prevent being winded by an unexpected body blow. It sounded silly but for rhe most part it worked. Again rhe majority of the practical element revolved around escape and incapacitating an attacker to escape.

I was a boxer for over 12 years, and dabbled a tiny bit in krav and kick boxing.

I've been wanting to try systema and krav again.

Yeah, much the same with most martial arts including LG. Part of it is with certain moves the air is going to come out of your lungs anyway, holding breath in might mean you can't actually execute the move. But there's also a concentration/timing element to making some kind of hiss or noise as well that just helps with it. If you're actually fighting with someone it can intimidate the opponent as well.

Quote from: Kylo on January 17, 2017, 12:36:16 PM
Yeah, much the same with most martial arts including LG. Part of it is with certain moves the air is going to come out of your lungs anyway, holding breath in might mean you can't actually execute the move. But there's also a concentration/timing element to making some kind of hiss or noise as well that just helps with it. If you're actually fighting with someone it can intimidate the opponent as well.

Basically yeah. In a comical side, if you ever watch the old Sonny Chiba flicks, he does that hiss too whenever he gets hit with a heavy body blow and I always laughed and wondered 'the hell is he DOING?!'

Actually Karenpayneoregon did a super post about this subject Jan 15 and she posted her credentials; My blog post on credentials
https://karenpayneblog.com/2016/09/18/defensive-tactics/

I support and greatly prefer any non lethal means of self defense.

Quote from: Mattify on January 17, 2017, 10:35:07 AM
being concious of your own surroundings.

probably best advice in this thread.

Quote from: Daisy Jane on January 17, 2017, 10:55:38 AM
Judo

my uncle was some sorta judo "master" and showed me some moves when i was a kid. no matter what i did he would some how pinch me with his knuckles and turn the table lol

Quote from: Tessa James on January 17, 2017, 12:40:24 PM
I support and greatly prefer any non lethal means of self defense.

tessa you are a sweetheart and i love you but would have to disagree c(=
at least with someone who death and or severe injury is of no consequence.

Quote from: Tessa James on January 17, 2017, 12:40:24 PM
I support and greatly prefer any non lethal means of self defense.

I would say that if someone is willing to take your life, then it's a fight for your life.

It does bring up a point though: Most countries judge assault on escalation of violence.
If you get attacked with a knife and you shoot them down, you'll probably be charged with murder.

I understand that it goes Unarmed > Blunt weaponry > Edged weaponry > Firearms.
Basically you can only attack with what your assailant attacks you with.

There was a really crazy local story though of a bunch of guys breaking into a house, only to get chased away by the house owner who was wielding a katana and managed to get some nearly lethal strikes..

Quote from: Lily Rose on January 17, 2017, 01:53:32 PM
tessa you are a sweetheart and i love you but would have to disagree c(=
at least with someone who death and or severe injury is of no consequence.

Thank you Rose.  I am comfortable with having different perspectives and try to maintain respect for diverse opinions along the way.  Variety is still a spice for life?   Having participated in killing people in war informs my thinking and is something I will never forget and cannot forgive myself for.  That too was a major life transition

i am thankful to have never been faced with that choice. considering that i can not know absolutely what i would do. i do know when someone is, there should not be any presumption of guilt. if they decide to them their life matters more.

Quote from: Tessa James on January 17, 2017, 02:20:49 PM
Variety is still a spice for life?

of course and as i said i love you and value all your posts i have read.

Quoteyou give it to them, to live another day.

I ain't "giving" them a thing. I'd rather throw it to the side. They want money so bad, let them go get it while I run off. 

Scary stuff.

I am in the situational awareness camp, and purposely positioned in such circumstances as to be able to be where predators and bullies most likely are not.

Still, once upon a time, I rambled and wandered where ever I might, daring whomever and whatever dangers to try me, but what served me then, will not serve me now.

The best way to stay unharmed is always going to be staying out of harm's way.

I find preparing for the worst can precipitate that which we purportedly wish to avoid.

That said, I would not hesitate to use deadly force if the situation warranted it.

Yes, training and skill play into one's chances should it come down to life and death.

That said, the staying out of harm's way approach still makes the most sense to me.

Should the walls of my fortress be breached, though, all bets are off, local laws favor the use of overwhelming and deadly force if one fears for their own life. In such a case, and in such a case only, I would not hesitate.

I wouldn't even break a nail, let alone a sweat.

Yep, scary stuff, indeed.

Quote from: MissGendered on January 17, 2017, 06:29:31 PM
Scary stuff.

I am in the situational awareness camp, and purposely positioned in such circumstances as to be able to be where predators and bullies most likely are not.

Still, once upon a time, I rambled and wandered where ever I might, daring whomever and whatever dangers to try me, but what served me then, will not serve me now.

The best way to stay unharmed is always going to be staying out of harm's way.

I find preparing for the worst can precipitate that which we purportedly wish to avoid.

That said, I would not hesitate to use deadly force if the situation warranted it.

Yes, training and skill play into one's chances should it come down to life and death.

That said, the staying out of harm's way approach still makes the most sense to me.

Should the walls of my fortress be breached, though, all bets are off, local laws favor the use of overwhelming and deadly force if one fears for their own life. In such a case, and in such a case only, I would not hesitate.

I wouldn't even break a nail, let alone a sweat.

Yep, scary stuff, indeed.

I absolutely HATE how this post of mine reflects on who I am now. I am not like this, at all, not anymore. Something about the whole fight and flight and stand up to aggressors thing just makes me want to vomit.

It is all past life stuff, I would remove it, but I think it more telling to leave it and recant it instead.

Missy

I think and feel this topic is underdiscussed, especially with the hate crimes committed aginst the lgbti. I have talked and overheard many of tg people, and sooner or later, I hear the topic of fear, avoidance, and violence, come up and how real it is for us. I feel this topic is great, yes like MissGendered, it used to be part of our natural makeup in a prior gender, but its still part of our reality, no matter where we are.

Quote from: SonadoraXVX on January 20, 2017, 08:31:54 AM
I think and feel this topic is underdiscussed, especially with the hate crimes committed aginst the lgbti. I have talked and overheard many of tg people, and sooner or later, I hear the topic of fear, avoidance, and violence, come up and how real it is for us. I feel this topic is great, yes like MissGendered, it used to be part of our natural makeup in a prior gender, but its still part of our reality, no matter where we are.

Sonadora,

I hope my own reaction against my post isn't being interpreted as a dismissal of the risks associated with LGBT life. My reaction was against the cold-heartedness displayed in my initial response. It was deepened by my realization that I also once had an "i dare you to try me" attitude, as well as the ferocity to deliver on those implied and implicit threats. I am disgusted by that which I had become, as well as by my own actions in those days. I was not a good person. My actions demonstrated a need to give back that which I had absorbed when I was being victimized as a child, and I am rightfully shamed by that truth.

I will always hold that the right to self-defense is irrevocable. I will also always hold that many conflicts are easily avoided with fuller understanding of our own motives and injuries.

I also do believe we should all, man, woman, trans, whatever, endeavor to build a safe and healthy world where we are all free to do as we wish, wherever we wish, whenever we wish. But until that world does exist, it behooves us all to examine the risks associated with the choices we make. Not to say we should become avoiders of everything risky, but that we should perhaps entertain a fuller view of cause and effect, and employ such wisdom before we find ourselves in danger. Not all danger can be anticipated, nor avoided, I know, so I do also recognize the need for means of self-defense, and I would still employ any and every possible means to effectively protect myself and others around me.

Still, I am aware of how my childhood had once made me desire to find conflict, and emerge victorious as a means to eliminate my own shame at having been a victim. I see many people, LGBT-ers included, that have chips on their shoulders, and exaggerated perceptions of danger, that pursue skills of violence for similar reasons as I did. I feel this approach diminishes us, rather than enriches us in general.

A balanced approach to safety and self-defense, on the other hand, is both healthy and empowering, without adding darkness to ourselves and the world at large.

Missy