Real Life Experiences highlights the stories of operators and civilians who have had to use the skills they've learnt in self defence or combat.
If you have had to defend yourself as a civilian or in the execution of your duties as a service person, then don't hesitate to forward your story. These stories will not include the identities of any of the subjects involved, but will detail the situation and means used to overcome it.
Send your story to [email protected]
This true story is of how helping others can be more of a problem than you could ever imagine. I once, when in a restaurant, went to the aid of a staff member that was being assaulted by a gang member, which led me to have to defend myself against this gang member.
Fortunately through previous training I took care of the gang member before the police arrived.
The unfortunate thing was the staff member I had protected and all the other staff and patrons did not want to get involved by telling the police what had happened and because I come out on top I was made to feel like I was in the wrong.
Fortunately the gang member decided not to press charges as he would have looked like he was weak and I was free to go.
Some years back a friend’s son who was a martial arts black belt was on his way home from work when he was attacked by three other youths with robbery on their mind. My friend’s son managed to defend himself so well that he became the attacker and the three were beaten into submission. When he was asked how he had managed to do this and what martial arts techniques he had used he replied none it was the CQB he had learnt at a Todd Group seminar that done the job. I was very surprised indeed.
While shopping with my family a thug made fun of my badly handicapped son and I was not going to stand for that. I was in my fifties and in less than good health but I had played league and boxed at school and stuck up for my own.
I escorted my family to the car and went back and grabbed the thug by the throat drove him back against the shop front solid wall and gave him a hard right hand on the chin and down and out he went. May be it was not the right or smart thing to do but it sure made me feel right and good and my son was very proud of his dad. There is a lot to be said for an eye for an eye.
Right old mix up it was when I was having a tussle with several lads and a friend come to my aid and while trying to peel them off of me grasped one of their hands and bit a finger to the bone. Unfortunately it was my finger he bit and when I came out of that melee raging with anger and pain and flung all the bodies off of me it was my mate chomping on my finger. The medical treatment over the next several weeks was even worse than the initial bite.
After taking a self defence course from the School of Self Defence in Dunedin over twenty years ago along with my girlfriend we had need to use it and it worked so well. We had taken the course because we were going on our big OE and thought we should learn how to look after ourselves and each other.
Some years later we were accosted by a large male wanting to fight me for no reason. Immediately we got into the positions we had been taught for such a situation and when he advanced we attacked just the way we had been shown.
The leg stamps were more effective than we had ever imagined and as a team we were great. The reality was our positions and what we had been shown to do confused and over whelmed our attacker and in seconds he was down and the ankle stamp ensured he did not get up and we could get away. These real life skills were our saviour.
Many years back I done an individual course from Tank and it was an awareness course for in the street, home, car and for public transport and travel. Some years later while overseas in my car while parked and waiting to pick up a friend I noticed a stranger watching me in a suspicious manner. I immediately locked the doors and pushed the cigarette lighter in just in case. I also got my cell phone ready.
As my friend got in the passenger’s door and went to close it I noticed the stranger approach and grasp the door frame stopping her from being able to close the door. I had the motor running and leaned across my friend in the passenger’s seat grasping the cigarette lighter on the way.
I commanded let go and when he didn’t I pushed the cigarette lighter hard into his inner forearm. Well the scream as he let go and I said close the door and we took off as well as the smell of burning flesh as Tank puts it was horrible. But it worked and we were safe.
This is a true story of true justice dealt out on the spot swiftly and in relation to the injustice. Several young Polynesian children were sitting on the steps of a public hall playing when several racist adult bullies began assaulting them. The children ran into the hall chased by these racists screaming vile racist insults.
They were several metres into the hall when they realized they were now in the middle of a gathering of Polynesian adults one of which had been a former professional boxer. Now who was being bullied?
This calm well-dressed former boxing champion requested his friends mind the door and apologized to the ladies and elders present and then with no effort dispatched them all. That was real justice for everyone present.
I’m getting long in the tooth now but in my day I was a likely lad and had plenty of blues in pubs and on the street. I have always been a big boy and through hard manual work I was strong and fit.
In our circles back then if you had a blue the next time you met it was round two just to make sure the first result was not just good luck. The old best of three we called it.
Well I fought this smaller Charles Bronson look alike who tore me to pieces in seconds and over the next days I thought God help me when I run into him again. Fortunately the next time he KO’ed me with a single punch and I could remember nothing of it.
When I was working the door I refused a guy entry because of his dress and attitude one night and he threatened me with the old karate full contact black belt b/s and as I have dealt with many such dreamers I laughed it off.
He then in the opposite car park started performing some bloody stupid kata and ranting and raving. I ignored him and he danced his way across the street shirtless complete with kanji tattoo on his chest.
He stayed just out of range and when he become a problem I stepped towards him and went BOO and he stumbled over the gutter and banged his nut and as he quickly came to and saw me looking over him he lept up running in a stagger into on coming traffic and nearly getting himself run over – tough guy.
My friend once got out of a car to assist with an altercation and was set upon by several youths. He was knocked unconscious on the pavement and kicked while down. The youths fled and he lay their face down with many bystanders around giving their expert medical opinions.
The majority decided that they should not touch him as he might have a broken neck and that they might paralize or kill him. No one thought of checking to see if he was breathing or clearing his airway or for that matter calling an ambulance right away.
By the time some one did call an ambulance my friend was dead face down and drowned in his own blood.
The sad thing is if common sense had been employed he would still be alive today and his children would have a dad and his wife a husband. Ignorance and drunken stupidity took the life of a good man who simply was trying to do the right thing. I was not there and when I read the reasons for his death I was mortified.
I was one of the naive people that believed a black belt was a trained deadly fighter and had heard the rumours of them having to have their hands registered as deadly weapons and the like.
Well after seeing a local black belt with a big reputation and plenty of press try and pick a fight with little fellow at a bar that did not want to fight my thoughts were proven dead wrong.
See this highly ranked black belt was trying to impress the ladies and when his victim actually fought back well he was in all sorts of trouble.
He couldn’t fight to save himself and had got up and run away.
It made me think and then when I saw children wearing black belts it made me realise its nothing to do with how well one can fight or defend themselves and the average street fighter would have far more ability for real than many of these black belts.
I was out with a group of people once of which some I knew and some I did not. One of these people a large menacing looking chap stood opposite and eye balled me for some time. It was very apparent he had taken a dislike to me for no reason other than that he was a bully.
Tank had taught me not to have direct eye contact before their was a direct threat. But every time I caught a gaze it was menacing and as I had to wait for the others for transport I was in a bit of a spot.
It was obvious to everyone he wanted to bully me and I did not want to fight but if I did it would not be a fair fight and I would take him out the way I had learnt in my years of CQB training. I thought I would try and resolve the matter first and asked him if he was trying to intimidate me and he reply yes so I told him it was working and prepared myself in case he made a move.
I was applying Tank’s you pick the playground and time, when you do and if you do it if you can.
Some time went by and when he was distracted I walked around behind his chair put my foot against the chair leg discreetly and tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He looked up and saw I could have taken him out without him knowing.
Before he could say a word I said well I lied you don’t actually scare me and lets take it into my office as I kept my eyes on him and pointed to the toilet. He filled his boots practically and wouldn’t have a bar of it, lucky for him cause I was well ready for anything and everything as Tank says.
He lost his reputation in an instant and all for nothing other than being an asshole in the beginning.
