Recovery From a Guillotine Choke

For those of us who don’t have the time or luxury, for whatever reason, of carrying self defense deterrents like steel batons or stun batons, we learn to rely on our fighting skills when needed, to escape some of the most brutal situations that one could imagine.

Imagine a physical altercation with a very violent opponent. He’s throwing punches so hard and fast that you’re about to get hit and you grab him/her around the waist. Imagine an altercation or attack that leads to a physical struggle with the attacker. You are in the midst of a real fight now and you fall forward, or the attacker moves back a step and you’re hanging on to them around the waist. These are two of many scenarios, where you can find yourself “guillotined” by a good street fighter. This means he is standing straight and you are wrapped around his waistline and facing him. He will immediately wrap the arm around your neck and lock it to the other hand. Where are you? Bent over, facing the opponent, and he has you choked with the arm of the side your head is on and is locking it up with the “off hand” side. A very dangerous position from which you can be choked unconscious, or dead. Also, you can get your neck “cranked”, resulting in permanent pain, paralysis, or death.

Let’s see what we can type out here that might help you if you find yourself in this unenviable position. Read carefully a couple of times and try it out with a buddy carefully. Ladies, try it on a huge man (carefully) – you will not be injured! You must first shut down the choke or crank around your neck. This is done by using the hand that is the opposite of the side he has you “caught” on. Ok, we’ll illustrate your “head against the left side of the opponent” and bent forward, and in front, with the opponent’s left arm wrapping your neck and his right arm, coming across his body to lock the hands together and finish you off. Not today!

Reach up with your right arm and grab clothing flesh, wrists- anything, pull down hard and maintain the pressure. This gives you space and precious breathing room. Now with your left arm, throw it over his right shoulder deeply and grab as much clothing as you can, or if “bare chested” just clutch as tightly against his back as possible. Now he is anchored completely by this counter measure. He can’t crank your neck or choke you since you are holding his wrists away enough to create breathing room, and your grip with the left arm over his shoulder, makes it impossible to lift you up, or lean back enough to gain any leverage at all. If he jerks or tries to raise you up he’ll literally have to lift your “dead weight” off the ground. I have let large men, in training sessions, apply this and as hard as they tried, they could only manage to bounce me around, since my wrapping arm makes me a completely immovable object. They will always abandon the hold, after tiring and then we mount a vicious counter attack.

Remember to start this carefully when practicing. You are responsible for your training partner’s safety, and he is likewise charged with protecting you, as you train with these techniques. Remember to train the other side – just switch the scenario from above, to being guillotined on the opponent’s right side and switch the defense to left hand pulls down their wrists and the right arm wraps their left shoulder. Good luck!

Can You Help Me Save My Life Cheaply Plz!

A departure from my last post about phone recorders, I’d like to tell you about one of my everyday conversations with a person that wanted to purchase some Mace defense spray.

She called me this afternoon, after emailing earlier in the day. She has a niece in college and wanted to make sure she got some “good” Mace and just the right model for the niece and one for herself. She seemed apprehensive when I asked her if she was interested in one of several, hair raisingly loud personal alarms for them to carry. She was adamant that she at least needed Mace, and perhaps she would like a stun baton. Well, she’s my kinda gal, she was ripe to put a hurting on whoever messed with either of these ladies. I explained that the stun baton was very effective but it only gave her a 16 or 20 inch reach, which put her in grappling range if something went wrong with her, the stun baton, or both. She heartily agreed and we began to talk about Mace in earnest now.

She asked me how one of the small keychain models would do, and would I recommend it. I told her that it was a very small unit and very potent, but the problem with it, as I saw it, was that it had a range of 10 feet maximum, contained no marking dye for police identification, and only carried 5 one second bursts. The price, about $10, but for another $5.50 she could purchase Mace’s new offering – Pepper Gel! This stuff is awesome, the “small” sized canister carries 7 one second bursts, has an effective range of 18 feet (count ‘em), contains a marking dye and best of all shoots with pinpoint accuracy, in a tight, thin stream and on contact with the attacker, splatters like glue all over their face and sticks quite nicely. Any attempt to wipe it away only grinds the pepper gel deeper into the skin, and worsening the effects, that can last up to 45 minutes.

She tried to steer me back into recommending the little keychain model to her but I wouldn’t budge. I have seen Mace pepper gel actually fired onto a dummy’s head, and you can believe that attackers wouldn’t want anything but to run away after taking a plastering of OC pepper which sticks like that. They would just want to breathe, see, and find water to wash it off, which isn’t as easily done as it is to type the words. Finally this lady said, “well the smaller canister would be ok, don’t you think”? I told her, “you called me asking for my recommendations and I’ve given them to you, you agree that the product I recommended is far superior than the keychain model, but you’re talking about your life being on the line and won’t spend an extra $5.50 to get the best deterrent available for what you need”? There was a hush for a second, and she told me “you’re absolutely right, you can’t put a price tag on your life”. Ahhh, I thought, we’ve landed on the same page!

Telephone Voice Recorders

Recording of telephone conversations can be a useful tool for many professionals. Insurance adjusters, journalists, lawyers, doctors and many more require accuracy and details of facts, while creating a permanent record of a telephone conversation. Not just professionals have seen uses for having a phone recorder. If you are being harassed, it could be valuable proof when making your case to the authorities. In all sorts of business settings they are already being used. Remember the little message “this call may be recorded for training and other purposes“?

Whether for business or home use you’ll have a perfect recording every time. The telephone tape recorder will record every detail of your conversations while on the phone. Record both sides of the conversation, as well as, answering machine messages or voice mail. You can also use the phone conversation recorder as a “standard recorder” to tape classes, meetings, or even dictating your notes. Information is usually stored on a cassette, to be played again whenever you might need to listen to the phone conversation.

These telephone recorders, and other telephone surveillance devices are not intended for the unauthorized reception and/or recording of wired or verbal communications and should never be used for any such purposes. These recorders may only be used only in a legal and lawful manner, and in accordance with all applicable Federal, State and Local laws and regulations that govern their use.

I would recommend that anyone using a phone recording device make certain under what circumstances their use is permissible. I do not advocate the “unlawful” use of these devices, but I’m quite sure that after further research, you may find a lot of latitude for having one of these handy little phone conversation recorders.

How many times have you seen that headline in newsletters, SPAM emailing, and now even on TV! Yup, there’s a ton of money changing hands on eBay every day. I have bought and sold a little bit on eBay so I can attest to that firsthand. I am still appalled at their rate hikes, that went from being too much to being ridiculous.

I have a close friend that sells on eBay frequently. Now at the time this occurred, stun batons were legal (and still may not be) in California, or even in the jurisdiction where eBay headquarters are located. He bought 20 units of 500,000 volt stun batons, and the same amount of 300,00 volt stun batons, then posted them on eBay for auction. He posted them as 1 day auctions and started the low bid at $39, (the price he sells them for in his store) and put a “Buy it Now” button up for $65 (on a lark). By the time he posted all of the auctions he had sold 10 units at the “Buy it Now” price (plus shipping) and about fell out of his chair! He told me it was like a fairy tale. Every time he opened his email a few more were sold at the $65 “Buy it Now” price. The eBayers were eating them up as fast as they could buy them. Like stuff legends are made of!

Now before my pal could forecast his future earnings, complete with new cars, vacations and such, eBay hit him with a very stern warning letter that the items weren’t allowed under eBay policies, then de-listed the balance of his auctions. Not to be so easily dissuaded, he replaced the auctions with different keyword titles, like Stun Gun Batons and Long Reach Stun Guns, which is actually what they are. He was mad because others were selling stun guns but a stun gun at the end of a 20 inch polymer handle was not allowed. This made no sense. He sold a bunch more and finally was caught up with again, and had the balance of the auctions de-listed and caught a 30 day suspension. After a brilliant presentation of the penal codes for eBay’s location, their contradictory position on stun guns being allowable and stun batons not, he sent it to eBay. I told him he was wasting his time, but he had to vent after losing a long overdue “windfall” in the stun baton business. He even got sales for a couple of weeks from customers who bought one and wanted more, or customers who were going to buy one and found them missing. I guess he should have been happy with his quick grand or so, but he got into the jam and now he had to pull 30 days suspension and eBay’s moronic canned responses to his eloquent defenses of his auctions.

It fell on deaf ears, as could be seen in reading their answers to his emails. So, yup, you can knock down and enormous amount of money auctioning goods on eBay. It’s just awfully hard to find the perfect item to offer to a hungry mob of targeted buyers. And don’t forget to pick an item that’s not illegal to auction.

Treachery on the High Seas?

The same kind of accidents that can occur on dry land also occur on cruise ships: slip and falls, flying/falling objects, plus cool new ones like falling or being thrown overboard. Not to mention other dangers like rare diseases, thieves, rapists, and terrorists!

“Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness among passengers forced (several cruise company names withheld) to cut a string of cruises short. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the Norwalk virus, not terrorism is to blame. But the swift spread of the virus suggests cruise ships are easy targets for biological attacks and other terrorist threats.” So now rare deadly diseases and terrorist attacks are to be a consideration?

That’s what we’re used to reading in the newspaper and hearing on the TV. We don’t hear anything about incidents of crime though.

Crime also takes place aboard on cruise ships. Some of them are committed by passengers, but much more are by the crew members. The vast majority of crimes aboard the cruise ships are various incidents of theft. Also, the U.S. Attorney General’s office in Miami reports that three of every four incidents of crime on cruise ships reported in Miami, are sexual offenses and mostly against young women aged 21 and under. It’s time for the cruise industry to step up security. It’s a small price to pay for a shattered life. Added security should not be looked at as a loss of revenue, but a necessary business expense with a long term view to increased ticket sales, and subsequent increase in bottom line profits.

Without taking the risk of smuggling some sort of weapon on your vacation (who needs the hassle), something every traveler should have with them is a portable room alarm, that will sound a loud alarm if anyone enters or even moves after they’ve gone to bed. An absolute necessity in my opinion, is one of a few personal alarms with a door or window accessory. These are very nice, not considered dangerous like Mace or a stun gun, and they can be carried and activated by hand if the need arises. They also double as a door knob alarm and some come with a clip accessory that attaches to a door or window, and sounds the alarm if someone tries to gain entry. They are cheap and a wonderful source of protection for “personal carry”, and in your hotel or cruise ship cabin. Another consideration is that these powerful little alarms are priced from about $10 and up, so who should be without one on their next cruise?

Escaping the Headlock

One of the most common questions we get while exploring “real” street fight scenarios is, “how do I escape a headlock”. Well, that’s a good question and there are many answers, but let’s take a look at a “scenario”. Your opponent is tall or short, thick or lanky, trained or just a tough fighter? All of these may come into play when moving to the most effective escape. For instance, a trained judo or jiu-jitsu fighter will be a formidable opponent to try and remove, you will most probably sustain some injury in escaping, or they may simply work to a different more lethal hold like a rear choke hold, or maybe take you down hard to the floor.

Let’s assume that this escape sequence is directed toward the most common foe, who may have a bit of fighting background and is primarily a streetfighter. If you have had words, a confrontation or just get “bull-dogged” for some reason, and find yourself in a solid headlock (bent forward and standing side by side to the opponent), you won’t have much time to act before you get your neck injured or worse. If you don’t carry a a good fighting knife it’s time for some grappling! Here’s a favorite escape that will work almost all of the time and against the majority of opponents.

You’re bent forward and in a headlock while standing roughly side by side with your opponent and he is to your left (the reverse of sides works the same). 1.) shut down the choke by bringing the hands up, digging them into the forearm wrapping your throat, and pulling down while turning your chin into the crook of his arm (don’t let go!). 2.) step slightly back with your left leg, positioning it either alongside your opponent’s leg or slightly behind. 3A.) Now thrust your left knee and shin “sideways” against your opponents right leg (the side with the arm wrapping your neck) and it will immediately buckle under a very small amount of pressure, causing him to fall face first into the floor, and giving you his open back to pounce on with an easy “naked choke” from the rear. 3B.) If your step brought your left leg slightly “behind” his knee, then simply kneel down inside his right leg with your knee directly behind the opponent’s knee and drive it into the floor, causing a lot of damage to his knee, while pulling his arms down from the headlock. He’ll need to catch his balance which you have broken. This method also offers the opponent’s back to you briefly to execute a rear choke hold, escape the situation, or land blows with your hands or feet.

I hope that readers will never find themselves in a tightly cinched headlock, but the next time I do, the methods I described above will probably be exactly what I use.

TELESPY- Intrusion Auto-Dialer System

Here’s a cool new home or room alarm system that is very creative and can offer solid peace of mind for those who will see it’s immediate great features!  A real working “slim line” phone that combines telephone and motion sensitive alarm technologies into an awesome new motion sensitive auto-dialer unit.

Have you ever worked the evening or night shifts? Have you ever wondered if your apartment, room or home is being used or entered without your permission? Have you just wondered if someone has slipped inside and may be hiding in wait for you to arrive? This little phone will set your mind to rest! It uses modern motion sensor technology already in use in home and room alarms with added technology that allows you to program any phone number you want TeleSpy to call, and turn the motion sensor switch to on. If motion is detected, the phone dials the number you entered and you will be able to listen in from an amplified microphone on the unit. The TeleSpy allows you to decide from a safe location, and decide if it’s a friend or intruder, before you call the police. It allows you to listen for about 30 seconds, then it disconnects and instantly re-arms, to detect again as often as necessary.

Talk about cheap insurance at under $80, and what’s the price tag for never having any fear of coming to an empty home again! This is a really super intruder alert with a hi-tech, remote dialing system inside, and you’ll get a high quality, attractive phone to boot! We’ll keep you posted as this new product is sold, used and feedback from users is more accessible.

Personal Alarms in a Clinical Setting

There has been great interest in personal alarms for use in “managed” or “supervised” hospital sections, where nurses, technicians and other key personnel have started employing the same type of protection that we’ve advocated for citizens at risk from assaults. Small and inexpensive, they can be carried easily in a pocket, belt, or keychain. Staff members who work in “at risk” facilities, where violence could break out, or where extra help is needed immediately for any of a number of reasons, have been increasingly relying on personal alarms to immediately be heard and located. I spoke to one Nursing Administrator who told me they were the cheapest insurance she had ever invested in for her staff, who manage care of patients who sometimes become completely out of control, and pose a risk to themselves or others. She went on to tell me that all of her staff has one while on duty and they have been used successfully with a more rapid, and effective response, than with their previous alarm protocols. “They just feel much safer anywhere, at anytime with the alarms.”

The two favorite models “hands down” are both dual purpose alarms, the personal and door knob alarm is one of them, the other is the personal door and window alarm. I highly doubt that they’re using the door knob feature, or the door/window accessory of these dual purpose little powerhouses, but if you had to know if a door was going to be opened, then either would fit that bill as well. They are in the 130db range with a very shrill tone, similar to a smoke detector and seem even louder. I think as more administrators “network” and discuss their use of these alarms, that they’ll become standard issue for personnel at these types of hospitals, and/or managed housing communities. It’s always nice to hear that creative people have found new and interesting new ways to use items I’ve reviewed, while also keeping safe with them.