subject: Self Defense Weapons - Use This Common Everyday Item To Defend Yourself Against An Unsuspecting Thug [print this page] Self defense weapons are not limited to knives, guns, pepper spray, and martial arts weapons. If you're really serious about learning to protect yourself against any attacker, then you must learn to use everyday items for self defense.
This article shows you several ways to use a very common item to confuse, defend against, and literally turn the tables on an attacker. After reading this, you will have added one more self defense weapon, and several more strategies to your ability to protect and defend yourself and others against the rising crime rate in today's often dangerous world.
The item that I want to focus on in this article is... the magazine!
This can, of course, include newspapers, and even larger paperback books. But, the focus is on using an item that has the same qualities as many other self defense and martial arts weapons - if you can learn to see beyond the form of the weapon, to what gives it its power.
Here are several ways to use a magazine as a self defense weapon:
1) Parrying - By holding a magazine, book, or newspaper in an open position, with the spine toward yourself, you can effectively parry and deflect incoming blows. The thickness of the paper also gives you an added level of protection against sharp weapons like knives, broken bottles, or small pieces of metal or glass.
2) Striking - By rolling a magazine into a tube, you create a very powerful clubbing weapon. Paperback books, because of their greater thickness, can be held so as to strike with the corners or edge of the item. Using these items this way, and striking at the correct angle, gives you the potential to actually break bones, or to leave the attacker unconscious.
3) Distracting - By throwing or fanning a magazine, you can allow the air current and natural tendency of the pages to flutter and distract your attacker long enough to escape or take the fight to him with a technique of your own.
4) Blinding - By using one of the other strategies listed to parry or otherwise create an opening, you can sidestep his advances and take a position where you can use the open pages to cover his eyes. From this new blinded position and state, the attacker will have lost any advantage that he had because he will not be able to find you as easily. I'm sure you can see what kind of advantage this gives you!
5) Shielding - Prisoners and gang members know that placing an opened magazine under your shirt and flat against your torso - especially one with thicker, glossy pages - creates a type of body armor against everything from punches to stabs and cuts from knives. Remember that lessons can come from anywhere, and knowing this little strategy can give you an edge in situations where you have time to prepare and you might not be able to escape or otherwise avoid the attack when he does find you.
In a self defense situation, as with any other aspect of your life - you are only limited by the options you have prepared yourself with before the moment arrives.
