Tsugumo: If that pen had hit me in the neck their is a small chance that it could have ended my life. However, in all liklihood it would have shattered, left a line of ink on my neck, or perhaps left a small scratch or cut (granted a direct thrust to the adam’s apple might have been somewhat more shocking but frankly he would have been better served hit with a toho (not sure how to describe it in english)or various other empty handed strikes that anybody can learn in a two week intensive self defense seminar (the bold word being especially vital). The problem is that no matter how much force you put behind it a pen was never designed to strike a human body. This is not to say that striking with a pen or key will never work. If it never worked then it would have long since died as a myth; however, in a real self protection scenario you have to go with tactics/techniques/mindsets that have the highest probablity of success. When under serious attack you cannot afford to roll the dice and hope that this is the time that the pen to the neck (key to the face/neck) is going to work. Don’t take my word for it. Take a course from RMCAT (Rocky Mountain Combat Applications Training) or LFI (Lethal Force Institute), they’ll tell you the same thing.
For example, earlier we got off on a tangent of the effectiveness of a key rake vs a four finger rake. The fact is both techniques are pretty low on the list of effectiveness (although I still marginally prefer the finger rake since it gives you more control and a better chance of scoring that vital eye gouge) and I wouldn’t recommend either except in some pretty specific situations but for self protection unless you make a lifetime study of it the study of specific techniques for specific scenarios if foolish (this is the great bane of the large bulk of self defense taught in so many schools. Although this is useful training for the beginner some schools never grow out of do 1->2->3 against X).
This is the same reason why owning a gun is sheer stupidity if you don’t bother to learn shooting under adrenal stress. An untrained shooter will with with roughly 1/10 bullets! Since the maximum allowable clip for civilians in the USA is 10 bullets you do the math! And a single gun shot wound is unlikely to stop an assailant, at least not immediately. A trained police officer will only with 4/10 shots. This is why the police are taught to empty their guns or until the attacker goes down. Owning a gun without training is rolling dice. It is idiocy from the perspective of self protection.
Also, if we are assuming somebody who does not wish to dedicate a considerable amount of time to the study of self defense, then let us not forget that such a person won’t always have a pen or key handy. When a rapist wakes you up in the middle of the night it is pretty handy to know how to gouge his eyes out with the palm heel strike I mentioned earlier (as you can tell it is one of my favorites). The importance of focusing on the few most consistently effective strikes is vital for the person who will take a 2-3 week course a 2-3 week refresher every year. As for the person who wishes to learn nothing, well, all I can is focus on the aspect of mindset that I have posted in other threads, and if you learn those you still should do okay (“Strong on Defense” by Sanford Strong, a truly inspirational book on the power on the untrained armed with the right mindset).
Tsugumo: About your post concerning muggings.
- Predetermination. Just as predetermination is a vital part of the defensive mindset (hell, it is the defensive mindset), it a major part of the criminal psyche. The criminal has pretty much decided what he is going to do to you as a part of his crime, so if he plans to bust you up or kill you then that what he is going to try to do. Of course, it is possible that a mugger might become more hostile if he feels you are holding out on him. It is vital to recognize this and attack immediately (I say this because if there was already a chance of escape you should have already taken it). As I posted earlier, crime rates are dropping but the violence level is rising, and the trivial causes for the violence are becoming well …more trivial. Again all the more reason to not be there. The “fake” wallet is a terrific thing to do when done in conjunction with running away. It isn’t unheard of for a mugger to pat you down for any further goods, and again if he feels you are trying to make a fool of him (i.e. he finds your real wallet) things could get worse, but all in all it is something I believe in.
As a general rule of thumb, compliance with a criminal comes behind escape and attack, and compliance should only be used in conjunction with a plan for escape. And of course never ever go where a criminal tells you to go. There is only ONE reason why a criminal wants to move you … seclusion. If he wants to move you it is because he feels in jeopardy. Even when facing a gun it is better to run or even get shot where you stand (although of no surprise I recommend running then daring him to shoot you) then go where he wants to take you. If you are in public there is a good chance that you will get medical help and survive (75-80% chance of surviving a single gun shot wound), if you get to a secluded spot then there will be no help coming.
As for throwing your car keys away. It all depends. If you can throw them and run so that the criminal has the choice of either chasing you or getting the keys, then this is sound (it is akin to the fake wallet thing). However, you should not throw them away if there is no chance for you to use this as an escape. I.e. if you are already in your car, or if the criminal if already grabbling with you. Also, keep in mind that your car may be your best chance of escape and you are throwing that away. Whatever the case may be you should not throw them (or anything else) at the criminal as this can cause him to pull the trigger on his gun or cause him to react in some other aggressive manner, which is not what you want.