My Thoughts on Best Self Defense techniques for travelers and nomads (and info)

Hello! Prior to working in PC and Tech full time, I went to the Law Enforcement Academy, and trained as a Severe Weather Rescuer. This means that I have training in combat and survival. I wanted to share my thoughts on that training as someone who has been through it

In the process of that.. I am hoping that I can share something that will help others handle a wide variety of situations

Before I start.. These are just my thoughts and I am sharing them. You have to do what you think is best for you. I want to ensure that is clear

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Now I will talk about physical fitness. Most of what I will share will require some level of physical fitness. I know everyone is busy but hear me out. I believe I have a solution for the busy bees.. One that worked for me

The last Physical Fitness Trainer I had was the one to teach me an old work out schedule. One from well before my time. It was designed for the Military. To train recruits who were not in the best of shape or did not have a good diet. When I was told this I doubted it but I gave it a try and it worked out great for me

The 3 day modular is its name. As it implies, it only requires 3 days of your week to do. You pick a day to start on your upper body. This is any machine or dead lift from the hips up. The next day is rest day. After that is lower body (hips and down). After that is rest day. Then after that is upper body again. This is how the cycle repeats

I would recommend talking to a Physical Fitness Trainer about this because my training was more than 10 years ago. There was likely a lot of things discovered on a science level.. In terms of whether or not you need 5 minutes or warm up or not. Or if 20 reps is the best for endurance training. The other portions of the 3 day modular is likely intact though because it is a focused work out schedule

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Once you have a good fitness routine, then it is likely a good idea to start a martial art. To that end.. I have spent a lot of time looking back at my training and trying new things. What I concluded based on that is that you need a martial art that can change with you. This was something I did not understand or appreciate until I was older, and had been through injuries

What I mean is picking a martial art that does not require a lot of energy and flexibility. I could barely do the high kicks from Tae Kwon Do in my youth. 20 years later, I can't do it all. Had I stuck to Tae Kwon Do, it would of been a waste of time for me

-The other lesson I learned was that the more niche martial arts like Kali for example.. There is not a lot of places to train in that, in the world. Sure it was great training for me but I found it hard to maintain that training as I traveled the world because of how rare it is

-I would say the last lesson I learned is to pick a martial art that can complete the defense in as few moves as possible. You only have so much memory to work with. If a martial art takes more memory than you are capable of, you have a good chance of hesitating

With these lessons in mind, these are what I would consider to be the ones that fit this description:

-Krav Maga - Military based martial art. Common enough in the world to where each region has at least 1 organization overseeing the training for all countries in that region. Some Krav Maga places teach the "defang the snake" technique (more on that later)

-Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee's martial art. There are a few students from Bruce's lineage alive and well today, that teach this. Like Krav Maga there is a chance "defang the snake" is taught. It all depends because Bruce Lee taught them to take what is useful and throw the rest away

-Aikido - This is one you have to do research on because like Jeet Kune Do, there is different groups practicing what they think is best

-Kali - Assuming you are in a part of the world where there is Filipino culture.. Then I can recommend this one. If you can't find it, the next closest "family member" is Eskrima. Both are by definition a mixed martial art like Jeet Kune do. This is because it teaches you both weapon and hand to hand. Even if you don't use weapons, it does teach you ambidexterity

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Quick note before I move in to defense tools and "defang the snake". I am aware that a lot of people recommend Jiu-Jitsu or Muay Thai. There is a reason I am not including it in the above list and I want to explain why

When I was Rescue, I was always alone. For this reason, I trained with the mind set that I will likely be on my own against groups. Jiu-Jitsu is not good for that because in a street fight where things get dirty.. It is much better to disable or stay at a distance. A lesson I learned the hard way. That said, if it works for you then by all means

As for Muay Thai the problem with that one is it teaches all striking (more or less). It is the same problem that Law Enforcement has with SPEAR training. It doesn't provide you with techniques for disabling. Also it relies on "brute force" which is a quick way to lose energy in a fight

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Ok now for "defang the snake" because it was mentioned up there and it will be important for understanding my reasons for why I think certain self defense tools are good

"Defang the snake" is the technique's literal name in English. It is not hard to find a Youtube video on it. All it is, is using a blunt weapon or blade to strike at a person's hand. The idea is to disable the hand holding the weapon that is attacking you. This will put them out of them fight in addition to removing that problem

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The unfortunate reality is that a lot of countries have archaic laws when it comes to weapons that are perfect for self defense. Like the folding baton. If that was legal in more countries, it could fit in your pocket and be a perfect "defang the snake" tool

Knowing that is unlikely you will ever be able to use that tool, the next object I found to be good with "defang the snake" is the Kubaton. It is a solid piece of metal with a very specific design to the end of it. It is intended to cause severe nerve damage. It does require precise strikes for that to work though

If you are not comfortable using the Kubaton and if it is legal there is Mace,Pepper Spray, Stun Guns, and Sap Gloves

- Mace/Pepper Spray - The difference with these two is that Mace is an irritant while Pepper Spray is intended to disable. These differences are important because of legality reasons but also because if you spray someone close to you, there is a chance you will get a dose of it. There are Tactical Glasses that double as Sunglasses which will reduce the chance of you getting sprayed but don't count on it. It is not a complete defense

- Sap Gloves - These are gloves with metal plates on the back hand and knuckles. The original designers intended for this to make punches hurt worse. I don't think they realized it happens to be also good at blocking hits. Some of these gloves have an extended wrist guard intended to stop knives

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I am going to create a line between the above and Stun Guns because this will require a bit of an explanation. Not for legal reasons but tactical reasons

-Tasers are the ones that release prongs that will carry the electrical current. The prongs at the end of the Taser vary by model or brand. Some are designed like barbs while others are designed like spears. This is because thick clothing like Sweaters can defeat the prongs.. Even if you have the ones designed like a spear. This makes it a gamble though in my opinion not as much of a gamble as a Stun Gun

-Stun Guns are the opposite. The electrical current flows between the battery and two things that look like a pylon. Because of this, all it needs is contact with the person. This makes it very difficult to defeat however it does require you to be real close to the person

This is why in the earlier sections, I was recommending Kali. Kali was great practice for ambidexterity (for me). I learned to do hand to hand combat while holding a Stun Gun

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Defending yourself isn't always about preparing for a fight though. There are things you can do to ensure you are likely to never end up in one. This includes being aware of your surroundings.. Exits, places that look like trouble and things like that

-If you are staying at a hotel, use a door stop under the door before you go to bed. This makes it much more difficult to force the door open

-Knowing that Linkedin Auto Mod bots are sensitive I am going to filter the nickname to "chemical strips". There is a pink strip you can buy in bulk that reacts to chemicals in drinks. Dip one in your drink before taking a sip if you are alone at an event or bar just to make sure

I haven't had to look in a few years but I remember the strips were 10 cents a piece which made bulk buying affordable (I think)

If you ever need to know which brands are authentic, you can try looking at your Police Department's website. There is a type of Officer called a "Community Resource Officer" (CRO). These officers usually handle complaints from the community but sometimes they are tasked with compiling resources for people going to events, or for victims of a crime. They post their data base on the website usually

-On the note of Officers.. Most don't know this but some countries or states do have a law where you can ask for the limited record of a person if you are concerned for your safety. It will be limited to their criminal record if that law is active

-Another good one to point out is one of those it depends on the country but some countries have a program where the Officers work closely with the citizens to keep an eye on things or plan for the safety of the community. In the United States this is usually the Citizens Academy (as an example)

This is good to know because a lot of people in the CA program are locals. This means they know the area better than most people. Asking them for advice or information is certainly worth a try

-If the CA (or equivalent) is not helpful, check to see if the area has an organization devoted to retired First Responders. I can't speak for everyone but from what I have seen.. Most first responders are happy to tell you about their city or look out for you. And sometimes they are happy to hang out. I am aware of that because I do my best to be active with those organizations

-If that doesn't work try the Ambassadors or Travel Agents. Travel agents are most of the time locals to the area. They know it well. They can direct you to groups or organizations sometimes in addition to that

Not every city has it but there is sometimes an Ambassador program that is responsible for talking to Businesses. To determine how the city can best work with them to promote safety to them and their customers. They aren't Police Officers but like the CA and Travel Agents they are knowledgeable

-Should all of that fail.. There is usually an information line for the City. This can either be through your Embassy or through the City itself

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This is all I can think of at this time. If you wish to add your information, write this article better, have questions or anything else.. Drop it in the comments!

Defang The Snake Technique explained by a Jeet Kune Do practitioner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_UYOqCsr7E

Explained by Filipino Martial Art practitioner (not sure which one but I can tell the terms are accurate): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_k3Idvpy5M