i have to say something concerning self defence.

i see plenty of women encouraged to go buy mace or pepper spray or a gun, keep it in their purse, then go about secure in the knowlege that they can handle anything.

what i don't see is a great deal of training in the use of self defence measures. the human body responds instinctively to panic situations, and will only respond with the correct measure of violence if properly trained.

i don't mean the gun range.

set up the drill like sparring in a dojo; one person attacks, the other defends. drill in every manner you can concieve of until the responses come without thought. be sure to have a partner who is larger or at least stronger, to adequately simulate an attack.

a good knife with the skill to use it can save a person's life; without skill it's less than useless.

guns are different. a good loud bang, even if you can't hit an elephant at ten yards will often stop a potential attack, and during a struggle you don't have to worry about hitting anything - they're so close.

still the best defence is actual self defence. take martial arts, because your body is the only thing you can almost totally rely on in a stress situation. there are bones one can break and holds one can execute with very little strength brought to bear.

it all comes down to the preparation.

i am a huge proponent of martial arts because it will also train your mind to handle the overload during a combat situation. because in my experience, and this is just me, by the time i've ever known it was a fight or flight thing, flight was already out the window. so the mind must be trained to respond proactively, agressively, and with the utmost violence.

obeying marquis of queensbury rules when i was a boy got me hospitalized.

do whats necessary to live with the least amount of injury to you, and let the jury sort it out later.

sorry this is so long, as you can tell its an issue i feel very strongly about.

-matin