Wellness Positive

Self Defense Training - Part III:

The use of Concealed Weapons in Combat..

This section will teach you how to use disguised, concealed weapons that an enemy will not even recognize AS weapons. This deceiving your enemy is one of the core tenets of effective self defense and martial arts instruction and training.

  The weapons you will learn about in this section should be part of any good martial arts or self defense instruction course.. and so, here they are...

Weapon 1) The Disguised Flail:

A Leather Handbag (or any strong bag with a strong strap), with a weight in it...

  The handbag is actually a disguised flail and is deadly because it tends to catch the enemy off guard. Make sure it's made of heavy leather, with a heavy strap that won't break. Put a weight between two to five pounds in it.

  Practice swinging it at a punching bag, but BE CAREFUL - chain weapons like flails (and for practical purposes, this is what this is) tend to bounce back unpredictably. Take care that your don't hurt yourself. At first just put some tightly wadded cloth or something in the bag when you practice to get a 'feel' for how it will bounce. Then, when you do put the weight into the bag, strike slowly at first, getting a feel for the way it moves.

  Once you can control the swings and rebound of the bag, try different swings - sideways, over-arm, under-arm.

  Targets:

• In a real-life combat, aim for the attackers head, if you connect, it is sure to stun him. You can use an over-arm, vertical swing to the attackers head, or you can try a sideways swing that takes him in the temple. You can also hit him with an underarm swing that catches him in the groin.