Absolutely. We know now, definitively, that aikido is at least as good as no training when faced with a drunk who had just fallen down a flight of stairs. Those guys on Reddit can suck it.
I think it's great to hear about these stories also. Reading the article, it seems like he solved the problem with some simple school yard level shoving. However who knows, maybe his Akido helped him in this situation more than the description implies.
I got stabbed in the back with a bayonet by a drunken Marine who was trying to keep me from apprehending his buddy, who was also highly intoxicated. Drunks can still hurt you, and they're generally more willing to try. I applaud anyone who defends themselves against a home invader, whether they do it with their martial arts training or a kitchen utensil.
A large portion of violent confrontations involve substance abuse of some sort. Based on my experience of a lifetime spent in the ER, I will say well over half. Being intoxicated doesn't generally make someone less dangerous. In many ways, the lowering of inhibitions or outright drug-induced psychosis makes people more dangerous.
And your experience is what, exactly?
I don't disagree. My only point regarding intoxication is that I have been face to face with a great number of intoxicated people. I also use to show up and deal with those who were trying to get into strangers houses. From my experience at that point, most of them in that particular situation are literally fall down with a finger push drunk.
Possibly the most casual comment about being stabbed ever! I do hope it wasn't a bad stabbing, you know, as stabbings go...
I was kneeling on the ground, applying hand irons, and his buddy came running up behind me and stabbed me in the back with his bayonet. I was wearing my flack jacket and it penetrated maybe a quarter inch or less into my right shoulder. Bled a bit. My partner took him down as he tried to stab me again. I hardly noticed it had gone through the flack jacket at the time. Hurt a bit later after I got it bandaged and was trying to sleep.
Legit. Any lessons learned?
Police work is dangerous. Having a partner in hostile territory is good.
Yes. It's hard to quantify just how much more of a complex problem you present to a criminal when you have a partner. I think it's one of the most tactical things you can do, is to not isolate yourself. But officers still get excited and Lone Ranger too many calls.
Regardless of one's opinion of aikido as an effective fighting system, it can certainly teach basic principles of evasion, calmness, balance and leverage. Just these skills alone can be useful with dealing with a drunk and allow him to defeat himself. In fact, IMO, a drunk's lack of coordination and balance, and exaggerated movements, make him the perfect opponent for an aikido defender.
I totally agree with all of this.
