Sticks are easy to come by

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

If you have enough time you could rip off a chair leg, if you don't have enough time you could just pick up the entire chair and use that. Same thing with umbrellas, if you don't have time to close it you could fight with it open or the umbrella could be closed in the first place in which case you won't have to close it. Usually umbrellas are kept closed except when you're using them to keep dry.

Most people don't have an umbrella handy unless they're using it to keep dry. And you don't need to learn martial arts (and it won't help you) to learn how to throw a chair.

As for keeping the umbrella open, I don't know about where you live, but where I live when it rains it's normally windy. Try quickly taking an umbrella during rain/wind and using it to hit a friend as they mock attack you. It's difficult, and very unlike the stickfighting you learn in MA. At best the umbrella will act as a shield to block the first strike, which might be enough, but again not how stickfighting would teach you to use a stick.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I know a case of this fellow who was out on a date when him and his girlfriend were attacked by these thugs, he was able to retrieve a tire iron from his car and use it to stop the thugs. At least one of them he killed and the others he put in critical condition.

Why did he go back, instead of just having the two hop into the car and leave?

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Obviously sticks aren't going to be magically available whenever you need them but they're more likely to be available than just about any other kind of weapon. You're much more likely to find a stick or something that can substitute as a stick than you are of finding other martial arts weapons. I do think that you shouldn't rely on the chance you might find a stick as a substitute for learning good unarmed fighting skills, but learning to fight with sticks can help if you're in a situation where you have one available.

This is very different than your initial statement. And no one is arguing against this (or at least hasn't so far). Your statement was that sticks are easy to come by. Then you're using specific situations: You're in a locker room with sporting equipment, you have a tire iron and enough time to go to your car but not enough time to leave, you have an umbrella but it's not actually raining. Those are not common situations, and two of them require you to have placed the stick-like object there in advance.

Now the statement: Obviously sticks aren't going to be magically available whenever you need them but they're more likely to be available than just about any other kind of weapon. Is much different, and that one is true. I'm more likely to find a stick than a nunchuck or chain whip, unless I placed one of those in my car (like with the tire iron) or I carry it around with me (like the umbrella), or I'm in a dojo (like the sporting equipment). Similar, but I'd agree that's less likely in general than a stick-like weapon even though I can prepare for either.

This statement but learning to fight with sticks can help if you're in a situation where you have one available. Is also true, but irrelevant.

 

[PhotonGuy]

Sure, sticks are common in the woods. Just not sticks that are viable for self defense or martial arts.

That depends.

If you are attacked in the woods... chances are you will be attacked by a snake or spider.... not a bear or other large animal. I wouldn't advise using a high powered rifle on a spider... unless you last name is Baggins.

Depends on what woods you're in, but if I was attacked by a snake or spider in the woods I would most likely use a stick that I would already be carrying.

 

[PhotonGuy]

Why did he go back, instead of just having the two hop into the car and leave?

Because they were attacking his girlfriend, I suppose he didn't want her to be raped and/or murdered.

 

[PhotonGuy]

This is very different than your initial statement. And no one is arguing against this (or at least hasn't so far). Your statement was that sticks are easy to come by. Then you're using specific situations: You're in a locker room with sporting equipment, you have a tire iron and enough time to go to your car but not enough time to leave, you have an umbrella but it's not actually raining. Those are not common situations, and two of them require you to have placed the stick-like object there in advance.

Now the statement: Obviously sticks aren't going to be magically available whenever you need them but they're more likely to be available than just about any other kind of weapon. Is much different, and that one is true. I'm more likely to find a stick than a nunchuck or chain whip, unless I placed one of those in my car (like with the tire iron) or I carry it around with me (like the umbrella), or I'm in a dojo (like the sporting equipment). Similar, but I'd agree that's less likely in general than a stick-like weapon even though I can prepare for either.

This statement but learning to fight with sticks can help if you're in a situation where you have one available. Is also true, but irrelevant.

So let me ask you this, do you train with weapons? If so, what kinds of weapons and why?

 

[PhotonGuy]

Most people don't have an umbrella handy unless they're using it to keep dry. And you don't need to learn martial arts (and it won't help you) to learn how to throw a chair.

There are other ways to fight with a chair, I wouldn't recommend throwing it.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Because they were attacking his girlfriend, I suppose he didn't want her to be raped and/or murdered.

That's why I asked "the two" of them. Not familiar with the situation, what happened that he could leave and she couldn't? Also if he trained with a different weapon, it stands to reason he would have had that weapon in his car as well.

 

[wab25]

That depends.

Please show me the hanbo like, jo like and bo like sticks in these woods...

Or show a picture of real woods, that has martial arts style sticks, naturally occuring.

 

[wab25]

Depends on what woods you're in

In which woods, would you be more likely to be attacked by a bear or other large animal, than by a snake or spider?

Bears do not live in woods that are devoid of other types of animals... they would starve. For every bear, there are a bunch of snakes and ton of spiders. Bears and other large animals do not usually go after humans... we don't really taste that good. Snakes and spiders are good at hiding... thats usually why they attack... they tried to hide from us, and were successful, in that we didn't see them and stepped on them or sat on them. They don't actually track us down to attack...

 

[PhotonGuy]

That's why I asked "the two" of them. Not familiar with the situation, what happened that he could leave and she couldn't? Also if he trained with a different weapon, it stands to reason he would have had that weapon in his car as well.

First they attacked him then after they knocked him down they turned their attention to his girlfriend, that's when he was able to get the tire iron from under the front seat of his car.
To the best of my knowledge he did not train with any weapons.

 

[PhotonGuy]

Please show me the hanbo like, jo like and bo like sticks in these woods...

Or show a picture of real woods, that has martial arts style sticks, naturally occuring.

Its possible to find a stick in the woods that's strong enough to use as a makeshift weapon.

 

[Steve]

Please show me the hanbo like, jo like and bo like sticks in these woods...

Or show a picture of real woods, that has martial arts style sticks, naturally occuring.

Those aren't woods. Those are pictures. You won't find any sticks in those pictures at all, much less ones that are like a hanbo, bo, or jo.

 

[PhotonGuy]

In which woods, would you be more likely to be attacked by a bear or other large animal, than by a snake or spider?

Alaska comes to mind, they've got the big brown bears in the woods up there.

Out in the midwest its not uncommon to find black bears, grizzly bears, and cougars in the woods.

 

[wab25]

Its possible to find a stick in the woods that's strong enough to use as a makeshift weapon.

Its possible to win the lottery as well.

Any stick you can find in nature that is strong enough to use as a weapon, will be big, heavy and not at all straight.

 

[wab25]

Alaska comes to mind, they've got the big brown bears in the woods up there.

Out in the midwest its not uncommon to find black bears, grizzly bears, and cougars in the woods.

That was not the question. I can find woods all over that have bears and other large animals. I asked in which woods were you more likely to be attacked by the bear than by a snake or spider. You are right, you could have picked the polar arctic and the polar bears... I am not sure there are many snakes or spiders there....

But, any place where there are black bears, grizzly bears and cougars, bobcats or mountain lions... there are snakes and spiders. These large animals do not normally come after people. People are more likely to step on a snake or sit on a spider than they are to be attacked by a bear. I have a bunch of backpacking experience in bear country and in mountain lion country. I have seen bears while pack backing and while fishing. (fishing was the scary one as the bear wanted the fish... no I did not fight the bear with a stick... I laid the fish down for him and backed away slowly... he was happy with the fish) I have been on a number of trips where people with me were bitten by snakes, spiders and a scorpion once. Every time, it was because they stepped on or near a snake they did not see... or sat down near a spider... or a spider hid in their sleeping bag before they got in.

 

[drop bear]

In which woods, would you be more likely to be attacked by a bear or other large animal, than by a snake or spider?

Bears do not live in woods that are devoid of other types of animals... they would starve. For every bear, there are a bunch of snakes and ton of spiders. Bears and other large animals do not usually go after humans... we don't really taste that good. Snakes and spiders are good at hiding... thats usually why they attack... they tried to hide from us, and were successful, in that we didn't see them and stepped on them or sat on them. They don't actually track us down to attack...

 

[Steve]

That was not the question. I can find woods all over that have bears and other large animals. I asked in which woods were you more likely to be attacked by the bear than by a snake or spider. You are right, you could have picked the polar arctic and the polar bears... I am not sure there are many snakes or spiders there....

But, any place where there are black bears, grizzly bears and cougars, bobcats or mountain lions... there are snakes and spiders. These large animals do not normally come after people. People are more likely to step on a snake or sit on a spider than they are to be attacked by a bear. I have a bunch of backpacking experience in bear country and in mountain lion country. I have seen bears while pack backing and while fishing. (fishing was the scary one as the bear wanted the fish... no I did not fight the bear with a stick... I laid the fish down for him and backed away slowly... he was happy with the fish) I have been on a number of trips where people with me were bitten by snakes, spiders and a scorpion once. Every time, it was because they stepped on or near a snake they did not see... or sat down near a spider... or a spider hid in their sleeping bag before they got in.

You seem pretty hung up on spiders and snakes. What are your odds of being "attacked" by a spider in the forest? I think it's somewhere between "highly unlikely" and "practically zero." But I'm prepared to be surprised. Once you share some statistics on that, and come up with that data point, maybe we can find an analogous data point regarding bears.

 

[wab25]

You seem pretty hung up on spiders and snakes. What are your odds of being "attacked" by a spider in the forest? I think it's somewhere between "highly unlikely" and "practically zero." But I'm prepared to be surprised. Once you share some statistics on that, and come up with that data point, maybe we can find an analogous data point regarding bears.

My point was that you are more likely to have issues with snakes and spider than you are to have issues with bears. This comes from experience... being in bear country and seeing people bit by spiders and snakes instead of by bears.

But lets get some data...
Bear Attacks | Wise About Bears

Black bears have killed 67 people across North America since 1900

Spider Bites: How Dangerous Are They?

So how deadly are black widows? Not as deadly as we tend to believe. According to the National Poison Data Center, about 1,800 Americans were bitten by them in 2013.

Snakebite envenoming.

Though the exact number of snake bites is unknown, an estimated 5.4 million people are bitten each year with up to 2.7 million envenomings.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

So let me ask you this, do you train with weapons? If so, what kinds of weapons and why?

I missed this initially.
"do you train with weapons": I do.

"what kinds of weapons": Currently, I train primarily stick, machete, and knife (well-sort of currently. Haven't been in the gym for a bit, and the snow makes it difficult to train outside). I've also trained nunchuck, sai, bo staff, and a couple of different sword styles.

"why?": I enjoy it. That's really the main reason; I'm not really expecting to get into a SD situation where I have a weapon on me, and if that was my main concern, statistically I'd probably be better off just training cardio and sprinting a ton.

As to where I think you're going with this, yes I train with sticks and knives. I actually think there's a good chance I will have a knife or a improvised knife (scissor, pen, screwdriver, etc.) available, but that is because I'm almost always carrying one of those on me. So it's a matter of me being prepared, not a matter of there always being something easily found (although with an improvised knife the odds are much higher than other weapons). As for a stick, like I said there are very specific situations that I wouldn't rely on getting attacked in, but I can prepare by having one in my car or near my front door, for instance. But back when I was training another weapon, I'd be just as likely to have a sai, for instance, in those places. Depending on where I was, you might even be able to hide a sai or nunchuck in a backpack or a purse/man-bag if you wanted, that you can grab easily.