Black Medicine Anthology

by N. Mashiro

  For both foot and hand attacks against you, simply use the club to "punish" whatever hand or foot, arm or leg comes within reach. This very quickly saps his will to continue as well as reduces his ability to fight. Bad guys don't like to get hurt. Nobody does.

  Attacks Against the Torso

  The club offers four effective attacks to the torso. The problem is that you have to get past the attacker's punches and kicks first. These techniques are best thought of as counterattacks you can shift to after landing a good, solid block.

  Here's a simple example borrowed from saber play. The attacker throws a right-hand punch at your face. You block it with the club, hitting the inside of his wrist and knocking his arm off to the side (to your left, his right). This "opens" him up for a moment, exposing the right side of his body to attack. Raise the club up slightly just above head level will do-and snap it down sharply on his right collar bone. The bone is about the size of a chicken drumstick bone, and a solid blow will break it. You may actually hear it snap. If the bone breaks, the attacker will definitely be out of the fight, since the fracture effectively paralyzes both arms.

  Here's a more aggressive move for those situations where you cannot afford to take a purely defensive role. Raise the club up over your head as if you were about to swing down at his skull. Fake him out. Make him fling his arms upward to ward off the blow. Then make a fast semicircular swing that brings the club in sideways at about waist level. Hit the last few ribs on the opponent's left side. Alternately, strike sharply at the opponent's hip bone. Just aim for the belt where it crosses the side of the body and swing as hard as you can.

  One of my favorite techniques is to hold the club down by your leg loosely during the initial confrontation with the opponent. Let it dangle a little. When the action starts, simply snap the club directly forward and up between his legs. This move is every bit as sudden and painful as it sounds, but it has to be delivered very suddenly and with absolutely no warning.

  Attacks to the Head and Neck

  I said before that the opponent will expect you to swing at his head with the club. I think this is an actual human instinct springing directly from our genes. Modern anthropology has shown that our ancestors had a merry time killing baboons using bone clubs. The piles of fractured baboon skulls in ancient South African caves bear mute testimony to the effectiveness of the club in prehuman hands.

  I hesitate to recommend club attacks to the head simply because it is too easy to kill the opponent or to do permanent brain damage. Part of my reluctance is due to police baton, nightstick, or tonfa training, in which swinging at the head is discouraged. Too brutal, you see. Damage to the suspect's head is considered evidence that the officer lost control. Let's face it, if you can whack him on the head you can choose to break his collarbone instead with less risk of permanent damage. And the damage is not nearly as photogenic, in case the spectators are filming you.

  On the other hand, I have alluded to situations where you have no choice but to do something immediate, decisive, and potentially lethal to put an opponent completely out of the fight. If I were attacked by a gang, for instance, I would not hesitate to fracture a skull or two in the first moments of the melee. In that kind of situation you have to reduce the odds quickly and permanently. Snapping that heavy flashlight straight forward into the attacker's forehead will do that, and it will free you to turn your attention to the next guy. There is nothing more merciless than a mob attack on a lone individual. You have to be just as ruthless to survive it.

  Next Steps

  If you are using a club for self-defense, the "next steps" are pretty obvious. You block the attack, counterattack against the collarbone or the thigh, and stand back. Put the flashlight back on your shoulder and turn it on again. Stay out of reach, but stay close enough so you can step in suddenly with that skullcracking blow to the forehead if necessary.

  Why? Because the sucker may reach in his pocket and pull out a pistol. So step back, watch his hands, and if a hand dives into a jacket pocket, step in and send him to dreamland. Then check the pocket and see what's in it. Under the circumstances, you might be better off swapping him the flashlight for the pistol.

  A flail is a flexible weapon like a chain or an extremely lightweight stick like a metal curtain rod or automobile radio antenna. You use it to "whip" or "cut" at the opponent's face and hands. The actual damage depends on the weight of the makeshift flail itself. A heavy chain can break bones, afterall. The amount of pain inflicted can be large even when the weapon is very light and insubstantial. Even a piece of clothesline raises painful welts when whipped across the face or hands. Imagine what a fishing rod can do!

  The essential characteristic of a flail is that stabbing with it is out of the question. You can't stab at someone with a bicycle chain. Also, you cannot club someone with a flail. Clubbing a person with a length of extension cord isn't going to break any bones. The only way to do damage with a flail is to swing it so it cuts exposed flesh.

  Attacking the Face and Hands

  It is very hard to incapacitate an opponent with a light flail, so the goal is to intimidate him and/or set him up for an unexpected counterattack instead.

  The basic technique for a flail is to swing it in a horizontal figure-eight in front of you. Start up high on your right side. Cut diagonally down and across in front of your body.

  Let the flail swing up again on your left, then cut back handed down and across in front of you again. Let it swing up on the right side and start over again.

  Just swing the flail in this figure-eight pattern. Both the left and right downward cuts can be used as attacks. Aim at the face, the side of the neck, the upper shoulder, and the exposed hands. If you get a chance, slash hard at extended fingers. They are easy to break and are very sensitive to pain.

  Defending Against Multiple Attackers

  One of the really nice things about the light flail is the sound it makes as you swing it through the air. It "hums." People who hear that sound usually back off. Make it sing for you. It will sap their determination even before the first blow is struck.

  From the basic figure-eight pattern you can easily shift to a round-and-round pattern where you swing the flail horizontally above your head. This makes the striking end of the flail whistle by at eye level in a complete circle around you. Speed up and slow down a little to keep the attackers off balance. Turn to face this one, then that one. Take every opportunity to cut down on an exposed face or hand.

  Next Steps

  The flail is very intimidating, and this intimidation can be used to your advantage. If you cut suddenly at a man's face, he will react in one of two ways. If he is brave, he will throw up his arms to protect his face and try to catch the flail. If his nerve is not as strong, he will turn his back, flinching away from the flail.

  The swinging flail is not the real attack. It is only the distraction. Whip him across the face and when his hands fly up, kick him in the groin or knee. If he flinches away, ducking down and turning his back, kick him in the testicles from behind. It will surprise him severely.

  Makeshift shields, such as this notebook, are remarkably effective against an angry attacker.

  Shields? Have I lost my mind? Well, not entirely.

  Have you ever read the medical examiner's report on someone who has been beaten or knifed to death? One of the first things the pathologist looks for is the presence of "defensive wounds" on the forearms. These are bruises, cuts, scrapes or even broken bones caused by raising the arms to shield the head and torso during an attack.

  These people desperately needed the information in this chapter. Their battered bodies bear mute testimony to the fact that throwing up your arms to ward off an attack doesn't really work very well.

  What could they have done instead? What could you do?

  Using a Shield in Self-Defense

  A shield is any object you can hold out in front of you to ward off a punch, kick, or stab. There are hard shields, like notebooks and briefc
ases, and soft shields, like sweaters and pillows. My favorite shield is a straight-backed wooden chair used lion-tamer fashion.

  Imagine yourself holding a three-ring binder, a large book, or a wooden cutting board as a shield. Grab it in both hands and hold it out in front of you. As the opponent attacks, just follow your instincts and use the shield to meet the blows and deflect them away. Try to use the edge of the shield rather than the flat side, because this digs into his arms and hurts quite a bit. If he kicks, bring the board down and let the edge chop his shin. You get the idea. These are very natural motions.

  The soft shield is more difficult to use than the hard shield. You have to grasp the sweater or towel (or chain or extension cord or belt) and pull it tight between your two fists. Use this band of tight material to deflect or block incoming blows. You can see the use of this technique more clearly if you have a friend take a rubber knife and stab down at your chest. The tight band of material stretched between your two hands really does help you intercept this attack and hold it off.

  By the way, only an idiot practices with a real knife. If you don't have a rubber knife, use a wooden spoon. Use a ruler. Use a rolled-up magazine. If you use a real knife in practice, you will be explaining yourself to a doctor and probably a law officer, and you will look like a damned fool. Use some common sense and avoid this situation.

  Using the Chair as a Shield

  I said that my favorite shield is the straight-backed chair. I love it. Bad guys don't usually practice fencing with chairs, and it takes them quite by surprise. The seat of the chair forms the shield against their attacks, and the four legs become formidable secondary weapons. This technique is especially useful when someone pulls a knife on you.

  When I pick up a chair to use as a shield, I put my right hand on the back. Then I grasp the seat of the chair in the front with my left hand and lift it up with the legs pointing directly at the opponent. Turn the chair slightly so that one leg lines up on his face and the diagonally opposite leg lines up on his groin. Now drive the chair forward sharply and see whether you catch him in the testicles or in the teeth. Either will put him off his stride. Keep up the pressure until he is stumbling backward, frantically avoiding your repeated thrusts.

  Next Steps

  Here is where I have to alert you to a fighting maxim that dates back thousands of years. You cannot win a battle by fighting defensively. No matter how good your defense is, the opponent will eventually get lucky and break through if you don't go on the offense and press your advantage.

  Shields work really well in fist-fight situations... for about six seconds. The attacker seems to try about three attacks before he realizes that he has to find another solution. It only takes another second before he reaches out and grabs the shield. Then he forces the shield down and uses it to pull you into the next blow.

  There are two things to say about this. First, when the attacker grabs the shield you must let go of it immediately. You are better off without it. Step back and try something else.

  Second, you should not let the situation get this far. Use the shield to block the first blow (and maybe the second), and then shove it right in his face. If you get a clear shot you can use your notebook or cutting board to break his nose, but that is not the real purpose of the move. All you really want to do is to cover his eyes for a second so he can't see your legs. Shove the board in his face and, without hesitation, kick his testicles into orbit. It works every time. When he bends over in agony, crack him on the back of the head with the shield. Then turn and run.

  The shield buys you time to make a counterattack. Don't waste the time. Use it. Fight for your life.

  A broom in the face is unexpected, dusty, and painful. The straws lance into the eyes, mouth, and nose.

  Spear. Pike. Halberd. Bayonet. Quarter staff. Bojutsu staff. Pilum. Hastatum. Tales of the Bengal Lancers. Knights jousting on horseback. The romance of metaltipped hickory slicing through your opponent's vitals!

  Nonsense. Go get your kitchen broom and we'll get started.

  This chapter is about the "pole" weapons that might be at hand when you need a little help. Brooms, mops, shovels, rakes . . . any light polelike object 5 feet long and about as heavy as a broomstick or shovel handle will do.

  The great virtue of the staff as a weapon is that you can attack with either end. This is very bewildering to an opponent who has never experienced a quarterstaff assault.

  How to Hold the Staff

  For our purposes, hold the staff the way you would hold a rifle with a fixed bayonet. Let's say your weapon is a broom from the kitchen. Step forward a few inches with your left foot. Hold the broom horizontally about waist level. Point the handle toward the attacker's face and let the straw end hang behind you.

  Same thing with a shovel or rake. Point the handle at the opponent and keep the awkward tines or blade behind you. For now, anyway.

  Blocldng with the Staff

  Imagine an opponent who attacks you with his fists and feet. You grab your handy broom and get into your fighting stance. He throws a right punch at your head. What do you do?

  You have the handle of the broom pointing at his face. If you want to block the punch, just snap the broomstick to your left, meeting the attack and deflecting it to the side. Then, instantly, jab the end of the broomstick into his face, throat, or belly. Drive it in there and then yank it back so he can't grab it.

  The same thing works on the other side, of course. Just use the broom handle to rap his wrist or fist off to the side. It is an effective block, and it hurts.

  Now the attacker tries to kick you in the groin. Imagine a typical cowboy kick, like kicking a football. To block it, simply hold the broomstick horizontally in front of you and thrust it down so it catches him across the shin as he kicks. Most people won't kick a staff twice.

  Basic Bayonet Drill

  Staff fighting is an ancient and honorable art known to both eastern and western cultures. It takes years to learn properly, but you don't have the time. For you, basic bayonet drill can be adapted to the broom, shovel, or rake, and you can learn it in seconds.

  Pick up that broom and get into your fighting stance. Your left foot is forward. Hold the broom as described before, with the tip of the handle pointing toward the attacker and the bushy brush behind you.

  One! Jab the tip of the broomstick into his face or throat. Make it snappy!

  Two! Whip the "butt" end of the weapon (the straw brush) around at head level and hit him right in the ear with it. This doesn't sound like much of an attack in terms of a broom, but suppose you were holding a shovel? Bonk!

  Three! Keep the butt end of the broom pointing at his face as you pull back a foot or two to set up the next attack. Now lunge at him again, driving the butt directly in his face. A typical broom used in this manner drives splinterlike straws into the attacker's mouth, nostrils, and eyes simultaneously. The dust alone is choking and blinding.

  Four! Return to your starting position with the tip pointing at his face and the brush behind you. On the way, be sure to "cut" the tip across his face. Rake it across an eye if you can. Raking across the lips is painful, too.

  Next Steps

  Next? If he still wants to fight, do it again.

  The staff is a weapon that lets you stand out of range of his fists and deliver really punishing jabs to his face and body. The end of a broomstick does damage no matter where it digs in. That trick of ramming the broom bristles into the attacker's face is very effective and stands a good chance of blinding him, at least temporarily. If his hands fly up to his eyes, step in immediately, kick the groin, and run.

  The "light" knife is best hidden, then used suddenly to block an incoming blow.

  Here is a tip that might save your life someday. Think about it, memorize it, act it out, and remember it.

  You are staying at a friend's house and are home alone one evening. Suddenly you hear a sound and realize that an intruder is inside the house! You peek into the bedroom and see a bu
rglar searching the drawers. He looks up and sees you. What do you do?

  Most people in this situation will turn and run. On impulse they simply race away. With just a little more presence of mind they dart into the bathroom and lock the door. Now there are some interesting weapons in a typical bathroom, but it is a mistake to hide there. The door is flimsy, the lock is easily broken, and usually there is no second way out. You have trapped yourself.

  Instead of the bathroom, run for the kitchen. The kitchen is the natural armory of the house. In most kitchens you can cast an eye around the counters and walls and immediately see a knife caddie full of big knives. Grab a nice big chef's knife, carving knife, or bread knife. Turn and face the intruder. Now if he comes after you, all you have to do is ... what?

  How do you use a kitchen knife to ward off an attacker? Most people know nothing about knife fighting. Let's start learning.

  The Invisible Knife

  This chapter is about light knives used for self-defense. By "light" knives I mean any knife whose blade is thin enough that it is likely to bend or snap off if you try to stab with it. This would include most kitchen knives, steak knives, small pocket knives, folding razors, filleting knives, and similar blades. They are great for slashing but poor for stabbing.

  The light knife can be used to jab at the face and eyes, and if you connect with an eye you can pretty much do whatever you want afterward. Even so, it is mainly useful for slashing, and this means it has the disadvantage of all edge weapons-it is slow, and the opponent can see it coming and block or dodge it. Worse, a skillful opponent can beat you to the punch, stabbing or punching directly at you while you slash in return.

  Therefore I advocate a sneaky style of light-knife technique. The principle is that the opponent should not see the knife at all until it is coming out of him. This robs him of his advantage and permits the edge to carry the day. This is a good trick. How do you make it happen?