Scenario:knocked-off glasses

[Side-kick]

I would like to see what self-defence advice is given to short-sighted people who wear glasses. If your glasses are knocked off then this can cause immediate weakness of one of your major senses [and at night this is a bad scenario made worse].

WHat advice is there? Has anyone seen advice of what the defender should do - run, grapple, keep attacker at bay with flailing arms? etc.

[pesilat]

Originally posted by Side-kick
I would like to see what self-defence advice is given to short-sighted people who wear glasses. If your glasses are knocked off then this can cause immediate weakness of one of your major senses [and at night this is a bad scenario made worse].

WHat advice is there? Has anyone seen advice of what the defender should do - run, grapple, keep attacker at bay with flailing arms? etc.

As a short-sighted person who wears glasses ... I try to take my glasses off before the fight starts (assuming I see it coming). I'd much rather take them off than have them knocked off. When they get knocked off, they generally cut the nose and cause other pain. Also, if they get smashed, then a part of them (such as the nose piece or part of the wire frame [at least in my personal case] may end up in my eye). Talk about detriments to fighting ... I'll settle for impaired eyesight over those likelihoods any day.

As far as the sight issue ... whether I take the glasses off or they're knocked off ... I don't worry about it. First, I always spar without glasses because, one way or another, they'll be one of the first things to go in a fight. Second, I'm not *blind* ... so what if the guy's a big blurry blob. I can still see him and hit him.

But this, combined with my poor depth perception, are the two *major* reasons that I focus mostly on infighting (not necessarily grappling, though grappling is part of infighting). Once I get in contact with someone, I don't have to see them at all. Even if there is no light or I'm blinded or I've lost my glasses ... whatever ... if I am in contact (even because he's landed a shot) then I don't have to see him ... I just have to stay in contact.

For this, relaxation (which fosters sensitivity and awareness) is the key.

As we say in Shen Chuan, "Get in touch, stay in touch." It's a principle common to all the arts that I focus on (Kali, Silat, Shen Chuan, Kun Tao Silat).

Mike

[Side-kick]

Thats a an intersting response. I forgot that the glasses would themselves hurt the wearer in the process of being knocked off. I have contact lenses and these are good for grappling etc [soft lesnes not hard or gas permiable].
Depth perception too - yes - that would go if your short signted therfore grappling is suited to tackle 'the blob'. Interesting - you dont see this issue considered much in magazines - I have never seen it.

[pesilat]

Originally posted by Side-kick
Thats a an intersting response. I forgot that the glasses would themselves hurt the wearer in the process of being knocked off. I have contact lenses and these are good for grappling etc [soft lesnes not hard or gas permiable].
Depth perception too - yes - that would go if your short signted therfore grappling is suited to tackle 'the blob'. Interesting - you dont see this issue considered much in magazines - I have never seen it.

Yup ... in fact, in some situations, I'd use my glasses as a distraction (throw them) or as a weapon (when closed, the hinge could be used to rip skin ... maybe across the forehead to temporarily blind the guy).

Like I said, when I say "infighting" I don't actually mean grappling and certainly not tackling. I'd be striking, locking, whatever ... but at close range and never losing contact. I'd be using headbutts, knees, elbows, shoulders, hips, forearms, shins, stomps, joint locks, balance disruption, pinches, rips, etc. Some of it would fall into the category of "grappling" ... but it wouldn't feel like "grappling" to the guy :) In fact, if I did it right, it'd feel like a back corner of hell brought to earth and laid on the guy's doorstep ;)

At least that's the objective.

Mike

[Jim]

I have the same situation because I'm extremely short sighted and as Mike has said the opponent(s) appear as a 'blob'. Getting in close is one of the best options there are.

I wouldn't use my glasses as a weapon, though, but take them off before they're knocked off in combat. When I train I use contacts only because when you're teaching you need to see what the students are doing. When I train and not instruct I go 'blind' and find it not to be a detriment.

Neil Ohlenkamp (www.judoinfo.com) runs Judo classes for visually impared students. It's worth looking at his site - pardon the pun - if you're interested in this further.

I'd be interested to hear from other MA's that do not have close quarter/grappling in their system to see what options they offer to visually impared students.

[Freeform]

We've got one blind guy and a seriously visually impaired guy in our Judo class, and they get on very well and they've beaten fully sighted people of the same grade in randori.

When teaching techniques and drills it does take a little more time to teach them because you can't do 'monkey see, monkey do' they have to feel the movement. The only concession made in randori is that they get to take a grip from the start of the bout.

Thanx