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I am certain that everyone has seen those thick, heavy key chains that people leave hanging out of their pockets. I still cannot quite work out why they need them, although I have heard arguments that it stops your keys from being stolen. Chains of that size though are a lovely weapon, usable in so many ways. Firstly you have the obvious, a chain to swing around. If you have enough keys then you have a weighted chain, with a large clump of sharp metal on the end. Then you have knuckle dusters, simply wrap around the fist tightly and apply newly armoured fist to target. This is actually something that I have seen (in fact felt) done, and it works.

Even without a key chain people still carry around large bunches of keys, sometimes even both. Most bunches of keys have a keychain, either a large hoop or at the very least a tag. Think about what would happen if you gripped the keyring and scraped the keys along a target. Or if you stabbed those keys into a target. People are soft. Metal is hard. The result is not hard to imagine. Now let us say that you do not have a key chain, or even a ring. Say you have one key. Think what even that would do to someone's eye or neck.

There are numerous other ways that you can use keys, but I'll move on now to something else. Mobile phones. Most of the time mobile phones are the cause of an encounter, rather a way of ending one. Most mobile phones have two qualities or features which make them weapons. They are durable, and they have an aerial. Of course this does not apply to all mobiles, merely most, and aerials are being phased out now. However the most simple application of a mobile phone is as a club. Grip tightly and apply to head of opponent with force. If you are one of those lucky enough to have a phone with an aerial, a nice place to store it is either the eye or nostril, while jabbing just about anywhere on the body hurts without causing damage.par

Rings are wonderful little weapons, particularly for women who are engaged with a nice large diamond. In fact any stone on a ring will help. I've seen a punch while wearing a diamond ring gouge a large gash from a wall, admittedly a plaster wall, but plaster is still tougher than skin. Heavy rings, and lots of them, also function just as effectively as knuckle dusters.

Pens are now carried less often, particularly fountain pens. This does not mean they are any less effective as weapons. A cheap disposable biro makes a wonderful spike and can even be thrown as a distraction if necessary. On a lucky strike you might even catch someone in the eye. The best though are fountain pens. The nibs of these, particularly the expensive ones, are tough and can slice and stab with equanimity. The best bit is that while you may injure you are very unlikely to kill with a slash from a fountain pen. Even shaking the pen towards your opponents face can create a distinctive ink pattern, and impair their vision.

Handbags are often underestimated as a weapon, although many modern purses are not sturdy enough to stand up to use as such well-made leather purses will withstand almost anything. With the amount that most women seem to manage to cram in you have a very effective weighted rope. One particular friend of mine used to fill hers with loose coins, usually pennies, to give it extra weight when she went out on the town. She only needed to use it once, when she nearly stranged her attacker as the original blow missed and the strap wrapped around his neck. Since the purse only contained a few pounds she simply ran away and left him to struggle with his new necklace.

What a wonderful thing shoes are, and not just because they keep your feet safe and warm. More and more now shoes have thick, heavy soles and long, sturdy heels. These are great weapons. Assume that someone comes up behind you in a bearhug. With stilletto heels you could probably impale their thigh. With platform shoes and a rake along their leg you could probably remove their kneecap, and with a heavy enough shoe and simply lifting your leg back and up you could probably arrange a part for them in the local boys choir. Not only do shoes add to your own techniques, but wielding a stilletto heel shoe in one hand you can do a fair amount of damage, even a sturdy leather boot can knock someone out if swung with reasonable force.

Most people own at least one coat, with trench coats rapidly gaining in popularity. A lot of people still do not see things as simple as clothes as weapons, and yet coats can be a very effective weapon for non-lethal restraint. The fact that I could use a coat was the only thing that gave me an edge over some of my friends when we sparred drunkenly after or during parties. He is much faster and more powerful than me, despite being several kilos lighter (around ten pounds difference for the Imperialist Americans) and an inch shorter. However he relied purely on his own body as a weapon, never improvising with what was arrounding. This was at the time that I was going through a dark and sinister phase, always wearing black and long coats. Since it was fairly dark I already had the edge in that my outline was blurred. On his first shot I slipped away and caught it in the fabric of the coat, then slipped out of the coat, wrapped it tightly around him, and took him down. Coats can also be wrapped around the arm to defend against weapons like knives or clubs if necessary, thrown towards the face as a distraction, or pulled over the eyes.

One thing that you learn working in a bookshop is that books can hurt. A lot. If you want to defend yourself with a book then you have several options. First you have a small shield, although not necessaily a particularly effective one it can at least lessen the impact of an attack. Then you have a precision striking weapon. Try holding the book at one end of the spine and flicking the other end downwards, a suprising amount of force is produced. You also have something which can cut, let the pages splay and slash them across your target, not necessarily sharp but if you've ever had a papercut you'll know how painful it is.

Think about what you are wearing, and what is in reach of you at this moment. Think for a moment if any of it could be turned into a weapon, I will guarantee that there is something that could be. At the very least something heavy can be used as a blunt weapon, a chair or a keyboard for example. A desk could be pushed onto an attacker, you could quite happily staple them to the wall (think of those sharp pieces of metal being fired into the skin by a staple gun, or even by an ordinary stapler). There are so many 'legal' weapons available its a miracle that people still feel they have to buy the illegal ones.

 

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