Just got mugged by two dudes with a 'knife'

Discussion in 'Self Defence' started by Anwolf, May 29, 2015.

  1. Aegis

    Aegis River Guardian Admin Supporter

    Don't take the criticism to heart. Ultimately you walked away pretty much unscathed from a situation that could easily have turned bad. That makes you a winner in every way that matters - the minutiae are learning points for you, nothing more.
     
  2. belltoller

    belltoller OffTopic MonstreOrdinaire Supporter

    No, just the opposite. The sort of thing one might attempt to 'humanise' the situation when everyone's up a height - "Howay, man, let the birds over there be and I'll let ya have it - no harm in it, alright, then? Lets shake on it marra." or whatever. You're trying to have em let their guard down by doing that and the mugger's already close enough to Anwolf to've clipped him twice.

    Mugger might be less likely to increase in hostility if the person he's confronting seems friendly-like and not too bothered with it. It's a bit ironic as they're the one's who initiate the confrontation to begin with, but these types are generally very wound up and defencive as if they are the one's being attacked.
     
  3. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    I've heard of stranger stuff.

    Mate of mine who lives in Manchester had a guy come up to him and tried to rob him with a knife. My mate was also stone broke, so when he mentioned that, the Robber said sorry....and then (!) brushed some dust off my mate's sleeve and touched up his collar.
     
  4. guybrush

    guybrush New Member

    well this is kind of to be expected, being attacked on the street is different to being in a martial arts lesson. You're only 17, probably fairly good natured, not used to fighting, more used to avoiding confrontation with people/being helpful to people etc than ready to attack them. So when a couple of people threaten you you're a bit like a fish out of water, in a situation you're not used to. Yeah it may be a bit shameful/weak/embarrassing etc to just let two people hit you in the face a few times and then walk off with your stuff, but you can put it down as a learning experience and grow stronger from it as well.
     
  5. idols11

    idols11 Valued Member

    At least you survived, a knife could easily have killed you.
     
  6. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

    Really? Who'd have thought it! :eek:
     
  7. KarateMum

    KarateMum Valued Member

    Bravo for sticking up for your companions, I'm glad no-one got seriously injured. A bit of damaged pride will doubtless fade in time and I'm sure if you look at it objectively, as others have suggested you will see that what you achieved was on the better side of what could have happened so take pride in that.

    Tom bayley makes a good point about practice above. I have an example for you. I had to finally give it up through lack of time, but I have years of First aid practice and St John Ambulance membership behind me. Training is drilled in and vigorously practiced on a weekly basis. I've stopped at several RTA's with conscious casualties and been the only volunteer and I think I've aquitted myself well. However, the night I drove home from a meeting and discovered someone lying in the middle of the road and stopped, things were different. I had stopped and someone yelled out a window "the ambulance is on its way, but I'm not willing to risk seeing if he's acting!!" I protected the scene with my car, then did the 'can you hear me, shake the shoulders - no response (my mind may have run a profanity at that point!), I did it again - firmly just to be sure!! Then oodles of training or not I suddenly went "now what the hell do I do?". Indecision (Yikes!) then the training kicked back in - "you do what you've been told to do you twit, you do ABC" Mind you I don't mind admitting that by the time I got to B, I was getting rather worried. However, it works and you can feel someone's breath just as they say. I also did the recovery position thing etc. and all went fine until blue lights appeared (blue lights are wonderful things!).

    However, the point is that, even with experience and regular training, when you are put on the spot and the adrenaline has kicked in you forget all sorts of basic things even when your life is not in danger. I can't imagine what you'd forget if it was!! All things considered I think that you did well Anwolf.
     
  8. Anwolf

    Anwolf Valued Member

    I was actually part of St John Ambulance Cadets for a few years KarateMum, but I stopped going to spend more time on MMA :D Never had to deal with any serious casualties though thankfully and on duty of course there were always trained adults around to turn to.
     
  9. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    One of my old managers was mugged in Rio once. The mugger gave him some money back out of his wallet so he could get a taxi back to his hotel because he didn't want him walking back through a bad area.

    The world is a crazy place.
     
  10. altc

    altc Valued Member

    It's a pretty brave thing of you to post your story publicly for all to see and pass judgement.

    I would like to make one observation that may help in a similar situation in the future. Self Defence can mean different things to different people. Some people may make recommendations on what technique you should have used at various points in the encounter. You may even be thinking about what you could have done at various points.

    However I would encourage you to take a step back and look at the encounter more broadly.

    The lesson to be learnt here is not what techniques you could have applied or even how aware of your surroundings you were. The fact is that predatory muggings occur on the street close to places of entertainment. You were walking through the hunting grounds of predators.

    A potential easy way to remove that risk would have been to catch a taxi or get some form of lift out of the area. Even public transport offers a potential solution but can also introduce its own risks depending on time and place.

    But getting a cab or lift will prevent the need to walk the hunting grounds thus removing any prospect of needing to worry about knife defence or defending drunk female friends against multiple attackers. This is a form of higher application of awareness where you are really treating risk early and pre-emptively. It's really about understanding the various threats and considering them before attackers are standing in front of you. Pretty boring stuff but it works.

    I understand this is not always possible but food for thought.

    Thanks for sharing your story.
     
  11. Barnacles

    Barnacles New Member

    This is the best thing you could have taken from the situation. I've never been mugged, but I've spoken to people who also have never been mugged, but are convinced that there's nothing one can do, so one should just live and let things happen. However, when I started martial arts, I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing them for, I just wanted to do them. After a few years, and realizing that muggings and assault happens every day I began to train more seriously and pay attention to where I am and what's going on around me. I've even gotten to the point where I try to sit with my back against the wall at a restaurant/library because I don't want someone sneaking up on me.

    Another thing is that you don't need to know how to fight to prevent a mugging. The best thing is to see/"smell" trouble. Some stranger calls you over and you can't see them or what they're holding, that should instantly set off alarms in your head. Someone is standing by your car and eyeballing you in a parking lot. You need to realize that there are red flags, and how to handle them without putting anyone in danger. The reason we learn how to fight is because eventually someone has to be put in harms way, and we'd rather it be us than our loved ones.
     
  12. M1911a1

    M1911a1 New Member

    I deal with crooks on a daily basis, the majority of them are just grown up playground bullies. Although you can never predict what some one is going to do in that kind of potentially deadly situation, keeping your party alive and unscathed was the wisest course of action you could have done.

    Here in the United States of Texas I carry a pocket pistol, I know my local laws and know whats worth potentially killing for and whats not. I do not consider my personal property such as phones and electronics something worth dying for, people are not replaceable but material goods are. So my wife and children are not replaceable, neither is our home.

    Overall you did a good job of minimizing harm to you and your party while minimizing personal loss of goods. You did considerably better then you may realize.
     
  13. combatarts

    combatarts Valued Member

    You shouldn't have given them your bag. If they don't have a gun you are just encouraging them to do it to more people. Carry a knife with you, 99% of people will back down even if they have a knife as well because no one know how to use a knife proficiently.
     
  14. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Ridiculous advice
     
  15. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    Yeah. I read it, but while I was typing a response, computer shut down

    Dangerous advice
     
  16. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    That is one of the worst pieces of advice EVER!

    Your concern should be getting out alive and uninjured. Let the police handle them and if they do it to more people. That is their job and they are trained for it.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2015
  17. belltoller

    belltoller OffTopic MonstreOrdinaire Supporter

    Odd...I had the same thing occur.


    Hmmm...funny coincidence, eh?


    [​IMG]
     
  18. Aegis

    Aegis River Guardian Admin Supporter

    This is incredibly stupid advice. Handing over something of small value compared with literally putting your life on the line unnecessarily? Totally aligns with the principles of sound self defence, where de-escalation is the top priority.

    You then recommend carrying a weapon which could lead to a jail term just for possession, which is utterly foolish as well.

    Stop giving advice on this matter, you don't seem to have the experience and knowledge needed to dispense it.
     
  19. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Worst idea since someone said ‘yeah let’s take this suspiciously large wooden horse into Troy, statues are all the rage this season.
     
  20. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    Didn't you know?
    The only way to ward of a knife is with another knife.
    Likewise, the only way to ward of a gun is with another gun.
    Protect the valuables, defend the ego and pride

    :bang::rolleyes:
     

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