Almost everyone I know who is into personal protection training carries some type of weapon to protect themselves.  Let’s just say, in this article, it is a knife since it is the most popular.

We learn how to defend ourselves in hopes that we never have to use what we have learned on other people.  Yet, here we are, knowing that we have a weapon to back us up in the event we decide to take some sort of physical response.  What do I mean by that?  Well, it’s an enabler.     We are more apt to use the skills that we hoped we would never have to because we have this “knife”.  It’s our superpower, we can’t lose when we have it.   It does the same thing as alcohol does when we think of the phrase “Liquid courage”.  Sounds a little funny doesn’t it?  When we think of “Liquid courage”, we think of it in a bad sense.  Why would using a weapon such as a knife, a club or a gun be bad in the case of self-defense?

Enter consequences:  The very thing that makes what is right (open to our own interpretation), legally wrong.  Legal issues are something we have to fear almost as much as getting assaulted by someone.  Just because someone else started the fight, does not in any way mean that we are free from indemnity.  What does this mean for us:  The bad guy can sue us straight into bankruptcy!  Just because we finished what they started does not in any way mean that they cannot sue us in a civil lawsuit.    The reason that a knife is such a good tool is also the same reason it looks bad in any court.  It is capable of massive destruction to a person.  If you do wind up in court, the first thing you’ll have to prove is the level of force that you used.  It’s not as easy as you may think.  Your lawyer better be more skilled than the other one against you.

What’s our alternative?  There are many things that fall under the category of “Improvised weapons”.  If I were to define it, it would be something we use as a weapon but doesn’t fall under the normal list of weapons such as Edged weapons, Impact weapons like  Billy clubs, and Projectile weapons like guns.  An improvised weapon would be something not normally carried for self-defense but can be used with effectiveness.  Usually this type of weapon is something that will produce blunt force trauma.

My personal favorites are pens and Permanent markers like “Sharpies”.  In fact, it is such an effective tool that the Knifemaking company Cold Steel made its “Sharkie” permanent marker.  It is an oversized marker that resembles a really fat “Sharpie”.  Used correctly, it can get a faster result than cutting or stabbing someone, with less damage to boot!  Shocking the central nervous system produces an instantaneous reaction.  It’s the most effective way to stop someone.  Cutting someone and letting them bleed out may stop someone, but it takes time.  Even if you cut a major artery it can take a few seconds to minutes before they succumb to its effects.   Just imagine how much a person can fight back in that amount of time.  I’ve seen security footage of a guy being attacked in a stairwell of his apartment.  He was stabbed several times and bled A-LOT.  There was blood everywhere and the victim still had his hands up, trying to walk away while telling the attacker to leave him alone!  It went on for what seemed forever.  Did you know that the body can lose about half of its blood before you are not able to fight back?  For a person weighing 150-180lbs, there would be roughly 4.7-5.5 liters of blood.  Imagine that, you can lose a 2-liter bottle of soda worth of blood!!

Now if I were to choose between shocking someone in the central nervous system with little to no permanent damage and cutting or stabbing someone with a knife and facing criminal charges and civil lawsuits. I’d definitely not choose the latter.  So, what if you carry a knife as your EDC (every day carry item)?  It’s easy to think “If he pulls out a knife, I’m going to pull mine”, and that is 100% valid if you think of the “Use of force” continuum.  Yes, showing a big shiny knife can be a deterrent, but as I said, it’s not the most efficient way to stop someone in case it doesn’t deter them.  What should we do?  Well, carry a Sharpie, Sharkie, or even a sturdy pen.  Sounds a little silly, I know.  Why carry two different things when you can carry one knife?  Well, there are some knives out there that can be used as both an edged weapon and also as a blunt force tool as well.  In fact, Bram Frank had designed knives that were made to be used in the closed position and “If needed”, be opened to use as a conventional knife.

Sometimes you can’t take a knife or a gun or anything that resembles a self-defense tool inside a place that prohibits weapons.  Try taking one onto school property, or an airport, a courthouse, or even a nightclub.  Not going to happen.  In my opinion, carry both and leave one in the car when you reach someplace that doesn’t allow weapons.  There are pros and cons to just about everything.  A knife can be a big deterrent, but if it doesn’t deter them and you get into that scuffle and drop your knife, the bad guy can pick it up and use it against you. A pen is something a bad guy won’t know how to use against you if they got ahold of it.

There are many “Improvised type weapons” on the market.  Kubotan keychains, two-finger “Knucks” (like brass knuckles, only smaller),  flashlights with sharp bezels, a kitty cat keychain you put your fingers in and use its ears to stab with, and even a key, yes you heard that right a “Key” that isn’t used for anything but stabbing and poking someone.  If you’re looking for something to buy as your improvised weapon, just keep in mind those things we have talked about.  Is it something that looks like a self-defense tool or does it look like an ordinary object?  Is it meant to stab or slice someone, or is it used for blunt force trauma?  Is it a tactical olive drab color or just something inconspicuous?  Use common sense when picking out a tool.  Do a little research and most of all, get yourself trained in how to use it.