Self defense while sitting

[Monkey Turned Wolf136 1]

Got asked a question by a student today that's made me curious - how does self defense change when you're sitting down. Be it a subway seat, or a school or office chair. I've actually got a few techniques, which primarily involve either using the downward momentum of the person attacking to bring them fully to the ground, or avoiding and standing up as quickly as possible, but I haven't seen too much what other styles do for this.

What are the key factors you want to watch out for, what works best for it, and do you have specific techniques for seated self defense?

 

[drop bear136 11]

 

[Haruhiko]

Got asked a question by a student today that's made me curious - how does self defense change when you're sitting down. Be it a subway seat, or a school or office chair. I've actually got a few techniques, which primarily involve either using the downward momentum of the person attacking to bring them fully to the ground, or avoiding and standing up as quickly as possible, but I haven't seen too much what other styles do for this.

What are the key factors you want to watch out for, what works best for it, and do you have specific techniques for seated self defense?

Movement, as far as I'm aware (he he, pun). Iai schools focus a lot on this.

 

[Gyakuto137 146]

Perhaps you need to get up first

 

[Tony Dismukes135 31]

I've done some experimentation with sparring started while seated on a sofa or in a car seat. I haven't tried working from a regular chair for safety reasons (the chair is almost certainly going over backwards under real pressure.).

I agree with Gyakuto that you really do want to get up immediately if at all possible. A good attacker will crowd you and use gravity to pin you in a bad position while beating on you. Normal groundfighting concepts for escaping bad positions come into play, but the specific techniques don't translate exactly because the shape of the seat changes things. If you're not careful you can end up with seriously compromised structure.

 

[Darren]

Got asked a question by a student today that's made me curious - how does self defense change when you're sitting down. Be it a subway seat, or a school or office chair. I've actually got a few techniques, which primarily involve either using the downward momentum of the person attacking to bring them fully to the ground, or avoiding and standing up as quickly as possible, but I haven't seen too much what other styles do for this.

What are the key factors you want to watch out for, what works best for it, and do you have specific techniques for seated self defense?

the eyes,privates,nose,kness,back of the heels, etc are all legit targets.

 

[Same Trick82 33]

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Get up and protect it

 

[Gyakuto137 146]

the eyes,privates,nose,kness,back of the heels, etc are all legit targets.

You left out the anus and nape of the neck.

 

[Gyakuto137 146]

kung fu weapon bench - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

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Get up and protect it

Oh is that where this comes from?

 

[Same Trick82 33]

Oh is that where this comes from?

The noodle joint in my neighborhood have such benches, one time a fight nearly broke out there, I was thinking “ how about those bench might be used”

 

[Gyakuto137 146]

The noodle joint in my neighborhood have such benches, one time a fight nearly broke out there, I was thinking “ how about those bench might be used”

I’d love to know what the fight was about. Inadequate slurping? Overly soft noodles?

 

[Same Trick82 33]

I’d love to know what the fight was about. Inadequate slurping? Overly soft noodles?

Slurping get drown out by the chatter that’s on the level of yelling, when foul words are yelled amidst the regular yelling the regular yelling stop in an instant even one will notice that the sound of eventual slurping is absent….The “fight” this time was about two younger guys ignoring and not making room for an elderly man who wanted to get to an empty seat, the man wasn’t happy about that and yelled the usual in affect inappropriacy toward the younger guys , and everyone noticed the old man had the physique to back his anger into an actual fight so the two younger guys sat looking as small mice , the old man pressed on and smashed his hand hard down at their table so noodle soup slopped all over the table, one of the waitresses rushed in and managed to calm the man down and pretty soon all was back to normal with everyone chattingly yelling…..and me still in the corner slurping noodles thinking about kung fu benches .

Actually many many years ago in a food joint in Beijing I had to duck and cover because of people throwing not “kung-fu”benches but smaller stools of similar design.
That kind of escalation is nowadays very unusual if ever happen

 

[Gyakuto137 146]

After hearing this, I’ll will never get annoyed again at not having a napkin at my place setting!

 

[Same Trick82 33]

Napkins?? Where’s you martial sense? Too much of that Iaido shine through

 

[Gyakuto137 146]

Napkins?? Where’s you martial sense? Too much of that Iaido shine through

A bushi must be gentlemanly, compassionate and honourable. He should avoid drawing or forcing others to draw their swords. He should avoid cutting and not force others to cut. He should avoid killing, and try not killed. Even if he encounters the greatest sinners, he should, with kindness, offer sermon and show them the path of good men. If the worst occurs and they do not conform then, without hesitation, apply kesa uchi (diagonal cut) and send them to Buddha!

A crisp, clean napkin is central to this

 

[Holmejr4 2]

Eventually you must stand up…

In another post I recalled when someone tried to hit me with a beer bottle while I was sitting down on a planter box at a party. It was a backhand strike, coming to my left side, which I barely intercepted. Both my hands came up, my left forearm blocking his right arm and my right hand attempting to block the bottle. I slightly misjudged and blocked his wrist allowing the bottle to wrap around and slightly nick my eyebrow. I was simultaneously starting to stand up. I was able to hammer lock the guys right arm and plant his face in the planter box. It did not go any further than that, as I offered a truce.
The whole altercation was alcohol driven and by misconception of what offended him. We ended up shaking hands and off we went.

 

[Same Trick82 33]

A bushi must be gentlemanly, compassionate and honourable. He should avoid drawing or forcing others to draw their swords. He should avoid cutting and not force others to cut. He should avoid killing, and try not killed. Even if he encounters the greatest sinners, he should, with kindness, offer sermon and show them the path of good men. If the worst occurs and they do not conform then, without hesitation, apply kesa uchi (diagonal cut) and send them to Buddha!

A crisp, clean napkin is central to this

Hand me a napkin my eyes tearing !