I was assaulted in broad daylight: Lessons

Max Cantor — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 20:42:37 +0000

Time: Right around 12 noon.
Place: I was exiting a commercial, nondescript, small building, in your "typical", *regular* neighborhood. The parking lot was empty save for two other cars.

As I was heading to my car about 10 feet away, before I got to it I stopped and took out my phone and turned it on. (it was off while in the building). I looked at the messages and decided to place a call -while still outside.
Out of nowhere, a skateboarder came to me, got off his skateboard, jerked the phone out of my hands and violently tried to hit me in my lower left ab site. The phone was on the ground. He struggled with me trying to push me to the ground, and he had me in a headlock.(We were still standing). We struggled for a few more seconds until I managed to escape his grip.

He then decided to flee and got on hisskateboard. I didn't pursue. But I realized I came close to my own death.

ATTACKED. FOR NO REASON. BY AN UNKNOWN ASSAILANT.

I had another appointment that day, in 25 minutes, I had to be somewhere else . I didn’t call the police, I didn’t have time for that. Sure, I thought , good that there were no weapons involved, that this guy didn’t have any or chose not to use them. The attack lasted a minute ? Two ? 33 Seconds ?

I was not in the “wrong side” of town. (but neither was I in the rich people’s section, to be clear).
I wasn’t coming out of expensive stores with any bags full of stuff or anything.
I wasn’t coming out of nightclubs, or restaurants. In fact, it was the most mundane daily trip.
I am virtually unknown, not a public face. I can assure I never met or seen that scumbag before. Or he me.
He was as well dressed as I was, he wasn’t anybody in old or dirty clothes.
He never said a word as he assaulted me.
He was muscular and -unmistakably – had a body wrestling skill.

Why me ?

I asked myself that, as many people in similar situations would ask. But I now realize it’s the wrong question. I don’t consider myself low-hanging fruit for street thugs to fuck with me…yet…

You are always a target.

There’s always one who hones his skills on your lower skills.

The dirtbag skateboarder was a younger dude. Swift, efficient, ruthless. We like to think the young value the older (and I am not old). Well, perhaps on college campuses. But in reality…

Age is seen as a weakness.

The young preys on the old. The skateboarder was a guy in his early 20s. So if you’re in your 30s: guys in their 20s will see you as weak. If you’re in your 40s, guys in their 20s as well as those in their 30s will perceive you as weak. In you’re in your 50s: guys in their 20s, 30s, and those in their 40s will see you as weak. If you’re in your 60s…so forth.

No reason is needed.

As I said, somebody was honing his skill. You either match it or get outmatched. You’re either prey or predator.

On this blog, we posted several videos of martial artists. Many readers have posted links to videos or pictures. I will thank those who did so, because, as you can see, life is not a walk in the park.

The post I was assaulted in broad daylight: Lessons first appeared on Wall Street Financier: Notes from High Altitude©.

Notes on 100 Deadly Skills, a book by Clint Emerson

Max Cantor — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Since this is a winners strategy blog –the best strategy blog– with Wall Street roots, it should come as no surprise that many readers want to improve their skills and knowledge of situational, physical warfare. When I suggested former Navy Seal Clint Emerson’s book: 100 Deadly Skills, we got a winner, one reader posted his notes here. I’ll follow up on it, but very succinct, you need to have the book to follow the illustrations. Life is haphazard and most people do not have a bodyguard. The good news is, by learning proper techniques we can prevent, unravel, and defeat most threats to our safety.

Emerson breaks apart “skills” into their most critical parts, or Courses of Action (COAs) and sums them up in a Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF). Here are 24 of those; it does not mean they are more important or effective than the rest. The numbering is the original, 001 through 100.

Skill 002 : Every day Carry Kit: the container kit includes: clamshell, handkerchief, paracord (550 parachute cord), rake pick and tension wrench (part of the credit card size pick lock set), sandals (change in clothes in opposite colors of clothing is recommended), cigs, lighter, cash, in a zero trace messenger bag, zebra pen, blades.

007: Teaches you how to build a rectal concealment kit out of an aluminum cigar tube (hiding inside it money, nail, shim, compass). Are we getting warm now or what ?

020: If you’re in a hotel room, some of the places where you can hide things from intruders are: inside housing of older TVs, inside the shower curtain rod, taped to the bottom of a drawer or heavy piece of furniture, inside landline housing (need screwdriver).

022: Steal a vehicle: yes, it will tell you how to hotwire a car but the fastest way to get a car is to take one that is already running !

024: How to prepare your vehicle for high-speed chases (tip: disengage airbags, practice left-foot braking, then threshold braking).

027: You can make a disposable silencer from a watter bottle, stainless steel scourer and fine wire mesh.

029: A Zebra F-400 or F-700 pen can be a weapon. Some people carry tactical pens. Or knives.

038: Detect tampering with personal effects with discreet alignments to determine tampering while away from the room.

043: You can make lock picks from a paper clip, you need a hook pick and tension wrench.

050: Creating a padlock shim out of an aluminum can.

057: You can conceal surveillance devices or valuables in a homemade paste. Needed: milk, vinegar, container and strainer to make an egg-size ball of plastic out of 18 ounces of milk and 8 tablespoons of vinegar.

058: Do you want to “use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship;
All connections to the Internet are forced to go through the Tor network;
Leave no trace on the computer you are using unless you ask it explicitly;
Use state-of-the-art cryptographic tools to encrypt your files, emails and instant messaging ? Then try Tails.(Source quote: Tails)

059: How you can conceal sensitive info in plain sight: cut/paste an innocent image into TextEdit or Notepad document. Type the information above or below image. Then change the font color to white and/or the font to a symbol for additional cover. Voila !

061: BLUF: Winning a gunfight starts with the draw.

063: Winning a knife fight. I hope you are never in a knife fight, but if you are, know the grip, the eight angles of attack, the basics.

064: Strike for a knockout. If you’ve ever done boxing, you know this, but if you’ve not, you can learn.

065: Proper elbow strike technique: guard is always up. A powerful elbow strike is 80% body, 20% shoulder.

071: Disarm adversary with pistol pointed at your chest. 072. When pistol is pointed at back.

074: Make an improvised gas mask out of a milk/juice jug.

083: Getting past a dog: COA 2: Compress air-freeze the dog’s nose with keyboard air cleaner. Or use female dog urine.

088: Surviving a drowning attempt using a sinking and bouncing effect.

091: How to do a J-turn.

096: Defeat hand restraints.

And remember, in an emergency situation, call 911.

Disclaimer

Not responsible for errors. Publisher does not endorse or recommend any particular article or link, and does not offer any advice, training or solutions. This blog site does not constitute or form part of, and should not be construed as, any offer for sale or subscription of, or any invitation to offer to buy or subscribe for, any securities, nor should it or any part of it form the basis of, or be relied on in any connection with, any contract or commitment whatsoever.

The post Notes on 100 Deadly Skills, a book by Clint Emerson first appeared on Wall Street Financier: Notes from High Altitude©.