Krav Maga – Weapons of Opportunity: A basic Guide
In any martial arts there is a lot of time spend developing the unarmed hand to hand combat components of they style. The reason for this is that in most cases the lack of weapons whether for practical or legal reasons makes this kind of scenario the most dangerous situation requiring the most amount of training.
Some styles even work on specific weapons uses from pistols to bow staffs. In many cases carrying such weapons for self defense may be illegal or may be a simpler matter of it is not practical to walk around with a bow staff in modern society.
This does not mean however, that there are not weapons to be found. In fact weapons of opportunity as we call them in Krav Maga are only limited by your imagination, your willingness to use them and of course the legal ramifications of the specific choice of weapon.
When opportunity arises, weapons of opportunity should be used if it is appropriate and avoids further harm to your self. For the sake of simplicity we divide weapons of opportunity into a few categories. “Sticky”, “Whipy” “Pokey” “Throwy” & “Smashy”
Sticky
These are weapons that can be wielded like a stick, they could literally be a stick made for it like a Kali/Eskrima Stick or something close enough. Below are some examples of objects that can be used as stick like weapons:
- Umbrellas
- Rolled up Magazines
- Rolled up News Papers
- An actual stick (from a tree)
- Batons
Whipy
These are weapons be used in a whip like fashion whether it be an actual whip or something more like clothing. Because their weight is not balanced and they are usually have a great level of movement and flexibility these can be hard to control but are quite readily available. Below are some examples of objects that can be used as stick like weapons:
- Jackets
- Sweaters
- Belts
- Purses
- Backpacks
- Ropes
- Towels
Pokey
These are weapons be used in a stabbing motion, weather they are literally able to penetrate or not is less important but know that if they can break skin then they may be lethal. With these types of weapons the eyes are your best target. Below are some examples of objects that can be used as stick like weapons:
- Umbrellas
- Sticks
- Fingernails
- Jewelry
- Keys
- Pens/Pencils
- Chair legs
Throwy
These are weapons are anything you can and more importantly are willing to throw. Generally you should be throwing it at their head or eyes as this will get the best results. However, throwing could be relative and this could also mean pushing or shoving things in the path of would be attackers. Below are some examples of objects that can be used as stick like weapons:
- Keys
- Coins
- Bags
- Chairs
- Rocks
- Cups
Smashy
These are weapons are anything you can hold that gives your striking power more bang for its buck. Just know depending on the mass of the object and where you hit your opponent with they can be quite lethal. Below are some examples of objects that can be used as stick like weapons:
- Rocks
- Bricks
- Bugs
- Bottles
Legal Considerations
It should be noted that the authors of this are not legal experts and this does not constitute legal advice.
While we cannot speak for every country we can assume that many westernize countries have similar laws than that of ours in Canada.
Carrying weapons for self defense can be a very risky thing here. If you use something that you had on your persons for self defense that was designed as a weapon then it is likely that if you face court then they will attempt to make the case that you had intent [to seriously injure, maim or kill] even if it was in self defense.
This is why it is a safer bet to use things that were designed for other purposes and are not obviously a weapon. For example a purse which would be a “whipy” thing if used from the strap would not generally be considered a weapon on its own but rather a “weapon of opportunity”.
However if you were to say add a brick to the purse then as this is an odd choice to carry in a purse it could again indicate intent. As adding the brick added mass and the likely hood of doing serious damage to any attackers.
Consider an alternative. Lets say you are a student and you need a pencil case for your pens (if you still use those things), then perhaps a pencil case that is hard cased with some mass. The intent of it being in your purse would be for pencils or pens but it can increase the ability of your purse to do damage with out seeming suspicious or out of the norm. Additionally, you now have some pens or pencils which are also great albeit somewhat deadly weapons of opportunity.
After all the boogeyman, John wick himself is known for killing several men with a pencil.