Personal safety, Help!

[Bug MuIdoon]

I'd just like to point out this to the OP:

6) Try not to view all the chavs as a nuisance, but rather as loud youths with a chip on their shoulder. If you're friendly and show you can take a joke, 99 times out of 100 that would improve the situation rather than escalate it.

Don't assume those 'chavs' hanging around are trouble. There's not a whole lot for youth to do here in the UK in general, so hanging around with mates on the street, listening to music and having a laugh is one of the only 'free' things to do. I've done it in my youth, you've probably done it, even your parents probably did it. But don't assume they're bad people. Don't avoid large groups, walk by them with confidence. You might get a joke thrown at you, but laugh it off. You might start to realise that the same group of people hang around that area quite regularly and you can rely on that group as a bit of safety if something else happens on your way home. You might even make a friend, you never know.

Not sure if you smoke or not, but I always find a good piece of advice is to approach people or groups you're a bit wary of and ask if anyone has a light for your cigarette. You'll show them that you mean no ill towards them and that you're confident enough to approach them. (Please note though that this might cost you a cigarette of your own when they ask you for one back)

For everything else, listen to Yossarian. He lives.

 

[Ryan Hughes]

Have you considered soiling yourself? The attacker will feel such revulsion that he'll flee into the night without harming you. Once you've trained yourself to vomit, defecate, and urinate on command you'll be untouchable.

Well, I suppose opponents paralyzed by hysterical fits of laughter are easier to deafeat.

Act like you are tweaked out of your mind. Nobody is going to attack you if they dont know what you are on.

I think that might be the worst idea I have ever heard. Addicts will attack if they think you are carrying. Not only that, but the cops will harass or arrest you. . .

Carry something threatening on your person, like a knife and try to appear confident. Pretty much do everything in your power to look like a bad target.

No, no, no. Worst advice ever. Police catch you with a knife and you're fucked, they don't care if it's for show and you don't plan on stabbing anyone. Police find a knife on you and you can kiss management chances goodbye, they don't take that stuff lightly because of how bad knife crime is in some areas.

So... I'm going to guess that carrying knives around in the UK is a much worse crime than in the US. Good to know.

It doesn't even have anything to do with that. Knives are one of two things: tools or killing weapons, and only a fool uses them for personal defense. this person is serious, please do not give advice if you do not know what you are talking about.

 

[Sovvolf]

All the martial arts schools I've heard of practice some real-life defense situations as well, and combined with the general martial art training it's pretty solid self-defense training.

Depends entirely on the teacher and the gym itself. Most gyms I've trained at, we've done nothing of the sort and mainly practiced the art it self. I've been to one or two that did teach self defense for real-life situations but the training was questionable at the best. Such as my TKD instructor teaching people to disarm and deflect a knife attack using an outer crescent kick... Suffice it to say, I don't train there anymore...

Generally you'll learn to defend yourself as a bi-product of learning martial arts. Though again as I keep stressing, learning martial arts is not going to solve the problem, it takes years upon years of dedicated training, keeping your body in a great physical shape, spending your free time and money putting it into the gym, full change of diet and life style. The works. If you're looking for a quick and easy solution, look elsewhere.

Though, if you do take that as a solution, least in the long run, you'll be in such a good physical shape that you'll not need any of that self-defense training. Cause you'll look like the fellow no one wants to pick on or mug and you'll have that walk of confidence without having to fake it and without even being consciously aware of it.