One opinion that I have had since I was in high school is this:
I don’t care what martial art you study, what color belt you have, or how skilled you are, physical defense has limits. A 6 year old with a black belt in karate can’t beat up a full grown adult. A 100 pound woman isn’t going to beat up a 250 pound man, unless that man is in poor physical condition.
That opinion wasn’t a popular one, but it’s true. Skill can only do so much, but at the end of the day, physical strength, stamina, and size are just as important. Let me show you:
That doesn’t mean that skill is to be ignored. It means that what skills you do have should be viewed through a realistic lens. A 100 pound woman still is far outclassed in strength. That 100 pound woman believing that taking some krav maga classes is going to enable her to take on and disarm a full sized man is going to give her the overconfidence to go places and get into situations that she is not equipped to handle.
She let her classes where she practices set moves against compliant adversaries give her the false confidence that she can take on grown men armed with weapons and prevail, when in reality, she can’t even take on a man when given a distinct advantage, and in this case, the man was holding back and trying not to hurt her.
The same is true of people who carry guns. Many people only carry in “bad neighborhoods” and allow that firearm to pull them into places where they wouldn’t go if they weren’t armed.
Have a realistic idea of what training and weapons do for you, what your capabilities are, and know how and where you should be. One thing that I have learned by taking BJJ is that I have flexibility as my advantage, but I don’t have the stamina and cardio of a 23 year old any longer. In many cases, a 22 year old will be stronger and will be in condition to outlast me in a protracted fight. In any hand to hand, I must endeavor to win the fight early, because I will lose a protracted battle.
Be realistic in your own assessment of your abilities.
15 Comments
Old Maine Farmer · June 21, 2025 at 7:24 am
Hilarious! But seriously, a 100 pound woman can squeeze a trigger. My dear old mother kept a gun at her side and had a concealed carry permit until she died at 88. Someone attacking her in her senior’s chair would have gotten a crotch full of lead and would have then immediately met the Lord (but not in a good way). As it is said, ‘a man (or woman) has got to know his limitations.
Divemedic · June 21, 2025 at 7:34 am
Even so, too many people let the fact that they are carrying get them into situations where they are in trouble. Don’t go to stupid places and do stupid things, even if you do have a gun. The best way to survive a gun fight is not to be in one.
Jonathan · June 21, 2025 at 8:15 am
Exactly!
Even if I can defend myself well, the experience will still be long and difficult with investigation, possible lawsuits, trauma, etc. it’s better to avoid it if at all possible.
I’d have to have a really good reason to go to a bad area, especially afternoon/ evening when it’s likely worst.
I don’t agree with those who say a good restaurant or theater is worth the risk. But I’m a rural person and I have purposely avoided jobs in cities for several reasons.
Old Maine Farmer · June 21, 2025 at 10:01 am
Well said Divemedic, but my dear old mother didn’t go far from the senior’s chair in her own home. As for us, we live in rural northern Maine, where there are hitching rails for horses at the bank, post office, and grocery store (also the gas station/bus stop now that I think about it). Excellent advice not to go to stupid places, and to circumnavigate trouble spots.
Divemedic · June 21, 2025 at 12:08 pm
My family has a fishing cabin not too far from Lincoln. We join them up there every once in a while.
Elrod · June 21, 2025 at 7:48 am
Typical “you go, girl” bullshit. “Samuel Colt” is the only correct answer to 115 lb Vagina American vs. 220 lb Bruno. *
The opposite, unfortunately, is highly propagated by the cinematography industry, where “Xenia, Warrior Princess” type stuff gets lots of admiring views. On The Street, however, life is a little bit different…..
I’m in the same boat as you – 30 years ago I might – emphasis on “might” – consider going toe-to-toe with Bad Bart under some very specific conditions but today, I’m OK with letting Buffalo Bore or Federal HST carry the workload.
* The first rule, however, is always “avoidance;” I’d much prefer readng about some other schmuck’s trials, tribulations and travails in the newspaper than experiencing them first hand; there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of schmucks to read about……especially in places like Crime Hills.
Himself · June 21, 2025 at 9:21 am
That video reminds me of the bugs bunny cartoon where he went up against the wrestler.
I took Krav Maga classes with my daughter. Many such women in that class. And even though I was 240 lbs, I was mighty. I learnt two things:
1. A 100 lb soaking wet girl boss can’t do crap to a normal size man, let alone a shrek like me (at the time). They were kidding themselves.
2. When I was paired up with a 6’4” ape for sparring – I was his bitch. Size matters.
My late brother in law was a SEAL. We were at a party where a brace of lesbians were challenging him. Said the black belt one could kick his ass. After a long while enduring this, he said – “Ok, let’s do it. Give it your best shot”. So they squared up. She tried one punch, and she wound up on the ground, arms pinned, with him on top. He gave her a peck on the nose and said “in the real world, people don’t fight with rules”.
They left soon after.
Old Maine Farmer · June 21, 2025 at 10:02 am
Parties with a brace of lesbians would be one place I would avoid.
Gerry · June 21, 2025 at 10:06 am
If you take a self defense class or any martial art and nobody ever gets hurt, it’s theater.
Go hard enough, not even full bore and your going to end up bruised or bloody by accident.
I took a class from William April. My first partner was there to be seen. The second guy was there to learn and resisted the moves. We both learned and improved.
Divemedic · June 21, 2025 at 12:07 pm
I broke two ribs last year sparring in my BJJ class. It hurt to breathe for about 2 weeks.
SoCoRuss · June 21, 2025 at 11:37 am
Ah Yes, the Hollywood diversity belief that a 100 lb 5ft2in lefty cunt can destroy the best and biggest Tier one guys or zombies on the planet. You see lots of the savages taking MMA classes now, it helps them with their violence and blood lust cravings, ala Trayvon’s covered up MMA career. Plus it helps with crimes.
I also have gotten too old to go hand to hand unless forced into it. And if I am, I will truly hurt them, fuck the rules or boundaries. As a southern boy, I always have a knife with me and I know where to put it in arteries. It’s also VERY easy to pop out eyes to blind them, a throat punch that goes all the way in no pulling back, you can hurt people in ways they never thought about. Innocent items that you can carry on you no one will suspect like a pen/pencil, mini mag light of the key chain type, wine cork screw, table spoon’s or forks if eating or a short 6 inch wooden dowel rod pushed thru an eye or ear and into the brain ends a fight instantly.
More and more of these savages are good at fighting so doing the customary manly fair fight is suicide, they will gang up on you. If you have ANY rules for fighting back, you will die. If you cant get yourself to go medieval on them, then just give up whatever they want and hope they let you live.
Unclezip · June 21, 2025 at 12:25 pm
I just had a to-do with a kid 40 years my junior who had quite a few pounds on me. Tried to push me down a set of stairs. As they say, do it quick and do it hard. After about 2 1/2 seconds of attempting to bully me, he ran away and called 911. Cops laughed their asses off.
@HomeInSC · June 21, 2025 at 1:03 pm
I’m firmly in the avoid bad situations school. Even with a pistol keep plenty of distance.
Anonymous · June 21, 2025 at 1:47 pm
Re: “A 100 pound woman isn’t going to beat up a 250 pound man, unless that man is in poor physical condition.”
In over twenty years of doing martial arts as a student and then a teacher, I have never seen a teenaged or older male beaten in hand-to-hand fighting by a female of any age or size. Prepubescent boys, sure – but once the guys hit puberty and the hormones kick in, forget it.
Part of our curriculum is teaching the students, male and female alike, how erroneously Hollywood and popular culture portray the relative strengths and weaknesses of male and female humans. One-hundred-five pound “heroines” who look like super models don’t throw 200-lb. men across the room, or kick their butts in fights.
None of this is to suggest that women are incapable of being tough, courageous or skilled in martial arts; but it is to remind us that size, speed, aggression and skill matter in the real world. And anyone who teaches their students differently is committing an enormous disservice to them.
Male and female differ enormously in psychological terms, too. This was best-illustrated when he began to use fake knives and handguns for weapons disarms. Without exception, the guys in the room got stoked and excited. The gals, on the other had, were a picture of grim determination and even fear.
One female student, a high-school aged young women, began to cry at the mere sight of these training aids. Everyone behaved properly towards her and with compassion, no one ridiculed her – but a short time later she quit training with us.
In particular for females, learning to use a FA does more than anything else to even up the odds. H2H combat, even for men, ought to be a very last resort. There are too many things which can go wrong. And the best “technique” to winning the fight is not to be where trouble is in the first place. Situational awareness is everything.
Grumpy51 · June 21, 2025 at 6:07 pm
I always wondered why the old peace officer was so dangerous.
When I was 25, the thugs were 25 – let’s fight. Now I’m in my 60’s, the thugs are STILL 25…… use a gun….