Home Defense

[Bart Scovill]

If someone broke in to your house, which kobudo weapon would you reach for first and why?

[Chris]

Easy; anyone of my pistols or shotguns. Why on earth would I choose an 18th century weapon when a modern distance weapon is available??? Plus, what if there are more than one attackers??? Now, if I can't avail myself of a firearm, and it MUST be a "traditional weapon", I'd have to go with (in order) the kama, nunchuku, and tonfa.

The kama allows for ease of movement (generally) in the confined space of a bedroom or living room, plus, it has cutting & hacking potential. The nunchuku allows for rapid strikes in a close in space as well. Both of these weapons allow me to keep some distance from an attacker (beyond arm's reach) if necessary. The tonfa allows for excellent strikes and blocks, but requires that I get a little closer to someone that I really don't want to be that close to me.

Forget the Bo & Jo because you probably don't have the room to maneuver...other than constant thrusts. Eiku? Forget it. The sai has some potential, but like the tonfa, I have to get closer than I want to be with someone.

[Chris]

Pardon my grammer: that should have been "any one", rather than anyone.

Sorry

[Ikigai]

I actually wrote an article a little while ago about why the Jo is a good choice - http://www.blackbeltmama.com/black_belt_mama/2007/09/jo-weapon-of-s...

The article assumes you don't have a gun handy, as many people do not keep a loaded gun in the house for safety (especially with children) purposes. A jo however is just a stick and can be kept next to the bed, by the front door, etc etc.

[Jonathan Forrester]

I'm with Chris. If my gun isn't available (unlikely.....) then I would choose my cane sword. First of all it is razor sharp and would scare the hell out of a burgler. The downside would be that I have to clean the carpet from all the blood.

Unless of course the bad guy is cheating and has a criminal record and has an illegal handgun which would NEVER happen. Bad guys always follow the law don't they? Oh wait - you said the guy broke into my house. So much for that theory.... In that case my cane sword or any other Kobudo weapon would be of little use.

Maybe some shurikens but the poison takes too long to incapicitate a home intruder.

[Bart Scovill]

I agree a shotgun would be my first choice in pure home defense, but I have children and that means any firearms are not readily accessible. Kobudo weapons on the other hand are lying around everywhere. Just ask my wife. So my weapon of choice is the nunchaku. It has good range if room is available and can be used as a club if room is tight. I also like how easy it is to employ them in grappling. Second would be my Kali sticks. Easier to control than nunchaku, but more difficult to generate power in a confined space.

[Darren Ball]

I would have to say my Jo (Hanbo). We train with this weapon in grappling situations, close-quarters and at distance. It's also the first weapon I passed and therefore have the most experience with, and, as Mr. Scovill said, they are generally lying all around the house also.

Having said that, if I was downstairs in the loungeroom, I'd have to say my Boken. Without a doubt the weapon I'm most comfortable with.

[Jonathan Forrester]

Darren - Please elaborate.

According to what I know the following apply:

• Jo is a 50-56" long staff. (Typically measured from the floor to your armpit or solar plexus)
• Hanbo is only 36" long (Hanbo - literally means half a bo) - Since a Bo is 6 feet (72") - then the hanbo is half that length.
• Yawara which is 12-14" long.

So which one are you talking about? The terms are not interchangeable so I just want to make sure you are making yourself clear to others.

[SheepDog]

I know you weren't really talking modern weapons, but uh, yeah, firearms first, blades second, blunt force third, hands/feet fourth.

Assuming element of surprise is on the side of the bad guy...

Firearms - shotgun first, then revolver or pistol.

Blades - I have a good selection, but by my nightstand I keep a Marine Corps Kabar (a wedding gift from my best man).

Blunt force - Hm, probably a Louisville Slugger, or a 4-cell Maglite (also in the bedroom) - but also possibly nunchaku or tonfa.

Our selection of sais, swords, staffs, etc. is probably not too realistic in my case. My wife would probably grab one of her sais first thing, if she didn't have her snubbie .38 handy.

All this assumes they found a way to get past Charlie - our 110 lb. pit bull. He's a great alarm system, loves our family but does not like strangers. His favorite chew toy is a old tire, and I have to replace it every year or so. The most likely scenario of all is I will be getting some exercise pulling Charlie off their remains, if they hopped in through a window or kick down one of the doors. (And yes, I treat Charlie like a loaded weapon, especially with two kids in the house.)

[SheepDog]

Er, I just want to make sure its understood that last statement doesn't mean Charlie is mistreated in any way, or has ever been used or trained as a fighting dog. His tail and ears are not bobbed, etc., he's never been in a fight with another dog, never bit or even snarled at one of us, etc. We got him as a cute little puppy, but due to his breed, like I said, we give him the same respect as a loaded weapon. We have never even once left him alone in the same room or the yard with either of our kids.

He's a great family dog, but it is a bit of a sphincter-tightener when a stranger pulls in the driveway up towards the house (it's a bit of a ways down from the road) and they see him bounding towards them, covering the 20 yards or so from the back to the front yard in about a second. He clears the fence and gate like it's not there. Then he'll stand outside their car door, panting happily, until I call him back and they can open their car door. Like I said, a good security system, but to be treated with respect.

His bite is just incredibly strong. I read somewhere that the average dog has a bite that can generate about 500 - 800 ft/lbs of pressure per sq inch, a German Shepherd has about 1200 ft/lbs psi or so, and a pit bull has about 2000 psi. You've just got to respect that and treat it carefully. I discovered you can't "fetch" with any normal object - he snaps the average broomhandle in half like it was a twig.