Mark Hatmaker: Arsenal Tunnel Vision & Building Redundancies

Before we get into the meat of today’s martial thought exercise let’s take a few inventories. In the first inventory I want you to list a minimum of one dozen Designated Weapons, that is devices, gadgets, gear that is acquired, packed, and utilized primarily for self-protection.

I’ll get the list started and you finish it up:

• Firearm
• Tactical folding knife
• Fixed blade knife (up to 4” is legal in my neck of the woods).
• Taser
• Pepper spray
• Tactical flashlight

…you take over from here.

Next, let’s assume an absence of weapons and we look to our environment for improvisations (the X-WEAPON Unit). Again, let’s list an even dozen, I’ll start:

• Ballpoint pen (piercing, stabbing, thrusting)
• Coffee mug (thrown, slap-launched, smashing)
• Bedside electric clock (smashing, thrown, cord whipping, cord garroting)
• Soft drink in plastic bottle (thrown, slap-launched, or shaken and directed for distraction)
• Coffee table (toppled, kick-shoved for obstruction)
• Salt shaker (thrown, slap-launched, smashing)

…you finish it up.

OK, before we get to the next list, a quote from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations:

“In the application of your principles you must be like the pancratiast (boxer/wrestler, i.e. the first Mixed Martial Artist), not like the gladiator; for the gladiator lets fall the sword which he uses and is killed; but the other always has his hand, and needs to do nothing else than use it.”

You already see where I’m going. Now, I do not assume that any of we modern gladiators are walking around with the entire designated dirty dozen listed above, whatever those weapons may be, but more than a few of us carry at least one of those items.

If, we find ourselves without them it is always wise to resort to any of the 14 Classes of Improvised weapons as described by your own ingenuity or in the X-WEAPON UNIT.

Now, let’s assume that we take Aurelius’ wisdom to his empty-hand state. Let’s build a Dirty Dozen of human body weapons.

• The fist
• The grip for grasping, tearing, gouging, ripping.
• The elbow
• The knee
• The head-butt
• The shoulder-butt

…finish her up.

OK, now let’s get to the crux of today’s lesson. Using Aurelius’ wisdom we have already dropped our designated weapons and gone to our improvised weapons arsenal, then we have dropped our improvised weapons and gone to our body weapons arsenal but, what happens if we are forced to drop one of these weapons, or if one of these weapons is operating at less than 100% efficiency or utility? How well do we respond then?

In other words:

• How well do you box with one eye out of the game?
• With blurred vision?
• Can you grapple/scramble competently blindfolded?
• Do you kick, utilize your footwork, settle down in your punches as well when you’ve just blown an ankle? (Or at least the ankle injury mock drill we use in Aurelius Boxing)
• How well do you spar/scrimmage when exposed to extreme temperature changes? (Example: I’ve swum/flailed in 40 degree water and then moved directly to combat drilling right in the middle of rapid-fire teeth-chattering, uncontrollable shivering. How well did that go? About as well as you’d expect, but the information gleaned about what I can and cannot rely in that situation is invaluable).
• Do you move, respond just as well when launching defense from differences in level, that is, below your assailant on a flight of stairs? Above? The same level but with the onus of the narrow uneven footing?

…Again, you can finish out a list that reaches beyond the horizon.

Many of us would call it unwise to rely too heavily on a designated weapon without thought of what comes if it should fail, if we are without it, or relieved of it.

We should also call it just a bit short-sighted to view/train only one or two classes of improvised weapons and ignore the possibilities or potential of other classes as we will never have the choice of environment when we are under the gun (often literally). I mention this as I have a good many skillful and talented stick combative friends and some (some, not all) of them when pressed in improvised weapons drilling only “see” stick-like objects and are at a disadvantage when those options are removed. In essence, they have rendered themselves blind to additional opportunities.

With our preparation logic stretched to its furthest but, not unlikely extremes, we see that assuming the best of our abilities at what is most probably the worst time in our lives is also a bit less than prudent.

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