Hi friends,
Happy release day today for: Searching for Allies!
Any of you speed readers who could throw up a nice review when you finish would be greatly appreciated. Those first few reviews make a big difference!
And thanks to everyone who helped push Searching for Shelter over the 100 review mark!! Our first book to ever reach that milestone. You’re the best!
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A stick could save your life. Weapon Tip #7
As you know, I generally teach how to recognize and avoid dangerous situations and then how to use your own strikes to break free from an attack.
Weapons are usually the last thing I teach because they require lots of training, they need to always be with you within easy reach, and they can be taken away and used against you.
But what about a weapon you can find just lying around waiting to be picked up in many situations? One that is cheap and not to difficult to learn?
The stick! 😀
Think about where you might find one when you’re in danger:
- on the ground outside
- a broomstick leaning against the wall in the kitchen
- a baseball bat in the tub of sport equipment
- a shovel handle in the garage
- the janitor’s mop at school or work
- A cane or walking stick
- A long flashlight might count?
- and very loosely, let’s include chairs in this – holding up the four ‘sticks’ (legs) like a lion tamer would to fend off an attacker.
How to use a stick for self-defense:
- Jab with it – just like spears were used to in ancient wars to keep the enemy out of reach, you can jab toward the gut and groin to cause pain and toward the face to make an attacker flinch back, giving you time to get out of there.
- Swing with it – draw on those baseball skills and use the far end of the stick to strike. (Just use short, fast swings, not a big windup like in baseball) Good targets are the head plus any hard, bony areas, shoulders, ribs, elbows, wrists, and knees.
- Block with it – Step back and strike at an incoming grab or non-gun weapon. Follow up immediately with more fast strikes to vulnerable areas.
Remember your goal in self-defense is to get out of the situation if you weren’t able to avoid it in the first place. This means causing fast, debilitating pain so you can safely run.
Finally, practice!
If you have an old broomstick or other decently-sized stick, take it firmly in two hands and find a target to practice on. In this case, a tree truck, a fence post or similar object works great. Practice jabs and strikes to get a feel for how to keep the swings short and strong. Hit quickly and bring the stick back to your center between strikes.
It is worthwhile and fun to take a course in stick fighting or something like escrima, because sticks are truly the easiest weapon to find just lying around waiting to be used for defense.
I’d love to hear back from any of you who have more tips on using sticks or canes for defense.
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Misty’s Writing Update:
The first draft of Deadly Rescue is officially done and now the rest of the author work is piling up.
We’ll be sending Virus books 2 and 3 out to beta readers to help us find any last pesky typos or plot holes. Please email me if you’d like to join our street team to help read them ahead of time and put up early reviews.
We’re also going dive into the big world of book advertising and see if we can be effective without losing too much money on the learning process. Wish us luck!
And I spent a couple hours brainstorming magic systems and the fantasy world of my new series with my 13-year-old son who is an avid fantasy fan and came up with a ton of awesome ideas. I love my kids!
Happy reading out there!
— Misty 🙂
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