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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Jiu-jitsu for Self Defense

I don't know how to put a poll in my blog post. I should ask Liam. But I wanted to know something out of curiosity, so I posted a poll on the right-hand side of this blog hoem page. The question is:

How many of you have ever actually had to use Jiu-jitsu in an actual self defense situation?

Also, I was just wondering what is actually legal in a self-defense situation? Not that I am planning to go get in a street fight or anything. I've never actually had to defend myself outside of the school or a tournament. Could you get in trouble for defending yourself "too well"? I am not talking about me being so awesome that I could accidentally kill someone in self defense. But what if you broke someone's arm? Could they come back and sue you?

Just wondering...

9 comments:

Meerkatsu said...

Hey if you have away the answer then a hundred thousand lawyers would go out of business!

Seriously, in the UK, the law is so vague, you could get sent to jail for 'hitting back' just as you could get off for killing someone in self defence. It's a total lottery.

However, BJJ give me the self confidence to walk tall, learn when to engage and not to engage (last bit is most important). I get all the kicks I can handle in a typical class, no need to me to get hot-headed out in a bar or road rage etc.

As for random attacks of violence, who knows. I'd rather not have to find out.

Look forward to seeing your poll results!

SavageKitsune said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SavageKitsune said...

(Allie)
How many of you have ever actually had to use Jiu-jitsu in an actual self defense situation?
----------------
(SavageKitsune)
I was once in a violent altercation wherein I was defending someone ELSE- this was long before I started training, though. The experience definitely played a part in my desire to train. I don't want to ever find myself in a position like that again, where I know I must act but lack the tools to do so.
-----------------
(A)
Also, I was just wondering what is actually legal in a self-defense situation? Not that I am planning to go get in a street fight or anything. I've never actually had to defend myself outside of the school or a tournament. Could you get in trouble for defending yourself "too well"? I am not talking about me being so awesome that I could accidentally kill someone in self defense. But what if you broke someone's arm? Could they come back and sue you?
---------------
(SK)
Yes. Anyone can sue anyone for anything, and it is not unheard of for attackers to sue their victims when the victims fight back and the attacker gets the worse end of it. Juries are notoriously unsympathetic to attackers who sue their victims, though.

If you are attacked, you are legally justified in using whatever force you feel you need to get out of the situation- but not more. You have to be able to explain convincingly why you felt you needed to use the level you used. If you have opportunity to
escape or call for help instead of beating the attacker to a pulp, you are expected to do that.

You must be able to articulate that your attacker had the means to seriously harm you, the incentive to do so (as you saw it, to the best of your ability to judge), and that you had no feasable means of getting out of the situation other than physical violence.

There are certain circumstances in which an attacker can be considered to have crossed the line into "deadly force" attack- at which point you are justified in using deadly force back, up to and including killing him. If he tries to choke you, if he uses or brandishes a weapon...also a great disparity of force (ie, 250-lb weightlifter dude attacks 115lb woman) may in some cases be considered a deadly force level attack.

There is a lot of grey area, and individual circumstances must be hashed out on a case by case basis in the legal system.

I really feel strongly that anyone training in martial arts of any type needs to know the applicable laws in their area- I'm really appalled at how few do. If I had a scool, this would be an important part of the curriculum.

Sean said...

If a guy gets into a bar fight and snaps a guy's arm, he's likely prone to getting sued (and/or being charged with assault). If you are a female being attacked by a male assailant & the same thing happens, chances are she will not be at risk of being successfully sued.
That said, if given a choice, go for the choke!

leslie said...

We had a cop come talk to the TKD club a few years ago, and he said exactly what SavageKitsune said: Use only as much force / knowledge as possible, and most importantly be able to explain why you felt that force was required.

Liam H Wandi said...

"If a bigger person fights a smaller person to a draw, the smaller person won." Helio Gracie.

If you keep that in mind, all will be well :o)

Jiujitsunista said...

I know I've told you this before, but I sort of used Jiu-jitsu once 'live'.

Someone got a little grabby, and I insta-used that wrist lock Mario showed us without even hesitating. However, I was not in any real danger. Either way it worked like a charm, and said grabber was on his knees in a second.

At which point I started laughing.

So, I suppose, I have used it, but it was not really necessary and I wouldn't classify it as self-defense.

BJJ Judo said...

SavageKitsune hit the nail on the head. The only thing I would add is a high level of expertise in any particular art can play against you from a legal standpoint. Unfortunately, because of too many movies juries tend to think Black Belts should be able to magically immobilize or evade their opponents without doing any harm to them. As such Black Belts and professional fighters will tend to get in more trouble then an "every day Joe". Consider the professional boxer that kills someone in a bar brawl. If the other person does not have a weapon the boxer will likely spend the rest of his/her life in jail, regardless of who started the fight or any other mitigating circumstances. There are lots of other gray areas including where and how the altercation took place. For example, getting attacked in your home is different from getting in a fight at a bar. You are expected to flee if possible in each situation, but the likely hood of going to jail for defending yourself during a home invasion is very slim.

Regarding lawsuits, anything goes. Home invaders have been known to sue home owners when they trip and fall during a robbery. It is really absurd, but not untrue.

Have I ever used Jui Jitsu in an altercation? Yes, but not the way you think. I used it to maintain focus just walk away.

A.D. McClish said...

Wow, thanks for all the info, guys! It's pretty much what I expected. Fortunately, as I said, I have never had to defend myself and I hope I never will! I just have heard so many stories about people doing things like coming into someone house to rob it and then suing the home owner for getting hurt on their property--while they were committing robbery!! If that nonsense can happen, getting sued for defending yourself "too well" doesn't seem far fetched, unfortunately.