Improvised Weapons Part 2: Weapons of Mass Distraction
Getting this in your eyes hurts.
Okay, so maybe mass distraction isn't entirely accurate, but I thought it sounded better. Continuing our series on improvised weapons, we now turn our attention to some things that even some people who are familiar with improvised weapons might not normally consider to be weapons. Today, I thought it would be interesting to look at some weapons that don't really do all that much damage at all. These weapons are there entirely to distract.
So what's so great about distracting someone? More than I can count. Sure, most distractions won't in and of themselves do much damage to an aggressor (although I'll touch on a few that do) but they free up valuable seconds for you to act in some way and, possibly more importantly, they focus the aggressor's attention on a singular point opening up other target areas. Additionally, there are countless improvised distraction weapons. Countless to the point where, while I'm going to do my best to give as many examples as possible, this article is going to be based mostly on principles that can be applied to a wide variety of objects.
Exploiting the Nervous System
One of the greatest strengths of distraction weapons lies not so much in the items themselves, but rather in the way human psychology and physiology work. See, unless you've been trained to the contrary, pretty much everyone is born with autonomic nervous responses designed to protect us quickly when there isn't time for the brain to process what's going on. An example of this would be laying your hand down on a hot burner, the pain signal travels from your sensory neurons up your neural pathways along a reflex arc to your motor neurons at synapses at your spinal cord, which then immediately send the signal back to jerk your hand away before your brain even knows what's going on.
While there are many of these autonomic responses that can be taken advantage of during combat (pulling struck limbs back, lifting feet after being crushed, raising up on toes due to pain) the one we're interested in most here is the natural reflex to protect the head and face from projectiles. This is the response that causes us to cover our face and head with our arms when our eyes detect an unexpected object coming at us. For anyone not familiar with this reaction, find an extremely good-natured friend and, when they aren't expecting it, throw a nice, soft pillow directly at their face. Whether they catch it or not, the most likely response is that their hands and arms will come up to their head (and probably demand an explanation). That's what we want.
An additional part of human physiology that can be exploited in conjunction with this is the same phenomenon most pickpockets use to take advantage of people. I can't seem to recall the medical name for it, but in general the human body has issues dealing with several points of physical stimuli all at once. For pickpockets, this means that if they bump you with their shoulder while they're pulling out your wallet, you're significantly less likely to notice. For us good guys, that means that if you overload the sensory input of an attacker, it makes it much harder for them to react to attacks, locks and other defense techniques. The fact that anyone attacking you is already pretty much on edge, and the effects of a potential fight-or-flight adrenal dump on the part of the aggressor if you sufficiently surprise them can also exacerbate the physiological response we're looking to take advantage of.
Applying the Principles
So how would you apply these principles in an actual self-defense situation? Let's look at one example. For whatever reason, having done all you can to avoid a conflict entirely, you find yourself in a situation where an unarmed but large, angry man is advancing toward you with intent to harm you. You know he doesn't want your money (if he did you'd just give it to him and let him go, right?) and there is no doubt that his intent is to do you harm. Maybe he's been angered by something, maybe he's just crazy, maybe he's a rapist, the point is you know you have to fight. You put your hands up, palms open in a way that puts them into your particular art's ready position but, to him, looks more like you're saying you give up or don't want any trouble.
As he gets closer to you, personally I would prefer around eight to ten feet, you snatch your hat off your head, and fling it at his face while roaring at the top of your lungs. Now, his response to this is two-fold. His eyes see an object flying directly at his face, and his ears hear your loud roar, instinctively his hands come up to protect his face. Additionally, his brain now has to process the fact that the timid, submitting individual he was just faced with has launched some kind of totally unexpected attack. The shift from feeling reasonably safe to being attacked will most likely cause an adrenal response which, for people who aren't used to it, can cause the attacker to freeze up.
Now, as soon as you have released the hat at his face, you follow right behind it, still roaring, and smash into him with whatever attack you are most comfortable with. Personally, I prefer low- or mid-line attacks because the attacker's hands and arms should naturally be covering his head. I also like to alternate between high and low target areas in situations like this. For example, his arms go to his head in response to the hat, and his brain is focused on that high-line attack. Suddenly, a foot comes down on his instep or a knee finds itself buried in his groin, and his brain shifts its focus down there. Now, while he's thinking about his foot or groin, an elbow comes down on his undefended head.
The idea here is to create as much confusion and chaos for the aggressor as possible while attacking him at as many different locations as possible. Imagine yourself in his position, feeling safe and in control when suddenly there's something in your face and milliseconds later a screaming whirlwind of fists, knees, feet and elbows is smashing into you from every direction.
What Can You Throw?
The short answer - anything. Just about anything can be thrown within reason. I would, however, advise against throwing items that would be of more use to you as an offensive weapon than a distraction. A stick, for instance, if you know how to handle it is probably best held on to. Throwing knives is not only a lot harder than it looks in movies but a knife in your hand is of more worth to you than one across the room, or one that you threw improperly and is now in the hands of an attacker. Similarly, (and I can't imagine anyone ever doing this) throwing a loaded and operational firearm into someone's face as a distraction is probably not wise. So what are some good, common items? Let's take a look:
- Articles of Clothing - Hats and sunglasses are easy since they're easy to remove and already at head level. If the opportunity presents itself though, watches, rings, and even your belt can all be viable options.
- Pocket Contents - Your wallet or phone can be used in a situation where the attacker won't be tipped off by you reaching into your pocket. Now, if all they want is your wallet you know you should just give it to them. Throwing it in their face and running is always a viable option. In a situation where you have to fight your pockets may be less accessible but if the situation warrants it's definitely an option. Additionally, any items already in your hands when the confrontation starts are good. I would advise, in general, to not use items like your car keys or cell phone if you can help it. The best weapon you have is your ability to call for help, and throwing away your only way to get into your car or house may not make escape easy.
- Environmental Items - If you've ever been unfortunate enough to have sand thrown in your eyes, than you know how bad it hurts. This is one distraction item which can actually do a decent amount of damage in and of itself if thrown in the eyes, ranging from extreme temporary discomfort and blurred vision to, if you're lucky, temporary to permanent blindness. Now, this requires you to be low to the ground, so it may not be for every situation. Pretending to drop something, if you can get away with it, is one option. It also works extremely well if you've already been taken to the ground, or are already in a crouching or prone position for whatever reason. It doesn't have to just be sand either, rocks, gravel, loose dirt, even chunks of sidewalk if they're accessible can all be used effectively.
Training Methods
There are a few different ways to train for situations like this and, like a lot of aspects we've covered in this article, the benefits are two-fold. The first, and most obvious, benefit of training distraction techniques is the benefit gained by the person employing the technique. The 'defender' solidifies the response in their neural pathways, makes it more natural, and can reduce the time it takes to throw the object and then close with the 'attacker' to launch a counter-offensive. Basically, all the regular benefits of training a technique.
The often overlooked benefits, however, are those to the 'attacker.' See, those reflex arcs I spoke of early generally intersect with other reflex arcs and make connections with the higher brain functions. That means that, through training, those reflexes can be subdued or mitigated. Think of it as similar to how law enforcement officers have to overcome the reflex of flinching, tensing up, or closing their eyes when firing a weapon. The reflexive and anticipatory response to the bang and the recoil have to be trained out so that an officer can steadily and accurate fire a weapon. The same process is undergone with the 'attacker' in training these distraction techniques. Over time, a student can get to the point where they can asses the danger of a thrown object and react accordingly, rather than freeze up and automatically cover their head.
The best way, in my opinion is to train this similar to a relaxed, light randori or group free-sparring session. One student is placed in the middle with several soft items at their disposal. Beanbags are an option, although if the corner's get you in the eye it can hurt, so I prefer crumpled/balled up sheets of paper. Several other students circle the defender student at an acceptable distance and as each one advances or attacks with whatever attack they choose the defender student throws one of the balls of paper into their face and follows up with an appropriate technique. After an allotted time or after the paper balls are all expended a new defender is rotated in and the old defender becomes an attacker. For safety's sake goggles, such as those I suggest having on hand for training eye strikes, can be worn by the attackers.
For solo-training, I suggest placing a target at head height (a piece of paper with a cheesy face drawn on it taped to the wall works great) and practicing throwing an item at it and then closing the distance. If you have one, taping the face target to a heavy bag works wonders, as you can close the distance and actually apply most techniques without having to worry about putting a foot or hand through your wall. Additionally, you can lay out a tape measure on the ground, starting at your target, and test yourself at various distances. When doing this it can also be helpful to do it with a stopwatch in one hand. It can help you get a feel or about how fast you can bridge the gap between you and an attacker from various lengths away, as well as give you quantifiable data on your progress and improvements.
The main thing to take away from all of this is that, if you have something on hand to do it, it can be extraordinarily beneficial to distract an aggressor and shift their focus away from the areas you intend to target, as well as cause as much confusion as possible. Can you think of something I missed? Know the name of that physiological phenomenon pickpockets purportedly ply to pilfer people's pocketbooks? Just want to tell me my attempts at alliteration are abominable? Leave a comment!
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