Do you ever feel vulnerable with the top down?

[mtch]

Aother important point made earlier was the false confidence that MA and MMA instill in participants and students. I studied under a champion (why is it that all instructors are champions?) instructor until I was 12. I quit when I saw my uncle, who was 19 at the time, beat the snot out of my champion instructor. This was not a controlled or sanction match, but a fight in the parking lot. My uncle broke the instructor's arm, nose and a rib. I'll concede that my uncle was a nationally competitive (jr. olympics) high school wrestler and had spent some time on the wrong side of town, "honing his skills". However, I had seen my instructor win tournies and other competitions, so I lost a lot of confidence in American instructional combatives and MAs when I saw him go down like that.

I know that there are many factors that determine the outcome, and this may have been an issue of dumb luck, a bad day or fatigue. But, after I saw that, I realized that most MA training is controlled and it will not prepare someone for a real, uncontrolled street fight. It simply provides enough confidence to stand and take a beating instead of backing down and running.

[mjw930]

Let me just add that although I am usually armed (legally) my first reaction is ALWAYS to look for a way out of the situation. The protection I carry is an absolute last course of action.

Also, as to the question of where you can and can't carry a weapon in the car you can check out http://www.packing.org. With my Florida Permit I can legally carry a concealed weapon in almost 25 other states.